Rick and Morty!

RICK AND MORTY!

Rick and Morty is a new cartoon series on Adult Swim. It's already been out for more than a few weeks now. I'm a huge fan of the series so far. It is really silly and has a very crude sense of humour. I generally love watching new cartoon series and I thoroughly enjoy a lot of mainstream cartoons. I personally have a very weird sense of humour so I really enjoy things like this. You can still look up the original cartoon made by the creators which is called 'Doc and Mharti' on Youtube. Check it out if you enjoy Rick and Morty.

Watch the first episode on Youtube:

An Art School Rant// About Animation Schools

Hello,

I wanted to post this link about art schools from a notable artist who went to CAL Arts. I found the article very interesting and I go back to it every now and then to get a realistic view of how this industry works as a whole.

I hope you find it as interesting as I do.

http://tombancroft.deviantart.com/journal/My-Art-School-Rant-302491758

Random Art Post// FABIEN MENSE!!!

http://fabien-m.blogspot.ca/

If you're not familiar with Fabien Mense then go check out his website/blog. This guy's art is amazing, fresh, and fun. Really ridiculously good looking characters! 

Skills and Practice// Challenging Exercises to do at home

How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice.

My second year at Sheridan Animation has been filled with a lot of challenges. Every year is very different to say the least. New things to learn and new things that inspire you as an artist. So I've been thinking about simple practice sketches and simple ways to approaching skill building your technical knowledge in drawing. Moreover, to build up your knowledge and skills in drawing you must make time for small sketches and general research. I call looking up images and new artists "research". Looking up new artists and taking the time to gather images is important. For me, as a growing artist I am always gathering new materials and such as well as casually sketching. I know a lot of people don't look at or use reference materials but personally I do it. You need to stay current and stay fresh, I feel.

I feel you need to spend time focusing and really investigating photos, images, and anything else you can find. Other times you need to just vibe with what you're drawing and lose yourself in it. Just enjoy what you're doing and drawing. The point is you need to find what you enjoy and just learn to have fun. Find the things that interest you and also things that you haven't drawn before and draw them. Challenge yourself. Learn from your mistakes as well.

So what I'm getting to is that I'd like to post some links that I've been using and explain why I think they are useful. As I said above, I'm thinking about skill building exercises and small sketching exercises. All of the things which I am listing here are generally things that my friends and colleagues and I have discovered through our studies at Sheridan Animation. Of course, a lot of artists and students might already do similar exercises like this but I'm focusing on simple exercises that you can do at home. Think of this as homework. These types of exercises don't replace actual assignments and huge long projects but they are the skills and the casual exercises that artists are consistently doing and challenging themselves with. Lastly, all of these exercises you can do at home in front of your computer. Get used to drawing a lot!

1. http://www.humansofnewyork.com/

Draw from life! But if you can't do that try drawing from websites like the one above. Drawing characters is paramount and I guarantee you that all students at Sheridan Animation are simply drawing people, generating ideas, gaining knowledge, and understanding the human figure. 

Here are some tips:

- Try drawing realistic

- Try drawing cartoony

- Draw an entire page of faces

- Draw an entire page of full bodies

- Keep it gestural, loose, experiment with styles

You might think work or sketches like this is a waste of time when you have the portfolio admission for Sheridan due the next day but exercises like these help you stay loose and generate characters for later use.

2. http://artreferenceblog.tumblr.com/

http://www.pinterest.com/characterdesigh/

Copy drawings from both of these sites! Both are amazing and have great reference material. I guarantee you that everyone is always working on anatomy and as I say a lot on this blog, anatomy is important. Pinterest is amazing for so many reasons. Get on top of that. Look for images and copy them for personal use. 

Furthermore, for some Sheridan Animation students they aren't so much interested in anatomy but at least get to a competent level for their career in animation or illustration. To get into Sheridan Animation though, you need to have fairly good life drawing skills and brushing up on general knowledge above actually attending life drawing classes is a good way to keep your mind sharp.

Here are some tips:

- Do something everyday that scares you/ Draw something everyday that challenges you

- Choose some anatomy illustrations to copy from:

Such as this one below from 'artreferenceblog':

http://artreferenceblog.tumblr.com/post/66194865492/sinisteray-cant-remember-where-i-found-this

- Print out the images as best you can and then copy them until you can draw it without any reference.

- DRAW DRAW DRAW

3. http://www.parkablogs.com/content/blogs-of-pixar-artists-and-animators/

Research. Who is your competition? What are they drawing? What are they doing with their time? Pixar artists are only a small taste of the people working in the animation industry but you need to gain knowledge and insight into how these artists are generating ideas and art. 

