Another dynamic presentation, this time by Ramon Perez, a professional cartoonist/writer and Max The Mutt faculty member, whose wide-ranging repertoire includes comic books, role/playing games, editorial illustration and, according to Ramon himself, anything intriguing that crosses his path.

Ramon encouraged students to foster qualities such as courage and adaptability in order to meet the shifting demands of the comics industry today; the talk was accompanied by an impressive slide presentation and an even more impressive string of amusing anecdotes.

For a slice of Ramon Perez and hist current projects go to:

www.cranialpercolations.com

We were delighted to hear Barack Obama refer to himself as a “Mutt.” All the mutts welcome him to the fold.

I am particularly interested in issues concerning education and am hoping that the newest “Mutt” will spearhead  reform  in the US that will serve as a blueprint for the world.

In my opinion, it isn’t effective or cost-effective to turn trades and crafts into degree programs. Throwing road blocks,  both academic and financial,  in the way of students gifted in non-academic subjects makes no sense to me. Nor does limiting instructors to individuals with the right papers.  Some subjects demand hands-on current industry experience, not academic degrees.

I’m interested in your comments. Please let me know your thoughts on the current state of affairs.

Our goal at Max the Mutt is one we can probably never achieve: we want every student to succeed.  To that end, we try to assess applications to our programs for more than artistic potential.  We look for passion and drive, the ability to listen and follow directions, an inquisitive mind that wants to solve problems, the desire to do the best one is capable of…. success is dependent on a number of qualities that have very little to do with innate talent.

Some students  dream of becoming an animator, or comic artist, or concept artist but  have never had to work hard consistently or apply themselves to learning difficult but necessary skills.  Staying organized,  working even when they aren’t in the mood,  continuing to work  when an exercise  isn’t coming easily…these are challenges for them.

The first semester of first year can be difficult.  Happily, it’s been our experience that most of the students  struggling with discipline will finally make the leap, and will begin to discover the pleasures and rewards of focus, hard work, and what Confucius called “qualities of attention.”

The reality of learning any skill is that it takes  application and hard work.  Applying yourself to learning  skills that will enable you to express your vision is easier if you understand the connections and what the eventual pay off will be.  This is called delayed gratification. It requires motivation and self discipline. No one can do this for you but yourself.

We all need to remember that there are highs and lows for everyone, and there are times when all of us feel frustrated and may want to give up. That’s where drive, passion and and a belief in our own power to grow come to the rescue.

My advice to individuals having a hard time right now is to rethink the way you are approaching learning. Be determined.  Be organized.  Take responsibility for listening, following directions, staying focused in class. Give assignments your best shot. Work when you should be working and play when you’re playing.  Keep a positive attitude - take some time every day to sit quietly and see yourself succeeding. Look at work that inspires you.  Get at least a half hour of exercise every day, even if it’s walking to school.  Watch your nutrition-  drink enough water, stay away from junk food, bring healthy snacks to keep your energy levels stable.  Take pride in the quality of your efforts. Right now, you’re in a serious program. Vacation will come before you know it.

Right now,  your education is your priority. Give it your best shot. That’s all anyone can expect from you and it’s all you can expect from yourself.  The odds are good that if you listen and do your work, you’ll learn and you’ll succeed.

First year students celebrating Halloween:

Third year student visiting the police stables as part of the animal drawing course:

Student drawings done on the site:

Guest Speaker: Kalman Andrasofszky, Comic Book Illustrator

Our Illustration students had a chance to get a slice of real life and answers to such questions as:

How much money do inkers make per page on the entry level, intermediate and advanced?
Do these rates vary from publisher to publisher?
Who are the best paying publishers?
How long does it take to complete a page from script to ink?
How do you get work as a comic book illustrator?
How does one best present and promote ones work?

The answers came from Kalman Andrasofszky, a Toronto-based comic book illustrator, during a dynamic and straight-to-the point slide presentation of his work; the presentation included samples of pages in progress from his current project NYX:No Way Home, for Marvel comics.

General message?
As a comic book illustrator you will work your fingers to the bone, twelve hours a day, weekends included, yet none of it really matters if you love and enjoy what you do.”

Open House Dates 2008/2009
October 26, 2008

November 29

February 21 & 22

March 28 & 29

April 18 & 19
Featuring 1st year work

May 30 & 31
Featuring Graduate Work

Open House

Date: Saturday, November 29, 2008
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Information Sessions 10:30 a.m. or 12:00 p.m.

Visit Max the Mutt Animation School in the heart of Toronto’s Art & Design
District. If you have not already booked a tour, this is your opportunity to
see our facilities, view our student demo reels and find out what Max the
Mutt Animation School is all about!

Remember, we’re more than Animation - we’re also Illustration, Comic Books &
Graphic Novels, and Concept Art for Animation & Video Games!

RSVP to Information Sessions: Carla Drmay - cdrmay@maxthemutt.com or 416-703-6877

Bring your family and friends!
CHECK OUT OUR COMPLIMENTARY WORKSHOP!

