Illustration for Sequential Arts Archives

Interested In Becoming An Illustrator?

Is art one of your passions? Are you interested in turning your drawings into a rewarding career?

Then becoming an illustrator might be the path for you!

– By Emi –

What is so appealing about the illustration field, you may ask?

Illustration can be a broad term, so let’s break it down. You get to be creative on the daily, while working on projects that require your imagination to run wild; and seeing your finished product after hours of hard work is an extraordinarily rewarding feeling. You often work on a wide range of projects, working with clients from all over the world on anything from children’s books to magazines! Some of the other projects you may work on include:

Manuals
Advertising
Educational illustrations for textbooks
Narrative illustrations for a variety of literary forms
Comic Books/ Comic Strips/ Graphic Novels
Book & graphic novel covers
and anything from Greeting Cards to Album Covers

Who are Illustrators?

An illustrator is someone who creates images to give a visual element to an idea, narrative or text. These images can be used to provide clarity to advance written or spoken ideas by providing a visual aid. These illustrations will work with the concept, rather than distract from it. Illustrators work on a wide range of projects from comics to personal stand alone pieces! They can also be artists who bring stories and imagination to life with their work. They are often commissioned on a freelance basis or hired by companies to create illustrations for everything from commercial ads to cover art for novels, graphic novels or even art for album covers. Often, an illustrator will specialize in a particular field, while also selling personal work of their own. Many work to publish their own graphic novels and comic series! Illustrators even work in the education field, creating images for textbooks and other educational works.

MTM College (MTM) Graduates go on to have successful careers in the illustration industry, many work as freelance illustrators, some publish their own comics/graphic novels, while others are hired by large companies and publishing houses.

Here are some of MTM’s Illustration graduates and what they are working on now:

Andrew Kwan, graduated from MTM’s Illustration for Sequential Arts program in May 2014, and has gone on to make his illustration dreams a reality. Andrew Kwan writes, illustrates, and publishes his own comic series, “The Work and Gel”, a post-apocalyptic tale about an Earth where humans are no longer at the top of the food chain. He also works as a character designer for Nanomyte Studios, on their multimedia series, “Injection”, another post-apocalyptic tale.

Neiva Mateus, graduated from MTM’s Illustration for Sequential Arts program in May 2014, is now working as a freelance Illustrator for various children’s books. She has illustrated for a children’s book, written by Rachel Vander Veen, called “A Journey Down the River”. This book has been published in multiple languages and encourages children to count, and look for hidden creatures at the turn of each page!

Ana Jaimes graduated from MTM’s Illustration for Sequential Arts program in May 2018. Ana currently works as an art director at NerdyCity, a company that specializes in making board games and tabletop RPG’s that capture the imagination and transport you to a whole new world! She will be teaching a Clip Studio Paint workshop here at Max the Mutt over spring break! This workshop will introduce students to the various illustration and comic focused features the Clip Studio Paint software provides their users such as unique page formatting options, speech bubble features, unique shortcuts, and even how to utilize built-in 3D models to shortcut and strengthen your digital artwork.

Why choose MTM College of Animation, Art & Design to study Illustration?

MTM College (MTM) is a college that simulates a realistic work environment for its students so they are prepared to enter the workforce. MTM now provides a 4-year Illustration & Storytelling for Sequential Arts diploma program with a focus on visual storytelling that teaches students the fundamentals of drawing, and trains students to work with industry standard programs like the Adobe Suite. MTM even offers a 2-semester graphic novel development course that will provide its graduates with a package that can be pitched to publishers! Other benefits of choosing MTM College include:

Smaller class sizes which offer instructors the opportunity to provide more one-on-one time with students and the chance to get to know them personally
Instructors work in the Illustration & Comics industry, who want to help their students build the skills they need to start their own Illustration careers.
Like Dave Ross, who has worked with Marvel and DC Comics as a writer, penciller, and cover artist. Dave Ross teaches Structural Drawing, Penciling, and Constructive Figure Drawing for Illustration students.
Paris Alleyne is a MTM Illustration 2013 graduate and another instructor with industry experience having worked as a colourist for comics such as Mutant Teenage Ninja Turtles and GI Joe. He teaches MTM Illustration students a Digital Media course. Paris has won an Eisner Award for Best Colourist on a Comic Book Series.
Curriculum designed in consultation with Industry professionals. Our current 4 year Illustration & Storytelling for Sequential Arts diploma program was updated from a three year Illustration for Sequential Arts diploma program, to meet the demanding requirements of working in the industry. We constantly consult with experts in the industry to ensure our students are receiving the most up to date skills and training.
A fun and engaging work environment that is supportive of everyone and provides unique learning opportunities. While the curriculum at our college can be demanding, we also want our students to enjoy themselves! Our college has a collegial and friendly atmosphere.

