A few new things have been happening recently, so I thought I'd post these in this new section.

Oct. 03
Ottawa 2003 International Student Animation Festival

I'll be at the Ottawa festival this Oct. 16 - 18th hanging out at the Seneca College Booth to talk to anyone interested in our new program. Stop by and say hello. I'll bring along a few books if anyone is interested in getting them while you're there.

I've also been aske to be on one of the panels discussing the role of the animation schools in the industry today. It'll be on Friday, Oct. 17th at 2:00 - 3:30.

Here's the blurb from the Festival website:

You want a Second Opinion? You’re Ugly, too.
Enthusiasm, drive, wherewithal, but not a lick of talent, insight, or ability. What does one do when a student has everything but what he needs the most? If a boom in animation has caused a great wave in enrolment in animation programs, how do programs best deal with those people for whom no amount of education will help, especially if the wave has already crested? What are the responsibilities of a school in this circumstance? What are the responsibilities of a student to be harshly self-critical?

Sept. 03
Whoosh!

So much has happened since I last posted anything here back in June. Here are just the big highlights:

Me & Max
As you’ve probably already seen on the main page, the Animation Pitch Party picked my “Me & Max” idea as one of the top 3 which was kinda neat. I’m planning on doing a short film with the characters as soon as things settle down at Seneca.

Seneca College
Speaking of Seneca, the new Traditional Animation program is in full swing. We have 48 very eager students all bright eyed and ready to go. At this posting, we are just about to begin week 4 of the 1st year program.

The studio space looks really neat (and colorful) Each of the desks is colored in red, blue and yellow and creates a very energizing effect when they are all put together. I’ll post some pictures as soon as I get them.

Tips & Tricks Is Ready
I’ve finally finished the Animation Tips & Tricks 2 booklet and it is now formally available for sale ($10.00). I still need to complete the booklets for each of the assignments and will pick away at it to get them done before Christmas.

Ottawa Animation Festival
I’ll be heading out to the Ottawa Animation Festival on Oct. 16th. If you get a chance, stop by the Seneca booth and say, “Hello”. (I’ll bring some books for sale as well.)

June 03
Seneca College
We took a tour ofg the new building that the animation program will be in and it is amazing!!

It's still under construction and there was a lot of scaffolding still all over the place but we were mighty impressed. From the outside the building doesn't look incredibly big, but inside, it's huge.

The 2D and 3D programs are up on the 4th floor. The entrance to the studios overlooks an atrium that goes all the way to the first floor. As you walk into the reception area, there are two "cyber lounges (one on either side). as you walk into the department, the Maya classrooms are visible through window walls. Two huge classrooms that will hold the 3D students. Next comes the two, 2D studios. These classrooms overlook the central atruim of the building that is 5 stories high and has skylights in the ceiling. Across the hallway are the Gaming program and further down the hallway are the visual effects studios.

After the tour we were chomping at the bit to get in there and get started. It's gonna be really nice!

KAFI
Another fun time was had at the Kalamazoo Animation Festival International. I ran two seminars on Character Design. The first had a cozy crowd of 10 people. This was on Friday morning at 9:00 so there was no suprize there. I heard from other presenters that their attendance was also low for the morning, so I didn't feel too bad. The Saturday morning group was much larger, about 65 people at that one.

The films were neat and the student challenge was really good.

Ray Pointer
Ray Pointer was also a guest speaker at KAFI. Ray's studio, "Inkwell Images" produces beautiful videos and DVD's of old cartoons by the Fleischer Studio. Ray is a well known authority on the Fleischer's and his products are amazing to watch. He has done a lot of work to restore the films as well as adding new soundtracks to the silent films which is simply amazing when you hear it. I picked up his latest DVD and it was amazing!

May
Animation Drawing Course
All the spaces have been filled for the Animation Drawing Course.

April
KAFI
Getting ready for the Kalamazoo Animation Festival on May 18th & 19th wher I'll be giving two workshops on Character Design for Animation. Each session will be 3 hours long on Friday and Saturday morning at 9:00..

Check out all the different things going on: Kalamazoo Animation Festival

Animation Kits
The Kits are almost done. As I was putting them together, they went through a couple of different incarnations. I was trying to make them as flexible and affordable as possible and I think I've come up with the perfect combination which will allow for future expansion for the products.

Check out the web page for more info: Animation Kits

Seneca College
I've finished up the portfolio assessment process. We had a little over 700 applications to the new 2D/3D Animation Program for this coming September. There were 44 spaces available.

If you're interested in applying for next year, send me an e-mail and I'll let you know what you should do between now and the portfolio deadline next March. Visit the school site here: www.dmc3d.com

March

NEW! Animation Kits
I'm in the final stages of finishing up my latest project called "Animation Kits" These kits are for people who want a more practical experience in trying out some animation stuff. There are four different levels going from beginner to some more complex assignments. In a nutshell, each kit has a set of animation key drawings that you can inbetween. Each kit comes with a small booklet that takes you through the whole process, step-by-step. Each level has four assignments to work on.

You will be able to buy each level as an individual set or you can mix and match the assignments in any combination that you want. Each assignment will cost $10.00 and a set of four is $30.00, so it's a buy three, get one free deal.

These kits will be available in mid May. I'll have some web pages set up by the beginning of May to preview them.

New Seneca Animation Program
I've been busy writing the new curriculum for the Seneca Animation Arts Program that will begin this coming September. The entire program has been planned out on a weekly basis. I've been writing the outlines for each class as well as the assignments involved. This is going to be a great new program.

You can find out more about the program and portfolio requirements by going to the school website: www.dmc3d.com

As of March 20th, we've had just a little over 750 applications for the 44 spaces available.

Visit to the Bealart program
I had a very nice visit with the students of the animation program at Beal Secondary School in London, Ontario to tell them about our new program and give them a brief tutorial on character design.

The Bealarts program is a highly regarded school that has a very strong focus on the visual arts in grades 11 and 12 as well as a Special Art program for students who have completed grades 11 or 12. Many of the students enrolled in these courses have gone on to be accepted into college level animation programs.

I wish they had this type of a program at my highschool when I was in grade 11!

Drawing Course This Summer
After a bit of personal debating, I've decided to go ahead with the Summer Drawing Course session. There will only be one session this year and I'm not going to take as many students as normal. You can find out more here.

Coming in May
I've been invited back to the Kalamazoo Animation Festival again this year to do another couple of Animation Drawing Seminars. Last year I gave two talks for about two hours each to over 150 very enthusiastic people. I took them through the basics of Character Design with lots of drawing and examples. The seminars were so enjoyed, they've asked me to do them again.

Once again, I'll have my books for sale at my booth and I'll bring along my "It's Alive" video if anyone is interested in seeing it.

The Seneca guys will be there as well giving a Maya demonstration.

Click here, to find out more about the Kalamazoo Animation Festival