Illustration & Storytelling for Sequential Arts: New Diploma!

Hooray! Illustration & Storytelling for Sequential Arts, a 4-year Diploma Program, has been approved by the Ontario Ministry Of Advanced Education & Skills Development!

Character Design by Emilie Thomas
Character Design by Emilie Thomas

 

 Orientation Week 2016, First year students team challenge

 

This program, based on our previous 3 year diploma program, Illustration for Sequential Arts,  has been re-structured and designed with input from leading Canadian artists in the field, and gives students a 21st century skill base that includes using digital media, creating mobile comics, knowledge of the entire Adobe Suite, essential graphic design and illustration for advertising skills, storyboarding for film and advertising….and a fourth year two-semester graphic novel development course that will leave each graduate with a package that can be pitched to publishers. Core courses from the three-year diploma remain part of the new diploma program. These include all the basics of creating, penciling and inking comics, storytelling and scripting for comics, and children’s book illustration.

Catwoman page by Jonathan Younadim
Catwoman page by Jonathan Younadim

 

Digital media is now an essential part of the course, leading students to the ability to create digital art in both vector and bit-map based programs. Students will learn the basics of using e-book creation software as well as creating a print book available for sale online. Each graduating student will complete this course with a professionally self-published book available in print and ebook format.

Illustration by Haley Millman
Illustration by Haley Millman

We’ve been developing the “Illustration & Storytelling for Sequential Arts” diploma program for several years, getting ideas and input from industry professionals, getting feedback from graduates of the 3 year diploma program, holding meetings with current faculty to discuss and develop course ideas, and re-examining the curriculum in the current program to make tweaks and additions. We’ve been waiting with great excitement for this new 4-year version of the diploma, renamed “Illustration & Storytelling for Sequential Arts” to be formally approved by the Ministry of Education.

All year one and year two students currently enrolled in the 3-year diploma program, will have the choice of either remaining in the 3-year diploma program or choosing to transfer to the 4 year program. The 3-year program, however, has had its final intake with the group starting in September 2017.

Graphic Novels are now an accepted and popular literary genre. They are being used as part of grade school and high school curriculums bought for school libraries.

Comic Books have also gained popularity, as have apps for uploading comic books with limited animation. Max the Mutt offers the ONLY  in-depth program in Canada! Now, we are ensuring that while our graduates are establishing themselves, they are employable in a variety of jobs that can use their skills, everything from advertising to graphic design.

Why is Max the Mutt unique? We believe in a solid foundation and teach more traditional representational skills in greater depth than other programs we know about. Many programs limit life drawing partly because of the cost of models: Max the Mutt is pledged to offer the best education we are capable of and will never do that.

Our faculty continues to be composed of top industry professionals who have the desire to share what they love with the next generation.

The new business course, combined with Portfolio Development, ensures that students are prepared to handle themselves in the real world.  Every student has a website before graduating and every student has learned the ins and outs and processes of internet publishing- and has published before graduation.

Our annual Industry Event brings top professionals from Publishing, Animation, Games, and Advertising to the college to see graduate work and meet all graduates from all 3 programs in person.

We offer an exceptional education…and we’re very excited!

Contact us to get more information and arrange a tour and information session. It’s our pleasure to discuss your goals, share information, and, if you decide this program is a good fit for you, explain our application process.

Character Sheet by Angeline Mauri
Character Sheet by Angeline Mauri

 

Kent Burles, MTM Illustration Coordinator, looking over MTM students’ sketches at Royal Winter Fair

 

Max the Mutt’s “Industry Night 2017” Event Brings Graduates and Recruiters Together!

 

Graduation 2017 collage
Graduation 2017 collage

 

Our Industry Event was a huge success! From 3:30 pm until 9:30 pm on Wednesday, May 23rd, Max the Mutt was filled with visitors, including art directors, recruiters, and industry professionals, all visiting to see the work produced by 2017 graduating students from Animation, Concept Art, and Illustration for Sequential Arts and meet the graduates in person.

