The Academy is 12 years old today!

Happy Birthday to us!!!

On this date in 1998 The Animation Academy held it's very first class! It was in the back room of the Coral Cafe, a local restaurant in Burbank. I started the school with an investment of $15 which was used for buying postage stamps and envelopes. I had a mailing list of about 35 names, most of them students from classes I had taught previously at other schools. I used the list for sending out Christmas cards, and in December of 1997, I sent out flyers announcing the flagship class for a new school. I called it "The Animation Academy" because I couldn't think of any other name.

There was room for 20 students. I figured I'd get somewhere between 5 and 10 enrolled, but as it turned out, all 20 seats were booked and the Academy began with a capacity class.

Over the years we've had students into the thousands, and I figure along with those I've taught at other schools, the number of students I've personally instructed numbers around 3000.

Many lives have been changed by the program at the Academy, and our humble beginnings underscore just how significant the school's been not only in the careers of our students and friends, but in the direction that animation has taken as well. Academy students are at studios throughout the industry including Pixar, Disney, DreamWorks, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon and many more. We're closely associated with the program at Cal State Northridge, a major university, and we continue to attract artists from the industry and from outside the US as well. The Academy inspired industry reform through AnimationNation.com and continues to encourage artists to excel.

Thanks to everyone who's currently involved with the school and thanks to the many people who've been involved with us in the past.

Here's to our future, and to your future as well!

Keep Creating!

Charles Zembillas

Amber Kenneson returns

Happy New Year to all! Here's wishing that 2010 is a great creative experience for everyone associated with the Academy.

We got the year off to a strong start by launching Semester 13.1 this week, and among the good things we're celebrating is the return of Amber Kenneson. Amber enrolled in our program earlier in 2009 and has come back to continue her work. Here's an example of a class assignment she created previously in Visual Development. An intriguing study for a background in which she made use of full tonal ranges as well as some unusual design elements for a unique composition that is a hallmark of her style. She used blue pencil and graphite. Click on the artwork for a better view.

Feel free to visit Amber's blog by following the link below:

http://www.amberkenneson.blogspot.com

Looking forward to more great art from Amber in the weeks ahead.

Evan Cooper's turn

Hello everyone, I hope you had a great Christmas and are enjoying the Season.

Evan Cooper is a newcomer to the Academy in 2009, and has made his mark in a number of ways, including his enthusiasm for our program and what the Academy stands for. Evan has made a great deal of progress and is developing a style of his own. Among his most recent works, this very well done drawing as he migrates to Visual Development from Character Design II. Clicking on the image will give you a better view.

Evan is progressing nicely and making his distinctive mark at the Academy as many have done before him. Now it's his turn to contribute to our legacy.

Great job Evan, looking forward to more.

Glen Moyes hits his stride

In only his second semester with us, Glen Moyes really nailed a solid performance with a fundamental exercise we require of our students in Charcter Design II. A five pose rotation on a generic female figure, drawn from imagination with nominal reference.

Another excellent example of why The Animation Academy enjoys the outstanding reputation that it has. It's all about our students. They create the legacy. Great job Glen!

Regarding last post

Hello folks.

Based upon input we've received from students, instructors and friends, we're going to stick to our tradition of numbering semesters. This upcoming one starting on January 5, 2010 will be our 65th semester, but it will also be the first semester of our thirteenth year. So we'll keep it 13.1 in the manner in which we have been doing for 12 full years.

Thanks for your comments everyone, they've been helpful.

Charles Zembillas

New semester system

Hello to our many friends, colleagues and associates of the Academy. I want to bring you up to date on the new semester system we're going to try out in 2010 when the next semester is scheduled to begin on January 5, 2010.

Since we began in 1998, we've been numbering our semesters according to the year of our operation and the semester that was being conducted in that year. For example, 2009 and has been our 12th year, and the semester we're currently in is the 6th semester of the year. Thus, the semester is numbered 12.6. Althought it's numbered this way, it's also out 64th semester. The one starting in January will be our 65th consecutive one.

So instead of numbering them by the year, I thought we'd try something different and number them in chronological order. So in Jnauary, instead of semester 13.1, we'll be naming it Semester 65.

