CHARACTER DESIGN 1
The fundamentals of character design with a concerted emphasis on concept development, design appeal, design theory, basic construction, proportions, rotations, style analysis, posing, action attitude and expression models and the development of basic drawing skills.
CHARACTER DESIGN 2
Continued studies in the art of character design with a focus upon adapting the human figure to animation design. Requires the completion of Character Design I
CHARACTER DESIGN 3
Exercises in advanced character design theory through animal anatomy, variations in style, and an emphasis on designing for 3D modeling. Requires the completion of Character Design II.
CHARACTER SCULPTURE ( No longer offered )
The fundamentals of sculpting a three dimensional character from two dimensional model sheets. This course is integral to developing a sense of form necessary for successful character design. Students will sculpt characters of their own design as well as established characters.
BACKGROUND DESIGN
Studies in the fundamentals of background layout with an emphasis on perspective, composition, design, staging, mood, texture and lighting.
CHARACTER ANIMATION
A study in the basic principles of animation and in bringing a character to life through the mechanics of motion. Areas of focus include squash and stretch, overlapping action, volume consistency, rhythms, lines of action and timing with a strong emphasis on basic drawing.
VISUAL DEVELOPMENT
An introduction to visual development and production design with an emphasis on the development of fundamental rendering skills. Specific areas of study include the use of light and shadow upon form, control of gray scale values, tonal design, color theory basics and rendering techniques in a variety of mediums.
STORYSKETCH / STORYBOARD FUNDAMENTALS
The development of raw concepts into graphic narratives for production. Areas of concentration include concept development, storyboard mechanics, camera moves, hook-ups, composition, script analysis, scene planning, staging and continuity.
VISUAL DEVELOPMENT 2 / DIGITAL ILLUSTRATION
Students should have a device of their choice available for this class along with a software they would like to learn or are somewhat familiar with. Photoshop, Krita, ProCreate are among our students' top choices. There are many options available and several which can be utilized for free.
SPECIAL PROJECTS
Students who've completed the majority of our classes are eligible to enter into Special Projects. In this class we develop authorship skills and prepare a project for publication on Social Media.
BUSINESS LAW FOR ARTISTS ( Not currently being offered as a stand alone class. This subject is covered as a part of our courses in general ).
An introduction to principles of law and negotiations for animation artists. Topics will include copyrights, contracts and general business law.