This is my hands and feet portfolio for the life drawing class at Sheridan! Man, hands and feet are HARD!!!
Monday, 26 October 2015
Hands and Feet Portfolio
This is my hands and feet portfolio for the life drawing class at Sheridan! Man, hands and feet are HARD!!!
Sunday, 5 July 2015
Portfolio Review Day
Portfolio Review Day is a gut-wrenching day in November where future applicants of Sheridan's art programs come to get their portfolios looked at by professors who actually work at Sheridan. In this post I will go through the experience that I had on review day.
Step 1: Arrive at the school. The day is scheduled to start at 11:00 am but I would come about a half an hour earlier, especially if you want to get to more than one program. Don't worry if you don't know you're way around the school, just walk into the nearest building and someone working there will direct you where to go. Everyone is so nice!
Step 2: Get a ticket for the program that you are applying for. I got my portfolio reviewed by both an Illustration professor and an Animation professor, as I applied for both. If you are doing the same thing, then I would suggest having someone wait for you at Animation while you wait in the Illustration line because it is much shorter.
Step 3: Wait your turn and get your portfolio critiqued! Make sure you remember to breathe. This is a very stressful experience but the professors are very nice and will not crush your dreams, I promise. Since there are so many applicants for the Animation program you only get five minutes (seriously, they have timers) with the professor, so make sure that you have some questions prepared beforehand to ask them.
Step 4: The reviewing ends at 2:00 pm but there are activities that go on afterwards. There are residence and general tours that you can go on, and some of the animation students do caricatures for free!
That pretty much sums up what happens.
Good luck!
Step 1: Arrive at the school. The day is scheduled to start at 11:00 am but I would come about a half an hour earlier, especially if you want to get to more than one program. Don't worry if you don't know you're way around the school, just walk into the nearest building and someone working there will direct you where to go. Everyone is so nice!
Step 2: Get a ticket for the program that you are applying for. I got my portfolio reviewed by both an Illustration professor and an Animation professor, as I applied for both. If you are doing the same thing, then I would suggest having someone wait for you at Animation while you wait in the Illustration line because it is much shorter.
Step 3: Wait your turn and get your portfolio critiqued! Make sure you remember to breathe. This is a very stressful experience but the professors are very nice and will not crush your dreams, I promise. Since there are so many applicants for the Animation program you only get five minutes (seriously, they have timers) with the professor, so make sure that you have some questions prepared beforehand to ask them.
Step 4: The reviewing ends at 2:00 pm but there are activities that go on afterwards. There are residence and general tours that you can go on, and some of the animation students do caricatures for free!
That pretty much sums up what happens.
Good luck!
Tuesday, 16 June 2015
Portfolio Presentation
So you have all of your drawings done and ready to go, but there is one last thing that you have to consider before you send them in, and that is how you are going to present it. Presentation is an entire section that you are marked on, so make sure that you give a lot of thought into how you present the portfolio that you have worked so hard on.
First, you will need a portfolio case, something to keep your drawings safe and also make them look nice and professional. I would suggest the Itoya Portfolios because they are very good quality. However, any other portfolio that displays your work well should be fine.
Then there is the matter of what size to get. My portfolio case was 11" x 14", but I have seen them as big as 18" x 24", the size of the average sheet of newsprint, or as small as 8.5" x 11". It really depends on your personal preference. I chose the size that I did because I wanted most of my drawings to be originals. In other words, I didn't want to have to scan them down to fit them into my case. Make sure that if you did scale your drawings down that you include them in a back pocket. The only things that did not fit were my life drawings, and I included the original panels for my storyboard. I put these drawings in a manilla envelope at the back labelled "originals". When I got my portfolio back I could tell that the drawings were looked at so make sure you include them.
A table of contents is also a good thing to include. It just gives your portfolio a really organized and polished look. I also included little page numbers in the corners of the pages so the people that were looking at it could navigate quickly through my portfolio. Before each section, I also included a divider/title page that said the section, my name and student ID number.
Before you put each drawing into the case, put your name and student ID number on the back, that way, none of the drawings can be misplaced. Also on the back of my drawings, I put a piece of double sided tape just to secure them in (especially the character drawings because they slip around a lot). Make sure that the drawings look level before you stick them.
On every page where there was a drawing, I printed out a mailing label that said the section, the drawing, and again, my student ID number. I even downloaded a font that I thought looked good and suited my personality. Seriously, I REALLY wanted to get in.
