Concept Art – Page 2

YOWZA! Animation Visits Max the Mutt And Interviews Year 4 students!

Yowza! Animation dropped in to talk to our Animation and Concept Art students last Friday.

Sally Walker, Studio Coordinator of Yowza! Animation, gave us a call in January to suggest visiting MTM for early portfolio reviews with year 4 Animation and Concept Art students. We agreed on February 22 to give students a little more time to get ready for this very early and exciting chance to show their work (they won’t be graduating until May!).

Yowza, a major Toronto animation studio that does work for Disney, Warner Bros, and Dreamworks to name a few, is also well known for how well they treat their employees!

We were very happy that Animation Director Tom Joliffe, Art Director Jeffrey Timmins and Studio Coordinator Sally Walker took the time out of their busy schedules to visit us.

They were able to enjoy a quick tour of the college and saw three floors of halls with student work on exhibit. Then they gave their presentation to year 2, 3 and 4 students. During the presentation they spoke about Yowza’s philosophy and artistic aspirations, and the skills the studio is looking for — then they gave us a chance to see some of their beautiful recent work! We were truly excited about the quality and beauty of what they are creating. Sally tells us that Yowza is contributing to a high-end 2D feature film, several hand-drawn series, and a stop motion preschool show for CBC (Kiri & Lou).

The presentation was followed by the opportunity for each graduating Animation and Concept Art student to have a personal portfolio review with both Tom and Jeff.

Year 3 students were also encouraged to submit applications for paid summer internships! This was an exciting and inspiring visit for all of us!

Thanks so much to Tom, Jeff and Sally from YOWZA! Animation for your time! We look forward to your next visit!

PS Sally recently emailed us: “About the visit, …. the students were a beacon of intelligence in our future industry and we are thrilled to have a connection with the school. Working with MTM graduates for years has been a pleasure and we see them going very far.”

For more information about Max the Mutt Contact us to schedule a tour and learn about what our school offers and why studios, like Yowza, want to hire our students.

UbiSoft Art Director Patrick Ingoldsby Visits Max The Mutt!

Concept Art students at Max the Mutt enjoyed a presentation by UbiSoft Toronto Art Director Patrick Ingoldsby.

Pat has supported Max the Mutt from the very beginning of the 4 year Concept Art Diploma Program, and attended the very first Industry Event that included the first Concept Art graduates, but this was the first time he held a meeting to speak with students about his career, about UbiSoft and what students should be including in their portfolios.

Hilary Phillips, Concept Art Program Coordinator, had this to say about Patrick Ingoldsby’s visit:

“Patrick spoke in depth about working for UbiSoft Toronto, a company and community he really enjoys. He’s been directing there for 9 years and feels it’s the best job he’s had. Pat gave the students real insights into what kind of skills Ubisoft is looking for, both hard skills like what to put in a portfolio, and soft skills like professionalism, team work, how to comport themselves in an interview. His break down of the departments in game creation gave the students an idea of the various career paths that the skills they are developing will open for them.

Finally he spoke of his personal journey as an artist and the jobs he had before becoming an Art Director at Ubisoft. Pat is a former production artist, now Art Director. He was a production 3D artist in games before becoming an Art Director, and before he got into games, an illustrator in both print and animation. The story of Pat’s professional journey really resonated with the students, who are thinking themselves about how their careers may unfold once they graduate.”

Visit from Ubisoft Art Director- Patrick Ingoldsby - Jan 17/19 - with Hilary Phillips — Ubisoft Art Director- Patrick Ingoldsby – with Hilary Phillips, MTM Concept Art Program Coordinator

Our sincere thanks to Patrick Ingoldsby for taking the time to visit Max the Mutt’s Concept Art students!

We are proud that many Max the Mutt graduates, including two 2018 graduates, are currently working as concept artists and animators at UbiSoft.

Concept Art / Digital Illustration for Entertainment Arts…A Great Career Option!

Max the Mutt is happy to speak with you and share information about the 4 year Concept Art Diploma Program!

We can give you a deep skill base that prepares you for a wide variety of possible career options, everything from designing the art for AAA games, to designing for animation, film, storyboarding, becoming a game artist…the list goes on! Career opportunities are varied and exciting.

Max the Mutt’s 4 year Concept Art Diploma Program is a great option if you love to draw, have an interest in painting, and want to learn traditional, fine art representational painting and drawing skills — plus how to use those skills in the digital world. This program requires imagination as well as observational skills, a passion to create worlds, determination and hard work. What’s more, employers need people who fit this description!

Max the Mutt is well known and respected for graduates who have developed skills, imagination and professionalism. The success rate for our concept art graduates is high. We’ve been rated internationally as one of the top places to study digital illustration…

If what I’ve written above excites you, contact us at admissions@maxthemutt.com. It would be my pleasure to meet with you, look at your work, make suggestions and answer your questions.

P.S. The high level of work you see on our website is the end result of good education and hard work, not what students were able to do when they started!

Have the courage to investigate your options. Contact us now!