How They Got a Job at Pixar Animation Studio by CGMeetup

Justin Chan// Guys with Pencils Podcast

http://guyswithpencils.tumblr.com/

Justin Chan on Guys With Pencils Podcast!

Listen to it. You won't regret it.

FORCE DRAWING

Hello everyone,

So I managed to find something very useful for knowledge and reference. There's a book some students use in Sheridan Animation. The book is called Force Drawing by Michael Mattesi. These books can help you with general drawing skills such as line quality, force, movement, and understanding some concepts behind dynamic drawing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07fusT-dwVE

In short, Mattesi finds a unique array of skills which are both technical and conceptual. By conceptual I mean that he has acquired a lot of skills understands how to draw force and draw lines that have emphasis. From a technical standpoint, these books are great  for a new artist trying to explore drawing skills that animators use or simply know how to create characters with better line quality. These books are amazing and all my friends who are some of the best artists in the program use these books. I wouldn't exactly recommend these books for a extreme beginners because first of all one must know anatomy, however, these books are really good for reference.

Random Art Post

~tincan21

http://tincan21.deviantart.com/

I've always been a big fan of Daredevil. These are some amazing dynamic poses.

FACEBOOK PAGE

Hi everyone,

I've created a Facebook page for Motivation Animation. 

I have more ideas in the mix and  I want to provide people with more practical knowledge but most of all provide a more casual setting to provide people with updates and any news I receive from my Sheridan friends.

Please feel free to contribute your thoughts, comments, and questions with the Facebook page here:
https://www.facebook.com/MotivationAnimation

More to come.

Regards,

Lee @Motivation Animation

DRIVE// A LITTLE BIT OF PRACTICE EVERY DAY GOES A LONG WAY

Drive.

Drive is the word that makes you push harder. Drive is what takes you far beyond the reach of other students. Drive is what takes you down the path of passion, hard work, and determination. Everyone has a reason to do this. Everyone has a reason to work harder than the next person. You do it because you're driven. 

What makes you a formidable artist/ student?

I often find myself in big open-ended conversations with my peers about what makes not only a hardworking artist but more importantly what makes the individual a worthwhile and invaluable person for a job. The key point here is what makes you a potentially good applicant for a job in animation, video game industry, comic books, or any job in the arts for that matter. In my experience, from what I've gained from the instructors at Sheridan is that the industry is highly competitive and jobs are constantly going through a flux of being scarce to readily available depending where you are. It depends on how good you are. Are you willing to go the distance, take risks, and challenge yourself to get the job done? Do you want to put in the time to develop your skills to an industry standard? It's all about getting good and simply when it comes to that point when you do land a job hopefully your skills and your work will speak for itself. 

There is a competitive nature to all of this. The truth is is that, it is really competitive when it comes to a challenging degree program not to mention a competitive work place. Sheridan Animation is highly competitive in nature. While some might disagree, there are individuals who have successfully entered into Sheridan only to find that they are not competitive students nor do they try to achieve more. They might lack some determination but I feel its more to do with their resolution and overall focus. You have some individuals that simply lack some dedication but being successful doesn't mean being the "best" artist. It also means being someone who is credible, someone who has a good track record, and generally someone who can work well in teams. Personally, I find it challenging to work with people who lack common sense and a simple sense of morality. 

What does competitiveness mean? Regardless of where you go and what career you fall into you will always find that most careers and jobs are highly competitive next to everyone who is applying for it. But I say, competitive programs breeds lions or more accurately it breeds individuals with a high aptitude for learning and achieving more than the next person. You can see this in many different programs like for example law programs where you see big characters and individuals with big egos entering into competitive programs. By and large, my peers and friends who challenge themselves and continually set goals for themselves are the people who enjoy competitiveness. This competitiveness makes them disciplined.

So all I wanted to say is you must reach for the sky. Work hard and try to achieve more. At the end of the day you can't simply draw for fun or draw when you 'feel like it'. You need to draw and work at it all the time, each day, push past the pain barrier because you need to begin to develop your skills to the point of it being muscle memory. That's my advice for the day. 

MY OCAD VS SHERIDAN EXPERIENCE (PART 2)

OCAD DESIGN STRESSES DESIGN PRINCIPLES WHERE AS SHERIDAN ANIMATION STRESSES DRAWING TECHNIQUES

When comparing two institutions one must recognize that they are two different education centres with two entirely different approaches to education and learning. I wanted to stress this point because maintaining neutrality in my evaluation is paramount. I also do not want to misrepresent OCAD as a bad place for an fine art education.