Comic Book Boot Camp Workshop with Ty Templeton

Date: November 29 (after information session)
Time: 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Workshop Content: scripting, comic book story telling, and constructing figures and faces. Materials required: paper and pencil

Maximum 15 students in the workshop - call or email now to reserve your spot.
RSVP: cdrmay@maxthemutt.com or 416-703-6877 x223

Location: Max the Mutt Animation School
952 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario416-703-6877 1-877-486-MUTT

On Monday October 13th, Max the Mutt was pleased to welcome Scott Caple,
veteran Layout and Concept Artist to address our Concept Art students about
his experiences in the industry, both here and abroad.

Scott has worked for Nelvana. Don Bluth Studios, Disney, Dreamworks and
Pixar.

Some of the feature films he’s worked on include ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’,
‘Rock & Rule’,'Rockadoodle’ ‘Fantasia 2000′, ‘Hercules’ Mulan’ and ‘The
Incredibles’.

Lately he’s been more involved with designing elements for games that are
feature film spin-offs. Presently he is working on game design components
for the latest Pixar film ‘WALL-E’.This is work he can do comfortably from
his Brampton home, and he enjoys doing it.

It was very inspiring to see Scott’s work for the films he’s worked on, and
he stressed the importance of good drawing- it’s what’s kept him in steady
employment these past 3 decades!

After the presentation, Scott was gracious enough to look over some of the
students’ sketchbooks and offer some suggestions to our aspiring future
concept artists.

Thank you for coming to visit us, Scott!

Hotel Canzine
Canada’s Largest Zine Fair and Festival of Alternative Culture

Feel the Funny!
This year’s Theme: “Comedy”

Sunday, October 26th, 2008 1pm-7 pm The Gladstone Hotel Downtown Toronto, 1214 Queen St. West (Queen just East of Dufferin) $5 admission comes with a free copy of the Fall issue of Broken Pencil Magazine – issue 41 “Comedy”

Giant Zine Fair! Over 150 zines from across Canada on display and for sale! The heart of the event, indie publishers both in print and online come from across the country and the continent to show their wares! Be amazed at the creativity, ingenuity, and sheer weirdness! (Those interested in booking tables can register online at www.brokenpencil.com.)

All Day Comedy! On our upstairs main stage some of Canada’s weirdest, wildest and funniest comedians perform. Featuring the wild antics of Anand Rajaram, the off-kilter singing of Devon Hyland, the standup comedy of Pat Thorton, the improvisational offences of Kayla Lorette and Alana Johnston, and the absurdly hilarious monologues of Kathleen Phillips’s many alter egos .

The One-Two Punch Book Pitch
We still have a few spots open for this! Tell your writer friends! Register now!
A new Canzine feature: live on our mainstage in front of a crowing crowd, you get two minutes to pitch your book to our panel of judges. They get one minute each to tell you why you’ll never get published in a million billion years (or why they want to see your manuscript in their in-box asap!). Best pitch wins a Broken Pencil Prize Pack worth $150! Guest judges are ECW Press editor Michael Holmes, Literary Agent Samantha Haywood, and writer Hal Niedzviecki. Participants must register in advance: to do so email canzine@brokenpencil.com.

The Funniest Readings Ever!
You never knew CanLit could be so damn funny. The best of funny, featuring new writers with hot Fall books and some of Canada’s proven snarky meisters of poetry and prose. Watch them turn a boring reading into a cross between a fart machine and a whoopee cushion! Starring: Stacey May Fowles, Daniel Allen Cox, Derek McCormack, Sarah Steinberg, Jon Paul Fiorentino, and Elyse Friedman.

Hotel Room Installations Canada’s brightest and weirdest will be creating one day unique environments to explore in 5 of the Gladstone Hotel’s Rooms. Don’t miss Jim Munroe’s Room of Indie Video Games, Plus the weird worlds of Sonja Ahlers and Lisa Smolkin, and an all day sing-along with the High Heels Lo Fi!

All Day Underground Video Screening
Open Screening and curated program by James King. Special comedy film program will start with a screening of the poet Sandra Alland’s short film Slippery, a silly meditation on the slippery nature of overused or supposedly universal words. All are welcome to bring videos (VHS or DVD only, 10 minutes and under) to show to the world. Register in advance by emailing canzine@brokenpencil.com. Or just show up with your video.

Workshop: Start Your Own Cooperative Zine and Book Distribution Outlet We’re thrilled to host a workshop by Joe Biel, brainchild behind Portland, Oregon micro-publisher and distributor Microcosm. Biel’s workshop will go step-by-step through the process of setting up a co-op distribution business by working with similarly-minded publications to get independently published zines, comics and books out into the world. Skills and techniques will apply to smallest scale publications. D-I-Y!

Hotel Canzine is made possible by grants from the Toronto Arts Council and the Ontario Arts Council. Hotel Canzine also is supported by the following most excellent sponsors: Magazines Cana da, The Toronto Reference Library, Fantagraphics Comics, Insomniac Books, Open Book Toronto, Pages Books and Magazines, Mint Records, The Diesel Playhouse, CKLN 89.5, CIUT 88.1, Eye Weekly and the Gladstone Hotel.

Canzine is an annual event organized by Broken Pencil, the Magazine of Zine Culture and the Independent Arts.
Broken Pencil, PO Box 203, Station P, Toronto, ON, M5S 2S7
email: editor@brokenpencil.com, phone 416 204 1700