Academy's Jose Lopez - Mariachi Mural - Disney XD

In the summer of 1996 about 1 1/2 years before The Animation Academy I had a student by the name of Jose Lopez. He was fresh out of high school and employed part time at an art supply store. I could see he had talent and I worked with him to develop his fundamental skills. In January 1998 when the Academy began Jose was a student in our very first class. He stayed with us for several years and eventually became an instructor. His experience at the Academy lead to his break in the industry. Today he is one of the most accomplished character designers in animation. He is currently at Disney working on the "Big Hero 6" TV series. He's also completed a huge mural in East Los Angeles that celebrates his family's mariachi heritage. Watch the Disney XD video below to see what Jose has to say about his great accomplishments. You can follow Jose Lopez on Instagram and see more of his art on his blog.

The Animation Academy - Share the Lesson 8

Fundamentals are very important when it comes to designing characters for animation. In this latest episode of Share The Lesson we take a look at how a fundamental approach to character design affects the quality and appeal of the image. Sign up with The Animation Academy on Patreon and be among the first to see video lessons that can help move you forward with your animation art.

The Animation Academy on Patreon - 2

We're progressing with Patreon and welcoming our first subscribers! Plus an update as to where we'll be heading with our educational program on Patreon.

The Animation Academy on Patreon

We're happy and excited to share the news that The Animation Academy in Burbank is now on Patreon! Patreon is a popular crowdfunding site that gives creative individals and groups a resource for developing content and revenue generation. We're bringing our program to Patreon and welcomeour community to join us in this new adfventure! Follow this link to the The Animation Academy on Patreon

Hannah Smith - The Blue Wolf Studios on YouTube

Among our up and coming talent at The Animation Academy is Hannah Smith. She's been a stellar student in the time she's been with us and functions as a teacher's assistant in our Character Design 1 class. Hannah is a self starter and has become proficient in ToonBoom Harmony which is an industry standard software for creating traditional animation. Hannah has also been developing her YouTube channel and as of this writing she has more than 4,700 subscribers. She's developing her client base and has been accepting commissions.  A great beginning to her career! You can follow Hannah on YouTube through The Blue Wolf Studios channel. The video below showcases her animation demo reel for 2016.   

 

Evan Burse - CartoonBlock on YouTube

Back around 2006 - 2007 we had the pleasure of Evan Burse as a student in Character Design at the Academy. Since then Evan has developed a YouTube empire with his CartoonBlock Channel. As of this writing he has more than 236,000 subscribers who enjoy his demonstrations and lessons. Below is a recent video of Evan drawing Batman's arch nemesis the Joker. Click here to access the CartoonBlock website. You can also learn from and support Evan on Patreon.  

David Gemmill - Another Success Story

He was a local teenager when he first enrolled at the Academy. Today as an adult David Gemmill is one of the most sought after storyboard artists in animation. A veteran of Nickelodeon, Disney, Cartoon Network and currently employed at Warner Bros he's established himself as a leader in the industry. The quirky and offbeat animated shorts David creates on his own are a hit on YouTube. Here's something from his channel entitled General Helmet...  

A Look Back at Aaron Horvath

Another of our many talented students who did very well in the animation business is Aaron Horvath. He is currently the producer of the popular series "Teen Titans Go!" at Warner Bros TV Animation for Cartoon Network. Aaron diligently applied himself to excellence in his art and went on to lofty heights. Click here to see samples of his work while he was a student with us way back in 2002. You can see more of Aaron's work at the Academy's blog. Check out the video below for a quick sketch demo of Robin that Aaron created recently.

A Look Back at Taso Gionis

Among the pantheon of great artists who were once students at the Academy is Taso Gionis. He was barely out of high school when he first came to us in the early days of the school. He has since gone on to tremendous artistic accomplishment in the entertainment industry as a character designer and modeler currently employed at Blizzard Entertainment in that capacity. Taso creates incredible characters at the highest level of motion pictures. The video below is his demo reel. This is what talent, hard work, dedication and a solid foundation in fundamentals can do for you when you stick with it and keep growing and learning. Follow this link to see Taso's early work at the Academy. You can also visit his YouTube channel and his amazing online gallery

Happy 2017

Christmas Day and New Year's Eve 2016 from our campus in Burbank California with greetings from students and staff for a Happy and Creative 2017.

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