Hey Reader,

Here's some news from the world of animation!

​ First feature film by Pakistani studio debuts in English: The Glassworker

​ The Making the Glassworker — the director is also the lead composer? Wow!

I'm going to see the Glassworker this week! Excited to see a new studio's work.

Our news!

Complete Animation Portfolio Bundle

I'm amazed to announced that we are almost entirely out of seats to our annual Bundle that runs from October to mid-February, encompassing the majority of College and Universities application times. Now, there are 3 versions of this program, so here are the current stats:

• We have one spot left on the Version 3 - One-on-one feedback, but it is likely to be sold out within days.
• We have 3 spots left of the Version 2 - Group feedback.
• We are not putting a cap on Version 1, since it is just involves access to the course content (lectures, life drawing sessions, etc.)

I've said it before and I'll say it again, please be in touch if you're keen to enroll before the spots fill up!

There is a possibility that we'll extend the caps, but only if we can increase our capacity. If interest continues, we will likely offer:

• More instructors to review student's portfolio artwork on a 1 on 1 basis.
• More Wednesday Group feedback sessions (currently in the process of making them every week, instead of every other week - a great benefit to all who are enrolled!)

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How to get the most out of your sessions with us

Since we've had a large influx of students enroll with us for this portfolio season, I wanted to share some strategies that have worked for some of our past students who've been accepted into the top animation programs:

Book multiple sessions in advance.

It is much easier to give yourself a hard deadline if you book multiple weeks of your one-on-one sessions with us in advance. Don't worry if you need to reschedule them, you can also do so directly from the calendar event in your chosen calendar (Google Calendar or iCal).

Since we're in the portfolio season now, I'm also going to ask all students to book by Sunday at noon if they'd like to have a session in the week to come. This allows me to plan my week more effectively (but this will only apply to myself, Garth, not our other instructors).

Combine your artworks into one or few files

This makes each of our sessions together more effective because then I won't have to spend the first 5-10 minutes of each of our sessions together simply arranging your files. This is described in our Homework Submissions guidelines. Also, please don't submit HEIC files — JPEGs or PNGs are it.

Make notes during the call

While I remember to record 95% of all Zoom calls, occasionally I do not hit record. Either way, it is more effective for your learning to write down notes of changes to make to your artwork or your approach towards your artwork as it comes up in the call, rather than relying on the video-recorded zoom call afterwards. The knowledge will be far more present if you're making your own notes while on the call. It can also help to write up your own summaries after the call to help you internalize the information shared.

Bring more artwork than is asked for

This is another thing that I say year after year — these animation programs have gotten so competitive that you really need to go above and beyond to get accepted. I've even created an additional list of artwork that you can bring to feedback sessions to help "beef up" your homework. Remember that, even if you're enrolled in a specific course, you can always bring any other work on top of what is required for the course. This is why we have 1 hour feedback sessions (for the 30 min review sessions for individual courses, I can only review the required work for those courses), it allows you bring anything else that you're working on for us to provide our feedback on.
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For anyone enrolled in the Complete Animation Portfolio Bundle, I am in the process of making a portfolio work schedule. This is only a suggestion as ultimately you can submit any artwork that you're making for your portfolios for the feedback sessions.

Have specifics questions in mind with your homework

Whenever I'm working on artwork for a client or for myself, I find I always generate lots of internal thoughts along the way. Maybe it's just me, but I find my mind is quite busy while drawing or painting. If this is you too, write down any questions you have about the process while you're making your artwork and feel free to ask during our call. Our sessions together are for you! Remember this — you can talk about anything you'd like that you're experiencing along the portfolio-making journey. Examples: "Does this perspective make sense to convey this scene?", "Does my character look like an anti-hero?", "Is this character original enough to stand out?", "How can I make my storyboard more clear?". All great questions!

Book with multiple instructors (NEW)

As I've eluded to already, soon we'll have more one-on-one instructors for you to choose from if you're a part of either the Complete Animation Portfolio Bundle or the Sheridan Animation Bundle, and part of the reason for this is that it is so beneficial to have multiple eyes on your work, especially as you get further into the artwork for your portfolio. Each one of our instructors will provide different kinds of feedback — this is great! Try to vary your instructor choice from time to time to hear from a variety of us.

This is also useful because we each will have different availability times on our calendars, so if my calendar has limited options for you, there will also be an option that works for you.

The Blender Club!

​Blender Club continues to roll along, and the group has been up to some 3D animation recently!

This is Paolo's walk cycle — nice work Paolo!

Just like our Drawing Club, it's never too late to join in on this foundational 3D education! Sign up now and get in on these value-packed lessons! You can even re-watch any of the class recordings you missed.

CA$116.67 / month Blender Club Join our weekly, ongoing class to help artists learn the incredible (and FREE!) 3D Animation software called Blender. ... Read more Sign Up!

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Some Gifts for You

• Not sure what program or what tech to use to draw? Well, we've been hard at work updating and perfecting our website's tools page to include the most useful, well priced software and hardware we can find.

• Also, here is an extensive guide to give you everything you need to know about the Sheridan portfolio! Sheridan Animation Portfolio Guide - The Animation Tutor + BrokenDraw.pdf​

That's all for now folks!

As always, if you have anything you'd like to ask about in this newsletter, don't hesitate to reply — take care everyone!

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Cheers,