This year’s event was electric! The video interviews we are happy to share with you here,  reflect what seemed to be unanimous amazement at the level of 2017 graduate work!

 

                            2017IndustryEvent_video

 

If you would like more information about this unique college, Contact us at admissions@maxthemutt.com to ask for more information about our diploma programs. A very few openings are still available for Sept. 2017.

For summer  “workshops”  to sign up directly through the website right now!

The Royal Winter Fair, Annual Drawing Event for MtM Students & Faculty 2016

Every year Max the Mutt takes a trip to the Royal Winter Fair. The fair is filled with excellent exhibits and animal shows, offering an opportunity for our students to practice their animal drawing, and gain more experience with on location studies that include people as well as animals. 

Here are some thoughts from one of Max the Mutt’s Drawing Instructors, Ed Shawcross, about this year’s visit:

20161110_144547
..… the event was quite successful with most students seeking feedback and exhibiting excitement as they worked throughout the copious arenas finding of diverse subject matter to draw. It was also great to see some recent grads who joined us, continuing the tradition started at MtM, and now attend to draw for themselves.
20161110_113924
Ian Culley, a former instructor, was a special surprise guest. I was delighted to have him assist us as an added member of the teaching team.
Tina Seemann, Director of Animation, offering animal drawing advice at the Royal Winter Fair
Tina Seemann, who heads the Animation Program and also instructs Animal Drawing, offering drawing advice at the Royal Winter Fair.

Tina made a good suggestion for next year:  perhaps we should extend an offer to all our grads to join us on the day we visit the Royal Winter Fair! They could benefit from the reduced entry fee and enjoy the camaraderie of drawing on location with  mentors and peers.

Kent Burles, MtM Illustration Coordinator, looking over MtM student's sketches at Royal Winter Fair
Kent Burles, Illustration Coordinator, looking over MtM students’ sketches at Royal Winter Fair

Kent Burles, MtM Illustration Coordinator, looking over MtM student's sketches at Royal Winter Fait

A quick note of thanks to everyone for all efforts- both physical and artistic – as we worked with the students on location at the Royal Winter Fair. A big hurrah goes to Noelle for organizing the tickets and scheduling the event; it went as smoothly as silk

 

MtM Has A Foal (baby horse) Skeleton!

It started as a pile of bones, carefully cleaned and sorted. Now,our foal is finally part of our skeletal menagerie for Animal Drawing!
It’s been a few years since an intrepid SA group accompanied Tina Seemann to Orangeville to Stuart Johnston’s horse farm to dig this animal out of the ground.

And   (drum roll please!) finally, here he is!
MtM student Kris Manser-Hart was the architect and he did an amazing job- building an armature worthy of the ROM!
In these photos  year 3 Concept Art students are seen drawing the recently completed skeleton.
The foal  (* it was only 6 months old when it was put down, due to illness) is perfect for the school setting, where it seems VERY LARGE !

 

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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

 

AMatinong LineUp
AMatinong LineUp

 

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.

Dave Ross’ New Figure Drawing Book!

Dave ‘s new book is fresh off the press! Published by Random House, it teaches how to draw the figure without reference.

Dave writes: “I recently completed work on an instructional book titled FREEHAND FIGURE DRAWING FOR ILLUSTRATORS, due for general release on July 28, 2015. Watson-Guptill Publications, an imprint of Random House, is publishing the how-to book on drawing the human figure from memory. Visit www.randomhouse.com for more details.FREEHAND FIGURE DRAWING FOR ILLUSTRATORS is for anyone who ever dreamed of picking up a pencil and drawing spontaneously from the imagination.

My own experiences in learning the craft of freehand drawing as a student, and then much later in teaching it, convinced me to be proactive. FREEHAND FIGURE DRAWING FOR ILLUSTRATORS introduces you to a methodology that is designed to solve many drawing problems before they arise.”

From Dave’s website:

“I can’t resist the challenge of rendering strange new worlds and fantastic situations on a daily basis — filling stark white panels with scenes rich in depth and intensity!”

