Traditional and AI enabled animations * Market Research virtual clinic support * Industry Events * Executive and Senior Leader Reviews Skills and Abilities: * Ability to work with cross-functional ...
Traditional and AI enabled animations * Market Research virtual clinic support * Industry Events * Executive and Senior Leader Reviews Skills and Abilities: * Ability to work with cross-functional ...
Traditional Animation information
See Michigan salary details
$13.66 is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$9.22 - $13.94
27% of jobs
$13.94 - $18.67
0% of jobs
$18.67 - $23.39
19% of jobs
The median wage is $24.84 / hr.
$23.39 - $28.11
14% of jobs
$28.11 - $32.84
4% of jobs
$32.84 - $37.56
0% of jobs
$37.56 - $42.28
0% of jobs
$42.28 - $47.01
0% of jobs
$51.52 is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$47.01 - $51.73
12% of jobs
$51.73 - $56.46
6% of jobs
$56.46 - $61.18
18% of jobs
$9
$34
$61
How much do traditional animation jobs pay per hour?
As of Aug 8, 2026, the average hourly pay for traditional animation in Michigan is $34.35, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $19.09 and $55.72 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.
What types of traditional animation jobs are there?
Traditional animation jobs include roles such as character animator, background artist, layout artist, and storyboard artist. These positions typically require skills in drawing, storytelling, and knowledge of animation principles, often using tools like pencil, paper, and digital software. Job opportunities can be found in animation studios, film, television, advertising, and game development industries.
What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the traditional animation position, and why are they important?
To thrive in Traditional Animation, you need strong drawing abilities, a solid understanding of animation principles (like timing and movement), and often relevant educational background such as a degree in animation or fine arts. Familiarity with animation tools such as light tables, peg bars, and industry-standard software for scanning and compositing, as well as a portfolio demonstrating your work, are important. Creativity, keen attention to detail, time management, and teamwork are vital soft skills in this field. These combined skills ensure the creation of fluid, expressive animations that meet production deadlines and collaborative artistic standards.
What is a traditional animation?
A Traditional Animation job involves creating hand-drawn frames to produce fluid motion in animated films, television shows, advertisements, or video games. Animators sketch each frame on paper or digitally replicate the traditional process to bring characters and scenes to life. This role requires strong drawing skills, an understanding of motion, and knowledge of animation principles like timing and spacing. Professionals in this field may work as key animators, inbetweeners, or clean-up artists, depending on the production stage.
How to become a traditional animator?
To become a traditional animator, develop strong drawing skills and a solid understanding of animation principles such as timing and spacing. Obtain a degree or training in animation, art, or a related field, and gain experience through internships or personal projects using tools like pencil and paper or traditional animation software. Building a portfolio showcasing your work is essential for job applications in the field.
What does a typical workday look like for a traditional animator, and how do they interact with other team members?
A typical day for a traditional animator involves sketching or inking animation frames by hand, reviewing animatics or storyboards, and refining character movement to maintain consistency across scenes. Traditional animators often work closely with directors, layout artists, and clean-up teams to ensure visual continuity and incorporate feedback. Daily tasks may include attending team meetings, collaborating on scene revisions, and coordinating with digital departments if the project blends traditional and digital techniques. This collaborative environment allows animators to contribute their creative skills while working towards the shared vision of the animation project.
What are popular job titles related to Traditional Animation jobs in Michigan? For Traditional Animation jobs in Michigan, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Traditional Animation jobs in Michigan look for? The top searched job categories for Traditional Animation jobs in Michigan are:
Full-time
Posted 19 days ago
General Motors rating
8.2
General Motors
Based on 306 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz
7.4
Automakers average
Based on 6,272 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz
Job description
Job Description
The General Motors Design Visualization Foundations team is seeking Visualization Artists to join the team creating compelling visualization assets and experiences for the Design Studios. You will be part of a group of highly skilled visualization artists embedded in the Design studios in Warren. You will join a team of Visualization Artists with a vast array of skills to act as mentor for best practices, troubleshoot, ideate, and be a bidirectional conduit for innovation and continuous improvement between the Design Studios and the Visualization teams.
We are seeking candidates who demonstrate personal accountability and have excellent visualization skills and self-motivation to seamlessly visualize the creative work of the studio to enable faster decision making.
This position requires an employee to be mainly on site to provide appropriate support for the studio's needs. Ability to travel is required.
Major Duties and Responsibilities:
Skills and Abilities:
Experience, Education and Training:
About GM
Our vision is a world with Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions and Zero Congestion and we embrace the responsibility to lead the change that will make our world better, safer and more equitable for all.
Why Join Us
We believe we all must make a choice every day - individually and collectively - to drive meaningful change through our words, our deeds and our culture. Every day, we want every employee to feel they belong to one General Motors team.
Benefits Overview
From day one, we're looking out for your well-being-at work and at home-so you can focus on realizing your ambitions. Learn how GM supports a rewarding career that rewards you personally by visiting Total Rewards resources.
Non-Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunities (U.S.)
General Motors is committed to being a workplace that is not only free of unlawful discrimination, but one that genuinely fosters inclusion and belonging. We strongly believe that providing an inclusive workplace creates an environment in which our employees can thrive and develop better products for our customers.
