Alumni Archives - MTM College

Paris Alleyne Wins Award for Best Comic Book Colourist

Paris Alleyne thought he might eventually get an award in his career as a comic book artist, he just didn’t anticipate it happening so soon. In the summer of 2020, Paris received an Eisner Award for Best Colourist on a Comic Book Series for his work on Afterlift, written by Chip Zdarsky and Jason Loo.

Natalie Kauffman, MTM Director of Outreach, spoke with Paris, who graduated from Max the Mutt’s Illustration program in 2013, about being an award winning colourist, his work on other projects such as Crescent And Io by Marvel Comics, and Black Comix Returns, as well as his personal work.

Colouring takes thought and attention

When asked how he makes his choices for how he colours his projects, he says it varies greatly each time. “Every project is different…that’ll change what you’re trying to get across.” It depends what the mood and style is that you’re trying to get across working with the illustrator.

Veering away from comics, Paris was a colourist for a book called Deal with it, a graphic novel dealing with real issues experienced by teens, published by James Lorimer & Co. He speaks about how the work that you do for comics – like meeting deadlines, working with writers/illustrators, working independently and fulfilling creative requirements – is not just limited to the comic book world. “Comics really prepare you for other types of illustration.” If anything, working on a book project was easier as the deadlines weren’t as tight as they normally are for comics. It is a profession that has many applications – from freelancing for comics and graphic novels, to graphic design for advertising and film – all of which are covered in the curriculum in the four year diploma Illustration & Storytelling for Sequential Arts program at MTM.

MTM teaches more than art skills

Paris credits MTM with teaching him more than art skills. “It’s where I learned self-reliance.” He continues, “Working as a freelancer now, if I don’t respond to this email or I don’t get this work done today, it doesn’t get done.” Paris remembers overhearing an instructor during his first year in one of his classes say: “The point of this is to learn to see”. Paris admits that his youthful defiant self resisted that instruction at the time, but later it clicked with him, and it’s been pivotal term that he has found has made a difference in his career ever since. He admits these principles taught at MTM saved him a lot of time and agony, which otherwise would have come from trial and error over many years. “The fundamentals that were taught there (at MTM) have carried on with me.”

Contributing to Black Comix Returns is particularly meaningful to Paris

Black Comix Return is a project which holds particular significance to Paris. He remembers seeing the first book, Black Comix (published in 2010), and thought “I want to work on this!”, even though he knew he didn’t have the body of work to contribute anything at that time. Years later, he actively sought out to be part of the next publishing, which worked out well since the author was seeking Paris out to be part of the next book too. “I knew I wanted to be part of a book like this so that I could properly feel like I was part of this community.” Being part of this book is his way of both contributing to the legacy of Black comic book artists, and to his own identity as a Black artist making his mark in this industry, which has traditionally been a white dominated field.

Teaching is a way to give back… and to constantly learn

Something else significant for Paris is to give back to the artist community, which means he has become an instructor at Max the Mutt! Paris taught Digital Painting last year and is teaching Digital Media for our students this Winter semester. Every time he teaches, he says, he learns from his students, which keeps things fresh for him.

Congratulations again, Paris!

We look forward to see what other super interesting projects you will be involved with next.

Watch the full interview on Youtube

Learn more about Paris on Instagram

Learn more about our Illustration and Storytelling for Sequential Arts Program

MTM grad M.Sassy.K makes her bread & butter in comic book art

Michele Assarasakorn, a.k.a. M.Sassy.K, has come full circle in her work as an illustrator. She started off her diploma at MTM in Illustration for Sequential Arts, then switched to Concept Art (which she graduated from in 2011) and now primarily works as a comic book artist. She thought that background art for video games would be where she would have ended up, but she came back to her love of comics. So skeptics beware, there is money in the comic book world!

It is possible to have a career as a Comic Book Artist?

Is it possible to have a successful career as a comic book artist that also pays the bills? “It is!”, says Michele from her home in Vancouver, “And it’s a lot broader than you think.” She goes on to say that “all the skills you learn in school with the foundations…it’s so broad that you can just leap into different careers as you progress as an artist”. There’s a lot of crossover in the industry so it’s not like you are stuck with the diploma choice you made, and the training at MTM prepares you for this kind of flexibility as a career artist.

Michele is the colourist on the comic book Isola, co-created by Brendan Fletcher (MOTOR CRUSH) and Eisner Award-winning storyteller Karl Kerschl, which just launched volume 2 (July 2020) in its series.