Lastly, I designed a kind of logo for myself, like a little self portrait (it's the header of this blog) that I put on the table of contents and the pages before each section. I have seen a lot of people do this and I think that it adds to the presentation, but it is definitely not required.
Good luck and happy drawing!
First, you will need a portfolio case, something to keep your drawings safe and also make them look nice and professional. I would suggest the Itoya Portfolios because they are very good quality. However, any other portfolio that displays your work well should be fine.
Then there is the matter of what size to get. My portfolio case was 11" x 14", but I have seen them as big as 18" x 24", the size of the average sheet of newsprint, or as small as 8.5" x 11". It really depends on your personal preference. I chose the size that I did because I wanted most of my drawings to be originals. In other words, I didn't want to have to scan them down to fit them into my case. Make sure that if you did scale your drawings down that you include them in a back pocket. The only things that did not fit were my life drawings, and I included the original panels for my storyboard. I put these drawings in a manilla envelope at the back labelled "originals". When I got my portfolio back I could tell that the drawings were looked at so make sure you include them.
A table of contents is also a good thing to include. It just gives your portfolio a really organized and polished look. I also included little page numbers in the corners of the pages so the people that were looking at it could navigate quickly through my portfolio. Before each section, I also included a divider/title page that said the section, my name and student ID number.
Before you put each drawing into the case, put your name and student ID number on the back, that way, none of the drawings can be misplaced. Also on the back of my drawings, I put a piece of double sided tape just to secure them in (especially the character drawings because they slip around a lot). Make sure that the drawings look level before you stick them.
On every page where there was a drawing, I printed out a mailing label that said the section, the drawing, and again, my student ID number. I even downloaded a font that I thought looked good and suited my personality. Seriously, I REALLY wanted to get in.
Lastly, I designed a kind of logo for myself, like a little self portrait (it's the header of this blog) that I put on the table of contents and the pages before each section. I have seen a lot of people do this and I think that it adds to the presentation, but it is definitely not required.
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Good luck and happy drawing!
Thursday, 28 May 2015
5 Personal Pieces
The personal artwork cannot exceed 16" x 20". If any pieces that you want to include are too large to fit into your portfolio case, take a picture or scan them to scale them down. Try to include the originals, but if they are to large/precious to fold in the back I think just the scanned versions are ok. The pieces that I included were a combination of work that I had done in other art classes in high school and work that I had done on my own.
In two cases the pieces that I submitted had two parts to them. This is not a problem, just label the works as Part A and Part B and they will be counted as one. Basically, just include five pieces of your best artwork that you think shows off your skill and represents you as an artist.
These are the five pieces that I submitted:
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| Part A |
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| Part B |
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| Part A (Sketchbook) |
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| Part B (Finished Painting) |
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You made it! Good luck and happy drawing!
Room Drawings
The next part of the layout section also requires two drawings. One of a room, with a character drawn to scale (this just means that the character should look like it fits into the surroundings, not too big or small). Then a second drawing from the character's point of view. Again, no rulers.
Before you begin on these drawings, brush up on your perspective. There are a ton of books and tutorials that you can use on the internet. Do some studies of a couple of rooms that you are considering drawing. Remember: it doesn't have to be complicated. Whatever you think that you pull off the best should be the one that you include in your portfolio.
I would suggest using two point perspective because it has more interest. I had no choice but to do one point perspective for my second drawing because my character was looking at a flat wall. To make sure that my character looked as if she was to scale I had my mom sit on the bed and I blocked in the pose so I knew that the dimensions would be right, then I added the features.
Do not shade in any of the layout drawings, the emphasis should be on the perspective, linework and structure. The same goes for the linework in these drawings. Close/in shadow = thicker and farther away/lighter = thinner
Before you begin on these drawings, brush up on your perspective. There are a ton of books and tutorials that you can use on the internet. Do some studies of a couple of rooms that you are considering drawing. Remember: it doesn't have to be complicated. Whatever you think that you pull off the best should be the one that you include in your portfolio.
I would suggest using two point perspective because it has more interest. I had no choice but to do one point perspective for my second drawing because my character was looking at a flat wall. To make sure that my character looked as if she was to scale I had my mom sit on the bed and I blocked in the pose so I knew that the dimensions would be right, then I added the features.
Do not shade in any of the layout drawings, the emphasis should be on the perspective, linework and structure. The same goes for the linework in these drawings. Close/in shadow = thicker and farther away/lighter = thinner
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Good luck and happy drawing!
