Diploma Programs – Page 3

October 2016 Open House – Check It Out!

Open House: Saturday and Sunday, October 1st & 2nd, 2016

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! Our graduates have gone on to careers at top companies including Corus/Nelvana, Guru Studio, Arc Entertainment, Toon Box, National Film Board of Canada, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Nelvana, UbiSoft, Warner Bros. Games, and Pixar. Come see where they got their start!

Come for one or both days. RSVP to admissions@maxthemutt.com or call 416 703 6877.

Once again Canada’s renowned comic book artist Dave Ross will present a free one-hour workshop on his figure-drawing methods. If you can’t stay for the workshop, you can still buy a copy of Dave’s book or get your copy signed after the main presentation! The workshop and signing will both take place on Saturday, October 1st (full schedule below).

Dave Ross is one of Canada’s best-known comic book artists, with work that has appeared in such well-known series as Spiderman, Daredevil, Avengers Westcoast, Batgirl, Catwoman, Punisher, Captain America, Excalibur, Birds of Prey, Aliens, Alpha Flight, Star Trek, and Star Wars: Dark Times. He is one of the founders of Max the Mutt’s Illustration for Sequential Arts Diploma Program, the only in depth program of its kind in Canada. His instructional book, Freehand Figure Drawing for Illustrators, based on a course he designed for that diploma program, is now available from Watson-Guptill Publications, an imprint of Random House.

Come learn from Dave, get a copy of his book signed, and find out about all that Max the Mutt has to offer! Sign up today at admissions@maxthemutt.com or call 416 703 6877.

On Sunday, you’re invited to attend two more great free workshops: at 11:00 am, Comic Book Layout with Kent Burles, illustrator, comic book artist, and our Sequential Arts Coordinator, and at 1:00 PM, Intro to Cartooning with Tina Seemann, character designer, illustrator, and our Animation Coordinator.

Program Coordinators and Admissions staff are also available to answer questions and for private tours (please book in advance by calling 416 703 6877 or emailing admissions@maxthemutt.com).

We look forward to meeting you!

Full Open House Schedule:

Saturday, October 1st

10:30am Doors Open

11:00am Presentation on the Diploma Programs, followed by book signing with Dave Ross

12:00-12:30pm Tours with Program Coordinators

1:30pm Free Workshop: Figure Drawing with Dave Ross

Afternoon available for individual tours and questions. Doors close at 4:00pm.

Sunday, October 2nd

10:30am Doors Open

11:00am Free Workshop: Comic Book Layout with Kent Burles

1:00pm Free Workshop: Intro to Cartooning with Tina Seemann

Afternoon available for individual tours and questions. Doors close at 3:00pm.

Note: Please bring your own sketchbook and pencils if you are taking part in a workshop.

Concept Art at Max the Mutt: Why Is Our Program Your Best Choice?

This is what Frank Hong, creative Director at Crush Visual in Toronto has to say:

“I recommend Max the Mutt as your choice for a serious art education.

I’ve had the great pleasure to be a guest teacher at Max the Mutt. The faculty has extensive knowledge and experience in the arts industry. It is a place full of anticipation, one filled with prospects. In my short time to getting to know the students, I see so much potential in their vision. I believe that under the guidance at Max the Mutt, the students can find their true passion in their art. For this reason, this September I’m joining the faculty as a part time instructor. The faculty of working professionals with experience in the industry shines a light for the students to navigate the realities of professional arts and design. Max the Mutt is always here to give support and provide the vital learning environment and the right resources for the students to be successful.” https://www.artstation.com/artist/frankhong

What do Concept Artists do?

Concept artists are the people who design the look of a film or game. They design environments, characters and props and may be called upon to do other things as well…such as cover design, poster design, colour keys and storyboards. For mobile games, they may need to take the environment they designed and import it into 3D software, model it and get it to a level where it is “game ready.”

These rapidly growing industries need people who have the creativity and the skills required. The problem for them is that currently there is a shortage of people who have creative vision as well as both the traditional art skills and the computer skills required!

Additional skills that you will graduate with in this very deep program include background painting for animation; layout for animation & video games ; storyboarding for animation, games and live action; and matte painting for VFX.

Max the Mutt’s Concept Art Program remains, as far as we know, the only program in Canada that focuses in depth on concept art and preparing students for concept art and related careers. This is important because the skill base needed is so deep that we can’t see how it could be done in 4 years in addition to studying game design, computer coding, and/or academic courses.