All employment decisions are made on a non-discriminatory basis without regard to sex, race, color, national origin, citizenship status, religion, age, disability, pregnancy or maternity status, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran or protected veteran, or any other similarly protected status in accordance with federal, state and local laws.
We encourage interested candidates to review the key responsibilities and qualifications for each role and apply for any positions that match their skills and capabilities. Applicants in the recruitment process may be required, where applicable, to successfully complete a role-related assessment(s) and/or a pre-employment screening prior to beginning employment. To learn more, visit How we Hire.
Accommodations
General Motors offers opportunities to all job seekers including individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation to assist with your job search or application for employment, emailus or call us at 1-800-865-7580. In your email, please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting as well as the job title and requisition number of the position for which you are applying.
The General Motors Design Visualization Foundations team is seeking Visualization Artists to join the team creating compelling visualization assets and experiences for the Design Studios. You will be part of a group of highly skilled visualization artists embedded in the Design studios in Warren. You will join a team of Visualization Artists with a vast array of skills to act as mentor for best practices, troubleshoot, ideate, and be a bidirectional conduit for innovation and continuous improvement between the Design Studios and the Visualization teams.
We are seeking candidates who demonstrate personal accountability and have excellent visualization skills and self-motivation to seamlessly visualize the creative work of the studio to enable faster decision making.
This position requires an employee to be mainly on site to provide appropriate support for the studio's needs. Ability to travel is required.
Major Duties and Responsibilities:
- Act as the single point SME embedded in the studios and linked to the core Visualization teams to identify efficiencies in studio deliverables
- Collaborate with designers, sculptors and studio engineers to identify opportunities for efficiencies, data prep standards, troubleshooting hardware and software and drive for continuous improvement
- Support the following review types and events:
- VR, MR, AR Tablet review set up across multiple software and hardware
- Traditional and AI enabled animations
- Market Research virtual clinic support
- Industry Events
- Executive and Senior Leader Reviews
Skills and Abilities:
- Ability to work with cross-functional teams within various software to achieve pipeline efficiencies
- Proactive with reaching out to appropriate stakeholders
- Seeks opportunities for innovation by collaborating with others on latest ideas and continuous improvement initiatives
- Demonstrates personal skills that enable interfacing with cross-functional teams for maximum effect
- Ability to work agilely across all deliverables of the teams including Design, Sculpting and Industrial Design
- Ability to problem solve in a creative environment
Experience, Education and Training:
- Bachelor's degree preferred/equivalent industry related experience considered
- Experience in automotive Digital Twins and CGI a plus
- Experience in visualization tools such as UNREAL Engine, VRED and Maya required
- Experience in VR, MR, and AR required
- Experience in Vizcom required
- Knowledge in Teamcenter a plus
About GM
Our vision is a world with Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions and Zero Congestion and we embrace the responsibility to lead the change that will make our world better, safer and more equitable for all.
Why Join Us
We believe we all must make a choice every day - individually and collectively - to drive meaningful change through our words, our deeds and our culture. Every day, we want every employee to feel they belong to one General Motors team.
Benefits Overview
From day one, we're looking out for your well-being-at work and at home-so you can focus on realizing your ambitions. Learn how GM supports a rewarding career that rewards you personally by visiting Total Rewards resources.
Non-Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunities (U.S.)
General Motors is committed to being a workplace that is not only free of unlawful discrimination, but one that genuinely fosters inclusion and belonging. We strongly believe that providing an inclusive workplace creates an environment in which our employees can thrive and develop better products for our customers.
All employment decisions are made on a non-discriminatory basis without regard to sex, race, color, national origin, citizenship status, religion, age, disability, pregnancy or maternity status, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran or protected veteran, or any other similarly protected status in accordance with federal, state and local laws.
We encourage interested candidates to review the key responsibilities and qualifications for each role and apply for any positions that match their skills and capabilities. Applicants in the recruitment process may be required, where applicable, to successfully complete a role-related assessment(s) and/or a pre-employment screening prior to beginning employment. To learn more, visit How we Hire.
Accommodations
General Motors offers opportunities to all job seekers including individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation to assist with your job search or application for employment, emailus or call us at 1-800-865-7580. In your email, please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting as well as the job title and requisition number of the position for which you are applying.
Working at General Motors
What General Motors employees say
Pay
Benefits
Hours and flexibility
Workplace
Get the full story on Breakroom
About General Motors
Sourced by ZipRecruiter
General Motors is a company with global scale and capabilities, headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, with employees around the world. The company employs over 165,000 people, serves six continents, operates across 22 time zones, and has a diverse workforce speaking 75 languages1. GM’s vision is to drive the world forward by pioneering innovations that move and connect people to what matters. The company is working towards an all-electric future with its new Ultium Platform and is pushing transportation options beyond our wildest imaginations with autonomous vehicles. GM is also committed to becoming the most inclusive company in the world.
Industry
Transportation equipment manufacturing
Company size
10,000+ Employees
Headquarters location
Detroit, MI, US
Year founded
1908