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

APW Character Design Contest

If you want to be an animator you need to go to animation school.  If you want to go to animation school you need to know how to draw. 

At the Animation Portfolio Workshop, all we do is draw.  We’re all about helping you make the best animation portfolio you can.  And right now, if you enter the APW CharacterDesign Contest you could win free tuition for the 2013/2014 session of classes.   

Here’s how it works…design your own animation character - draw 4 standing poses, 3 action poses and 4 facial expressions.  Your drawings will be judged by our team of animation professionals.  The best design wins first prize - free tuition for the 2013/2014 Session of the Animation Portfolio Workshop.  And… there are other great prizes – art supplies and animation art books.  Visit our website for contest rules and details.  In the meantime -   

Happy drawing!

14 Days - 14 Characters! Week 1!

From Monday, November 19 to Monday, December 3, everyday at 9am a new daily gesture drawing will be posted on the APW website.  Your task, should you accept it, is to design a new animation character everyday for 14 days.  Think of it as an intensive 14 day design work-out.  The idea is simple - you observe the daily gesture drawing and look for movement, shape, direction to inspire a new character design each day for two weeks.  

Feel free to share your drawings by posting them on our APW facebook page.  Like the page and post your drawings.  We look forward to seeing all kinds of crazy, goofy, dark weird character designs!  For anyone who will be putting together an animation portfolio, this is perfect practice for the character design component.  Whether you're interested in drawing or animation or film - everyone's input is welcome!

14 Days...14 Characters

Starting on Monday November 19 everyday until Monday December 3 a new gesture drawing will be posted on our blog and on the APW Facebook page at 9am each morning.  Your mission - should you choose to accept it, is to design a new character every day based on that day's gesture drawing.  Be inventive - take your impulse and inspiration from the daily gesture drawing - what kind of movement do you see, is there a predominant shape or direction you can observe?  Be inspired by the gesture drawings and design a new character everyday for 14 days.

Click here for a few examples from last year's 14 day challenge.

APW TA Josh's blog

Josh Salmon Miller is a TA with the Animation Portfolio Workshop.  Currently, he's working with the students of the 2012/13 Session as they work toward preparing their animation portfolios.  Josh was in their shoes not too long ago as he studied with the APW (check out his animation entrance portfolio) and used his drawings to get into Seneca Animation Arts Centre up at York University in Toronto.  Have a look at Josh's progress...

http://joshuasalmon-miller23.blogspot.ca/

Former APW students blogs - life drawings, character sketches!

Aya Akl and APW TA Danielle Van Eden finished the Animation Portfolio Workshop in Feb. 2012 and are now students in Sheridan's Animation Program.  Thru their blogs, we're happy to watch their progress in Life Drawing, Character Design and all other subjects covered in first year animation.  Have a look...
Aya
http://www.ayaakl.blogspot.ca/2012/09/figure-drawings-1.html
Danielle
http://afiendishfancy.blogspot.ca/

Josh's Shoes

Take one ipad, combine with one pair of sneakers and a movie is born.  Enjoy!
This video happening took place after we finished up a "post portfolio session".  Gerard Sternik and Vince Peets shared ideas with a group of APW students who just finished up the workshop and wanted a bit of guidance on continuing to make progress with their drawing.  We actually got some good work done during this post-portfolio session (in addition to the movie of course).