MTM College’s Illustration program has core skills as part of their curriculum. You will gain skills in penciling and inking comics, storytelling and scripting for comics, and children’s book illustration. You will also dive into topics such as graphic design and illustration for advertising skills and storyboarding for film and advertising. You will graduate from the MTM Illustration & Storytelling for Sequential Arts Diploma Program with a solid portfolio, a web page, the skills needed to write an excellent cover letter and resume, and the confidence to perform well in job interviews. MTM College will prepare you to be the next generation of freelance illustrators, comic book, and graphic novel artists.

If you are unsure whether studying illustration is the right fit for you, check out some of MTM College’s Workshops! They are a great way to get a feel for what you will be learning while attending MTM.
To learn more about MTM workshops, contact workshops@maxthemutt.com

To learn more about MTM College’s Diploma Programs, contact admissions@maxthemutt.com

Hope to see you there!

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

A chat with Dave Ross: Comic Book Artist and MTM Instructor

Dave Ross, comic book artist and a long time instructor at MTM, loves to tell stories, not with words, but with pictures. That’s why he became an illustrator – specifically, a comic book illustrator.

“Tell a story, whether it’s your own or someone else’s”, advises Ross

MTM Director of Outreach, Natalie Kauffman, “sat down” (virtually, that is) with Dave Ross to chat with him about his career as a comic book artist, his teaching career, his book and more. So what does Ross, who has worked for Marvel, DC Comics and Darkhorse, amongst other publications, and has drawn such well-known characters as Captain America, Spiderman, Iron Man, Batgirl and Daredevil (and many more), recommend to those who want to make it in the big leagues? “Get out there and get yourself published.” Start off with an Indie comic, or self publish. “Tell a story, whether it’s your own or someone else’s, but show publishers that you can put together a visual story from start to finish – that’s the key.”

Ross was instrumental in the design of MTM’s Illustration Curriculum

As one of the founders of the Illustration and Storytelling for Sequential Arts diploma program at MTM, Ross has been instrumental in helping to design the curriculum over the years. When asked why Illustration should be a four-year diploma program for a college (upgraded from our original three-year diploma program), Ross has a simple answer: we teach everything you need to know in order to have a life long career in illustration. “It’s a really broad base of skills that you need”, Ross explains. “With a fourth year, we’re able to diversify some of the learning”. He goes on to explain that he’s now able to spend more time on teaching areas of study that there wasn’t time for before, which serves to make students stronger in the field and ready for a wider variety of potential career options.

Dave Ross’s book is used by art students all around the globe

Ross also talks about making his book, Freehand Figure Drawing for Illustrators, which has been widely received, translated into several languages (Japanese, Korean, Mainland Chinese) and has had him tour places such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. He has essentially crafted the book around courses that he teaches at MTM – constructive figure drawing – and has designed the book to be like a text book with exercises after each chapter. Ross loved meeting art students from around the globe, and can’t wait to get back on his book tour again, once it’s safe to do so. “You can go to the other side of the world and essentially be dealing with the same challenges with the students there,” Ross comments. Speaking of these artistic challenges, Ross notes that “the struggle is a universal struggle” – a struggle that he is happy to help students overcome!

This is a must-watch interview for anyone wanting to pursue a career in illustration, particularly in a comic book or graphic novel illustration. It’s also great for any of the multitudes of comic book lovers or fans of Dave Ross!

Watch the full Dave Ross interview here

Interested in becoming a comic book illustrator, a graphic novel illustrator or a children’s book illustrator? Find out more about MTM’s unique Illustration & Storytelling for Sequential Arts Diploma Program – the only one of its kind in Canada!

Be sure to check out daverossart.com too.

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

Second time a charm for recipient of our first year Scholarship Award!

Taneikah Anderson could have given up after she got rejected the first time she applied for the Sean Michael Stewart Memorial Scholarship at Max the Mutt, but instead, she took it as a challenge to improve her portfolio and apply again. Good thing she did as the second time around was what made the difference! Here’s why Taneikah chose Max the Mutt to foster her skillsets towards building a creative freelance career.

Illustration & Storytelling for Sequential Arts Program

Taneikah is the recipient of this year’s scholarship which is awarded to a first-year student entering one of our diploma programs; she is going into the Illustration & Storytelling for Sequential Arts (ISSA) program. Taneikah took the time over the past year to improve on her skills and keep pushing herself, a quality that is necessary to have in this field if you are going to make it, especially if you want a creative freelance career. She took the time to develop herself as an artist, to get over some of her anxieties, and “focus on getting better as an artist”, she says in our video interview from her home in Toronto.