Dave’s projects for Marvel and DC Comics include:
• Spiderman • Daredevil • Avengers Westcoast • Batgirl • Catwoman • Punisher • Captain America • Excalibur • Birds of Prey • Aliens • Alpha Flight • Star Trek • Star Wars: Dark Times.

As a Guest Artist, he has participated at numerous national and international comic conventions and book signings including the following:

• New York • San Diego • Chicago • Pittsburgh • Detroit • Ottawa • Toronto • Montreal • Hong Kong • Singapore • Malaysia • Indonesia • Thailand • PR China

He is currently illustrating a special Ironman Series for Marvel, a Star Wars project for Dark Horse Comics/George Lucas; teaching figure drawing and sequential arts at Max the Mutt, and producing commissions for international collectors/clients.

If you live in or close to Toronto, the book launch for “Freehand Figure Drawing for Illustrators,” will be held at the Toronto Reference Library,  on Yonge Street just north of Bloor, August 14th at 7 PM!

 Dave’s website: http://www.daverossart.com/about.html

#MaxTheMutt #Illustration for Sequential Arts Graduates Are Making their Mark: Part 2

Selena Goulding 

Selena has been working as a freelance illustrator and also does commissioned drawings.

Selena Goulding, Max the Mutt Illustration for Sequential Arts graduate

Selena Goulding, Max the Mutt Illustration for Sequential Arts graduate

Serenity, commissioned illustration by artist Selena Goulding

Serenity, commissioned illustration by artist Selena Goulding

Malik and Tillie, commissioned art by Selena Goulding

Malik and Tillie, commissioned art by Selena Goulding

Selena’s new website is under construction but you can visit her blog, http://selenalikescomics.blogspot.ca/, and also see more work on Deviant Art, http://selena-goulding.deviantart.com/

Colin Campbell

Colin Campbell. Max the Mutt Illustration for Sequential Arts Graduate

Colin Campbell. Max the Mutt Illustration for Sequential Arts Graduate

Colin has co-written and done the art work for a series of comics, Tales From The Grey Earth.

cover art by Colin Campbell, Illustration for sequential Arts graduate

cover art by Colin Campbell, Illustration for Sequential Arts graduate

Check out http://wexray.org/ to read about his latest work!

Elise Vermeulen 

Elise Vermeulen, Max the Mutt Illustration for Sequential Arts graduate

Elise Vermeulen, Max the Mutt Illustration for Sequential Arts graduate

Elise is now working for Copernicus Studios, whose clients include  New Line Cinema, Nickelodeon, Tenacious D, Weird Al Yankovic, Nelly Furtado, John K, WB, Cartoon Network.Now, a new chapter is being written at Copernicus! They are developngi an exciting slate of original properties, including multiple television properties, a series of digital aps, and a collection of feature films. While we continue to offer a diverse selection of client-based services, this proprietary work will open exciting new avenues for the company’s ever expanding creative output. Elise is working as a  storyboards and posing artist

Check out Corpernicus here: http://www.copernicus.ca/deploy/.

BECCA T-R –

COMIC BOOK and Game ARTIST

Becca T-R self portrait

Becca T-R self portrait

Rebecca is an illustrator and graphic designer for ATC Games, as well as continuing her freelance work.

She has worked on the Professor Elemental Comic Anthology,  and comic books “Demonox-Demon Within ,” “Freelance Blues, “and “Sling! The Comic.” Rebecca has also had work as an illustrator for North American Wraps and Graphics, and Eximworks. http://beccat-r.blogspot.ca/

Art by Max the Mut Illustration for Sequential Arts graduate, Becca TR

art work by Becca T-R

art work by Becca T-R

art by Max the Mut Illustration for Sequential Arts graduate, Becca T-R

art by Max the Mut Illustration for Sequential Arts graduate, Becca T-R

To find out more about this program, email us at admissions@maxthemutt.com, or call us (after January 5th) at 416-703-6877, or toll free in North America at 1-877-4866-MUTT. Wed be happy to answer your questions!

