Last night was the opening of the fist year exhibition. This is our “Visual Arts Literacy” year.  It’s always a surprise when you see all the work organized and will presented, but this year is particularly impressive.  All the exhibitions,  Illustration majors, Animation majors and Concept Art majors, had excellent work on view. However, the Concept Art students were proliofic- we only had room to hang half the work from year one Concept Art students that had been chosen by instructors for exhibition!

Those students who focused and applied themselves, had excellent work. This year’s life drawings are impressive. The students worked hard and the year one instructors worked hard. We will soon post a video showing the work, the opening, and some comments from year one students.

If you are downtown this weekend, do drop in for the open house. The show will be up until May first and we are open to the public. We look forward to your comments.

Congratulations to Max the Mutt  Animation School graduate Brendan Beesley!  Brendan is following a successful time animating for Starz  (Toronto), with a new job animating for Sony Imageworks in LA! He’ll be joining another Max the Mutt graduate, Sacha Kapijimpanga, who has been animating for Sony for several years.  It’s always fun to hear about the success of former students. Please stay in touch!

Q: At what age did you develop an interest in art and animation

A: I remember drawing super heroes when I was 5 or 6. I was one of those kids that loved to draw the characters I watched on TV. Later on I found out about comics and it was the beginning of it all. I guess I was 12 or 13 when I began copying what the comic artists were doing. Mostly DC and Marvel. So it was always about comics. I do love animation as well, but it never crossed my mind the idea of working with that. It’s a huge inspiration though.

Q: Who were you influenced by in Brazil?  Other countries?

A: Now that’s an interesting question. Even though I lived most of my life in Brazil I don’t think I was influenced by any of the artists there. I know there are a lot of good artists not only back home, but all over the world. The thing is I was always very very focused, and all I wanted was to draw super heroes. And I still do. I think that’s why most of my art knowledge comes from that specific industry. I do like what guys like Fabio Moon and Gabril Bá, both Brazillians are doing with that guy from the My Chemical Romance band, the “Umbrella Academy” comic. There are so many good Brazilian artists working for DC and Marvel nowadays… Ivan Reis on Green Lantern, Rafael Albuquerque, Eddy Barrows…

Q: How did you discover Max the Mutt Animation School

A: I used to live in Toronto a few years back and I was always around the area where the school is. So one day I decided to see what the school was about and things happened.

Q: Which teachers influenced you the most at Max the Mutt

A: Ed Shawcross, Richard Pace, Ty Templeton and David Ross.

Q: Tell me about your latest Disney work for the Incredibles?

A: The company that’s publishing the book, Boom! Studios, together with Disney/Pixar, they approached me a few months ago. They asked me if I wanted to draw the series for them. I said yes and I’ve been doing it since then. It’s going to be four issues at first and probably more later on. I’ve been having fun so far.

Q: What advice would you give another young person interested in this field.

A: I can talk a little about comics, not so much about animation. My advice is the usual. Keep drawing everyday. Show your work to someone who knows better than you do. Be open to criticism. Put your work out there for people to see it. Use the web to promote your work. Go to comic conventions. Be patient, it takes a while to get things rolling.

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Last week the Toronto Star ran a big article on surveys of Canadian university profs and their growing difficulties with incoming students. My guess is that this is a North American problem that affects the US as well as Canada.

Let me begin by saying that every school wants students to succeed. That’s self interest as well as dedication to helping the next generation get educated. I also believe that incoming students want to succeed.

The increasing difficulties seem to be caused by what happened before students got to post high school education. The profs noted that students didn’t seem to have experience working hard and consistently to achieve goals. They had difficulty with sustained focus and concentration. They didn’t seem to have respect for the learning process and were seen text messaging and receiving calls during lectures (not very inspiring for an instructor).

When I attended college no one ever told us how to behave or what was expected of us. I don’ ever remember an incident of disrespect, talking in class, interrupting by entering the room late. It just didn’t happen.

When I took classes at The Art Students League, the class was huge. There was never a disruption. No one entered late or left while the model was posing. No one spoke or fidgeted during a pose. It wasn’t something we even thought about. It was just appropriate behavior. Students who didn’t want to work took off for the cafeteria, but they never disrupted a studio. There was a sense of purpose that permeated the halls.

Instructors are motivated by passionate, hard working students. So are models. For everyone life is richer when we are not just working to earn dollars, but feel that we are part of something meaningful and worthwhile. In a mediocre setting everyone achieves less. In a serious setting, everyone achieves more.

The discipline and training it takes to learn to be completely in the moment (that’s what focus is) is the prerequisite to transcendent experience and mental health..it’s the stuff that art is made of.

No matter what school you attend, in order to reach your potential, you will need self discipline, drive, focus, concentration, and a sense of humor. You will need to multitask and organize your work and your week. You will need the faith that your hard work will eventually pay off. You will need to develop an awareness and respect for your art, your talent, and the rights and needs of other people. You are a major player in the quality of your education. Without your cooperation the best instructors and the best curriculum in the world can’t succeed.