Wednesday, 27 May 2015
Object Drawings
The next section is layout. For the first part of this section, you have to do two drawings of objects found around your house that are similar to a sphere, cone, cube and cylinder. Then, do one drawing of the objects normally, and another with the same objects after some external force has acted upon them. What that means is there has to be apparent changes to the objects from the first drawing. They could become exposed to rain, snow, fire etc.
The materials that I used for these drawings were again, a blue col-erase pencil and 2B pencil for the linework. I also used a lightbox again to make sure that all of the objects looked the same.
For my drawings I chose to do a sort of sewing theme with my objects. I suppose you could say that the force that acted upon my objects was a person that was really bad at sewing. This part of the portfolio is a really great way to show off your creativity. Try to come up with a creative story to go along with the objects. What happened to make them the way they are in the second drawing?
Another thing to keep in mind is the composition of the piece. Don't choose a bunch of tiny objects to make up your drawings, make sure you have variation in size. Assemble the objects in different ways and do thumbnail sketches of the different groupings, then pick the one that you feel is the most appealing.
When it comes to the linework, variation is key. This adds overall interest to the drawings. The thicker/darker lines should be the ones that are closer to you or areas that are in shadow. Lines that are farther away should be lighter/thinner. Also, a little side note, do not use a ruler! You can use one to check if your lines are straight but in the layout section they are not allowed. Finally, I cannot stress enough: STRUCTURE, STRUCTURE, STRUCTURE! This is what the professors want to see, that you can understand how to break down objects into their most basic components.
Keep it up and happy drawing!
Tuesday, 26 May 2015
Storyboard
This section of the portfolio changes every year so there is not much advice that I can give. Once you apply to the program, Sheridan will send you the characters that you have to make a four panel story from. Sheridan will also send you the template that they want you to draw on.
The panels on the template are very small. So what I did was I drew my story on separate sheets of paper and put them into Photoshop to fit them into the template. If you do this, make sure that you label the panels and put them in the back of your portfolio as originals.
Underneath the panels there is space to put what is happening in the drawing. Keep in mind, however, that the drawings that you do should really tell the story themselves, without the words.
You're halfway there! Happy drawing!
Character Design
For this section of the portfolio you are required to come up with an original character and then do a character rotation, two action poses and an expression sheet with that character.
These are some resources that I used when doing my character design:
Check out Amanda Zima's Blog, it goes into a ton of detail about all aspects of character design.
This was the most daunting and challenging parts of the portfolio, but when it all comes together, it is so rewarding. Don't give up and happy drawing!
These are some resources that I used when doing my character design:
Check out Amanda Zima's Blog, it goes into a ton of detail about all aspects of character design.
Some other resources that I used when doing my character design were:
Living Lines Library- a website that has a huge wealth of production drawings and model sheets from different movies.
Cartoon Animation by Preston Blair- I used this book a lot when making my portfolio. It was written by a Disney animator and has a lot of drawings designed to teach the reader about the animation style of drawing (structure etc.).
The materials that I used for all of the character drawings were just regular printer paper, col-erase pencil and 2B pencil for cleanup. Another tool that I used, especially for the character turnaround was a lightbox. If you are unfamiliar with this, a lightbox is basically a plastic box with fluorescent tubes inside that allows you to see through the paper below it. This makes sure that all of the forms and features are consistent on your character. I bought mine online at Dick Blick Art Supplies.
Once you have an idea of what/who you want your character to be, gather a bunch of reference, even just pictures from the internet. If your character is inspired by an animal, study photos and videos of that animal. Make sure that you create more than one version of your character to make sure you get the best design that you can. Redraw the character multiple times, change it up! Things to consider are the appeal of the character, the silhouette and the shape of the character, squash and stretch and the structure of the character. The professors also prefer if the character is on two legs. The most important thing is to keep it simple.
There has been a lot of debate whether Japanese Anime-style drawings are acceptable for the character submission. As a general rule I would stay away from this style because normally there is just too much detail and not enough form in the classical Anime designs.
Living Lines Library- a website that has a huge wealth of production drawings and model sheets from different movies.
Cartoon Animation by Preston Blair- I used this book a lot when making my portfolio. It was written by a Disney animator and has a lot of drawings designed to teach the reader about the animation style of drawing (structure etc.).
