Last week we wrapped up the first semester of the Academy's Online Program. We fielded two live sessions of Character Design 1 on Wednesday evenings Pacific Time in the US. Shortly afterwards we received our first review, an unsolicited message from one of our students.
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Subject: Thank you for everything!
It was honestly the best course I've ever attended. Even better than my college courses. I'm really glad that I got the opportunity to take a course at this great academy! It has filled many gaps I wanted to fix in my work generally.
Thank you so much again! And looking forward to Character Design II ^^
Ameera
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
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We received this message from another of our online students...
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I have been wanting to improve my drawing skills for a long time and I haven't been able to successfully draw for animation. I had to struggle for a little while at the beginning of the class, but I found myself enjoying a new excitement for drawing. Charles is very good at finding and harnessing each students' unique talent. Even when I felt my drawing was not good, he always found many good points in my work and gave me very helpful advice to improve and continue. Charles reminds me of how fun and interesting it is to draw with my imagination. The class was very inspiring. Having a knowledgeable artist teaching an online class like this is very convenient and valuable. I learned so much.
Thank you very much, Charles!
Naomi
Santa Maria, California
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Reviews like these are greatly appreciated, but for me, the best confirmation of the success of our class is the artistic improvement our students exhibit as a result of the course. In the case of our first online classes, I'm happy to say that this group did a great job in furthering the Academy's legacy.
We're starting up another group in Character Design 1 next week, beginning August 3. If you interested in joining us, contact the Academy.
For more info click here.
Excellence in Art Education for Animation since 1998
Monday, July 25, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Richard Gaines Expressions
On March 24, the entry for the Academy's blog was a character rotation by Richard Gaines, a new student who relocated from Florida to Burbank to pursue his education in animation and to further develop his burgeoning career.
Here's the rotation he did for the character he created as part of his class assignment.
Once the design of the character had been fully established, Richard embarked on the next phase of the class, bringing the character to life through a series of facial expressions. Here's the drawings that Richard created as part of this assignment.
Facial expressions are important in fully developing the character, and are also a significant aspect of character based production development in animation. They challenge the character designer to explore the nature of the character through its personality and enhance one's acting abilities as it relates to the art.
Richard is a very talented artist who has become even better since he enrolled at the Academy. Good things are happening for him career wise as a result.
If you're looking to develop your own abilities regarding character design and your art skills in general, The Animation Academy can help you take a big leap forward. With our expanding Online Program, we can help you grow artistically no matter where you may be.
Here's the rotation he did for the character he created as part of his class assignment.
Once the design of the character had been fully established, Richard embarked on the next phase of the class, bringing the character to life through a series of facial expressions. Here's the drawings that Richard created as part of this assignment. 
Facial expressions are important in fully developing the character, and are also a significant aspect of character based production development in animation. They challenge the character designer to explore the nature of the character through its personality and enhance one's acting abilities as it relates to the art. Richard is a very talented artist who has become even better since he enrolled at the Academy. Good things are happening for him career wise as a result.
If you're looking to develop your own abilities regarding character design and your art skills in general, The Animation Academy can help you take a big leap forward. With our expanding Online Program, we can help you grow artistically no matter where you may be.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
It's easy as...
A couple of class demos I've done recently provided a good opportunity to feature this work in an educational context as well as a promotional one for the Academy.
Both of these demonstrations were created in Photoshop, using a Cintiq. The first image was sketched directly in the computer while the second was scanned from a black line drawing on paper.
Clicking on the images will provide a full size view.
In this Visual Development lesson, I went from the concept sketch to color, and followed up with lighting, shadow and additional color highlights.
In this lesson, I established some basic shadows on the initial sketch, went into grayscale tonal rendering, then finished the art with a series of color tints.
Both methods to rendering are effective and can produce nice results. Simple ways of approaching the color enhancement of your art that help create a strong visual impact.
We'll be introducing an online version of Visual Development as a continuation of the Character Design 1 class soon. Our first semester of CD1 is currently underway as we are fielding two sessions per week at the moment, and both are proceeding exceptionally well.
Local students may also study Visual Development as a continuation of Character Design 1 at our classes in Burbank.
For more info please feel free to contact the Academy by calling 818-848-6590 or by emailing us through the contact tab on the school's website.
Click here to contact the Academy via email.
Both of these demonstrations were created in Photoshop, using a Cintiq. The first image was sketched directly in the computer while the second was scanned from a black line drawing on paper.
Clicking on the images will provide a full size view.
In this Visual Development lesson, I went from the concept sketch to color, and followed up with lighting, shadow and additional color highlights.
In this lesson, I established some basic shadows on the initial sketch, went into grayscale tonal rendering, then finished the art with a series of color tints.
Both methods to rendering are effective and can produce nice results. Simple ways of approaching the color enhancement of your art that help create a strong visual impact.We'll be introducing an online version of Visual Development as a continuation of the Character Design 1 class soon. Our first semester of CD1 is currently underway as we are fielding two sessions per week at the moment, and both are proceeding exceptionally well.
