Lauren Finn's perspective revisited

Some of Lauren Finn's perspective studies were previously exhibited here on the Academy's blog. Lauren is enrolled in our Teen Program and has recently turned 14 years old. This is a sketch she created outside of class. It was drawn from her imagination without reference.


Her latest work, although still needing attention in certain areas, shows a lot of confidence and growth. Compare the above art with what Lauren was doing three months ago when she was just beginning to explore perspective and background composition.


Lauren's got a good head start on mastering a complex subject. We're looking forward to what she'll be attempting next.

Class sketches from James Brown

Every once in a while there's a student that emerges from the pack who not only exhibits strong fundamental skills, but has an abililty to communicate and share procedural information when it comes to their art. James Brown is one of those students. Here are some samples of his work. Clicking on the image will give you a slightly larger view.


James (not to be confused with the soul singer) has grown to become an assistant instructor in the Academy's Adult Program. He has a strong sense of design, especially when it comes to the male and female form. James helps out with the students who progress into Character Design II. He also assists students in the prerequisite Character Design I class as they evolve into more complex design assignments.

Disney poster from Rich Lynes

Here's a great example of the level that many of the artists associated with The Animation Academy operate at, both in terms of quality and clients and/or employers. This is a recent poster published by the Walt Disney Company's consumer products division. The composition features Mickey Mouse in a situation reminiscent of the Who's rock opera "Quadrophenia" from the 1970s. The artist is Rich Lynes. Rich was previously the Academy's instructor in our Background Painting class. He is also a veteran of Disney Studios and Warner Bros Animation. Clicking on the graphics will provide a bigger view.


Rich used Photoshop to create this fantastic art worthy of the Disney Company and Disney fans. Rich tells us that the file size was so big that it took as many as 20 minutes for his computer to save changes to the file as he approached completion of the job. We're very happy and proud to enjoy a continuing relationship with Rich Lynes. To see more of his work, visit his web site. http://www.lynesden.com

Alexis Arciniaga work in progress

The summer session of The Animation Academy's Teen Program began last Saturday and Alexis Arciniaga got off to a strong start. Alexis has been with us for several months now and is exhibiting a high level of sophistication in her work. All the more impressive considering that she recently turned 13 years old. Here's an example of what she is currently working on in class.


Alexis shows a lot of maturity and confidence in her drawing, design and compositional skills for her age. Imagine what she'll be doing in the future as she continues to progress.

Production art from the archives

The Animation Academy has been frequently commissioned to produce animation or develop a project, which provides a professional opportunity for our qualified students and instructors. Here's something from our production archives which I'm happy to feature on the Academy's blog.

This layout was created by Philip J. Felix for a pilot episode of a project produced for the VH1 cable network. It was colored in Photoshop by Snakebite, our Photoshop instructor at the time. Philip was an instructor with us as well, conducting Concept Storysketch.

It's always a fun challenge when the Academy is in production on a project. It's a positive experience for everyone involved.

Keep in mind that our next semester will begin this coming Tuesday evening, July 11. For more information, please visit the Academy's main website. Here's the link:

http://theanimationacademy.com

Mercedes Milligan and Animation Magazine

We were forunate during the course of the Academy's Teen Program to have as a student Mercedes Milligan. Mercedes is an exceptional young lady who made a very positive impression while at the Academy.

After she outgrew the Teen Program Mercedes spent some time with the adults. Today she is on staff with Animation Magazine. On the occasions when a spot illustration or an editorial cartoon is called for, we can always expect to see something from her in the pages. Here's her latest editorial illustration published in the July 2006 issue of Animation Magazine. The subject concerns government legislation dealing with children's programming.