Thriving Environment and Catered Art Classes

Taneikah chose MTM because of the small class sizes and the environment that the school provides. “When I went there (for the Open House) I just really liked the environment, I liked the vibes; it just seemed like a really cool place to be”. She also did her background research and was impressed with the instructors who teach at MTM and the courses that are offered. “The programs they had were super specific”, Taneikah commented, as compared to other schools where there were many art skills combined into one class, much “too generalized” for her. She recognizes how this attention to honing distinct art skills is what will set you apart in your art career and better prepare you for success.

Building a Creative Freelance Career

Asked about where she envisions herself after she graduates? “I want to be making my own comics…I want to have my own store where I’ll be selling my own prints”. Taneikah sees herself as an entrepreneur. Which was another reason why she chose MTM as her first choice of college, as one of the courses that are taught to ISSA students is Freelancing and Self Promotion.

Taneikah knows that she has a lot to learn and explore as a young art student, but she is clear about two things: “I love to tell stories and I love to draw”. Well, we can’t wait to see where she will take this passion of hers.

Congrats Taneikah and welcome to MTM!

Watch the full interview:

Do you see yourself as a freelance illustrator or are you looking towards building a creative freelance career? A comic book or graphic book artist? Do you love telling stories with your images? Then check out our ISSA diploma program or contact our admissions counsellor to learn more about how you could become a student who, like Taneikah, follows their passions to pursue the career of their dreams.

First Year Student Art Show! Visit Max the Mutt Saturday, April 27th & Sunday, April 28!

Max the Mutt will be hosting a First Year Student Art Show, an exhibition of first year student art work from all programs, on Saturday, April 27th and Sunday, April 28th from 11 am to 3 pm !

Our semester is ending, and soon we’ll be setting up this year’s show! Below are photos from last year’s preparation ……

All are invited! So save the dates and come help us celebrate our students’ extraordinary achievements that came from their dedication, hard work, inspiration, and the great instruction they received from MTM faculty!

Where you will enjoy representational drawings, paintings, design, perspective drawing, and classical animation too!

We look forward to seeing you!

And for more information, email us at admissions@maxthemutt.com or contact us if you have any questions. Make sure to check out our newest art workshops and upcoming dates.

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! “

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!

Just What Are Sequential Arts?

Sometimes, even the most complex names and terminology are actually quite easy to understand, and sequential arts falls into that category. You might be stumped on first hearing the term, but it’s really very simple. Drawings and/or images that are used in a sequence (suddenly it’s starting to make sense, eh?!) to tell or illustrate a story are known as the sequential arts.

Comic books and graphic novels are two of the most common uses of sequential art.

But, if it’s easy to get a good understanding of the term sequential arts. It’s not so easy to simply pick up a pencil and start drawing a series of images that produce meaning and a story when they are viewed one after the other.

That fact is one of the reasons that the term sequential arts was used by Will Eisner, one of the earliest cartoonists in the comic book industry. To describe the comic book medium and the elements that go into creating a comic book.

Comic Books as Sequential Art

Just like a story told in words can be conveyed in any of a virtually limitless variety of ways, so too can a story told using sequential arts.

To give you a sense of what can be involved in sequential arts, let’s stick with the comic books example and look at some of its components.

The Panel

If the basic building block of a written story is the sentence. The corresponding element in sequential arts is the panel, or frame of each individual image used in the sequence.
Just like sentences can be long, short, complex or simple, panels can take a variety of forms. They generally have a visible, rectangular border. But panels can take any shape and have no visible border. Whether they have a border or not, panels are usually separated by an area called the gutter.

The Page Layout

The basic page layout of a comic book is a series of rectangular panels in an obvious order. But just like panels can take different forms so too can page layouts. Many sequential artists don’t use rectangular panels, borders or the uniform page layout used in most comics. Instead, the borders of their panels may only be defined by the gutter, and the layout of the page can seem to have very little structure.

The Style of the Art

A story of revenge as told by Stephen King gives the reader an entirely different experience than a similar story told by J.K. Rowling. Of course, they would each use their own words to tell the story, but it is their style of writing that is as much to do with the different experience as anything else.

The same is true for the style of art used to create a comic. Your story will create a different impression if the style of art is cartoonish, abstract or realistic. And, as a visual medium, sequential arts can borrow from other visual media in its style. For example, the long shots, close-ups and zooms of film can also be part of your sequential arts style.

Marrying Text & Image

Not all sequential arts use text, but, when they do, it adds yet another level of complexity to the story telling. In addition to simply expressing dialogue, as it does in a Garfield comic, text can be used as narration, sound effects, thoughts and commentary. Text can appear in speech balloons, text boxes and within the image itself. Including the right text, in the right context, in the right position in each panel is as important as any graphic element of the panel and the overall story.

If you would like to find out more about learning sequential arts, get in touch with us at Max the Mutt College of Animation Art & Design.