“The Life and Times of Sir Reginald Tubb,” illustrated by Tina Seemann , co-director of Max the Mutt, colour by MTM grad Laura Faber, written by David Schacker (one of MTM’s founders), received a rave review from Krikus :
Kirkus has been an authoritative voice in book discovery for 80 years. Kirkus Reviewsmagazine gives industry professionals a sneak peek at the most notable books being published weeks before they’re released.
Here’s an excerpt from the review: “The charming illustrations are colorful, well-detailed, and dynamic as well as expressive; Seemann… manages to make a bathtub one of the book’s most animated characters….A whimsical delight with well-written verse, excellent illustrations, and appealing characters.”
About Davd Schacker’s writing: “His rollicking verse is clever, fresh, appealing, and very funny. ”
Amazing news! Three of “The Rookies” 2017 Global Competition Finalists for the Illustration Category are from one small college in Toronto, Max the Mutt!
Congratulations to 2017 Max the Mutt Concept Art graduates Angela Matinong & Desiree Moffatt, and 3rd year MTM Concept Art student Zabi Hassan who are all finalists in the Rookies 2017 Global Competition’s Illustration Category! Congratulations also to the faculty of working professionals who mentored them.
The Rookies offers International Awards for young designers, creators, innovators, and artists. The Awards were created to discover and showcase the outstanding talent emerging from higher education facilities and help launch them into careers at the world’s top studios.
“From the thousands of global entries submitted to The Rookies, the finalists for 2017 represent the very best entries selected by the official judging panel which include 62 of the most influential and respected experts of their respective creative and technical fields.The Finalists have been selected by scoring each student based on criteria including creative skills, technical skills, presentation, variety of skills, complexity, raw talent, and employment potential.The judges have now moved into stage three of their process and will vote for category winners which will be announced July 7th, 2017.”
What’s special about Max the Mutt? We stress foundation skills, traditional fine art as well as computer based training, work ethic, focus, small class size, individual attention, top instructors who are in the industry themselves. Max the Mutt’s 4 year diploma program in Concept Art for Animation & Video Games gives students entry level skills into a variety of industries (film, animation, games) for a wide range of jobs, from concept artist to game artist, digital background painter, layout artist, or matte painter. The quality of work our students produce speaks for itself!
Some openings for Canadian citizens or permanent residents are still available for September 2017 and we are starting September 2018 admissions for both Canadian and international applicants.
Contact us now at admissions@maxthemutt.com or call 416-703-6877, toll free 1-877-486-MUTT
Good Luck to all of you!
Scene by – Desiree Moffatt
link to Desiree Moffatt on The Rookies – MTM 2017 Concept Art Graduate
Tekkonkinkreet Characters by – Angela Matinong
link to Angela Matinong on The Rookies – MTM 2017 Concept Art Graduate
Character by – Zabi Hassan
link to Zabi Hassan on The Rookies – MTM 3rd Year Concept Art student
Our Industry Event was a huge success! From 3:30 pm until 9:30 pm on Wednesday, May 23rd, Max the Mutt was filled with visitors, including art directors, recruiters, and industry professionals, all visiting to see the work produced by 2017 graduating students from Animation, Concept Art, and Illustration for Sequential Arts and meet the graduates in person.
This year’s event was electric! The video interviews we are happy to share with you here, reflect what seemed to be unanimous amazement at the level of 2017 graduate work!
If you would like more information about this unique college, Contact us at admissions@maxthemutt.com to ask for more information about our diploma programs. A very few openings are still available for Sept. 2017.
For summer “workshops” to sign up directly through the website right now!
One of the best ways to learn about a college is to hear what the students have to say! Every year we have a show for year one students so that they and their families can celebrate their artistic growth. Being taught the basics of representational art in a developmental, coherent program of related courses enables them to give life to their ideas in ways they hadn’t imagined they were capable of. The following video interviews are from the opening of the 2017 exhibition for year one students.
Van Lawrence Ching, Concept Art year 3, Character Design
3rd year animation student Josh Hill, character design exploration test.
Vlad The Impaler, 2017 Sequential Arts graduate Emilie Thomas
(Featured image at top by Caroline Davis, 2017 Concept Art graduate)
You are invited! Max the Mutt’s annual year end Exhibition of 2017 graduate and undergraduate work will be held Saturday and Sunday, June 3rd and 4th.
See student films, slide shows of amazing concept art scenes, props and characters, children’s books and comic book art!
Saturday: doors open at 10:30 am
11 am: a presentation about the college, our philosophy, and the programs we offer, followed by a tour of the college.
1 pm: Bring your lunch, or return after lunch, for a free Cartooning Workshop, with Tina Seemann, Director of the 4 year Animation Diploma Program & illustrator of the recently published children’s book, “The Life & Times of Sir Reginald Tubb.”