I'm concerned with providing prospective fine art students with a very logical, supported, and reasonable argument when applying to art schools. However, please use your discretion when reading my material and take everything I say with a grain of salt because in no way am I a professional writer or artist but I am someone who believes in constant learning, taking chances, and helping others. I've spent time outside school working and I understand the real benefits of being in school.

OCAD and Sheridan College are both businesses--they won't give you what you want unless you give them money in return. So remember, you want to get the most 'bang for your buck' and that means picking a institution that has a good reputation and a good track record of students. I chose Sheridan because they had a good track record for a good education and getting a job. In this day-and-age you  want to feel good about the education you receive and above all gain confidence in your skills.

OCAD--MY PERSPECTIVE/OPINION

Honestly, OCAD can be really challenging and beneficial for a lot of people. Illustration Design and all the Design programs function as all-together one foundation year. Meaning everyone is essentially learning the same thing. It makes sure everyone is on the same track and gives everyone a good start within colour theory and design knowledge. Essentially, my problems with this is the fact that drawing practice and drawing technique isn't stressed in any of this, only design, colour theory, and some other stuff. I reiterate, we're comparing apples to oranges meaning we're comparing an institution that will stress DESIGN principles next to an institution that will stress DRAWING principles and highly skilled computer/technology techniques.

What did I not like about OCAD? I didn't find it very challenging and I wasn't learning a lot in my first year. I went to an art high school before hand so a lot of the courses I was taking was repeat. I didn't move into 2nd year OCAD because I didn't want to attain the Illustration Design degree they were offering. Honestly, even when I look back on it, its hard to specifically say what I didn't enjoy about but my experience as a whole wasn't what I was looking for. In terms of art, I realize now that drawing techniques interest me be more because I find it more practical where as design theory didn't interest me at all.

>COMPARISON/IDEAS/OPINIONS

I will provide a short comparison of what to expect at Sheridan Animation vs OCAD (First Year) and I'm going to focus on one course to keep things simple and I've chosen painting as my example:

Sheridan Animation Painting 1 is very similar to Design Stream Painting 1 in that you explore colour theory and colour harmony all the same. It's basic 1-2-3, ABC's of colour and painting. I found Sheridan Animation instructors and assignments more "to-the-point" in terms of colour theory and also the assignments a lot more challenging.  At OCAD, you have 1 month/ 3-4 assignments of doing gradient bars, colour tests and such. At Sheridan Animation, its one week to do your first assignment which is essentially all the color tests and gradient bars.

Year One - First Painting Assignment

OCAD Design Painting 1 (All Design Majors)

- Greyscale, 1 week to finish;
- next week Color scale, 1 week to finish
- next week Grey/Black and Color assignment, 1 week to finish
- Rough sketches
- Layout Outline
- Reference material

WHERE AS:

Sheridan Animation Painting 1

- One week to do all colour theory tests in one assignment;
- first major painting assignment the next class, due in 2 weeks
- One final painting 8x10"
- Rough sketches, Final Sketches
- Reference material

Sheridan Animation doesn't exactly assume you everything about colour theory but like most programs if you want to really learn more you must do some extra work on the side. Moreover,  you must do the work fast and learn it very quickly. So focusing on learning more color theory is important in the long-run but simply getting assignments done fast and doing it correctly are also important. This is similar to OCAD but I found in Sheridan Animation there is more work to be done in less time. Sheridan Animation doesn't want to waste your time and vice versa. These types of programs force students to get organized and really manage their time. Arguably, time-management is one of the most important skills coming out of first-year animation.

Year One - Mid-term Painting Assignment

OCAD Painting 1 hand-in

- Two final paintings 6x8"
- 6 design thumbnails
- 4 final sketches
- Line layout, overlay
- Reference materials

WHERE AS:

Sheridan Animation Painting 1 hand in: 

- Two final paintings 8x10"
- Two tonal paintings 6x8"
- 4 tonal sketches
- 6 design thumbnails
- Reference materials

With Sheridan (Animation), they hit you hard with projects and you gotta "learn-on-the-go". Sheridan Animation is all about actually getting out professional-looking material and lots of it. They have a much higher standard for a first year student. I will admit, sometimes the projects seem unfair because of the workload. In terms of the amount, I found Sheridan Animation more work compared to OCAD Design.