Also, in addition to the new numbering system, we're also going to change our enrollment policies. Up until now, we take in new students every other month when the new semesters begin. In 2010, we'll be accepting new students at the beginning of each month, overlapping the semesters. So in February, when Semester 65a begins, we'll take on new students and arrange for their particular semester to wrap up at the end of March. We're going to try this out and see how it works. You won't have to wait two months to get into our program if you miss the start of a semester, we'll be able to get you in sooner and get you up and running in advance.

So when you see the new semester numbers appear on our site, as they appear now, you'll know what's up.

Thanks everyone, and hope to see you soon at The Animation Academy in Burbank, the only place of its kind on earth.

Keep Creating!

Strong Artists

That's what we're known for throughout the industry and the world. The Animation Academy has an extraordinary legacy in developing fundamental skills that are necessary for achieving a successful career in animation no matter what your medium. Whether it's 2D or 3D, what you learn with us will enhance your talent and inevitabley improve your art. If you work in animation, if you work in a related creative field, if you're attending another school or just getting started, you'll benefit greatly from the strength of our program and the emphasis we place on developing a solid fundamental foundation, especially in the many areas of pre-production design and intellectual property development.

We're planning some changes in 2010 that will help move things along better for current and prospective students, including monthly enrollment as opposed to bi-monthly, and we plan on taking our program online and welcoming the many artists all over the world who would like to participate in the Academy's educational experience but who aren't able to make it to Burbank.

So stay in touch, I'll be updating you with news as things develop.

Keep creating! It's the key to your success.

Charles Zembillas
President and Founder
The Animation Academy
Burbank, California
USA

Chance Raspberry's YouTube Channel

On September 9, 2009, Chance Raspberry announced the premiere of his latest endeavor, his own channel on YouTube which currently features a promotional video with much of his personal and professional work.

Chance has been a major part of the Academy for nearly 10 years, taking classes with us at first, then enrolling in the animation program at California State University in Northridge while continuing his education with us. He received his Bachelors Degree from Cal State, and moved up to an instructor position at our school helping out with the Teen Program. Chance got his break when he was picked up as a staff artist on The Simpsons TV series and has become a fixture on the production crew for several years now.

To visit his YouTube Channel, follow this link: http://youtube.com/ChanceRaspberry

For updates on videos and other news and projects that are happening with Chance, visit his blog at this link: http://ChanceRaspberry.blogspot.com

Chance ranks among the most successful students we've ever had at The Animation Academy, and it's very exciting and satisfying to see him expanding his Internet exposure. His outstanding talent is matched by the excellence of his character. Congrats to you Chance, and good luck. Keep Creating!

Amy Paulson's Disneyland

She started with us three years ago and since then, Amy Paulson has become a fixture at the Academy. Lucky for us, as we couldn't have dreamed of having a more charming and talented lady as part of our team. Amy is in charge of the students enrolled in our Team Program and functions as an instructor with us in that capacity.

On her own time she creates beautiful works of art, many of them with Disney as the subject. In this scene she's recently finished, Amy's created an undersea Disneyland in which all of the Disney characters she's featured are designed as if they were in the animated movie "The Little Mermaid". Amy drew the characters from memory and illustrated the composition in Photoshop. Click on the picture for a better view.

You're welcome to visit Amy's blog by following the link: http://www.amypaulson.com/

Dustin Perkins goes BG

Finally getting a chance to feature some recent student work, and I'm happy to showcase Dustin Perkins.

Dustin's been with us for a good while and has proven to be as talented as he is dedicated. He's gone through our comprehensive program as primarily a character oriented artist, and has just finished a semester in Background Design and Perspective. Here's a couple of samples of his artwork from the class.

The first is a study in 2 point perspective of a basement, including his concept thumbnail sketches.

This is a study of a bedroom in 3 point perspective with the subject beneath the sheets.

Clicking on the images will give you a better view.

Fell free to visit Dustin's blog to experience more of his exceptional art and unique creative vision.

http://www.dustinperkins.com/ashcan/