Understand what the market wants

Michele stresses how important it is to do your research before embarking on your career. Start your research before graduation, so you know what path you want to apply yourself after graduation. “You are your own business person so you have to understand what the market wants,” she emphasizes. As a freelancer, it’s critical that you set out with plan – even if you end up deviating from it. You have to choose your own direction and start working towards it – you cannot sit there and wait for someone to approach you.

It is because of the feedback of alumni like Michele, and others in the field, that the Illustration and Storytelling for Sequential Arts program was expanded in 2018 from a 3 year to a 4 year program to make sure that graduates were better prepared for a career as a freelancer, and to increase their general versatilely as visual storytellers, giving them many potential career options in areas such as Background Painting, Storyboarding, Layout and Visual Design for Marketing alongside freelance or published work in Comic Books, Graphic Novels, and Children’s Books.

Want to work in Canada after graduation? Don’t forget to do your research!

MTM is very welcoming to international students – we offer a unique international student orientation, we offer support throughout your time at MTM, and we have one of the lowest international tuition rates of animation, concept art or illustration program in North America.

Michele was one of our international students. When asked about her experience of what it was like to come to Canada as an international student, she says “it was a long journey… but it was definitely worth pursuing”. Michele believes that this country is full of opportunities for illustrators – comic books or concept art – and it’s worth the time and effort to make Canada your home to have the career that you love. Just don’t forget to research the permit process and what you will need to do post-graduating to stay in Canada!

Watch the full interview for helpful tips for any current students pursuing illustration, or for graduates looking for some pointers in starting your career. You’ll also see lots of Michele’s artwork too, a must see for any of her fans!

Interested in MTM’s Illustration and Storytelling for Sequential Arts Diploma Program? We also offer workshops for artists of all levels if you want to take a shorter course or one day workshop.

All illustrations in this article are by M.Sassy.K.

You can check out more of her work here!

Click here to see more of ISOLA

Aaron Long of BoJack Horseman fame, says his “terrible” drawing skills were what made him choose MTM

Max the Mutt’s animation diploma program graduate, Aaron Long, knew from an early age that he wanted to animate and make films. “I made my first animated film when I was nine”, says Aaron in my video interview with him from his home in Los Angeles. The film was called Hot Rod and Stinker, and he taught himself a lot from that point on how to create animated films.

It was drawing where he needed help. That’s where Max the Mutt came in.

“My drawing abilities were terrible” Aaron says reminiscing back on what led him to art college. Aaron recognized that being a good animator takes knowing how to draw well, something that is a significant part of the curriculum at MTM.

Drawing skills are key to being successful as an animator

It’s Aaron’s passion for animation that brought him to MTM, but he knew that he needed much more than just knowing how to animate. “They really pushed me to learn how to draw”, Aaron says of the instructors at MTM. Aaron wasn’t too keen on learning still life and painting, but later in his career, he understood how important that all was. It was also learning the History of Animation in year 1 that gave him his inspiration for Fester Fish, his animation series that caught the attention of the producer that hired him to work on his first studio production, TripTank, which was the reason for him moving to LA.

He’s been working consistently ever since graduating from MTM in 2013. After TripTank, he was hired to work on Bojack Horseman (starring Will Arnett), then Tuca and Bertie (which Aaron claims is the most fun show to work on!). He also finds time to visit his alma mater whenever he’s back in Toronto. Aaron was last at MTM in Nov 2019 to speak with current students and his fans about his journey as an animator and to offer some tips.

Personal work key to standing out in the animation biz

“Always work on your personal stuff; it’s what makes you stand out from the crowd”. Aaron still finds time, even as a busy director/animator, to work on his own projects, which since 2015 has been the show Sublo and Tangy Mustard, set in his hometown of Toronto. The show, based on his frequenting subway sandwich shops as a student, and observing store mascots wearing their outfits performing daily mundane activities like arguing with their girlfriend over their cell phone.

Several years later, he’s still making personal projects, just like that nine-year-old.

So, always find time to work on your passion projects; it can really pay off in the long run.

To see more of Aarons’ work check out his website AaronLongCartoons.com

Interested in a career as an animator? Check out our Animation Diploma Program. Want to try out a workshop? We’ve got a full range of workshops for you to choose from.