Honestly, I enjoy Sheridan a lot more. There's a much more genuine creative process happening that involves more dialogue with you and the teacher. Plan to do a lot of research. You must read up on stuff for your next painting, sketch out ideas, write down ideas, talk to other students about it, 10X the amount compared to OCAD. I didn't get the same vibe when I attended OCAD but then again, it could have changed since I had gone there.

CHOICES// OPPORTUNITY// PREPARING FOR SHERIDAN ANIMATION

BECOME A GOOD DRAWER/ IT'S ALL ABOUT HARDSKILLS

Sheridan Animation's first two years are all about drawing/technical skills. Although having digital animation skills are equally important--being a good artist is really where it counts. In my opinion, understanding how to draw characters and anatomy are paramount to really excelling at not only getting good grades but ultimately creating good material that industry professionals will eventually look at. 

Think about the fundamentals of drawing which are concepts like form, structure, rhythm, value (line quality) as your goals for learning. 

At Sheridan Animation, you have the opportunity to learn a lot of different technical skills in drawing, painting, digital programs, and storytelling, to name a few. There's a lot of information one must absorb year after year. It's the most mentally and physically challenging thing I've ever have to do simply because I've never pushed myself as hard as I do at Sheridan. I can't say for everyone I go to school with but I find the creative process exhilarating and enthralling. When it comes to making "choices", the question I find very challenging to answer is which skills should I focus my attention on. For example, should I produce more work digital work like digital paintings/environments or should I focus my attention on life-drawing? Opportunity for learning and growth is always on the horizon and in my case, as summer approaches, I will try to stay focused on gaining better technique.

As artists, we spend years of practice and training only to find that we've either learned a small amount or we've learned a lot--at least thats how I feel sometimes. When I look at my downtime which is off-school I'm thinking about where I should focus my efforts and learn more. Moreover, knowing where exactly to put your focus and plan your 'personal education' around is very important because it can mean the difference between getting a B+ and an A in the coming year. However, marks/grades aren't everything but gaining knowledge and insight is. Just plan to do a lot of work, an insane, unfair amount of work.

LIFE-DRAWING ALL THE TIME

The tough question which my summer begins and ends with is where should I focus my time? After a very long and exhausting first year there's only one thought that remains in my mind--what next? Essentially, my summer should be planned around getting prepared for next semester. I've been asking other students, my colleagues, about what they will be up to, asking my mentors, and second year students. After my 'research' I have planned to focus my attention mainly around life-drawing. Again, as competitive as Sheridan Animation is, this is the time where I can really put my mind to something and learn more. Getting better at life-drawing can prepare me for next semester and in addition simply keep me on track in terms of drawing skill. So I will be managing my time around life-drawing which is what I already do at school. I'll admit, keeping a balanced focus in art-work is important meaning 'doing a bit of everything'. I will argue that life-drawing combines it all while really focusing on the fundamentals of drawing at Sheridan Animation which are things like structure. Simply put, I want to be a better drawer and I feel my passion and direction in drawing can evolve through higher education in life-drawing. 

PLAN TO DRAW EVERYDAY, EVERYWHERE

My schedule will consist of doing life-drawing classes one to two times a week with "cafe sketches", which are known as quite literally doing sketches in a cafe, on the subway, or any casual setting with people. If I'm switching back and forth between hours of life-drawing and hours of short studies then I should see improvement. It's only upon weeks of life-drawing at school until I saw real breakthroughs occur but like most things in life, you need to stay committed and focused to reach a goal. 

LIFE-DRAWING COMBINES A LOT OF FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS/ TECHNIQUES

So what will you be learning? What are you doing already? Some people know a lot about characters. Do you draw a lot of fun little people or animals? Some individuals are more focused with life-drawing? I'll admit, some people like to do it all and some can manage their time around learning everything. For myself, I am trying to speed up my learning curve in life-drawing and focus on one thing as opposed to many things. Moreover, as my tutor puts it, life-drawing combines all drawing and process-oriented work thereby providing you with a lot of knowledge for skill that relates to all fundamental arts at Sheridan. For example, drawing squares, circles, simple lines, faces, are all consistent  with animation principles. Knowing how to do draw these things quickly, easily, accurately, are also important and there are so many reasons why life-drawing is important in the long run. So it's a process. Most of all, I wanted to say, when you really understand structure, composition, line quality and simply how to draw well you are really taking those first initial steps into a more professional level of artistry.

If you want my opinion, I would say to do life-drawing at least two times a week. If you want to get better quickly or at least get prepared for entering Sheridan Animation then plan to learn a lot of human anatomy. Remember, a strong foundation is important because often the slow and steady student will excel later in their career. 

