Till some time back, creativity could not really help a person draw a monthly salary but these days scenario is completely different. Now one can easily give a vent to his / her creativity and take home a handsome pay packet. The booming animation market has opened newer avenues for all those who have a thing for painting and drawing.

The art of animation, a creative field which was earlier dominated by the West, has now India running as one of the most serious competitors. While cartoons are illustrations of a single diagram with varied meanings and expressions, animation is a rapid display of 2-D or 3-D images to create an illusion of motion.

In India, there are several career institutes offering Animation and Cartoon Courses. These career courses involve exhaustive career training for the job requirements in the field of animation and cartoons.

Cartoon Courses and Animation Institutes in India:

There are various colleges in India that offer specialized courses in animation and cartoons. These institutes help those who have a creative bent of mind and want to to earn a living from that. Some of the colleges are:

• National Institute of Design (NID, Ahmedabad)

• J.J School of Arts

• Zee Institute of Creative Arts (ZICA)

• Industrial Design Center (IDC), IIT - Mumbai & Guwahati

• Academy of Animation and Gaming

• Admec Multimedia Institute, Delhi

• Arena Animation, Delhi

• Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi

• Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics, Mumbai

• Aptech Computer Education, Mumbai

• Zee Institute of Media Arts, Mumbai

• Asian Institute of Gaming and Animation, Bangalore

• Ants Animation Training School, Bangalore

• Image Institute of Digital Technology, Bangalore

• SAE Technology College, Chennai

• Pivot Animation, Chennai

• Artlab College, Chennai

• Raymax Multimedia, Chennai

• Brainware Computer Academy, Kolkata,

• Digital Asia School of Animation, Kolkata

• Animaster – The Animation Varsity, Kolkata

• Micro Pro Institute, Kolkata

• Sumeru Academy of Digital Arts, Pune

• Indian Academy of Digital Arts, Pune

• Tilak Maharashtra University, Pune

• Image College of Arts, Animation & Technology, Hyderabad

• Picasso Animation College, Hyderabad

• Palette School of Multimedia, Hyderabad

For those who are looking for graduation courses in animation and cartoons, there are many colleges offering both diploma and degree courses. But for those looking for post graduate courses, options are very rare. Among the colleges that have been mentioned above, the Industrial Design Centers in Mumbai and Guwahati offer post-graduate degree courses.

Basic qualification required: All those who want to pursue a cartoon and animation course, there is a basic minimum qualification required. Like for applying for a diploma course in animation, one should have passed the 12th standard examination from any recognized board with a minimum of 45% marks. For those who are looking for a bachelor's degree program, the same eligibility criterion is relevant, while for the PG program, one must have a bachelor's degree from any university or institute.

Benefits of these courses: As one can see that the animation & multimedia industry is growing rapidly, pursuing a course in these fields can definitely push your career. Moreover, if you have a flair for drawing or creating characters, a course in this field would help satisfy your creative spirits.

Prospects of these courses in India:

Of late, animation in India has witnessed a remarkable boom with Indian animations catering to the needs of several private and public sectors and indigenously produced animated films all over the world.

There are various T.V programs, advertisements / commercials and computer games that demand a huge quantity of manpower from the Indian market. Besides that, animation is used for creating special effects in films or in web entertainment programs. Thus, the scope for aspiring students of animation is vast in the context of the rising Indian animation market.

Scope of animation students in foreign countries: Though cartoons and animations don’t really seem to be products meant for outsourcing, yet Indian cartoonists and animators have begun working for foreign companies. Undoubtedly, Indian companies are moving ahead of their South East Asian counterparts in this field. The western countries are also favoring India over any other country as far as animation is concerned because of the following reasons:

• Good command over English speaking skills

• Cost to company (CTC) advantage