The materials that I used for all of the character drawings were just regular printer paper, col-erase pencil and 2B pencil for cleanup. Another tool that I used, especially for the character turnaround was a lightbox. If you are unfamiliar with this, a lightbox is basically a plastic box with fluorescent tubes inside that allows you to see through the paper below it. This makes sure that all of the forms and features are consistent on your character. I bought mine online at Dick Blick Art Supplies.
Once you have an idea of what/who you want your character to be, gather a bunch of reference, even just pictures from the internet. If your character is inspired by an animal, study photos and videos of that animal. Make sure that you create more than one version of your character to make sure you get the best design that you can. Redraw the character multiple times, change it up! Things to consider are the appeal of the character, the silhouette and the shape of the character, squash and stretch and the structure of the character. The professors also prefer if the character is on two legs. The most important thing is to keep it simple.
There has been a lot of debate whether Japanese Anime-style drawings are acceptable for the character submission. As a general rule I would stay away from this style because normally there is just too much detail and not enough form in the classical Anime designs.
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This was the most daunting and challenging parts of the portfolio, but when it all comes together, it is so rewarding. Don't give up and happy drawing!
Wednesday, 29 April 2015
Hand Drawings
There is no question about it. Hands are one of the hardest things to draw. EVER, especially from life. Unfortunately, I don't really know any tips or tricks to make drawing them any easier. The only thing that I can suggest is drawing your own hands over and over. You could also look at tutorials online that break down the anatomy. For these drawings the requirements were to show one hand anticipating the action and the same hand carrying it out. I chose to show a hand grabbing a doorknob because I wanted to depict that twisting action that happens when you open a door.
When you start your drawing you want to keep in mind showing the volume of the hand as well as the inner structure. Structure is actually a whole section on the marking scheme that the professors use so make sure you show it in your drawings.
I used red (and blue for the doorknob) col-erase pencil for these drawings. I didn't go the extra step and do clean-up lines because I really liked the way these drawings turned out and didn't want to mess with them any further.
Good luck, don't give up and happy drawing!
When you start your drawing you want to keep in mind showing the volume of the hand as well as the inner structure. Structure is actually a whole section on the marking scheme that the professors use so make sure you show it in your drawings.
I used red (and blue for the doorknob) col-erase pencil for these drawings. I didn't go the extra step and do clean-up lines because I really liked the way these drawings turned out and didn't want to mess with them any further.
Tuesday, 28 April 2015
Animal Drawing
Drawing animals can be incredibly challenging because you are trying to draw a subject that just won't stay still! The two drawings that I did for my portfolio were of my uncle's whippet and a miniature pony from the local animal farm.
This is perhaps the section of the portfolio that I did the most drawings for. I tried using the same techniques that I used for the figures in the last section (using conte and newsprint) but I found that none of the drawings turned out the way that I wanted. I ended up using col-erase pencil for structure and then did clean up lines with a 2B pencil (this is a very common technique in animation. If you don't have any prismacolor col-erase pencils I suggest you get some, I can't see anyone completing their portfolio without them). I felt that this approach was much more successful for me. However, gestures in conte are perfectly acceptable, in fact, I think that the movement that you get in these drawings can be very successful.
It's probably best to stick with mammals for the animal drawings. Go to the zoo if you can, draw your pets, or go to a farm. Keep a sketchbook with you at all times and draw dogs or other animals you see from life. Again, practise makes perfect. If you know what animal you are going to draw, do sketches of their muscle and bone structure. I have a rabbit at home and struggled to draw him because he was so fluffy, so I looked on the internet for pictures of a rabbit's skeletal and muscular system and did a few studies. After that, my drawing came easier because I knew what was under all that fur! If you understand the anatomy that makes up the animal, then it is easier to show it in motion.
On a completely different note, Sheridan has a Tumblr blog where second year students answer questions about the portfolio process, drawing tips, and Sheridan in general. It was an absolute life line when I was doing my portfolio! Here is the link:
Sheridan Ritual Sacrifice Blog
This is perhaps the section of the portfolio that I did the most drawings for. I tried using the same techniques that I used for the figures in the last section (using conte and newsprint) but I found that none of the drawings turned out the way that I wanted. I ended up using col-erase pencil for structure and then did clean up lines with a 2B pencil (this is a very common technique in animation. If you don't have any prismacolor col-erase pencils I suggest you get some, I can't see anyone completing their portfolio without them). I felt that this approach was much more successful for me. However, gestures in conte are perfectly acceptable, in fact, I think that the movement that you get in these drawings can be very successful.