Love painting? Consider being a Concept Artist like Tiffani Brown

Tiffani Brown always knew that she loved art. So when she decided that she wanted to pursue a career as an artist, she thought that animation was the only way to go. “I thought Concept Art was for Video Games, I didn’t know!” Once Tiffani was enrolled at MTM, that’s when she discovered that a concept artist can do much more than video games. And so, her concept art training began!

A Career As A Concept Artist

Tiffani works as a background painter for the hit show Esme and Roy, season 2, at Nelvana Studio in Toronto. “I get to paint the world that they run around in!” she says of what she does for her job. “The company wasn’t even on my radar”, explained Tiffani in our interview with her. She thought she would have to start off small and work her way up. To her surprise, she was hired straight out of graduation. Proving that her concept art training was a success!

How did MTM help her achieve her dream of being a concept artist at a company that she loves?

“I love Max the Mutt because of how they push you into art.” It is this focus on traditional art skills, coupled with instructors who push you to do better that got her to the point where she was making art without even thinking about it; it helped build her confidence as an artist.

For the full interview and to see some of Tiffani’s work, see her website: tiffanibrown.myporfolio.com

Interested in pursuing a career in Concept Art? Check out our Diploma program! Want to getter better at painting skills? We have a series of Traditional and Digital Painting workshops that anyone can enjoy!

The 2D Animation Artist is definitely not a thing of the past – Interview with Josh Hill

An Interview with Animator and MTM Graduate Josh Hill by MTM Outreach Director, Natalie Kauffman

It’s a good thing Josh Hill didn’t listen to people’s advice when he was considering what kind of animation to focus on when he started at Max the Mutt (MTM) in 2014. At that time, a lot of people outside of MTM were saying 2D animation also known as traditional hand-drawn animation, was dead. Well, they were wrong.

Josh’s Journey Through Traditional Hand-Drawn Animation

We caught up with Josh, a 2018 Animation Program grad, who discusses getting his first job at YOWZA! Animation for the Netflix Series, Green Eggs and Ham, as a 2D animator. He landed this job while still completing his last year of school. He found out about the job from one of his instructors at MTM who knew that he loved traditional hand-drawn animation. Josh applied for the job by submitting a demo reel, and he got it! “I was on a high kinda after that…’cause I scored my dream job!”. It’s this kind of small community where instructors, who are working professionals, really help our grads to land the job of their dreams, that makes MTM special.

Take a listen to hear Josh’s story and find how he’s adjusting to working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, and other interesting anecdotes. Images of Josh’s drawings and video clips are also played throughout the interview so you can get a good glimpse into what he does. For any students currently in or considering a career in animation, particularly 2D animation or traditional hand-drawn animation, this is a great interview of someone who pursued what he loved doing and made it work!

Interested in pursuing a career in Animation? Check out our Diploma program! Just want to give Animation a try? We have a series of Traditional and Digital Animation workshops that anyone can enjoy!

You can also view the video on Instagram, in Part 1 and Part 2.

Thanks Josh! We look forward to hearing what’s next for you!

Interested in hearing what our other alumni are up to? Read some of their amazing stories or check out a selection of their artwork from their time at MTM.

A Visit from YOWZA! Animation

Recently, Max the Mutt (MTM) was pleased to welcome Kat Curwin (Production Manager) and Jack Carr (Creative Producer) of YOWZA! Animation for a visit.

Kat and Jack gave a presentation on life at YOWZA and working in the industry to our Fourth Year Animation and Concept Art students. Students then got the chance to pepper our visitors with questions, which they took full advantage of! Since Kat graduated from MTM four years ago, it was exciting to catch up with her and hear about her career journey since then. It was also pretty neat to hear how many of her YOWZA Animation colleagues are former MTM students as well.

After the presentation, all the students in attendance were offered the opportunity to have one-on-one interviews with Kat and Jack, to show them their work, and get individual feedback and advice. We heard from several of them about what a valuable experience this interview was, and we’re grateful to Kat and Jack for all the time they spent with us.

YOWZA visit — Animation student Kate Reid sharing her demo reel with Jack Carr (upper photo) and Concept Art student Jayesh Naidu sharing his work with Kat Curwin (lower photo).

We have to say that YOWZA sounds like a wonderful place to work! Since they are a smaller studio, there is a lot of room to showcase your individual talents, and the company works hard to ensure there is are opportunities for artistic growth. In some cases, this environment might mean you get to explore career opportunities you never expected!

