Project Description

Characters are the essential component necessary in the successful creation of any and all stories. This camp will expose students to the “how” of character design and development. A large variety of illustrative approaches and techniques will be utilized by students, all of which will give students an opportunity to push themselves and think outside of the provincial box to design there own characters.

Students will learn how to create appealing, charismatic different characters through a variety of stylistic drawing techniques using paper and pencil. We will be cover aspects that go into designing characters for animation. Also explore how to shape language as it relates to the characters personality.

Mediums & Media/Programs Used

  • Pencils
  • Paper
  • Drawing Board

Subjects Covered

  • Intermediate Drawing
  • Concept Creation

INSTRUCTORS

Brandon-M-Burghard

Brandon M. Burghard

Character Design / Digital Painting / Illustration / Anime-Manga Instructor

Brandon M. Burghard, a young freelance digital artist for over 4 years whose professional work includes; designing characters, creating promotional material, rendering splash art, designing icons,logos, pixel art and sprite work on multiple indie games and projects, as well as an art consultant.

Ever since he was young, Brandon crafted stories and designed characters expressing each in different mediums throughout the years. It was only until later in life where he honed his potential as a draftsmen and studied the way of illustration and design. Brandon’s works are inspired by many Eastern artists as well as a blend of his own art style. in his free time he often continues his education in art, writes stories, and works on his web-comic.

Colin Boyer

Illustrator Instructor

Colin Boyer is a freelance genre illustrator who works for Magic: the Gathering and does cover illustrations for Fantasy Flight Game’s Star Wars: Legion. He studied illustration at Ringling College of Art + Design, and while there he took an intensive multi week summer workshop called The Illustration Academy, where he learned from world renowned illustrators like Mark English, Gary Kelley, and Jon Foster. When the Academy started an online school he was awarded a full ride scholarship. He also studied classical drawing and painting at The Southern Atelier, and did a private mentor-ship with illustrator Greg Manchess through SmArt School. He lives in Orlando with his beautiful wife and daughter.

Matt Sveum

Traditional Animation / Digital Animation Instructor

Matt Sveum graduated from the University of Central Florida with a BFA in Character Animation. Later he received a certification from Animation Mentor, working with top industry professionals from studios such as Dreamworks and BlueSky. In his career, he has directed short films and animated for Netflix. Growing up, Matt was drawn to anime and manga such as Mobile Fighter: G Gundam and Rurouni Kenshin.

These works also inspired him to pursue martial arts, which he taught for 11 years. In his free time, he enjoys writing fantasy and science fiction novels. His preferred tools are Autodesk Maya, Adobe Premiere, Photoshop and good old pencil and paper!

Frank Cordero

Traditional and Digital Animation Instructor

Frank Cordero is a 2D/3D digital artist with a unique blend of art skills in animation, interactive, and art education industries for companies like Walt Disney Feature Animation, Electronic Arts, Full Sail University and CG Master Academy with experience in storyboarding, animation, cinematics,3D prop modeling/texturing, PBR workflow, illustration, character design, logo/mascot design and art direction.

Dana-Corrigan

Dana Corrigan

Character Design / 2D & 3D Animation Instructor

Dana Corrigan is a 2D animator from Tampa, with a passion for storytelling and an MFA in Fine Arts from Savannah College of Art and Design. She is someone who’s always loved a school environment, and has been teaching Animation and Digital Art at a college level since 2011, at the University of Tampa and the University of South Florida. She has worked as a freelance animator and graphic designer since 2005.

Some of her projects include character sprites and animations for Flash games and the Xbox 360, animation for a TV series in Cartoon Network South Asia, TV pilots, short films, motion comics, book illustrations, pitch booklets and presentation material, online commercials and interactive media. In her spare time, she develops pitches for cartoon shows, some of which have been pitched to Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and Warner Brothers.

Veronica-Suarez

PORTFOLIO LINK

Veronica Suarez

Digital & Traditional Instructor

Veronica Suarez has been exploring the world through visual media for as all as I can remember. When the rest of my friends were fighting over popularity and a Teen People, I was on my belly in front of a National Geographic trying to redraw the animals I found in the saturated pages.  I wasn’t sure of the value everyone was looking for in others they did not contain themself.

Once I turned 18, I set off to the University of Central Florida to obtain my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Experimental Animation. Experimental Animation is an innovative concept that encourages artists to arrive at creative solutions through all means necessary without a boxed-in idea of what storytelling tools look like. Experimental Animation meant I was allowed to be unsure if I was to arrive at my characters and stories through traditional or digital media. I was given the opportunity to practice both in order to continually find my identity as a human and an artist. Today, I share my joy of what I learned through school and more importantly through myself when it comes to improving as an artist.  I am a program assistant at the university that inspired me so much, passing on the love that carried me through the difficult yet rewarding years of undergrad school and personhood.  Guiding others on their journey is an honor and a joy.

I am grateful for my opportunities as a teacher. Veronica is a traditional and digital artist with over a decade of experience designing for a variety of clients from Veteran Care to LVMN (Louis Vuitton /Moet & Chandon).  In her free time when she’s not making art she’s attending and supporting much of our local art community.  Examples include research, apprenticeships, partnerships, and cooperatives with a wide network of published and practicing individuals in fields such as Florida Prize winner Robert Rivers, Dark Horse artist John Nadeau, Portrait Society winner Stacy Barter, Steven Assael international artist and current instructor at New York Academy of Art, Disney animators Todd Bright, Aaron and Travis Blaise, and Joanne Adams.

James Parris

Traditional, Character Design, Anime-Manga Instructor

James Parris was born in New York City, attending the High School of Art and Design and Pratt Institute before migrating to Los Angeles to become a multi-hyphenate filmmaker.

Cutting his teeth in traditional animation during the 90’s Disney animation renaissance, his traditional animation credits include The Lion King, Mulan and Tarzan. He later migrated to CG visual effects for blockbuster features like Spider-Man, I, Robot, Transformers 2 and The Oscar-winning Curious Case of Benjamin Button. James is also an Animation Director on popular TV series like Apple’s Doug Unplugs, as well as an avid live-action filmmaker and storyboard artist, directing short films and music videos, while developing feature and series content through his production company, Paper Tiger Films.