Doodling is important

Developing the discipline to spend some time drawing every day is a key factor in the growth of artistic skills. Make an effort to spend at least a few minutes a day sketching, even if it's a doodle.

Working with a non-erasable medium is a great way to practice your drawing. Pens and markers are excellent for developing confidence. One of the things I try and get across to my students who tend to draw light and timidly with a pencil, is to switch to something else that will put a permanent pigmented line down right away. It'll open up new areas and expand your abilities.

I did these doodles in preparation for class. All in ball point pen, with the exception of the 2nd sketch from the left which is a marker rendering. Click on the image and you'll get a better picture.

Notice the difference between the two. Ball point pens are responsive to pressure and you can vary the sensitivity of the line, while markers are more direct. Spontaneous, free form drawing is a good habit to pick up, no matter what your medium. Try sketching with a pen next time and see what happens.

Introducing Amir Tikriti

The Academy's legacy continues to develop in positive ways when new students begin to emerge as individuals of noteworthy creative abilities. Such is the case with Amir Tikriti.

Amir started with us last summer has been gradually growing in his skills since then. He is currently producing quality art on a consistent basis as can be seen with his latest class assignment. Amir has been working on a mermaid theme. Click on the image for a better view.


Amir has grown by leaps and bonds since he began taking classes in Character Design. There's a sophistication, complexity and unique style to his images that comes from rising to the challenges he's been presented with. His blue pencil sketch of a mermaid astride a sea horse is an excellent example of this. Good design and attention to form, plus some lively action in his composition. Looking forward to more from Amir.

Danny Picar's perspective scale

When developing a background design, it's always a good idea to think of how an image will figure into the composition. In this recent class assignment from the Adult Program, Danny Picar attempted to do just that. Danny has been featured before on the Academy's blog last September 25. Click on the image for a better view.

Danny followed the direction of his instructor Robert Gold in creating this study. In his own words, "Robert noticed I was having scaling issues, so he asked me to use an arbitrary character within the drawing to establish a reference to help me determine the heights of objects. The initial reference is at the elliptical doorway and then I scaled it to the front to find out how tall I wanted the bookcase and couch to be."

Danny continues to create impressive works through our program. This perspective study will help him strengthen his emerging skills.

Micah Martinez takes action

It's always a pleasure to feature the work of our students and share their artistic growth with friends and followers of The Animation Academy.

Micah Martinez has been enrolled in our Teen Program for some time now. His art has been on the blog before on June 16 and September 12 of last year. Compare what he was doing then with his latest class accomplishment below. Click on the image for a better view.


Micah's direction with this assignment was to bring his character to life in an action pose. After experimenting with thumbnail sketches to work out the composition, Micah went forward with his concept, nailed the drawing and took it to color with markers. Nicely done.

At 16 years old, Micah exhibits a great deal of artistic promise and personal maturity. Another rising star from the Academy to be looking for in the future.