Matt used graphite on white paper to sketch these intriguing images. Matt found employment within entertainment soon after this and we're hoping to get in touch and reconnect with him. For the time being art from his student days contributes to the legacy of The Animation Academy.
Excellence in Art Education for Animation since 1998
Friday, June 22, 2007
Matt Chism from the archives
When we're between semesters I like to post artwork that was created here at the Academy from students we've had with us in the past. Matthew Chism was attending classes several years ago and left an impact. Here are two compositions he created during his studies in Background Design and Storysketch Fundamentals.
Matt used graphite on white paper to sketch these intriguing images. Matt found employment within entertainment soon after this and we're hoping to get in touch and reconnect with him. For the time being art from his student days contributes to the legacy of The Animation Academy.
Matt used graphite on white paper to sketch these intriguing images. Matt found employment within entertainment soon after this and we're hoping to get in touch and reconnect with him. For the time being art from his student days contributes to the legacy of The Animation Academy.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Abraham Martinez BG design
Background Design is a basic course at the Academy and newcomer Abraham Martinez did a fine job in his first semester with us in the Adult Program. Here's his latest class assignment which he completed last week.
Abraham used blue pencil to lay out and render his composition of an office. His use of shape with both objects and lighting shows a high degree of sophistication, especially with his avoidance of compositional tangents and in his use of overlaps. By framing different areas of interest and in controlling his tones and line work, he was able to create the illusion of spatial relationships and enhance the perspective and depth of field. This is exceptional work for a beginner in Background Design and we're happy to feature Abraham for the first time on the Academy's blog.
Abraham used blue pencil to lay out and render his composition of an office. His use of shape with both objects and lighting shows a high degree of sophistication, especially with his avoidance of compositional tangents and in his use of overlaps. By framing different areas of interest and in controlling his tones and line work, he was able to create the illusion of spatial relationships and enhance the perspective and depth of field. This is exceptional work for a beginner in Background Design and we're happy to feature Abraham for the first time on the Academy's blog.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
David Colman visits the Academy
Last evening at the Adult Session we wrapped up our special guest speakers for the semester by welcoming David Colman to class. David is a former student who went on to become a leading designer and development artist in the industry, with professional experiences spanning from Disney to Cartoon Network to Sony's just released animated feature film "Surf's Up" and more.
David is also an accomplished author whose books are a big hit among artists, students and fans with his latest publication, "The Art of Animal Character Design". Here he is after his lecture and presentation speaking to a group of students gathered around the head table as they take in all the great art in his portfolio and books, as well as development art from David's latest projects.
David gave an excellent presentation and offered valuable advice to our students. He's a model for success and enthusiastically shared his experiences in self publishing, promotion, breaking into the industry and growing within the studio environment.
To see some of David Colman's art and to learn more about his books, visit his website at http://davidsdoodles.com/. You can also visit his blog at http://davidcolman.blogspot.com
We're expecting David to return to class for another visit sometime in the fall. Until then, everyone at the Academy extends a big thank you to Mr. Colman for a terrific session and the creative, educational experience he provided.
David is also an accomplished author whose books are a big hit among artists, students and fans with his latest publication, "The Art of Animal Character Design". Here he is after his lecture and presentation speaking to a group of students gathered around the head table as they take in all the great art in his portfolio and books, as well as development art from David's latest projects.
David gave an excellent presentation and offered valuable advice to our students. He's a model for success and enthusiastically shared his experiences in self publishing, promotion, breaking into the industry and growing within the studio environment.
To see some of David Colman's art and to learn more about his books, visit his website at http://davidsdoodles.com/. You can also visit his blog at http://davidcolman.blogspot.comWe're expecting David to return to class for another visit sometime in the fall. Until then, everyone at the Academy extends a big thank you to Mr. Colman for a terrific session and the creative, educational experience he provided.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Snakebite visits the Academy
The Adult Session last Tuesday evening was an exciting one as we had the pleasure of hosting one of the industry's leading Photoshop artists. Snakebite was in attendance as our guest speaker and what a show he brought with him.
Astounding work that he's created in poster/print form, comics, clothing and apparel design and more. Magnificent artwork that inspired and motivated our group. Here's Snakebite as he fields a question from one of our students.