The Course Calendar, which you can download, is available by clicking on the button in the right hand column.

 

Max The Mutt Illustration Diploma Program Graduates Are Making their Mark!

Max the Mutt offers the ONLY in depth Illustration Diploma program focusing on storytelling for comic books and graphic novels in Canada!

 

And we would like to celebrate our graduates who are contributing to the Canadian and International popular culture! Everyone knows that this field continues to grow. If you have a passion for comics books and the like, check out our now 4 year Illustration & Storytelling for Sequential Arts Diploma Program and don’t wait! Contact us now.

 

MEAGHAN CARTER:

Illustration for Sequential Arts Graduate Meaghan Carter
Illustration for Sequential Arts graduate Meaghan Carter

 

Meaghan Carter has been a Toronto-based freelance self-published comic and colourist artist since 2007. She is a member of the Comic Book Embassy studio. She writes and draws the webcomic “Take off!”, has worked on journal comics and illustrations for REAL kids magazine, freelance comic work and other personal projects. She’s had her work published in comic anthologies such as Secret Loves of Geek Girls, Valor, We Got The Geek and the Toronto Comics Anthology.

She is an Illustration for Sequential Arts program 2010 graduate at Max the Mutt College. After moving from Niagara and after high school, Meaghan has never looked back.

Meaghan has joined the Max the Mutt Faculty Family. Teaching Cartooning for Comics for our Illustration & Storytelling for Sequential Arts students and Cartooning to our Concept Art for Animation & Video Games students.

She has also been teaching Summer Workshops for Max the Mutt over the last couple of summers.
For Summer 2019, Meaghan will be teaching Dynamic Action and Character Design Summer Workshops both running in July! There is space available for both workshops! Register for one or both if you are interested in character design and drawing for Comic Books!

Art by Meaghan Carter
Art by Meaghan Carter
Illustration by Meaghan Carter
Illustration by Meaghan Carter
Comic book art by Meaghan Carter
Comic book art by Meaghan Carter

ERIK IRWIN:

An interview from Erik Irwin: “I’m a graduate of Max the Mutt Animation School (now Max the Mutt College of Animation, Art & Design) with a diploma in Illustration for Sequential arts. I’m currently a working Illustrator who’s recent projects include storyboards, concept art and environment design for music videos. My skills lean towards realism characterized by an Inking style filled with bold blacks, and strong brush strokes that are heavily influenced by Comics and Cinema. I am well versed in both traditional and digital media. I have a strong and animated cartooning style as well, most evidently shown in my Weekly Webcomic “IHeartViking“.”

Illustration for Sequential Arts graduate Erik Irwin
Illustration for Sequential Arts graduate Erik Irwin
Comic book art by Illustration for Sequential Arts graduate Erik Irwin
Comic book art by Illustration for Sequential Arts graduate Erik Irwin

DAVID CUTLER:

Graduates Illustration David Cutler
David Cutler

David Cutler is a comic book artist and illustrator based in Toronto, Canada. He has been working in comics since 2010, his work appearing in comics from Zenescope Entertainment, Archaia Press, and Boom Studios, among others.

Born in Newfoundland, David doesn’t have an accent, but his mom totally does. He has a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from St Francis Xavier University and studied Illustration for Sequential Arts at Max the Mutt Animation School (now Max the Mutt College of Animation, Art & Design).

Art by Illustration for Sequential Arts graduate David Cutler
Art by Illustration for Sequential Arts graduate David Cutler
Art by Illustration for Sequential Arts graduate David Cutler
Art by Illustration for Sequential Arts graduate David Cutler

 

Congrats to all the students, instructors, and graduates who have worked, and continue to work so hard to keep developing and contributing to popular culture!!

 

Contact us for more information about Max the Mutt’s 4 year Illustration & Storytelling for Sequential Arts Diploma Program!

 Book a tour today! Or email us at admissions@maxthemutt.com

And if you are considering an Art-based career, check out our eBook to help you decide.