Furthermore, I'll give you the best tip I have in terms of getting better in life-drawing. Buy this book: MICHAEL HAMPTON, FIGURE DRAWING - DESIGN AND INVENTION.

If you don't already know about this book then do a bit of research. Above all, this book provides you with all of the basic fundamentals and provides great illustrations and examples. Moreover, this book comes recommended by all of the life-drawing teachers and tutors in Sheridan Animation and is basically the best resource in drawing human anatomy. It's not required to be purchased for any course but I'd strongly suggest it for any student at any level. Many first year students in Sheridan Animation buy it and simply use it in and out of life-drawing class. 

PORTFOLIO REFLECTION// WHAT COMES NEXT?

PORTFOLIO REFLECTION

Sheridan Animation Portfolio 2013 is coming to an end and I hope everyone who applied feels good about the work they've achieved and more or less takes time to relax and stay positive over the next waiting period. Reflecting on my portfolio experience with fellow Sheridan colleagues--we agreed how long and anti-climatic the entire process can be. Personally, I found it very tough at times just coming home and checking my Sheridan email for any acceptance or rejection messages. My advice is to stay patient, focused on other tasks at hand, but most of all--stay positive. 

IT TOOK ME TWO YEARS TO GET IN

It takes some people four years to get into Sheridan Animation. When I got into Sheridan Animation I realized how many people people from a diverse set of programs enter into Sheridan Animation. Not to mention there are a multitude of people from different walks of life that come to Sheridan Animation to learn. This isn't a basic post-secondary education so stop thinking this is a normal thing to do. You must think abnormally, think out of the box, and think abstractly. People say I'm crazy to do something like this and the truth is you'd have to be a bit crazy to spend hours and hours on work. But take what I'm saying with a 'grain of salt' because anyone can get in and still be a hard worker (still be successful), however, I like to think that you need to bring something special to the table. With all the students applying into Sheridan Animation there is a ongoing problem of students producing the same thing. So think about not only being talented but being unique.

It takes time to build a portfolio and learn the necessary skills to enter into Sheridan Animation. For some individuals, they've spent years drawing so it's less challenging for them to create a portfolio with no professional help and get accepted on their first try. There are plenty of people like that in Sheridan Animation and some of those people are arrogant students while some are very open-minded people. Again, we can simply compare one person who has spent years on training to someone who has not. Indeed, some people have no education in animation/art so spending time, building a proper portfolio, takes years of understanding and learning. Personally, when I first applied I was not aware of how competitive it was. I was naive to think that I could get in with my work that I had spent so little time on. Eventually I enrolled in a preparation program to help me with getting into Sheridan Animation.

For individuals that don't get into Sheridan Animation, you may have the choice of either entering into Visual Creative Arts (VCA) and Art Fundamentals (Fundies). These program are available for prospective students to build their art portfolio but not to specifically help them create a Sheridan Animation Portfolio. However, those individuals have an opportunity to put time into basic foundational learning just to prepare themselves for Sheridan Animation. It depends on the individual if they believe they need some foundational learning or an after-school program for specific portfolio evaluation/ preparation. I chose the ladder and I believe that was far more beneficial to me, however, I will discuss this later. On the other hand, some prospective students believe it's beneficial to do VCA or Art Fundies but truth-be-told, not everyone from those programs get into Sheridan Animation. Meaning, at the end of the day it all comes down to portfolio evaluation.

The ones that do excel are the types of students who network with the proper animation teachers and students. They also begin to work on their portfolios early. 

So remember--it's a process. You reach one level then you reach for the next. You do it with passion. You do it with patience.

KNOWING HOW TO BUILD CHARACTERS// BUILD A DRAWING

The school I had attended was Mississauga Valley School of Art (MVSA http://www.facebook.com/MVSAOfficial) and there I learned animation skills from a 4th year Sheridan student. However, there are many Sheridan Animation prep-programs in the GTA and I've only heard of about three to four. Two in Mississauga and two in Toronto. I found prep-programs beneficial because it kept me focused on learning new techniques and above all finishing the portfolio on time. With a prep-program my work excelled to Sheridan Animation standards to a degree. Looking back, it could have been way better. Creativity for one thing is something I scored low on. But in trying to develop a portfolio, an animation student can show you one of two things; one is how to push your work above and beyond, two is to help you understand how to structurally build and develop drawings/characters. Nothing is more important than these fundamental steps toward learning. On any level, as I've mentioned before, you're not just trying to make a good portfolio to get you into the school but make a portfolio that sets you far above everyone else to ensure that you will get in. 