In the photo below, our students gather to get a closer look at the array of art that Snakebite displayed as part of his presentation.
We're fortunate to enjoy a long standing relationship with Snakebite. He began at the Academy in 1999 as a student, then went on to become our Photoshop instructor for several years. Everyone was thrilled at his visit and we're hoping to see him again in the near future. For a peek at some of Snakebite's art, visit his website at this link: http://artbysnakebite.com
Astounding work that he's created in poster/print form, comics, clothing and apparel design and more. Magnificent artwork that inspired and motivated our group. Here's Snakebite as he fields a question from one of our students.
In the photo below, our students gather to get a closer look at the array of art that Snakebite displayed as part of his presentation.
We're fortunate to enjoy a long standing relationship with Snakebite. He began at the Academy in 1999 as a student, then went on to become our Photoshop instructor for several years. Everyone was thrilled at his visit and we're hoping to see him again in the near future. For a peek at some of Snakebite's art, visit his website at this link: http://artbysnakebite.com
Monday, June 04, 2007
Demo sketch to color
As I've mentioned before on several occasions here on the Academy's blog, class demonstrations are a valuable assett in helping our students develop their own skills and knowledge base. Here's an example of a class demo I created in a recent session of the Teen Program. Afterwards, I scanned the original sketch (A) and took it into Photoshop to continue the demonstration for our students and visitors to the blog. Click on the art for a better view.
Once the original blue line sketch was scanned, I used it as a foundation to paint the image digitally. The first pass was to establish basic gray scale values (B). I continued by adding color through a series of layers that I set at levels of transparencies to tint the gray tones (C). In my final pass I used the same method to punch out a few highlights and enhance the background color (D) keeping everything simple and graphic.
By combining one's traditional analog skills with a digital illustration medium such as Photoshop, it's easy to create art that will work for your portfolio as well as enhance your online presentation.
Once the original blue line sketch was scanned, I used it as a foundation to paint the image digitally. The first pass was to establish basic gray scale values (B). I continued by adding color through a series of layers that I set at levels of transparencies to tint the gray tones (C). In my final pass I used the same method to punch out a few highlights and enhance the background color (D) keeping everything simple and graphic.By combining one's traditional analog skills with a digital illustration medium such as Photoshop, it's easy to create art that will work for your portfolio as well as enhance your online presentation.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Kris Anka wins Warner/HB Scholarship
Big news in the animation industry as of late, and we're very happy to report it involves one of our star students.
Kris Anka has been with the Academy for several years, starting out at a very young age with our Teen Program, then progressing to work with the adults due to his outstanding creative abilities and skills. He's been featured before on the blog on April 7, 11 and October 28, 2006. He's also been featured before on March 19, 2007 in a photo which we're republishing here in honor of the news.
We're proud to announce that Kris Anka is the recipient of the very first Warner Bros/Hanna-Barbera Animation Scholarship. The announcement was made recently by Sander Schwartz, Warner Bros Animation President. The official press release follows the photo below, taken March 13 at the Academy as Kris looks over Stephen Silver's portfolio while Stephen autographs a book for him.
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KRIS ANKA AWARDED INAUGURAL WARNER BROS. ANIMATION/HANNA-BARBERA SCHOLARSHIP
Official Press Release
BURBANK, CA – Los Angeles County High School for the Arts senior Kris Anka has been selected to receive the first Warner Bros. Animation/Hanna-Barbera Scholarship, it was announced today.
“Kris has been recognized by his instructors for his outstanding talent, passion and commitment to animation,” said Warner Bros. Animation President Sander Schwartz. “We are very impressed by his early animation and hope this annual scholarship will allow students like Kris to broaden their education in animation and hone their artistic skills. Through their accomplishments, they will honor the legacy of the great pioneers of animation.”
“I'm honored to be the first recipient of this scholarship as I've been a lifelong fan of the Hanna-Barbera and Warner Bros. cartoons and this gives me an incredible opportunity to further my education in animation,” Anka said. “I love animation – it allows me to experiment with life. I like being able to create a new person, to construct and exaggerate their world and how they interact with everything around them and, best of all, to see people laugh and enjoy those creations.”
