Curriculum for Don Bluth Animation club members

[Richard Willimot]

I second that Jeremy it was great seeing Don make my design better and quite humbling to watch him draw.

[joedorsey]

Agreed. It was encouraging to see how to make a drawing come alive. Thanks Don!

[OwenWelsh]

I liked watching Don doing the speed drawings during the seminar as well to help illustrate his points. The images speak volumes.

[zanekohler]

It definitely helps when someone like Don draws over/next to your work. It is awesome to see someone with that experience approach the very drawing you were working on. A lot of things tend to come to light quicker with this process.

[Don Bluth]

Well, well - reading through so many of the comments and suggestions that have been posted regarding the seminar and how to improve it is certainly revealing. Thank you - all of you. That helps set the direction for future programs.
Dave and I are hoping to start the "workshop" section very soon. I know one thing for sure. It needs to be based on an analysis of the real world, i.e. the actions of both animals and humans. and also based on you, the students, being given assignments, handing the work in and getting a critique. You don't learn to ride a horse by simple watching others ride. You must mount up and gain your own experience of it.
Be active in your education; there is no such thing as a silly question. The big issue we are all facing is this; how to earn a living as an animator. Somewhere the opportunities will open up, probably in TV at first. The goal of this website is to help you to get prepared so you'll be in the game when it happens. I appreciate you enthusiasm and your passion for the art. "You can unlock any door if you only have the key."

regards,
Don

[Gabriel-Carson]

Well, well - reading through so many of the comments and suggestions that have been posted regarding the seminar and how to improve it is certainly revealing. Thank you - all of you. That helps set the direction for future programs.
Dave and I are hoping to start the "workshop" section very soon. I know one thing for sure. It needs to be based on an analysis of the real world, i.e. the actions of both animals and humans. and also based on you, the students, being given assignments, handing the work in and getting a critique. You don't learn to ride a horse by simple watching others ride. You must mount up and gain your own experience of it.
Be active in your education; there is no such thing as a silly question. The big issue we are all facing is this; how to earn a living as an animator. Somewhere the opportunities will open up, probably in TV at first. The goal of this website is to help you to get prepared so you'll be in the game when it happens. I appreciate you enthusiasm and your passion for the art. "You can unlock any door if you only have the key."

regards,
Don

Don I am very excited for the workshop part of the site open up. I have been drawing every day for 3 hours. I have animated a ball bounce and bird flight (since last seminar). I am trying to step it up. Don & Dave thank for the great things your doing.

[jeremyhopkins]

Dave and I are hoping to start the "workshop" section very soon. I know one thing for sure. It needs to be based on an analysis of the real world, i.e. the actions of both animals and humans. and also based on you, the students, being given assignments, handing the work in and getting a critique. You don't learn to ride a horse by simple watching others ride. You must mount up and gain your own experience of it.

I agree. This sounds great! What works is that each person can progress at their own pace. Sometimes students don't know how long they should working on an assignment and it's nice to get that "adjust this" or "move on" feedback. A few other suggestions I have based on my limitations and observations from the boards are:

1)Refining workflow:
- improving technique by having everyone going step by step from planning animation or storyboards to the final test

2)Attitude:
-knowing how to communicate well; dealing with stress, failure, frustration and criticism; having a vision of what you want to accomplish in your life and doing it; being passionate, being aware of industry issues but avoiding a negative mindset; connecting with creativity

3) Apply information:
- knowing how to study and apply research from life to animation.
- keeping a visual morgue
- studying how all aspects of life relate to animation and finding common parallels in both
- an example exercise might be: go out and sketch people from the mall or animals from the zoo, post those sketches for feedback, then use that reference as a starting point for a pose test

4) Creative problem solving:
-knowing how to take a challenging project and breaking it down to manageable sections in an efficient way
-analytic observations and taking the time to understand the 'how'

5) Homework:
-study and discuss great work in film, music, acting, literature, painting as well as animation

Many of these ideas are extraneous but I don't believe education should 4 year endeavor, it's something that one pursues for a lifetime.

The big issue we are all facing is this; how to earn a living as an animator. Somewhere the opportunities will open up, probably in TV at first.

Watching the Olympics this year was interesting because I never thought about the hours that most top athletes put into their elaborate hobby. Some are paid professionals so I wouldn't consider those athletes to be hobbyists but others have day jobs and they're performing because they love their art and hope for some recognition by winning a medal. One of the gold medalists said that he trained during his practice like it was the real deal so when he got to the Olympics, he was ready for the challenge. That's the same feeling I have for animation. Even if we only have an hour a day to practice, if we put our best into that hour and the end results leave the audience with something special, then it's a success no matter where we are in life. Guess my hope is that everyone, including me, can treat the practice exercises with excellence and give them their best.

[Rodney]

Don has mentioned moving into the area of music's relationship to animation several times. I am most definitely looking forward to that.

As Don alluded to in his last seminar, we should have stuck with those piano lessons.

Workshops with a focus on aspects like these are sure to get us to many an Aha moment.

[jeremyhopkins]

Thanks for your enthusiasm Leo, but your post was too far off topic. I've moved it to your art thread: http://donbluthanimation.com/forum/s...p?t=746&page=3

[johncbeggs]

Well it turns out I have connections in Arizona! honestly what are the odds of that!! haha

My dads cousin or something she lives their! :laughing:. I guess one of the perks to having a huge family. - not that I know her .

anyway maybe this dream isn't all that impossible for me!