All the best,

Maxine Schacker, Co-Director

admissions@maxthemutt.com 416-703-6877/ 1-877-486- MUTT (North America)

Once more, Max the Mutt’s Animal Drawing students visit the Royal Ontario Museum !

Tina Seemann, Co-director of Max the Mutt and Animation program Coordinator, took our Year 3 Concept Art and Illustration students to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) for their Animal Drawing course and had this to say about their visit:

” Even though we added 2 new bird skeletons ( a falcon and a pheasant, beautifully articulated by Sachi Schott ) to our anatomical collection, I still value a ROM visit where we get to draw more skeletons, birds and various animals as well.

For our Illustration and Concept Art students, the ROM is an amazing resource! Mark Peck, the head of Ornithology is always kind enough to take students on a ‘behind-the-scenes’ tour of the museum’s collections. He shows us the collections of ‘bird skins’, taxidermy, eggs and all kinds of wonderful things!

The students were really happy to learn that they are welcome to return and draw from the collections should they require bird reference for a future project.

The ROM is a resource that any young artist can use when the internet isn’t enough. 3D models are always best! “

What is Traditional Representational Art & Why is it Crucial for Concept Artists?

Representational art quite simply ‘represents’ its subject in a way that most viewers can easily recognize. Traditional representational art uses perspective (including colour and atmospheric perspective) to present the illusion of three-dimensional reality on the paper or canvas. The knowledge and skills required to create realistic illusion grew slowly through the centuries.

Throughout history, most art, including paintings and sculptures, were representational. The earliest known examples of representational art are indeed the earliest known forms of art; cave paintings that date back up to 40,000 years ago.

The first known picture to make use of linear perspective was created by the Florentine architect Fillipo Brunelleshi (1377-1446). Painted in 1415, it depicted the Baptistery in Florence from the front gate of the unfinished cathedral. ( see A History of Perspective in Art – Op-Art.co.uk).

Although other basic types of art, including abstract and non-objective art, emerged in the 20th century, traditional, it is realistic representational art skills that are necessary for AAA video game and live action concept artists. Why? If your goal is to create realistic environments and the characters who inhabit them, you obviously need to understand how this illusion is achieved. Photoshop depends on your drawing and painting skills: you must first understand how to draw human beings, animals and creatures, locations and props that convince the viewer that he/she is looking at a real place before you can take those abilities into computer programs.

Representational art skills are core subjects in the Concept Art Diploma program at Max the Mutt.

What Does a Character Designer Do?

Even if we do say so ourselves, that’s a great question! If you’re interested in character design, you may have designed lots of your own characters. But you’ve probably not come close to doing what a character designer does.

What is Character Design?

It’ll help to talk about character design itself before we get into what a character designer does. Generally, character design is the development of new, original characters for a computer or traditional illustration or animation. Character designers may also be used to design characters for toy manufacturers.

Character designers work from a character definition that might be part of a story outline or script for a film, TV series, video game, graphic novel, or book illustration. Character styles can range from very graphic, like ‘Stewie’ on Family Guy, to photorealistic, like ‘The Incredible Hulk’.

What a Character Designer Does

Character design is firmly based in 2D drawing. Whether by hand with pencil and paper, or with digital drawing tools, a solid ability to draw, particularly human and animal anatomy, is key to being a character designer.

Among other details, the following are some of the steps a character designer takes to design a character from scratch.

Immerse themselves in the story or script to understand the character’s role in it.
Research anatomy, costuming, physical settings, time-related references (past, present, future), specific to the script and character.
Review concept art to understand the look and style of the project
Draw. And draw some more. From initial impressions of the general look of different versions of a character, to showing each character version ‘in action’, there’s lots of drawing to be done.
Give the character personality and believability. While not a separate step in character design, each layout must be more than a visual design of a character. Even if it’s done in stages, a believable personality must be conveyed in the design layouts.
Once characters are approved, the designer may be tasked with creating a model sheet of the character that shows the character from different angles
Some projects may need other layouts showing the character in particular poses, or expressing different moods and emotions.

This is a just a brief explanation of what a character designer does. To learn more, get in touch with MTM College today.

How to Learn Concept Art Even if You Can’t Draw

One of the biggest curves that life can throw is to give you a desire to do something without the innate ability to begin. You can be really creative with lots of artistic ideas, but have a problem when you try to put those ideas on paper. How to Learn Concept Art Even if You Can’t Draw?

The more refined an artistic discipline becomes, like concept art, the wider that disconnect can be. Just how do you go from a rudimentary ability to draw, to being a full-on concept artist? Can you even do it?

Concept Art – Yes You Can

First of all, few people get anywhere they want to go without the desire and motivation needed for the journey. That said, if you’re interested in learning about concept art and its role in the creation of films, video games, animation, graphic novels and other artistic media, you can pursue that interest, even if you’re starting at square one.