Sunday: doors open at 11 am, Join us for coffee and doughnuts, tour the college, view student and graduate work, take free workshops!
11:45 am : Workshop with illustrator/comic book artist Kent Burles: Comic Book Layout
1 pm : Workshop with Director and Story Board artist Cilbur Rocha: visual storytelling basics for animation.
Max the Mutt draws passionate people who want to develop first-class skills. Are you one of them? Find out at our two-day Open House! We’ve been voted one of the 5 top illustration schools in the world by the international art & design website “The Rookies”
Our graduates have gone on to careers at top companies including Pixar, Corus/Nelvana, Guru Studio, Toon Box, National Film Board of Canada, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Yowza Animation, Portfolio Entertainment, UbiSoft, & Warner Bros. Games. Come see where they got their start!
Come for one or both days. RSVP to admissions@maxthemutt.com or call 416 703 6877.
(If you plan to take a free workshop, please bring your sketchbook and drawing pencils!)
All of us at Max the Mutt send congratulations to Kate Reid on the continuing international success of her short animated film “I’m Afraid” – a collaboration with her Unionville High School classmates testtest.
Before Kate had started year one at MTM, this film had been accepted into TAAFI – Toronto Animated Arts Festival International, Toronto Youth Shorts, Scout Film Festival in Stowe, Vermont, Animaze – Montreal International Animation Film Festival and the Teen Truth Film Festival and Santa Monica International Teen Film Festival in California.
We spoke with Kate’s family at the opening of Max the Mutt’s show of work by 2016-17 year one students. Kate couldn’t make it! She was in Seattle attending the NFFTY Film Festival (National Film Festival for Talented Youth) at which her film was an official selection. https://www.nffty.org
“I’m Afraid” demonstrates amazing storytelling instincts and will bring a tear to your eye.
The UbiSoft Toronto NXT Showcase annual competition Awards this past Thursday evening was a gala event, well attended despite the rainy weather. The energy was high as students and faculty from an increasing number of colleges and universities filled the hall. (Photo above: Zabi Hassan, 3rd place; Steve Hong ,center, 1st place; and Jullius Granada, 2nd place for Concept Art)
Max the Mutt congratulates all the winners, their instructors and their programs! Canada needs as many excellent programs and excellent students as possible to keep our entertainment arts industries alive and thriving, and competition is healthy for all of us testtest testtest.
The 5 finalists in each category had already been announced. The 3rd place winner, then the 2nd place winner, and finally the first place winner in each category( first place winners will have a summer internship) was introduced to the crowd. The project of each person was projected on a screen behind them, as they were introduced.
Our congratulations to all, and especially the first place winners in all categories, Programmer, Modeller, Animation and Concept Art: David Arppe, David Kolodko, Rahim Rahimi, and Steve Hong!
We were also especially proud of Zabi Hassan, Max the Mutt 3rd year Concept Art student, for coming in third in the Concept Art category before he’s even gotten to his final year!
The show’s opening – for students, student’s families, and friends – was held Thursday evening, April 27th.
Come and see some beautiful work!
Please note: Max the Mutt’s entrance is on Sibley Avenue. Please buzz the intercom to be admitted, and take the elevator to the second floor to sign in.
Max the Mutt is proud to announce the release of a delightful new book for children, written by one of MTM’s three co-founders David Schacker, and illustrated by Max the Mutt’s Tina Seemann, Director of MTM’s Animation Diploma Program — with colour by 2016 MTM graduate Laura Faber.
“ At last is a story celebrating that unsung hero of family life, the bathtub! Neglected no longer, this noble fixture finally gets its due, magically coming to life as the central character in this tale set in the topsy-turvy world of the Forest Green.”
The delightful illustrations by MTM’s Tina Seemann, coloured in a dreamlike watercolour-effect palette by 2016 graduate Laura Faber, and the gentle humour of the Gilbertian rhyming verse by David Schacker, make this a charmingly unique offering for young (including very young) and adult readers.
Congratulations to everyone, and special thanks to book designer Jelena Reljic!
Max the Mutt’s Illustration for Sequential Arts Diploma program includes comics, graphic novels, and children’s book illustration in the curriculum.
In fact, all diploma programs at Max the Mutt include in depth drawing courses, design and composition, colour theory, as well as cartooning and character design.
The first weekend in June will feature an Open House with new art work throughout the school, and exhibitions by 2017 graduates from all 3 diploma programs!
Free workshops will include 2 cartooning workshops with Tina Seemann, including a special one for children 6 to 9 years of age, and a talk about her process in creating the illustrations for “The Life and Times of Sir Reginald Tubb.”