Local students may also study Visual Development as a continuation of Character Design 1 at our classes in Burbank.
For more info please feel free to contact the Academy by calling 818-848-6590 or by emailing us through the contact tab on the school's website.
Click here to contact the Academy via email.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Einav Deri B&A Revisited
A few months ago on November 15, 2010 I featured the Before & After work of Einav Deri. We had the pleasure of hearing from her again as she shared this great new design.
On the left is the very first drawing she ever did as an enrolled student at the Academy. On the right, her latest character oriented work.
Einav's progress is indicative of the advances our students make. In the case of an artist as dedicated and focused as Einav is, that progress becomes even more apparent.
Einav came all the way from Israel to study Character Design with us. Today she's a standout student at the Israeli Animation College in Tel Aviv and gives the Academy credit for big strides she made with her art.
On the left is the very first drawing she ever did as an enrolled student at the Academy. On the right, her latest character oriented work.
Einav's progress is indicative of the advances our students make. In the case of an artist as dedicated and focused as Einav is, that progress becomes even more apparent.Einav came all the way from Israel to study Character Design with us. Today she's a standout student at the Israeli Animation College in Tel Aviv and gives the Academy credit for big strides she made with her art.
You're welcome to follow her blog.
The Academy welcomes students from the world over to join us now that we've launched our Online Program. Live classes and great mentorship through the Academy's Learning Management System.
Contact us for details. Call our office at 818-848-6590 or email us at info([at])theanimationacademy.com and we'll be happy to discuss enrollment with you.
Friday, June 03, 2011
Character Design I Online
If you've been waiting for the opportunity to get involved with The Animation Academy's Online Program, here's your chance to enroll.
We'll be offering our first class to enrolled students this coming Wednesday, June 8, 2011.
We have two sessions set up so far. One at 5 PM Pacific Time (8 PM Eastern USA, 7 PM Central), and a late evening class that starts at 10 PM Pacific Time (morning of June 9) for students who are in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. This later session is also open to enrollment for students in the US.
Our first online class will be Character Design I, which I'll be teaching live.
For more info follow this link to the AnimationNation Forums:
http://animationnation.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1655&sid=6052056b66bdabbbb41bd508498cfa2d
You must contact the school in order to enroll.
Looking forward to great things from the online program and from the great creative community that will emerge.
Charles Zembillas
President & Founder
The Animation Academy
Burbank, CA
USA
818-848-6590
We'll be offering our first class to enrolled students this coming Wednesday, June 8, 2011.
We have two sessions set up so far. One at 5 PM Pacific Time (8 PM Eastern USA, 7 PM Central), and a late evening class that starts at 10 PM Pacific Time (morning of June 9) for students who are in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. This later session is also open to enrollment for students in the US.
Our first online class will be Character Design I, which I'll be teaching live.
For more info follow this link to the AnimationNation Forums:
http://animationnation.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1655&sid=6052056b66bdabbbb41bd508498cfa2d
You must contact the school in order to enroll.
Looking forward to great things from the online program and from the great creative community that will emerge.
Charles Zembillas
President & Founder
The Animation Academy
Burbank, CA
USA
818-848-6590
Monday, May 23, 2011
Patrick Morgan at AN Night - May 31 '11
For the past two years, on the last Tuesday of the month, the Academy has sponsored AnimationNation Night. It's a free social and educational event in Burbank open to the public. AN Night is associated with the industry forums at AnimationNation.com.
We've had a great deal of success with AN Night, and we always get a big crowd of great people. Sometimes we host special guests, sometimes we coordinate screenings, sometimes we simply get together and draw. In the past we've had legendary personalities such as Don Bluth, Paul Felix, Don Hahn, Peter Chung, Dean Yeagle, Jose Lopez, Max Howard and many more illuminaries from the animation world.
This month, we'll be hosting Academy alumni Patrick Morgan, an outstanding character designer who's currently working at Nickelodeon on "Fanboy and Chum Chum".
For more information, please follow this link to the AnimationNation Forums:
We've had a great deal of success with AN Night, and we always get a big crowd of great people. Sometimes we host special guests, sometimes we coordinate screenings, sometimes we simply get together and draw. In the past we've had legendary personalities such as Don Bluth, Paul Felix, Don Hahn, Peter Chung, Dean Yeagle, Jose Lopez, Max Howard and many more illuminaries from the animation world.
This month, we'll be hosting Academy alumni Patrick Morgan, an outstanding character designer who's currently working at Nickelodeon on "Fanboy and Chum Chum".
For more information, please follow this link to the AnimationNation Forums:
Friday, April 08, 2011
Online Program Update
We reached another milestone with the Academy's online software and successfully tested it for the first time from our offices last night.
The live video and audio stream was solid and flawless in its initial broadcast from our studio location. Everything is working great and we're at the point of actually conducting live online sessions of the foundation class for our program, Character Design I.