If you want to be a concept artist you’ll need skills in a variety of areas, and this program provides training in all of them:

illustration
a high level of proficiency in traditional, representational drawing and painting
animation related skills such as storyboarding, film language, location design and layout for animation
concept specific courses that include research and idea development, character design, environment design, prop design, creature design,
advanced knowledge of Photoshop
familiarity with 3D computer software
We are now adding extra hours to the 72 hour 3D course to bring modeling in 3D to employment level as a game artist.
Matte Painting, a VFX skill in demand that requires a skill base like the one this diploma currently provides PLUS some extras, including how to import work into software used for compositing.

Our diploma program originally took us a full year to design: we received input from major concept artists in Canada and the USA. We continue to stay in tune and in touch with the industries we serve so that we can update curriculum and add new skills that will give graduates the broadest range of job possibilities.

This 4 year course of study requires dedication and lots of hard work. If you attend, you’ll be studying with some of Canada’s top concept , animation, and VFX artists, who want to share a complex skill base that is hard to find in Canada.

Our curriculum is carefully planned to start from the basics, and help you develop the skills you need for each new challenge, allowing you to grow as an artist and produce a level of work that has really astounded us and pleased the industries we serve.

Below, you’ll find work by Max the Mutt 2014 Concept Art Graduate Brian Zuleta was the winner of Ubisoft’s only UBI Gallery Apprenticeship Award designed to find concept artists!

The competition was open to all recent art graduates from Ontario post-secondary schools.

Here’s what Brian had to say about his experience at Max the Mutt, and his thoughts on winning the prestigious award:

“My time at Max the Mutt was one of the most gratifying experiences of my life. My skills were very limited when I first started, but Max really taught me everything I needed to know to meet my goals. I also had the opportunity to meet amazing people as well, they helped me grow as an artist and as a person. Going to Max the Mutt was definitely the right choice for me and I would recommend it to anyone who is passionate about art!”

View Brian’s Portfolio here

Ubisoft Toronto Art Director Patrick Ingoldsby wrote this to us right after Brian won the award:

“Having helped Max the Mutt by hosting interviews for their concept grads, I am very proud of the school for shoring up this level of talent. We see grads like this as future stars in this industry and are excited to see fresh talent emerging with us.”

Patrick Ingoldsby

Art Director

Ubisoft Toronto

Contact us now for more information!

416-703-6877, or toll free in North America 1-877-486-MUT

email: admissions@maxthemutt.com or complete the contact form inour website, www.maxthemutt.com

We are happy to speak with you on the phone and answer any questions you may have, and/or arrange a personal tour and information session for you and your family. If you live to far away to visit, we’re happy to book a Skype meeting for you.

Why Is Max the Mutt Your Best Choice?

Why Max the Mutt? It’s simple: we care. Max the Mutt offers working professionals as instructors, small class size, community, an emphasis on focus, a developmental curriculum following a year of basic skills training. We are in constant contact with the industries we serve to ensure that course content is up to date! Our yearly Industry Event, where graduating students show their work to recruiters and art directors from top companies who are looking to hire young talent, is well attended and our graduates are in demand!!

There is a difference between attending Max the Mutt, with small class size and constant access to individual assistance, and a large school where classes sometimes have 25 to 30 people and even the best instructors simply don’t have the time to get around to everyone!

Max the Mutt was founded by professionals. Our mandate has always been a commitment to teach the skills we value to coming generations. We care about every student. We are a small community where every person matters, and we know what it takes to develop your talent – because we’ve been there.

It isn’t easy. It takes discipline and passion. You, as a student, have to be present, committed, and willing to do the hard work. You need to buy in to our emphasis on professionalism and focus.

train yourself to organize your work, meet deadlines, deal professionally with problems, including asking for help when you need it. You need the desire and the grit to stick with it, and to keep faith in your ability to grow and develop.
For our part, we do our best to assist when you hit difficult patches. We have a vested interest in the success of every student and want to see everyone succeed.

When you graduate, companies will hire you and keep you on if you have both the skills and the professionalism required. Max the Mutt is respected by employers, but simply attending Max the Mutt, or any other school, no matter how “famous,” will not make a career for you! That’s your job – with our help.

Focus is a major part of success.

Our goal is to help you set your imagination free by helping you develop the artistic and computer savvy that will build your confidence and your portfolio, and marrying that to professionalism: polite behaviour, meeting deadlines, being on time, taking criticism well, being a good team player, and following directions. This is a winning recipe for success.

This is why we believe Max the Mutt is your best choice if you are serious about having a career in animation, illustration or concept art!

