Animation Courses and Teaching

Table of Contents

Education

Master of Fine Arts /Animation, Savannah College of Art, and Design-Atlanta GA
Bachelor of Fine Arts-Film, Character Animation, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA
Associates of Applied Science- Advertising Design, State University of New York Farmingdale, Long Island, New York

Animation Courses

Teaching animation courses at the Savannah College of Art and Design-Atlanta Campus is an incredibly rewarding experience. Each quarter brings with it new students who are excited to learn animation, with far-reaching ambitions for their future careers.

My own experience in animation has run parallel to theirs, allowing me to mentor and pass on my knowledge and training along their journey. it’s great to be able to mentor these passionate students in my animation classes and allow them to achieve success in the animation field. I’m always looking for new ways to make sure my classes are engaging and informative, creating an opportunity for both learning and having fun along the way.

ANIM 335 Story and Concept: Animation Character and Creature Design- (2019-Current) Monsters and critters and creatures, oh my! Students apply the fundamental practices of visual development for character and creature design, utilizing shapes, color schemes and moods to produce expressive personalities. These original characters and creatures become an integral component in students’ unique animated narratives.
ANIM 385 Story and Concept: Concept Development for Animation- (2012-Current) Cultivating original ideas for the production of short animated films, students demonstrate their knowledge of storytelling, world building, character development and staging. Students develop a pitch-ready concept package, including mood boards, character and environment designs, color scripts, style frames and an industry-standard treatment. Students pitch specific elements from their concept package and explore strategies for preparing visual development for production.
ANIM 423 3-D Character Animation: Believability and Nuance (2019-Current) Creating realistic 3D characters requires the development of subtle gestures and strong poses that fit a character’s personality. Students generate believability in their animation through production-level shot work and nuanced performances. Students also learn to navigate the pressures associated with team-based productions and adhere to essential deadlines while progressing from blocking through final animation.
ANIM 332 2-D Animation: Character Performance Essentials
ANIM 402 2-D Animation: Expressive Character Acting
ANIM 448 Animated Capstone Film: Production
ANIM 390 Animation Business and Professional Practices
ANIM 303 3-D Character Animation: Performance Essentials
ANIM 323 3-D Character Animation: Expressive Character Acting
ANIM 353 3-D Character Animation: Creatures and Quadrupeds
ANIM 383 3-D Character Animation: Performance Through Dialogue
ANIM 732- Character Performance Essentials
ANIM 504 Character Animation Basics-(2010-Current) Students explore the principles of animation to develop an understanding of the physics of character motion utilizing both traditional and CG techniques. Emphasis is placed on the analysis of action and demonstrating weight and timing appropriate to an introductory graduate level.
ANIM 330 – Animation Layout and Character Design- (2012-2019)
ANIM 202 Principles of 2D Animation-(2008-2019) Students explore the basic principles of animation to develop an understanding of character and performance. Emphasis is placed on the analysis of actions.
ANIM 252 Principles of 3D Animation-(2008-2019) Building on principles learned in Principles of 2-D Animation, students are introduced to animating in 3-D, with an emphasis on weight, poses, and the mechanics of character movement. Students use their 2-D animation skills to thumbnail and create rough animations that help push their 3-D poses.
ANIM 312 2-D Animation Production– (2008-2019) Using perspective and other traditional design attributes to create a variety of shot compositions, students in this course learn the business of staging, posing and animating action in a sequential layout to create an effective visual narrative. This course develops the student’s ability to rough, block and animate 2-D shots in sequence to meet the goals of the script to tell a story.
ANIM 322 Acting For Animators- (2008-2019) In this course, students further their studies in animation by exploring acting and public speaking in team environments. Students act out their characters and complete drawings of motion studies, expressions and poses.
ANIM 332 2D Character Animation I-(2008-2019)Students learn to develop a better sense of timing, staging and fluid movement while continuing to develop sequential drawing skills.
ANIM 333 3D Character Animation I- (2008-2019) In this first-level character animation course, students focus on blocking and expressive timing in character animation. Technical understanding is developed in posing, weight and timing to create effective acting with facial expressions and lip-synch.
ANIM 362 2D Character Animation II- (2008-2019) By interpreting a script and other given materials to determine character motivations and other unique traits of character personality, this course allows students to explore more advanced aspects of character animation. Topics addressed include sequence planning and pacing, subtle character gesture and advanced action timing with an emphasis on personal observation.
ANIM 363 3D Character Animation II- (2008-2019) By interpreting a script and other given materials to determine character and motivations, students explore more advanced aspects of 3-D character animation. Topics covered include sequence planning and pacing, subtle character gesture and advanced action timing with emphasis on observation.
ANIM 392 2D Character Animation III- (2008-2019)By interpreting a script and/or dialog tracks to determine character motivations and other unique traits of character personality, students in this course explore advanced aspects of 2-D character animation. The course addresses topics including sequence planning and pacing, subtle character gesture and thinking, and advanced action timing with emphasis on personal observation.
ANIM 393 3D Character Animation III-(2008-2019)This course extends the experience of 3-D character animators to replicate a studio environment. Class sessions are based on the industry practice of screening “dailies” and taking supervisor notes. Sequence exercises prioritize subtle performance texture by revealing character thought process in dialog and non-dialog sequences.
ANIM 304 Digital Cel Animation I– (2008-2019)In this course, students study 2-D animation that is created digitally. Students assess both the aesthetic and technical aspects of character animation as it relates specifically to a paperless pipeline.
ANIM 442 Digital Cel Animation II- (2008-2019) In this advanced animation course in 2-D digital animation, students use their knowledge of the media to produce a short animated film, learning in the process how to incorporate sound and render the output for broadcast. Course emphasis is on contemporary aesthetics and animation appeal.
ANIM 272 Principles of Screen Design- (2008-2010) Screen design is fundamental to animation communication. In this course, students expand upon traditional media skills and animation craft by adding the element of screen design. Through individual approach and expression in traditional and digital media, students communicate by juxtaposing and sequencing imagery to develop a sense of artist-audience construct and consequence. animation

Specialty Animation Courses

SCAD Pro Classes: SCAD pro is a collaborative innovation studio that connects selected students with industry professionals on professional productions.

Sesame Studios: SCAD Pro 580 (Spring 2020) Guided students through the process of development for online content from writing, story development, and character design, to animatics.
The Harlem Globetrotters and Herschend Entertainment: ANIM 330 Character Design (Winter 2016) Guided students through the character design process and development for an animated television series proposed by Herschend Entertainment and the Harlem Globetrotters. A pitch packet was developed for the client and is currently being used for production.
Adult Swim: SCAD Pro 580 (Fall 2017) Guided students in this animation course with the development and production of sixteen animated Bumpers for broadcast on Turner Broadcasting’s Adult Swim network on cable, and the Adult Swim YouTube Channel.
Adult Swim: SCAD Pro 580 (Fall 2016)
Adult Swim: ANIM 580 (Fall 2015)

Click to find out more information about the SCAD Animation department.