Anka, who will enter California Institute of the Arts this fall, was selected from all applicants for the scholarship, which was created this year in honor of the late Bill Hanna and Joseph Barbera, and the great animation legacy of both Hanna-Barbera Studios and Warner Bros. Animation. Hanna passed away in March 2001, and Barbera died in December 2006.
As the recipient of the scholarship, Anka will be awarded a cash scholarship of $10,000, disbursed annually in equal amounts over the course of enrollment. In addition, Anka will be eligible for four consecutive paid summer internships at Warner Bros. Animation in Burbank while in college. Anka has chosen character animation as the focus of his studies.
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There's never been any doubt among the staff and students here at the Academy as to the success that Kris Anka will achieve. We're glad to see him receive this major recognition. Congratulations, Kris!
Kris Anka has been with the Academy for several years, starting out at a very young age with our Teen Program, then progressing to work with the adults due to his outstanding creative abilities and skills. He's been featured before on the blog on April 7, 11 and October 28, 2006. He's also been featured before on March 19, 2007 in a photo which we're republishing here in honor of the news.
We're proud to announce that Kris Anka is the recipient of the very first Warner Bros/Hanna-Barbera Animation Scholarship. The announcement was made recently by Sander Schwartz, Warner Bros Animation President. The official press release follows the photo below, taken March 13 at the Academy as Kris looks over Stephen Silver's portfolio while Stephen autographs a book for him.
-----------------KRIS ANKA AWARDED INAUGURAL WARNER BROS. ANIMATION/HANNA-BARBERA SCHOLARSHIP
Official Press Release
BURBANK, CA – Los Angeles County High School for the Arts senior Kris Anka has been selected to receive the first Warner Bros. Animation/Hanna-Barbera Scholarship, it was announced today.
“Kris has been recognized by his instructors for his outstanding talent, passion and commitment to animation,” said Warner Bros. Animation President Sander Schwartz. “We are very impressed by his early animation and hope this annual scholarship will allow students like Kris to broaden their education in animation and hone their artistic skills. Through their accomplishments, they will honor the legacy of the great pioneers of animation.”
“I'm honored to be the first recipient of this scholarship as I've been a lifelong fan of the Hanna-Barbera and Warner Bros. cartoons and this gives me an incredible opportunity to further my education in animation,” Anka said. “I love animation – it allows me to experiment with life. I like being able to create a new person, to construct and exaggerate their world and how they interact with everything around them and, best of all, to see people laugh and enjoy those creations.”
Anka, who will enter California Institute of the Arts this fall, was selected from all applicants for the scholarship, which was created this year in honor of the late Bill Hanna and Joseph Barbera, and the great animation legacy of both Hanna-Barbera Studios and Warner Bros. Animation. Hanna passed away in March 2001, and Barbera died in December 2006.
As the recipient of the scholarship, Anka will be awarded a cash scholarship of $10,000, disbursed annually in equal amounts over the course of enrollment. In addition, Anka will be eligible for four consecutive paid summer internships at Warner Bros. Animation in Burbank while in college. Anka has chosen character animation as the focus of his studies.
-----------------
There's never been any doubt among the staff and students here at the Academy as to the success that Kris Anka will achieve. We're glad to see him receive this major recognition. Congratulations, Kris!
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Patrick Morgan at the Academy
The adult session this past May 22 enthusiastically welcomed Patrick Morgan as a guest speaker. Patrick is a former Academy student who's gone on to a celebrated career as an artist in animation. Here he is with his latest creative endeavors, two self published full color sketchbooks and just on the market, his Whaleboy toy complete with interchangable facial expressions.
We're excited about what Patrick has happening with Whaleboy. It's currently in new series development at Nickelodeon with good prospects that it will get a green light and move forward into production.
Patrick is an outstanding character designer and visual development artist. He was very generous, encouraging and helpful with our students. His portfolio presentation was the highlight of the evening. To see more of Patrick Morgan's work, click on his name to the right of the page under the Academy Alumni links. Feel free to visit the site for his new Whaleboy toy: http://whaleboytoy.com
We're very appreciative of the time Patrick spent with us last Tuesday evening and we're looking forward to having him return as a guest speaker again in the not too distant future. Students and staff happily send their thanks.
