Clean Up Artist Job Description, Salary, Skills & Software

What does a cleanup artist do?

Cleanup artists refine sketches that are roughly drawn (roughs) at the concept stage to a polished line drawing. They trace over the key drawings (keys) in solid lines, paying close attention to retain the essence of the original sketch. When working on characters they create a model sheet that demonstrates how to draw a character from many angles.

Trained illustrators often make good cleanup artists as accuracy and precision is required. Familiarity with 2D animation is useful as a number of animators with varying styles may work on the same character, and it is up to the cleanup artist to maintain consistency of character throughout production.

Cleanup artist job description

The cleanup artist role is an important one in the 2D animation process. They turn rough sketches into articulated line drawings, giving full definition and style to the original concept art.

Role & responsibilities of a 2D cleanup artist in film and games:

Collaborating with animators and designers to create key images as reference points for the entire animation
Defining the image of the character from multiple angles, giving it a three-dimensional iteration
Producing animation and timing charts for animators to work from
Ensuring a consistent visual style is maintained throughout the animation
Articulating character poses, moods, action and motion
Expressing character attitude through visual cues, body language and expression
Making the character work within the layout or background of a scene, observing the laws of physics, scale and perspective
Arcing the movement of a character through a sequence

Skills required to become a cleanup artist

A cleanup artist should have similar skills to a 2D animator. They must animate to shape and not lines, their job is to sculpt a character to bring it to life.

Film and game studios may look for the following skills in a cleanup artist:

Excellent drawing and visual skills
Basic knowledge of anatomy, human and animal movement, skeletal framework
Skilled at creating texture, cloth behavior, fur, hair, and skin articulation
Ability to articulate character mass, movement within space, and reaction to gravity
Mindset of an animator, keeping the entire scene in mind with each drawing
Cinematic eye, understanding of perspective, framing, camera angles, lighting, shading, depth of field, and scale
Ability to express character performance

What software and tools do cleanup artists use?

Cleanups are usually drawn on individual sheets of paper, with the artist rolling the pages back and forth to create a smooth sequence of action. The finished animation is then copied onto cels or transferred to a computer for post-production polishing.

Cleanup artists may need knowledge of a combination of the following software:

Pencils, pens, paper, erasers
Animator’s disk, desktop which allows page to be turned around
Lightbox for tracing

TOUCH

Adobe Photoshop is a raster graphics editor developed and published by Adobe for Windows and macOS. It was created in 1987 by Thomas and John Knoll

TOUCH

Adobe Illustrator is a vector graphics editor and design software developed and marketed by Adobe

TOUCH

The largest animation and gaming studios from around the world choose Harmony to produce the highest quality animation, setting the standard for creative storytelling.

A day in the life of a clean up artist

The daily responsibilities of an animator vary depending on the type of job you are working on. As with every other step in the pipeline, once you receive your assignment, research is key.

How to become a clean up artist

Practice makes perfect. When you are first learning, it takes some time to get your animations as smooth and precise as you would like. Repetition will eventually make the tedious aspects quick and natural, which will then let you focus on the more in-depth nuances and personality of your animations.

Prepare yourself for a career in this field by spending time gaining knowledge of:

The motion of humans, bipedal creatures, quadruped creatures, and animals
Facial movement and portraying different moods
Mechanical design
Mechanical operations
Weight and physics

Get the skills

Check out job ads at companies you want to work for—see the skills they’re hiring for, then build your skills! There are many courses with varying levels of support and interaction. To fast-track your education, CG Spectrum’s career training includes personalized mentorship from industry professionals so you can progress faster as an animator, and a specialized curriculum updated regularly to reflect industry standards.

Stay ahead of trends

Google online tutorials, webinars, conferences, publications, and local events to stay on top of trends and keep your skills fresh.

Animate you own projects

The best way to understand the nuances of animation is to create your own short projects. This helps showcase your skills and knowledge to potential recruiters.

Tips to break into the animation industry

Participate in competitions

Animation competitions are a great way to gain experience, and you’ll often get access to a rigged and modeled asset to practice. Use the final product in your portfolio. CG Spectrum runs regular challenges for students to practice working to a brief and a deadline.

Engage with communities

Building connections online is vital to getting your name and skills recognized and is a chance to interact with industry professionals who can offer advice or jobs.

Collaborate with peers

Do you know a modeler looking for someone to bring their latest asset to life? Or a lighting artist who’d love an animation scene to render? Collaborating with peers can be fun, and help you both create polished work for your portfolios.

Intern with a studio

Getting an internship with an animation company you want to work for is a way to get your foot in the door. This option is not viable for everyone, but can be an excellent way of gaining hands-on experience while networking at the same time.

Industry Pathways

In this episode, you'll hear from Sykosan, mentor of 2D Animation at CG Spectrum. Sykosan started out in Architecture before moving into 3D Animation, and finally deciding to focus fully on 2D Animation, where he's had great success and worked on some career-affirming projects with his dream collaborators.

Cleanup Artist (2D)

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What does a cleanup artist do?