Zabi Hassan - Alladin-Evil-Genie-Attack — Zabi Hassan – Alladin-Evil-Genie-Attack

Devil's Cake - Angeline Mauri — Devil’s Cake – Angeline Mauri

We are now responding to inquiries for September 2017 admissions! Submit the tour request form, or contact us at admissions@maxthemutt.com, or by phone at 416-703-6877, toll free in North America 1-877-486-MUTT.

Traditional Painting at Max the Mutt

Max the Mutt’s strength lies in a well thought out, developmental curriculum that stresses a foundation of traditional fine art skills. What you see here is the result of good teaching, focus, and hard work. This is the school that understands how important it is for you to understand PROCESS and know how to approach each assignment. The growth amazes us all! We are all born with so much untapped, undeveloped potential. You do need the passion for art, the grit to stick with it when it doesn’t come easily, the professionalism to get to class on time, get assignments in on time, the discipline to FOCUS on what you are doing!

All students in all diplomas take one year of representational painting using oils. Many have painted not at all or very little. Still life paintings were done by year one students.

Charlotte Menton, year 1 still life painting

Boris Radevski,Still life, oil on canvass, year 1

Dayna Griffith, stiil life on canvass, year 1 painting

All students in all diplomas take one year of representational painting using oils. The Concept Art students continue to study traditional painting throughout their education. Year one features still life studies, with subsequent years focusing on figurative work .

Laura Faber, Costumed Model, oil on canvass, year 4

ere are some examples of 2015-16 painting!

Mandy Wills, oil on canvass, The Costumed Model, year 4 painting

Nick Kester, The Costumed model. oil on canvass, year 4

Liz Bogucharska, nude study, oil on paper, year 3 Concept Art

Harrison Smith, oil on canvass, figurative painting

Mandy Wills, Oil on canvass, life painting, year 3 Concept Art

Max the Mutt graduates are working in companies throughout the Canadian animation and game industries !

We pride ourselves on offering you the opportunity to develop your understanding of traditional, visual arts language, a pre-requisite for unleashing your imagination and developing the skills you’ll need for a successful career in any art based field.

This is followed by in-depth training with instructors who are working professionals, small class size that allows for personal attention, and the critical emphasis on developing focus, concentration and work ethic. No wonder our graduates have such a high success rate!

For more information about our programs, or to book a tour, please contact us at admissions@maxthemutt.com . You can also submit the “book a tour” form on our website, www.maxthemutt.com !

We look forward to hearing from you.

U of Dundee & Max the Mutt to Explore Partnership!

“I was very impressed with the set up at MTM. The classes and courses are very well structured, and relevant to the specific subject areas. There was a good morale amongst the students I met, and the work I saw was of a very high professional standard. The staff gave me a warm welcome, and could not have been more friendly.”

PHILLIP VAUGHAN
Course Director
MSc Animation & VFX
MDes Comics & Graphic Novels
Art Director Dundee Comics Creative Space

Thanks, Phillip. We really enjoyed your visit, your positive energy, and the graduate student publications you shared with us! It would be fun to work on exploring a partnership. Your enthusiasm about the university level work you saw at Max the Mutt and interest in finding ways for our graduates to qualify to take Master’s Degree programs at your university, is both very exciting and a great endorsement of the hard work and dedication of both students and faculty at Max the Mutt!

Comic book & Graphic Novel work from U of Dundee Master's Degree students — Comic book & Graphic Novel work from U of Dundee Master’s Degree students

Max the Mutt was visited last week by University of Dundee ( Scotland) Master’s Degree program heads Phillip Vaughan ( Course Director MSc Animation & VFX) and Dr.Chris Murray ( comics publisher & editor, and head of “Studies in Comics” ). Although they had contacted to ask about visiting the school, and had connected with Kent Burles ( head of our Sequential Arts program) at a local comic book convention, we really had no idea that their visit would lead to a possible partnership! The possibilities are very exciting and are being investigated now, and we will keep you all posted .

A tour with Kent Burles from MTM Sequential Arts Program head, was followed by a surprise ( for me) meeting where we discussed exploring partnership possibilities between the two schools.

I secretly hope all of this leads to a visit by some of us to Scotland! Now, that would be fun!

You can get more info about of Dundee programs here:

www.dundee.ac.uk/study/pg/comics-graphic-novels

/www.dundee.ac.uk/study/pg/animation-vfx

scottishcomicstudies.com

dundeecomicscreativespace.com

Maxine Schacker with U of Dundee Master's Degree directors Phillip Vaughan & Chris Murray — Maxine Schacker with U of Dundee Master’s Degree directors Phillip Vaughan & Chris Murray

First Year Art Show & Open House April 30, May 1!