Our developers are going to add a few more controls for the instructors and some additional features to enhance the class experience, but as it stands, we're ready to rock and roll.
This is going to be a great new assett for the Academy!
I'll be lead instructor for flagship class of Character Design I Online. We're looking to get the course started by next month in May for students looking to enroll in the Academy's Online Program. If you're an artist who's ready to make a big leap forward with your skills, especially as they apply to the subject of character design, get in touch with us and we'll engage in the process of bringing you on board.
Charles Zembillas
The Animation Academy
Burbank, CA
USA
818-848-6590
http://theanimationacademy.com/
The live video and audio stream was solid and flawless in its initial broadcast from our studio location. Everything is working great and we're at the point of actually conducting live online sessions of the foundation class for our program, Character Design I.
Our developers are going to add a few more controls for the instructors and some additional features to enhance the class experience, but as it stands, we're ready to rock and roll.
This is going to be a great new assett for the Academy!
I'll be lead instructor for flagship class of Character Design I Online. We're looking to get the course started by next month in May for students looking to enroll in the Academy's Online Program. If you're an artist who's ready to make a big leap forward with your skills, especially as they apply to the subject of character design, get in touch with us and we'll engage in the process of bringing you on board.
Charles Zembillas
The Animation Academy
Burbank, CA
USA
818-848-6590
http://theanimationacademy.com/
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Richard Gaines turns it on
Recently relocating to Burbank from his home in Florida to further pursue a career in animation, Richard Gaines enrolled at the Academy and has gotten off to a good start.
He's a strong talent who's disciplining his approach to character design and basic drawing. Richard was quick to grasp upon the fundamental principles we impress, and as such was able to complete his first five pose character rotation in grand style.
Click on the image for a better view.
Expect to see exciting things from this arist in days ahead.
He's a strong talent who's disciplining his approach to character design and basic drawing. Richard was quick to grasp upon the fundamental principles we impress, and as such was able to complete his first five pose character rotation in grand style.
Click on the image for a better view.
Expect to see exciting things from this arist in days ahead.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Online System Test Successful
Yesterday evening, March 17, 2011, we initiated the first session of Beta Class One to test the capabilities of the online learning management system we've been developing at the Academy.
I'm happy to report that it was a very successful trial run. We pushed the software to its limits and everything functioned extremely well.
The class we're running with is Intro to Digital Painting with our Photoshop instructor Glen Moyes. Glen and his team are the ones who are developing the system. The class consists of several of our instructors and a few of our advanced students. We're currently training our instructors on the system through the first Beta Class.
We're all very excited about what this means for the future of our program. The learning management system we're developing has features that will enable us to interact with our online students in unique and effective ways. I don't think there's anything else quite like it.
We're getting closer to our goal of offering a comprehensive online educational experience for prospective Academy students. I'm confident that we'll soon be at the point where we can bring in those students and establish an online community for the Academy through the classes we'll be fielding.
No matter where you are, if you're interested in The Animation Academy, you'll soon have the opportunity to be a part of it all.
Charles Zembillas
The Animation Academy
Burbank, CA
USA
I'm happy to report that it was a very successful trial run. We pushed the software to its limits and everything functioned extremely well.
The class we're running with is Intro to Digital Painting with our Photoshop instructor Glen Moyes. Glen and his team are the ones who are developing the system. The class consists of several of our instructors and a few of our advanced students. We're currently training our instructors on the system through the first Beta Class.
We're all very excited about what this means for the future of our program. The learning management system we're developing has features that will enable us to interact with our online students in unique and effective ways. I don't think there's anything else quite like it.
We're getting closer to our goal of offering a comprehensive online educational experience for prospective Academy students. I'm confident that we'll soon be at the point where we can bring in those students and establish an online community for the Academy through the classes we'll be fielding.
No matter where you are, if you're interested in The Animation Academy, you'll soon have the opportunity to be a part of it all.
Charles Zembillas
The Animation Academy
Burbank, CA
USA
Friday, March 04, 2011
Andre Medina at Disney Features
Happy to report that former Academy student Andre Medina has been accepted in a six month training program at Disney Feature Animation in Burbank. He was previously at Disney Features in an internship capacity. Now he's being invited to officially train with the studio.
Andre was a student of ours in Character Design and Visual Development. An exceptional student and outstanding artist, he followed his studies at Cal Arts.
Andre is on our roster of instructors for our upcoming Online Program.
To experience his work, please follow the link below:
http://andremedina.blogspot.com/
Congratulations, Andre! We're very excited for you. Looking forward to great things.
Andre was a student of ours in Character Design and Visual Development. An exceptional student and outstanding artist, he followed his studies at Cal Arts.
Andre is on our roster of instructors for our upcoming Online Program.
To experience his work, please follow the link below:
http://andremedina.blogspot.com/
Congratulations, Andre! We're very excited for you. Looking forward to great things.
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