Students who do well in the animation portfolio don't just set the bar high for people in that year but in all years. Making a good portfolio shows that you've accomplished a lot for you as an individual and doing a good job makes you feel confident when entering Sheridan Animation. Those people who do set the bar high are the ones that are pushing the standards. It's simple. Do it right. So many people put together very weak portfolios and don't have a clue when they get their rejection letter. If you're confused then that means you just didn't do your homework. If you just do the "bare-minimum" then you aren't going to get anywhere in terms of your evaluation. Set the bar high, come up with something amazing. Really 'say' something with your portfolio. Do your very best. 

DON'T BE AFRAID TO FAIL// DON'T BE AFRAID OF MAKING TOUGH DECISIONS

A lot of my colleagues agree that the worst thing a prospective student can do is get discouraged or feel you're not good enough. It's natural to feel that way but there are many things you can do in the mean time while preparing for the next portfolio. Get your spirits up. At the point you might receive a rejection letter you might say to yourself, "I can't wait another year for this." But the truth is, you can wait another year and you can work on the real fundamentals of learning that can help you get in next year. There are many ways you can push yourself to continue that learning process and most of you are probably doing that regardless. For me, when I took several months off before working on the next portfolio I really wish I had spent more time on two things: Life Drawing and copying from comic books. Those have always been two learning avenues for me and they continue to provide me with more practice and creativity.  For some, you can begin to work on the next portfolio. Just don't sit around. Get inspired. Be creative. Get working.

Regardless of the outcome, I'd say now you have a great opportunity to take big steps in planning how you want to learn more about animation and art. 

So there are a couple of things to consider: What's your next step? Is it Sheridan Animation? Is it another post-secondary school? You have to make that decision for yourself because at the end of the day, you need to be the one who's happy with that choice. Luckily, at Sheridan Animation you have the benefit of being around other artists, starting new projects, and constantly learning. So if you're worried about not having a community of artists the trick is to either find one or just learn to be super disciplined. 

What am I going to finish off on? No pain. No gain. Keep with it. Stay positive.

PROCESS WORK// PERSONAL WORK

As an added bonus I wanted to show some of my process work for a painting I'm working on. Since I don't have my personal art blog up yet I will post some work. However, I'm weary about posting too much art work because I want to keep this blog-space separate from my personal artwork unless it's connected to technique and methods about animation/art.

Be Enthusiastic. Strive for Excellence.

Here's a great video part of TED Talks lecture series. I've always been a big fan of TED Talks and an even bigger believer in contemporary wisdom and knowledge. I absolutely love this video because it reflects how I  try to learn and grow as a person. I feel anyone can take something from this TED Talks lecture and I wanted to share it with all of you. Please check it out.

Remember--greatness is in all of us.

Regards.

Sheridan Ritual Sacrifice on Tumblr (http://sheridanritualsacrifice.tumblr.com/)

Here's a blog set up by some friends/colleagues of mine in Sheridan Animation Year One. It's called Sheridan Ritual Sacrifice which is on Tumblr.

I would strongly suggest reading and possibly asking questions if you're applying into Sheridan Animation.



 

TRY YOUR BEST! WE BELIEVE IN YOU!

An informal blog set up by some sheridan animation kids to help answer your questions!!


Here's the link again: http://sheridanritualsacrifice.tumblr.com/

PORTFOLIO// GETTING-IN// SO MANY QUESTIONS

READ THIS IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN THEORY AND KNOWLEDGE INTO THE SHERIDAN ANIMATION PORTFOLIO APPLICATION PROCESS.

There are so many questions about how to prepare a portfolio in order to get into Sheridan Animation.  Before I get to those specific questions about the portfolio submission and portfolio standards, I wanted to throw out some basic ideas and concepts about the whole process.

Here I will be discussing more the theory of the portfolio application and a bit of my experience with it. Maybe this discussion will help you understand why the process is so challenging and why its so difficult to get in. I wanted to give this backdrop to prospective students rather they give specific answers to questions because this is type of things I learned AFTER I got into Sheridan Animation. Obviously, everyone has many questions but these are some all-encompassing ideas and concepts everyone should consider.

EVERY YEAR, THE STAKES ARE HIGH

First and foremost, let’s look at the portfolio process. The Sheridan Animation portfolio is a professional (make it look professional*, treat it as a very serious process) portfolio submitted annually from a wide variety of students ranging from different art streams and age groups. Some individuals are already producing work on a professional level (freelance), most are not, however, the more successful individuals are obviously ones coming from other art streams. It all depends on your skill level. The truth is, all people come from different walks of life. As my mentor put it, some students are ordinary people from small towns and aren't really connected to an art network of some kind. Therefore, staying connected and in loop is one of the best things to learning more about the portfolio process.