One of the important elements to career success stressed by both Kat and Jack was having a great attitude and being a good team player. How you work with others can have a big impact on how well you and your team do, and how far you go in your career in the creative industries. It was a great message for everyone to hear, and something we all should strive towards, regardless of where we are in our careers!

Thank you so much, Kat and Jack for taking time to meet with us!

Tina Seemann and David Huynh with Kat Kurwin and Jack Carr from YOWZA! Animation.

2013 Graduate Aaron Long Visits Max the Mutt

Director of BoJack Horseman offers valuable advice to MTM students

Aaron Long, Canadian animator and filmmaker, well known as a director on BoJack Horseman (Netflix), was in Toronto in early November to make an appearance at TAAFI INDUSTRY 2019‘s 2-day event, which offers exclusive talks from top animation artists and creators.

TAAFI INDUSTRY 2019

At TAAFI, Aaron spoke about his career starting as an intern for the Chuck Grammage studio with little experience and a ton of passion, through to his current work as a director for Bojack Horseman and Tuca & Bertie with Netflix. He also discussed how animation isn’t just for cartoons, as new streaming services start to take animation seriously. And the ins and outs on crafting your ideas for a primetime world. And lastly was the judge on a pitching competition.

Aaron Long’s Alma Mater

Aaron Long is a 2013 Max the Mutt (MTM) graduate. We were thrilled when he reached out to say he’d love to drop by to say hi, and talk to the students about his work!

As part of his presentation, Aaron showed fascinating behind-the-scene clips from BoJack Horseman and other programs he’s worked on (like the fabulous Tuca & Bertie) and gave students insight into what working on these productions was like. He shared the story of how his career in animation launched. And he emphasized the importance (and challenges) of continuing to develop his personal work while working on other projects.

Aaron Long Animator and Director, visits student at Alma Mater, Max the Mutt — MTM students express their happiness at getting to meet Aaron Long during his November 6 visit.

Our students were inspired by his humility, the information he shared, and his love of traditional animation. He spoke about the inspiration he got from History of Animation, a first-year course at MTM, and his love of using physical movement, attitude, and timing to tell a story. He also highlighted the importance of life-drawing and other fundamental drawing skills he learned at MTM to his work.

Aaron Long created “Fester Fish” while still a student at Max the Mutt College of Animation, Art, and Design. A producer in LA who saw his YouTube channel discovered and contacted him.

Aaron Long speaking at Max the Mutt College — A standing-room-only audience during Aaron Long’s visit to Max the Mutt.

Aaron Long with Co-Directors Tina Seemann and Maxine Schacker — Aaron Long enjoyed catching up with MTM Co-Directors Tina Seemann and Maxine Schacker during his November 6 visit.

Thanks for the visit, Aaron! Please come back soon.

Aaron Long is an animator and filmmaker from Toronto. He currently lives in Los Angeles, and has directed for Bojack Horseman, Tuca & Bertie, Triptank and more. He also creates independent cartoons Sublo & Tangy Mustard and Fester Fish which appear online and in festivals around the world.

Want to learn more about Aaron Long? Check out his work here, or visit his IMBD page.

2018 Concept Art Grads, Dhenzel Obeng and Zabi Hassan Talk About Being An Effective Concept Artist!

Students stayed on after classes last night to meet with Zabi Hassan and Dhenzel Obeng , 2018 Max the Mutt Concept Art for Animation & Video Games graduates, who are both working as Concept Artists at UbiSoft Toronto. They were introduced by Dayna Griffiths, year 4 Concept Art student and Tiffani Brown, another year 4 student, took the photos and sent this report:

“Some of what was discussed:

-Transitioning to workplace from school. Leaving ego at the door and understanding you’re working to achieve a whole.
-What to expect on the job – problem solving and collaboration. Many art directors. Communication is key. You have awesome people with great knowledge at your fingertips. Use them.
-Exposing yourself online and in a community (events, “meetups”,etc) outside of school. Getting comfortable with being vulnerable with your art. The importance of being open to critiques.
-Understanding that even now, as students, you’re making connections. Value them.

Of course they shared tons more and the students were very engaged. It was a great evening!”

Find out more about Max the Mutt’s 4 year Concept Art for Animation & Video Games Diploma Program!

For more information, email us at admissions@maxthemutt.com or book a tour today!

“The Life and Times of Sir Reginald Tubb” Gets Rave Review from Kirkus!

“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 Reviews magazine 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. ”

Congratulations to all on a job well done.