We're excited about what Patrick has happening with Whaleboy. It's currently in new series development at Nickelodeon with good prospects that it will get a green light and move forward into production.Patrick is an outstanding character designer and visual development artist. He was very generous, encouraging and helpful with our students. His portfolio presentation was the highlight of the evening. To see more of Patrick Morgan's work, click on his name to the right of the page under the Academy Alumni links. Feel free to visit the site for his new Whaleboy toy: http://whaleboytoy.com
We're very appreciative of the time Patrick spent with us last Tuesday evening and we're looking forward to having him return as a guest speaker again in the not too distant future. Students and staff happily send their thanks.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Six Point Harness at the Academy
On May 15, we had the pleasure of welcoming four artists from Six Point Harness Studios in Hollywood. James Dylan Crowley, Phil Hernandez, James Krenzke and Tyree Dillihay spent the evening with our adult students, presenting their artwork and animation. The thing that distinguishes these four artists is that they all attended classes at The Animation Academy. They gave the school much credit in making a big difference in their skills, helping them to make the transition to a professional level. Here they are at the front table speaking to our students. The individuals are listed from left to right.
Six Point Harness is a studio which specializes in producing Flash animation. They create original projects as well as produce animation for local studios. Feel free to visit the studio's website by following this link: http://www.sixpointharness.com
Links to James Dylan Crowley, Phil Hernandez, James Krenzke and Tyree Dillihay can be accessed through the list of Academy Alumni to the right of the page.
Everyone in attendance was happy and appreciative of the visit by these four talented gentlemen. Their presentation was informational and inspiring and we hope to enjoy their company again in the future. A big thank you goes out to James, Phil, James and Tyree from students and staff.
Six Point Harness is a studio which specializes in producing Flash animation. They create original projects as well as produce animation for local studios. Feel free to visit the studio's website by following this link: http://www.sixpointharness.comLinks to James Dylan Crowley, Phil Hernandez, James Krenzke and Tyree Dillihay can be accessed through the list of Academy Alumni to the right of the page.
Everyone in attendance was happy and appreciative of the visit by these four talented gentlemen. Their presentation was informational and inspiring and we hope to enjoy their company again in the future. A big thank you goes out to James, Phil, James and Tyree from students and staff.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Introducing Lizzy Singleton
We've been fortunate to enjoy the participation of Lizzy Singleton in our Teen Program for the past few semesters, and the time's come to feature her work. Lizzy has a unique design sense that easily emerges in her drawing. Here's her most recent class assignment. Click on the image for a better view.
Lizzy merged a common design aspect of the characters in her compostion and used the shapes as a window to more of her art. She did an excellent job of interpretting the creative challenge she was given. Lizzy is a vibrant, enthusiastic student and a great example of why The Animation Academy is a special place.
Lizzy merged a common design aspect of the characters in her compostion and used the shapes as a window to more of her art. She did an excellent job of interpretting the creative challenge she was given. Lizzy is a vibrant, enthusiastic student and a great example of why The Animation Academy is a special place.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Trevor Waldron's choices
It's always a good idea to explore your options when designing, be it a professional situation or personal work. That's what Trevor Waldron embarked upon when he created this array of possibilities for a graphic he developed with his client in mind. Trevor's been featured before on the Academy's blog on April 12 of this year.
In this example, Trevor's taken his basic design of a woman's head and worked many variations within the design of her hair, testing color and tonal values between the flower and her skin as well as slightly different versions of the shape of the hair. Click on the image for a better view.
Trevor's done a fine job with this and I'm sure his client will be pleased with all the choices availble to them. Like me, they'll probably have a difficult but enjoyable time picking a favorite.
You can follow Trevor's art and activity by visiting bis blog at: http://trevorwaldron.blogspot.com
In this example, Trevor's taken his basic design of a woman's head and worked many variations within the design of her hair, testing color and tonal values between the flower and her skin as well as slightly different versions of the shape of the hair. Click on the image for a better view.
Trevor's done a fine job with this and I'm sure his client will be pleased with all the choices availble to them. Like me, they'll probably have a difficult but enjoyable time picking a favorite.You can follow Trevor's art and activity by visiting bis blog at: http://trevorwaldron.blogspot.com
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