How to Become a Concept Artist Even if You Can’t Draw

1. Learn to Draw

It sounds so simple. You may have considered it, but figured it was too far a leap to start there and end up at concept art. But you must start somewhere and there’s no better place than art classes and workshops. There are important basics of art, including perspective, color theory, light and shade, and the human from, that you’ll need as a concept artist. Even if it seems miles away from your goal, a good grasp of the basics will make the journey easier.

2. Get Used to the Technology

From digital background painting and computer graphic design, to 3D modelling, digital technology is integral to concept art.

3. Talk to Concept Artists

Is there a professional concept artist whose work you admire? Or do you follow a few concept artists on Twitter? In any case, don’t be afraid to reach out and start a conversation. It could be the most valuable one you have about becoming a concept artist.

Max the Mutt offers a full diploma program in Concept Art. Contact us to learn more.

3 Sources of Inspiration for Artists and Animators

It’s bound to happen sometime. You might be the most prolific artist ever; you might have the best creative brief ever authored. But you simply can’t seem to get a start on your illustration, piece of art or the first frame of your animation storyboard.

First, you’re not alone. Creative blocks are common for creative people. If and when one strikes, the first thing to do is reassure yourself that you’ll get around it.

Sources of Inspiration for Artists and Animators

Back in the day, like the last century, artists and illustrators kept physical ‘idea’ files. These were stuffed with magazine clippings, the work of other artists, brochures from gallery openings, photographs, and more.

Idea files were a place for artists to store anything they found inspiring. Then, when they sat down to put pencil to paper and drew a blank, they could look into their idea file for inspiration.

Of course, today everyone can have access to the largest idea file ever, the internet. But the internet is so vast with so much inspiration, you may not find all the places where your particular inspiration lurks.

Here are just a few of the different places you can find inspiration for your work, beyond doing a straight google search.

1. Blogs

Sure, you probably follow a few blogs you like, but if you look more closely, you find inspirational blogs in some unexpected places. In addition to artists’ blogs, and those from design agencies, Adobe offers a graphic design blog that highlights artists, trends and news.

2. Podcasts

It might seem counter intuitive to get graphic inspiration from an aural medium but podcasts, like The Bancroft Brothers Animation Podcast, can help point you in directions you might not have thought of before for inspiration.

3. Other Artists

Websites, YouTube videos and social media are great places to display your art and that makes them great places to find inspiration. And, again, in ways you may not have thought. Can you pick up any pointers for concept art and/or illustration from graffiti artist Omen514’s Instagram feed?

Here’s one more. You can always visit Max the Mutt’s Alumni Portfolio page!

A Introduction to Colour Theory for Art

The first thing you need to know about colour theory is that, as the name implies, it is a theory. In other words, while colour theory has many aspects that are accepted as fact, it remains as a set of guidelines for using colours together in harmony, including for art, animation, and design.

Many artists and animators have an instinct about using colours in harmony. Others need to constantly review the guidelines. In any case, we all can benefit from learning more about colour theory.

The Basic Terminology of Colour Theory

Before you can learn more, it helps to understand the some of the terms used in colour theory.

Hue

At its most basic level, hue can be thought of as the colour itself and its variations due to tint and shade.

Value

Sometimes referred to as brightness or lightness, a colour’s value is determined by its overall brightness. A simple example is, using a colour of a green hue, the colour’s value could be high, (or brighter, or lighter) and commonly called a ‘light green’; or low (or darker) and commonly called a ‘dark green’.

Chroma

Sometimes referred to as saturation, the chroma of a colour is its intensity. A green of a higher chroma will appear richer and a green of a lower chroma will appear duller.

The Colour Wheel

Colour wheels are used to get a visual representation of the relationship between colours and are a basic tool for choosing colours in your art and animations.

To show the relationship between colours, they are divided into three basic categories on a colour wheel.

Primary Colours

Primary colours are defined as those colours that cannot be be created by mixing other colours on the wheel. The primary colours on the wheel are red, yellow and blue.

Secondary Colours

The secondary colours on the wheel are those that are created when you mix two primary colours together. The secondary colours on the wheel are green, orange and violet.

Tertiary Colours

When you mix a primary colour and a secondary colour together, you ge a tertiary colour. There are six basic tertiary colours on the wheel, including yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green & yellow-green.

Using the Colour Wheel for Colour Harmony

The colour wheel can be used to choose colour combinations, or pallets, for your work that appear more aesthetically pleasing. Colour harmony can be achieved by using any of three basic colour classifications that are easily found on a colour wheel.

Complementary Colours

Any two colours that are diametrically opposed on the colour wheel are considered complementary. These colours offer the greatest visual contrast between each other.

Triadic Colours

If you’re looking for colour harmony among three colours, try a combination of triadic colours. They are three colours that are equidistant for each other on the wheel. The three primary colours are considered triadic.

Analogous Colours

Analogous or related colours are the combination of a main ‘root’ colour and two or more colours that in close proximity on the colour wheel.

With even a basic knowledge of colour theory, you can begin to understand the importance of colour harmony in your work. Colour theory is part of the curriculum in all diploma programs, be it Animation, Concept Art or Illustration, at Max the Mutt College of Animation, Art & Design.