So, we have students across seas submitting portfolios, high school students from art highschools, people who have already finished art degrees, people from design backgrounds, people from small towns and many different types of artists all-together. They all have something to say with their art and they are all quite good. With a wide range of students applying it is obvious that the stakes are quite high and the bar is set very high year-after-year. That being said, from what I’ve heard, Sheridan Animation receives about roughly six to seven hundred applicants each year (I've estimated 700 applicants, between me and my colleagues) and they only accept roughly 150 students into their program. The result is that the instructors who are doing the evaluation take considerable time looking at each portfolio and making sure they are choosing the best student for Sheridan Animation.

Furthermore, the instructors looking over the portfolios are highly trained in designating marks and allotting points for the portfolio grade. The mark you receive is pin-point accurate on the scale of where you are in the evaluation of all the applicant portfolios in that year. All that being said, it’s a game of very high-stakes and this process is meant to push you really hard. Every year is a constant battle of pushing your skills, meeting the deadlines, and really exploring the projects/requirements of the Sheridan Animation portfolio.

HOW GOOD DOES THE PORTFOLIO HAVE TO BE? REALLY FRICKIN’ GOOD.

Every year close to 1000 applicants submit portfolios to Sheridan Animation. Let’s say more than 75% of these applicants are not even close to being ready for Sheridan Animation’s standards. For the people that DO get in, they show considerable talent or are quite accomplished artists compared to the people that don’t get in.

As my friend Kat (a Sheridan Animation 4^th Year, straight A-student) put it, had described the hardest part is really "getting into Sheridan Animation" because the rest is simple. Do the work. Get the degree. Ultimately, I would agree because after you’re into Sheridan Animation it’s a whole different ball-game in terms of work load, time-management, and simply getting the work done.

Even though I’m not necessarily giving any advice in this post, I wanted to say if you are determined to getting into Sheridan Animation you must make a portfolio that obviously shows a great amount of skill. That means you should be at a very competent level with some of your artwork (which might be stretching it a bit*) but considering the talent that is in Sheridan Animation and especially because I've seen a lot of art I must say I'm impressed with the artists here. Students are amazing in all different mediums such as painting and life drawing. In the end, your artwork should show not only experience and skill but originality, brilliant creativity, variety, and something that will separate you from the rest.

Email and Questions// Self-Reflection (luis.corbis@gmail.com)

Hello Readers,

I'm more than happy to answer questions about my past and/or future career in animation and arts. Moreover, I never really had help with my open ended questions about life, career, and simply in choosing a right education path. Personally, when I was younger I was looking for was an idea of school-life, course work, art schools in general, and a positive-constructive mind to throw ideas off of.

Please feel free to contact me at my Email:

luis.corbis@gmail.com.

I frequent this email everyday so hopefully I will return emails ASAP.

Ciao.

My OCAD Experience VS Sheridan Experience

This isn't a story about success so much as it is about hard work and dedication. Sheridan Animation is tough work and there's much to be said about what "hard work" and long hours mean. 

Fortunately, I had the experience of attending OCAD (Ontario College of Art and Design) or what is now called OCADU (OCAD University). First and foremost, in referring to my experience at OCAD I will try to stay neutral and objective about my ideas and opinions. I attended OCAD enrolled in Illustration Design and I must admit, I wasn't impressed by the quality of work and degree of students which attended the school. There were long hours, loads of work, interesting instructors, and some basic foundational principles to be learned but where was the passion? I couldn't taste the glorious art I had been seeking all my life. Moreover, I did very well and attained high grades that year I attended OCAD. However, being at OCAD I began to question their approach to teaching 'art' and often felt they lacked a fundamental approach to fine art. I wanted to learn more or simply learn to focus more on anatomy for example. As I moved through foundation year I came to the realization that OCAD was not the place for me and amongst all the repetitive art assignments and "too-cool" art students there was no real job in the design business for me. I left OCAD because I was specifically disappointed with the education, entry standards, and instructors at OCAD. Moreover, I wasn't impressed by the other students but of course there are incredible artists that have left OCAD but only a handful of them are what one would call 'incredible' or 'amazing'. The bottom line is, OCAD wasn't giving me the best education nor did I feel inspired.

