Teaching
How ToARTS — ANIMATION
Arts are often sadly
neglected today in education. We offer extensive programs
in Music Theory and Composition; Animation; and Acting, all
designed for home school use. These highly creative,
detailed courses provide an education in depth, with an eye
toward the creation of professionals. They should generally
be done in sequence by the student interested in that art
form.
To discover more about this
program, please
start by watching the video that you'll find toward the top
of this page
, Then take a look at the course descriptions and the
samples provided.
ANIMATION COURSES OVERVIEW
Our Animation program consists of five courses that increase in difficulty. These courses do NOT teach a student how to draw, though the 4th course offers many helpful suggestions on how to practice and improve. Our animation program is for students who already draw, who like to draw and who want to draw a lot more. They teach a student to read a script, design the elements of an animated film, build a portfolio, and design a "storyboard", a series of drawings which tell the story of a film, TV show or other work of art that is about to be produced.
The end result of our Animation program is a student who has done many drawings, who knows how to construct a storyboard, and who has developed a significant portfolio that can be used to either help get the student work, or used to help get the student into an art school.
Though courses suggest that you purchase animation paper, it is somewhat expensive and hard to find. For the first two courses, do not bother with animation paper unless you really want to — just use regular blank typing paper or drawing paper.
All courses are PDFs and can be instantly downloaded upon purchase!
Animation I - 'Gummy Cat' ProjectAnimation ages 11-adults. The student first learns to read a very simple, brief screenplay, mastering some of the basic terms used in this art form. The student then works through a series of exercises, to create a
Animation II - 'The Tortoise and the Hair and...' ProjectAnimation for ages 11-adult. A continuation and deepening of the process. In the first project the student then worked through exercises to create a
Animation III - 'The Vet' ProjectAnimation for ages 11-adult. A continuation and deepening of the process. This course offers several new characters, and more difficult design elements demanding of the student a higher level of design and execution.
Animation IV - Design Elements and SkillsFor serious animation students ages 11-adult. A review and an examination of the most important techniques, filled with MANY exercises which will help the student perfect the many skills needed to work in this creative field, as well as develop a practice regimen the student may use for the rest of his or her career!
Animation V - 'Rock of Ages' ProjectStudents 11-adult. The artist must create characters visually, create the locations the characters are in, and artfully, convincingly express through successive drawings the story to be told. This approach forces a new animator to do several things. Master the essentials of animation design, including character design and execution, and the ability to read and understand a script, improve their drawing and essential skills, develop many drawings through a highly structured but creative process, which may eventually be used as a part of a portfolio.
