Danny Picar design studies

The Academy encourages productivity without sacrificing quality for quantity. Danny Picar keeps this axiom in mind when he draws. He's been featured before on February 14 of this year and September 25, 2006. In this latest example of his work, Danny has picked up his character design skills to explore concepts for several images he's exploring. Click on the picture for an enhanced view.

Danny uses blue pencil in establishing the construction and symmetry of his head designs in one pass, then extrudes his design statement as the image he intends to define emerges from the white of the paper. Danny is developing his own unique style which makes his work easily recognizable. The progress Danny's shown in the time he's been with us is commendable and the quality of his drawing contributes to the legacy of The Animation Academy.

Thirla Alagala's progress

It's rewarding for a student to return to our program and see the improvement in their art since they were last with us. Such is the case with Thirla Alagala. She's back with the Teen Program and her drawing continues to develop. This is her latest work from class. Clicking on the image will give you a better view.


Thirla has been featured before on the Academy's blog on December 19, 2006. In this current example, her rendering skills have become more sophisticated. Also, in the drawing to the right, Thirla gives us a glimpse into the process she utilizes for constructing her composition. We stress fundamentals at all times with our students at the Academy. It's easy to see how the application of those fundamental principles affects a students art for the better when enjoying Thirla's sketches.

Looking forward to more from Thirla in the future.

Amy Paulson's perspective

A student who's made significant gains in her skills since she started attending classes at the Academy is Amy Paulson. She's been featured before on the Academy's blog on August 2, October 16 and December 13, 2006 and it's a pleasure to bring attention to her again as she develops her talent in Background Design.

This is some of her latest work, a class exercise in two point perspective. Clicking on the image will give you a better view.

Amy has focused on Character Design and is challenging herself in Background Design. She's making the same kind of progress that we've been accustomed to seeing from the time she first enrolled in our program. By focusing on fundamentals, Amy will become as confident with her compositional skills in background design and perspective as she's becoming in other areas of her art.

To see more of Amy's work, visit her website at this link: http://www.amypaulson.com

Latest from Micah Martinez

The Academy's teen students continue to impress with their artistic growth. The work of Micah Martinez has been featured before on June 19 and September 12, 2006 and most recently on February 7, 2007. This is a current example of his work. Click on the image for a better view.

Micah completed this with markers. He shows a professional sophistication with color. Micah is building a portfolio of his art and this fine sample will be an excellent addition to it. Like many of our teen students, Micah is clearly well ahead of his contemporaries as far as his skills are concerned. There's much to look forward to from Micah Martinez and his creative future.

Keeping it simple

One of the aspects of design that many artists are challenged by, whether they're students or professionals, is trying to achieve simplicity in their work. Too often an artist gets distracted by adding complexity to their drawing at the expense of a core foundation to the composition.

In this demonstration for students in Visual Development, I tried to get that message across through a minimalist approach to concept design. Click on the image for a better view.

There's nothing more than the shape of hair and lips in each of these sketches, yet the statement that was made is enough to convey attitude and a sense of personality. The drawings were done with a broad tip black marker, a red marker and a white coloring pencil on brown paper.

Striving for simplicity can make your work stronger by helping to build a solid foundation upon which more complex elements can later be included.

Richard Chavez at the Academy

It was indeed a very special occasion at the Adult Session of the Animation Academy on Tuesday evening, April 10, 2007 as we enjoyed the company of a very distinguished animation personality. Richard Chavez, Director of Visual Development at Sony Pictures Animation, joined us for a presentation of his amazing work.

Mr. Chavez has a long career in feature animation, working at the highest level of the industry for Disney, DreamWorks and Sony. His art is incredible and our students were completely enthralled with his portfolio as well as his experiences and insights into film, the industry and how artists relate to both.

Here are some candid snapshots of Richard Chavez answering questions and lightheartedly joking with our students as they crowd around his work for a closer look.

Students and staff extend a big thank you to Richard Chavez and to all the guest speakers we've had these past few weeks. We'll be having more special visitors in upcoming semesters at The Animation Academy in Burbank throughout the year.

Thomas Perkins archive work

Of the many successful students at the Academy over the years, Thomas Perkins ranks among the most memorable talents we've had the pleasure of associating with. From the beginning his art was unique, daring and ground breaking. Here's an example of Thomas' art. This was a class assignment pulled from the Academy's archives. Click on the image for a bigger view.

Thomas was always exploring unusual approaches to design and composition in a dynamic way. Backed up with strong fundamental skills, he's become one of the most renowned animation designers in the industry.

To see more of the work of Thomas Perkins follow this link to his website: http://tnperkins.com

Trevor Waldron's book

Independent enterprising for artists has always been encouraged at The Animation Academy. Here's the latest example of this philosophy at work thanks to Trevor Waldron, a student at the school.

Trevor compiled his class assignments into his first book which he self published. This is the cover. Click on the image for a better view.

Trevor's book is the beginning of what I'm sure will be many such offerings from him in the future. This is a great way to get your artwork known. A small publication such as this is an excellent format for an instant portfolio, and it can be sold as well. Trevor is selling copies for $5 each.

To see more of Trevor's work, visit his blog by clicking on the link below.

http://trevorwaldron.blogspot.com

Aaron Horvath homecoming

Last Tuesday was a special occasion at the Academy as we welcomed back Aaron Horvath. Aaron is on staff at Nickelodeon but at one time, he was a student with us. The adult group had an opportrunity to review Aaron's portfolio and interact with him as he recounted his career from the time he first came to our school to where he is now.

Here's Aaron in the center of the shot sharing a lighthearted moment.

In the picture below, Aaron is showcasing his portfolio to students surrounding him at the head table.

It's always a special event when we get a chance to feature one of our many students who've realized successful careers in animation. To see more of Aaron's work feel free to visit his blog by clicking on the link below.

http://aaronhorvath.blogspot.com

Academy's blog a year old !

It was a year ago today that The Animation Academy's blog went online on April 5, 2006. It's been a genuine pleasure and lots of fun maintaining the blog and showcasing the incredible people associated with the Academy. Looking forward to what the next 12 months will have in store.

Thank you to our students, instructors and friends.

As always, Keep Creating !!!