OCAD's courses functioned as one foundation year, then afterwards in second and third year, you began to learn the 'real stuff' as many put it. It's a four year degree either way and that equals time and money. Honestly, I didn't feel that I was learning a lot so much as repeating old art assignments that were akin to a 'run of the mill' art college. It was very basic and I was coming from an art high school so I did have more knowledge then an average first-year student.

Moving on--I've heard a lot more from my friends and colleagues that finished at OCAD and their personal education experience there. From what I understand is that many students in there design streams learn very similar material and when they move into the art/graphic design industry, they begin doing all the same work which is graphic design or simply, design. That much is true for the few people I know. But as we all know, you have to start out somewhere even if that means doing grunt work. Although, if I knew the types of entry level jobs I would receive after leaving OCAD's design streams then I wouldn't have even bothered applying. Too many graphic designers and illustration artists are not taken seriously these days and they are paid very little. Again, this is my opinion but I don't find that  creatively or financially satisfying. However, that doesn't mean OCAD is a bad place for you to get an education.

But ask yourself this question: What do you want to be when you grow up? What career is right for you? Honestly, it isn't a simple question to begin with but if you want an education, sure, attend OCAD. You are in charge of your education and your life. I reiterate, remember that one simple fact that at the end of the day, you'll be the one making all the tough decisions and doing all the work. Education and learning doesn't start and begin in one place. I say, if you're constantly learning and striving for more than you're constantly creating and growing. Keep in mind you must be very hard working to devote yourself to career in art. Having an idea of what you want to achieve is important, Furthermore, in defining what you want to have for career and life and obviously one can still be successful if they gained a degree from OCAD. 

Regardless, I believe OCAD did not give me much in terms of education. From the short time I spent there, I realized that Illustration Design was not the direction I wanted to go. At the time I was going there I had not yet realized my dream of going to Sheridan Animation and those opportunities of jobs after Sheridan Animation were not even in my peripherals. Eventually I had learned my friends who left OCAD were disappointed, to say the least. Again, a lot of people from OCAD do have jobs I'm sure, however, my point is that my friends/colleagues who left did not feel spiritually/creatively fulfilled. I'm glad I didn't spend more time there because I knew I had great potential in me, Sheridan Animation potential.

Animation 1

Animation 1 Class

One of my drawing utensils toolkit. This is pretty standard among many animation students in first year. It's nice to have because it keeps you organized, keeps the your things neat/tidy, and is easy to access.

A standard animation light table.

Motivation: What I've learned.

Motivation is tough. Especially when I found myself a year or two before I had even decided going to Sheridan let alone realizing my dream of animation and conceptual design. For me, personally, my (current) inspiration comes from comic books and artists such as Milo Manara, Jean Moebius Girard, among others. My motivation is steadfast, meaning I'm loyal to my dream and that means hardwork, doing art, must come from my desire to learn and become better. 

When I hear words like motivation and discipline I think of 'art pushups'. I call it 'art pushups' because pushups, for me, are very challenging in working out. But you need to keep at and maintain a certain exposure to it. In exercise, the more signals you send to your muscle the more change you will see. Similarly, in art I feel the more you practice, read about, be more aware of your learning you will see the change as well.

The point I'm trying to make is that it takes time, patience, and discipline. 

For individuals who are not in Sheridan and plan on getting in, the first thing I would suggest to them is simply work on the basics and that mean foundational art studies such as lifedrawing. Lifedrawing is important for so many reasons such as line quality, line variety, speed, skill, good instincts for drawing, and generally speaking it helps with drawing people. You need to put a lot into lifedrawing. At least once a week if you're a beginner and above that you must get professional help with this. Practice, practice, practice. Find an unhealthy balance of doing lifedrawing and thats a start. What do I mean by unhealthy? Sheridan students put a lot into lifedrawing and consider the fact that some students lifedraw 2-3 hours a day, sometimes 4-5 hours a week. So don't complain when you have to practice lifedrawing because you have to start learning and practicing immediately if you want to get in.

Back to "motivation". I remember I had it very rough when I didn't get in my first time into Sheridan. I felt down on my luck and people we're explaining to me just how tough Sheridan Animation was. Realize first the level you have to be at when entering Sheridan College--you already have to be quite good and very disciplined. That means, you must have a strong understanding of very basic levels of art, colour, design, and general knowledge of all these parts. This means constantly learning and soaking up all the knowledge that life gives you. Make it a positive learning experience.

However, it's a process. Remember the word--process. Process, means a series of operations, a series of actions, and by that it means learning in continual development.