Pro-Tip #4 Shape-Curves

More tips straight from the pros to any and all aspiring character designers.  Hong Kong animation artist Justice Wong's tip is all about using gesture drawing as a design tool.  Justice begins his character design process with an energetic gesture drawing and adds forms that grow organically out of the gesture to arrive at a rough design for a charcter.  Click here for the Pro-Tip.

Click here for APW Character Design Contest details.

Pro-Tip #3 Volumetric Shapes

Animation artist/illustrator/designer Saud Boksmati has contributed to APW's Pro-Tips series.  Saud emphasizes the volumetric shapes that make up the inner construction of an animation character.  Read more...

For the full Pro-Tip click here.

The Pro-Tips feature is meant to give some guidance from the pros to young aspiring character designers who are entering the Animation Portfolio Workshop's Character Design Contest.

For more info on the Character Design Contest, click here

For Contest Rules, click here

Animation Portfolio Workshop Life Drawing class

In addition to character design, storyboarding, object drawing and perspective, APW students learn fundamentals of Life Drawing.  Here's a look inside a recent class in session with instructor Jose Rivas and TA Sonia Furier.

  

APW Character Design Contest

Enter our contest - design a character and you could win free tuition for the 2013/2014 session of classes of the Animation Portfolio Workshop.  Competition is fierce to get into top animation schools such as Sheridan, Seneca, CalArts and Ringling.  Good animation portfolios do not make it.  Outstanding ones have a chance.  This contest offers an opportunity to win tuition to take the Animation Portfolio Workshop and learn from animation professionals all about Life Drawing for Animation and Drawing for Animation.  We cover Gesture drawing, mass analysis, basic anatomy, perspective, object drawing, character design, storyboarding and many other areas of drawing that every student of animation needs to know.  

• Read more about the contest.  
• Read the contest rules and regulations.    

Pro-Tip #2 Use Reference

Design your own animation character and you can win free tuition for our 2013/2014 Session of classes.  Toronto Character Designer Nate Gaul has contributed Pro-Tip #2.  Nate suggests that you use reference in designing your animation character.

For an example let's pretend I have been tasked with designing an elderly reptilian merchant who loves to eat mice. I would want to make sure I am familiar with the necessary visual language. What do merchants look like? What makes someone look old? What makes a reptile look like a reptile? What do mice look like?  Read more...

Click here for Pro-Tip #2

Click here for Contest Info, Rules and Guidelines

Pro-Tip #1 - Start with a Shape

APW's Character Design Contest has officially launched.  Stay tuned for tips from the pros.  In our "Pro-Tips" feature we present a bit of advice on how to approach designing an animation character for your submission to our contest or for your animation portfolio.  We basically want to help you to win the contest.  First prize is free tuition in our 2013/2014 Session of classes.

Click here for Pro-Tip #1

Click Here for Info about the APW Character Design Contest