The cartoon field is fairly saturated here in Australia. There's always someone out there who maybe not as skilled who is willing to work for less money. That's a problem we have. And we aren't saturated by means of there being plenty of work abound. There isn't. There are less opportunities around now as the industry adjusts and opens itself to accepting the artform for what it does best. 3D illustration and animation certainly hasn't helped the issue as interest from Pixar films and the like build interest in clients seeking more three dimensional characters to represent their ideals. But I do believe that this bubble will burst, and the current trend for 3D illustration will fade to a more moderate level. Even Disney realised this recently when it announced it would be producing a 2D feature film from its US studios.
I'm asked often about how to get in to this industry. And it's getting harder to answer that question. I felt I needed to point this situation out. I'm not hard up for work, I take what I am interested in. I don't accept just any old job anymore. I have the luxury of being choosey. It was me who decided I'd had enough of drawing and not for the enjoyment of it. Frankly, I'm not going to do 3D work and have no interest in it. I admire and enjoy watching what others do with it. But frankly the whole idea of 3D has removed the artist even further from being artistically talented to technically savvy. The majority of people I've met who are in 3D can't draw. Yet they're animators. I find that hard to handle. The jobs are becoming more about technology than who has creative talent. Factory work at its best. Train someone in Maya and you've got an instant monkey for the factory. I haven't anything against those who do amazing work in the field, i'm just miffed that much of where my income came from is now being given to someone who is trained in manipulating a 3D puppet.
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