It's probably best to stick with mammals for the animal drawings. Go to the zoo if you can, draw your pets, or go to a farm. Keep a sketchbook with you at all times and draw dogs or other animals you see from life. Again, practise makes perfect. If you know what animal you are going to draw, do sketches of their muscle and bone structure. I have a rabbit at home and struggled to draw him because he was so fluffy, so I looked on the internet for pictures of a rabbit's skeletal and muscular system and did a few studies. After that, my drawing came easier because I knew what was under all that fur! If you understand the anatomy that makes up the animal, then it is easier to show it in motion.
On a completely different note, Sheridan has a Tumblr blog where second year students answer questions about the portfolio process, drawing tips, and Sheridan in general. It was an absolute life line when I was doing my portfolio! Here is the link:
Sheridan Ritual Sacrifice Blog
Sunday, 26 April 2015
Life Drawing
Sheridan Portfolio Requirements
*Also, keep in mind that all of this work is my property, so please do not copy or reproduce this work in any way**
This post is about figure/life drawing, which is the first, and arguably the most important component of the portfolio. If you want to apply for this program and have not drawn any nude figures before, you should probably start now. If you are uncomfortable with nudes than I think bathing suits are alright. However, in the program you will be drawing nude figures so I would recommend getting used to it as soon as you can.
Figure drawing is something that you only get good at if you do it a lot. Where I live there was no studios that offered figure drawing locally, so I had to drive for an hour to get to one that did. I didn't get to go as often as I would have liked (it's really fun!!) so I don't think that my figure drawing is my strong suit.
If you don't have any access to a live model, there are plenty of online resources that you can use that have high resolution photos. This is what I use to practise anatomy between sessions. However, I would use this as a last resort because your drawings tend to be stiff when you use photos. This is my favourite website:
http://www.artmodeltips.com/poses/
All of the drawings that I submitted for my portfolio are done in conte and newsprint, which are the most commonly used mediums for figure drawing. This is what I would recommend using because you can get a variation of thick and thin lines with the "chisel tip" of the conte. Plus, I think it is what you have to use when you are in the program.
When it comes to actually drawing live models, try not to get caught up with the anatomy and shading. What I mean is, your drawings should look anatomically correct, but don't fuss over a specific area too much. Try to get the feeling of the pose as a whole. Loose, gestural "unfinished" looking drawings are completely acceptable. In fact, gestures that take only a couple of minutes are what professors are looking for! Make a point in trying to draw the Hands and feet of every pose! They are incredibly hard, and the only way that you will get better is to draw them a million times!
There are plenty of other tutorials you can look at online to give you an idea of how you should be drawing. Here are a few that I looked at when I was doing my portfolio:
https://www.youtube.com/user/KarlGnassStudios/videos
http://sheridanportfoliotips.blogspot.ca/p/life-drawing.html
**look at this one, it has tons of great Sheridan specific information!**
https://www.youtube.com/user/Cre8tivemark
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Keep trying and don't give up! I hope that this was helpful. More to come!
Sheridan Animation Portfolio 2015!
Hello internet! It has been about a month since I received my acceptance into Sheridan's Bachelor of Animation Program and it has taken me about that long to absorb that this is actually happening! I just can't believe that I got in!!
When I started thinking about my animation portfolio last summer I realized that my high school art education would not be good enough to get me into one of the best animation programs in the world. Needless to say, I was out of my league. So, I did what any desperate 18-year-old girl would do, I turned to the internet. I have come to the realization that without other successful portfolios from blogs just like this one, I would not have been accepted.
So . . . over the next few weeks, I will be posting the portfolio that got me into Sheridan's program, as well as some tips and tricks that I found helpful, in the hopes that it will help other aspiring animator's achieve their dream too.
Happy drawing!
When I started thinking about my animation portfolio last summer I realized that my high school art education would not be good enough to get me into one of the best animation programs in the world. Needless to say, I was out of my league. So, I did what any desperate 18-year-old girl would do, I turned to the internet. I have come to the realization that without other successful portfolios from blogs just like this one, I would not have been accepted.
So . . . over the next few weeks, I will be posting the portfolio that got me into Sheridan's program, as well as some tips and tricks that I found helpful, in the hopes that it will help other aspiring animator's achieve their dream too.
Happy drawing!
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