ANNOUNCING FIRST YEAR ART SHOW & OPEN HOUSE!

Every year, to celebrate the hard work and amazing progress of first year students, max the Mutt presents an exhibition of their work. After the private opening ( for students and their friends &families) we host an Open House...and you are all cordially invited!

Please join us on Saturday April 30, from 10 AM to 4 PM, and/or Sunday May 1 from 11Am to 3PM.

On Saturday at 10AM at a brief meeting in our theatre, we would like to share with you Max the Mutt’s unique vision and philosophy, speak about pre-college workshops and the new Certificate Program, and share information about the growth and skill requirements for the increasing number of animation, comic book and game related careers available in Canada.

#maxthemuttTO

(PS Our major Open House of the academic year will take place the weekend of May 20 to 22, when graduate work and new work from year 2 & 3 students will be on display, free workshops will be offered, and a Saturday AM presentation will be held about all diploma programs. Full details will be posted soon!)

Visits and Portfolio Reviews with DHX Media & Portfolio Entertainment !

There was lots of excitement at Max the Mutt last week, as two more top animation companies asked to visit us, speak with students and hold portfolio reviews! Max the Mutt hosts an “Industry Event” every May, but this year there is so much need for qualified graduates that companies are visiting early, doing portfolio reviews, and sometimes offering jobs!

Waiting for portfolio reviews... — Waiting for portfolio reviews…

On Wednesday Portfolio Entertainment Head of Studio Operations Sonya Carey and Julie Stall of the creative team, visited the school…

Sonya Carey speaking to Max the Mutt students... — Sonya Carey speaking to Max the Mutt students…

(https://www.facebook.com/portfolioent/ http://portfolioentertainment.com/)…. addressed concept art and and animation students, and then stayed on to hold one on one portfolio reviews. Sonya emailed us the next day, commenting on the continuing excellence and professionalism of our students, and requesting follow up interviews at the studio with some of them.

On Thursday, DHXMedia visited. Here is Animation Director Tina Seemann’s report:

DHX Media has studios in Vancouver and Halifax, and interviewed for both locations.

Five representatives from DHX Media came to visit: 3 from Vancouver- Jezebel Pimentel* (*HR, recruiter ), Robin Shea & Craig Roberts; and from Halifax: Andrew Anningson, and Mike Pascucci (originally from Toronto)

Students with Robin and Jezebel from DHX Studios

They are producing ‘Peabody & Sherman’, ‘Inspector Gadget and several other series for TV simultaneously, and are interested in hiring people who are passionate about what they do, and will even provide training in software. (http://www.dhxmedia.com/)

We were happy to hear them stress that being able to draw is more important than knowing the software! Robin told everyone that the ‘bouncing ball ‘ is a good test for a new animator!

Like Portfolio Entertainment, the DHX business model is reminiscent of the old days when companies mentored new employees. This is a real and positive change. DHX
was pleased to say that they have retained the original 75 people they started out with 5 years ago. These people have simply progressed within the company. DHX wants a stable work force of people who they know and who have worked with each other, and they hope to continue to keep having enough work to keep everyone steadily employed.

They showed a short film portraying studio life- everyone agreed that DHX has plenty of appeal on either coast!

After the presentation the reps were generous with their time, talking to all the senior students at length and having a look at their websites.
They were very impressed by our students work, and happy to find a school with a real sense of community.

Everyone had a great time visiting with DHX! Thank you so much for coming !

Why Max the Mutt?

Every year we speak with people who attended other schools and didn’t come out with the skills they needed for employment.

There is a difference between attending a school that has small class size and provides access to individual assistance, and a large school where classes sometimes have 25 to 30 people in a class.

It isn’t easy- YOU have to be fully present and willing to do the hard work ! You need to buy in to our emphasis on professionalism and train yourself to organize your work, meet deadlines, deal professionally with problems, including asking for help when you need it. You need the desire and the grit to stick with it and keep faith in your ability to grow and develop.

People will hire you and keep you on if you have both the skills and the professionalism required by these industries! Max the Mutt is respected by employers, but simply attending Max the Mutt, or any other school- no matter how “famous”- will not make a career for you! That’s your job- with our help.

Our goal is to help you set your imagination free by giving you the artistic and computer savvy that will build your confidence and your portfolio, and marrying that to professionalism: polite behaviour, meeting deadlines, getting to places on time, taking criticism well, following directions. This is a winning recipe for success!

This is why we believe Max the Mutt is your best choice!

Your education:Why Max the Mutt?

