Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Mentorship Program, Film and Videos

Hello everyone,

Only one month left of 2012. The year has flown by rather quickly. Looking forward to 2013 and the  challenges and rewards it will bring.

I began teaching my first course for the Certificate of Illustration program at Minneapolis Community & Technical College in early November. The class is called Introduction to Illustration. The students are eager to learn about the field of illustration and I am happy to get the opportunity to share my knowledge and expertise with them.  

In mid-November, I was honored to be awarded the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Mentorship Program. It is an award the society gives out every year to a promising illustrator whose work has reached a high level of quality,  but who could still use some guidance and feedback from an established local illustrator. The illustrator this year is Jennifer Emery, an experienced, successful artist who has produced numerous illustrations for advertising and children's books. According to the program, Jennifer will act as my mentor for one whole year, in which I can ask her questions and get her input on a continual basis, while I develop a plan on where I want to direct my illustration career for the future. I am excited to be able to get the opportunity to work with a talented illustrator such as Jennifer and learn as much as I can from her.


Below is an animated film I made years ago as a student at the Minneapolis College of Art & Design (MCAD). Being in the days before computer animation took over the industry, I created the film using the traditional technique of drawing each movement on clear sheets of acetate, which are called cells. Although rather amateurish and primitive, the film still has a certain charm about it. The inspiration of the "story" is based from the classic Warner Bros. cartoon, Duck Amuck, directed by the legendary animator Chuck Jones. Adding to the quirkiness of the plot, the music is from Phillip Glass, the modernist composer.  




Here are a few videos I produced fairly recently, in which I edited in my Mac through iMovie.  The first is called Cool Ride. The second is named Morning.








Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

SMF







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