We care about every student and give personal attention to every student.
MTM is a school that is entirely devoted to professional training: all courses are relevant to your professional goals.
We emphasize traditional representational fine art skills that are generally not taught in today’s art schools, because we want you to have a foundation that will give you flexibility during your working life,
MTM is staffed by working professionals with a commitment to passing on the skills they value and use daily.
We stress professional commitment and attitude, and treat the school environment as the workplace. We want you to have an easy transition from being a student to entering the work world.
We ensure small class size, enabling the development of professional relationships between faculty and students,
and enabling mentoring and support for all our students.

First year drapery Study by Aurino Neto, the result of basic education in traditional art skills!

First year students learn the processes artists use to create representational art. This drawing is the culmination of a unit on drapery, utilizing all the skills learned from September on, to create the illusion of reality.

That’s what education is supposed to give you!

Tina Seemann, above with students at the Royal Winter Fair, an annual field trip that enables students to draw animals and people interacting, and use what they’ve learned both in figure and animal drawing classes. This reinforces applying the education you’ve received to get real results drawing on site.

We offer the the only in depth education for comics & graphic novels in Canada!

Kent Burles with potential applicant for the ISA program

Who should consider applying?

If you want to make your living either in animation, concept art (character, location and prop design) for animation and/or video games, or illustration with a focus on comic books and graphic novels, and you understand and accept the commitment it takes to become an artist, if you truly want an education, this college is for you!

If you have passion about developing your skills, curiosity, the ability and desire to get out of your “comfort zone,” and the grit to stay the course when the going gets rough, this school will be a good fit for you. This is what real education demands.

Because we provide an in depth and well thought out series of courses in year one designed to give you an understanding of traditional, representational visual language, we are able to accept students who have passion and drive, and have made efforts to draw, but are in need of instruction and practice in traditional drawing and painting, skills training which can currently be difficult to find.

Whenever possible we do application interviews in person that generally last 50 minutes to an hour. We try to assess whether or not if we work hard and you work hard, you’ll succeed. We don’t expect you to already have fully developed skills in subjects we teach in year one. That wouldn’t make any sense, but your efforts to work on your own and your resourcefulness in finding ways to learn (books, YouTube videos) are cetainly an indication that you have the interest, passion and self-motivation required.

Showing the 2014 Industry Event Video

We encourage you to visit Max the Mutt and attend an Open House and Information Session, or contact us to arrange a private tour and info session! This is a welcoming, inclusive environment for focused, serious students.

Contact admissions now to get more information, admissions@maxthemutt.com, or call us at 416=703-6877.

Check out websites of some of our graduates:

Brian Zuleta www.artofzuleta.com

Damjan Lazic newtiful.blogspot.ca

Vanessa Noller vanessanoller.weebly.com

Florence Young floyoung.ca

Denis Bejtic: denisbejtic.weebly.com

Matthew Chan: Www.matthew-chan.weebly.com

Laura Massingham: http://lauramassingham.weebly.com/

Josh Schaefer: joshschaeferanimation.weebly.com/

Daniel Lee Poy: http//danielleepoy.weebly.com/

Jan Veldman: janveldman.weebly.com

Misha Zuzuk: www.zuzuk.weebly.com

Rib Hickey http://www.robhickeyart.com

Andrew Kwan /http://andrewkwanartist.weebly.com

Becca Taunton-Renwick /http://beccatr.tumblr.com

Crystal Mateus /http://neivamateus.weebly.com

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#SequentialArtsGraduates Will Publish Before They Graduate!

News Flash:

All graduating Illustration for Sequential Arts students at Max the Mutt will now have their their first professionally published credits by the time they graduate!

Max the Mutt is the only college in Canada offering an in depth program focused on Sequential Arts for Comic Books and Graphic Novels. Now, with the latest addition to this program, all graduating students will enter the industry with their first professionally published work available, kickstarting their careers in a way that no other program we know of offers.

As part of the third year Digital Media for Artists class, not only will students now learn how to use computer technology to produce line work, colours and digital painting illustrations, they will also learn how to use computer technology to layout and design publications for print and web. They will design and self-publish their own print and digital books, and that work will be made available worldwide through print on demand and digital download markets such as Kindle, through Amazon.com.

Self publishing is a vital and important step in the start of any new artist’s career, and something that many people strive for years after graduation. No other art school we know of offers the ability to graduate with professional quality, published work in hand.

Sequential Arts – 2013 – Year3 – Digital Media

For information or to book a tour contact us now at admissions@maxthemutt.com, or call us at 416-703-6877, 1-866-486-MUTT toll free in North America!

We are accepting applications for Sept 2015!