PLEASE READ THROUGH OUR FAQ CATEGORIES:
GENERAL QUESTIONS
DRAWING COURSE QUESTIONS
ANIMATION COURSE QUESTIONS
GENERAL
Q: What is the duration of each course?
A: Each live course is 10 weeks in length, at 3 hours per week. Dates vary with each session. Self teaching courses will be available in 2024.
Q: How do the live courses work?
A: Artists are expected to attend at the time of the course as the instruction is live and submit their weekly assignments. Classes will be recorded for artists to re-watch the lessons as needed during the session. There is homework to be submitted each week, and the following week starts with an interactive critique of the homework before the lesson. Studio Technique believes in mentoring and adapts a hands on approach with the artists enrolled.
Q: What are the dates for live sessions?
A: Our sessions follow the seasons - Fall, Winter, and Spring, with Summer workshops. Each course is 10 weeks long, with a break of a few weeks between each session. Please sign up for our mailing list and follow our updates to stay informed of dates and courses available in each session.
Q: Can I start classes after the session has begun?
A: No. The 10 week session is progressive and builds on the prior classes.
Q: Can I be placed in a level 2 or higher class without having taken the prior level?
A: No. The course design is progressive and builds on the lessons learned in the prior courses. It is more of a 30 or 40 week course (depending on the the animation or drawing track selection) that is divided into parts.
Q: What happens if I miss a class during the sessions?
A: The online classes are recorded and are available to enrolled artists to watch for the duration of their training at Studio Technique. You will be able to watch what you missed. We do not recommend that you miss sessions however, as each course offers time and personal critique to your work. You also will not be able to ask questions in following weeks about the missed weeks’ content as it is not fair to the other artists. For classes taught in our studio, we will help you catch up on what you’ve missed during your personal critique time.
Q: Can I selectively attend lessons and pay only for those that I attend during a 10 week session?
A: No, the classes are progressive and not designed as individual sessions.
Q: Are the lessons online or on location at Studio Technique?
A: We offer both online courses and on location courses at our studio. What is available depends on Samantha’s scheduling. Courses (live or online) are announced 6 weeks before the start of the next session. Online classes are in a live and interactive classroom, with limited placement. Students can ask questions and interact as if they were there in person. Whether on location or online, classes are limited in size to ensure that everyone receives quality feedback.
Q: Do I need a high speed internet connection for online courses?
A: Yes. Because sessions are are live and interactive, it is recommended to have a decent connection so you can stream the lessons. Online courses are recorded each week, so artists can re-watch lessons, however it is to your benefit to be able to participate and interact during the live session. You are also required to have a mic and webcam.
Q: Is there a forum or a way to interact with the community?
A: For students enrolled in online courses, there is an internal member’s community where artists can share work and get feedback from each other in between weekly courses.
Q: Does Studio Technique have an international exchange student program?
A: Studio Technique is an artistic training studio, not a college or a university. As such we do not offer the same sort of exchanges.
Q: Does Studio Technique offer a college/university degree? Is it accredited?
A: No. Studio Technique is a training studio for artists, not a university. Our courses are taken and often repeated by experienced professional artists who understand that mastering artistic techniques requires dedication and practice over time. Accrediting a course means that it must correspond to the equivalent level offered by government standards. Courses at studio technique are intensive masterclasses. We have no intention of compromising the training we offer so that it conforms to a general educational standard.
Q: Do you offer private classes/mentoring?
A: Yes, however mentoring is only available at selected times. Please apply when mentoring is available.
Q: What language are the classes taught in?
A: All our online courses are taught in English. However we can work with both English and French artists, as we are a bilingual studio.
Q: Does Studio Technique provide materials for on location courses?
A: We provide facilities such as easels, chairs, tables, and drawing boards for on location sessions. All other materials such as paper and drawing media are the responsibility of the artist.
DRAWING COURSES
Q: What are the different levels of drawing classes? How do I know what level of classes I should be in?
A: The Figure Drawing series starts at Movement & Form. Because of the techniques taught, we have had both professionals and amateurs enter at this level. We recommend having a base in perspective drawing (we have a tutorial available on perspective fundamentals that supplies the knowledge needed). Drawing: Essentials also provides an excellent base in drawing principles, some artists have taken it at the same time as Drawing: Movement & Form, or before starting our figure drawing series, however it is not mandatory. We have had wonderful feedback from artists who completed this course first, but if it is not available you can start at Drawing: Movement & Form and supplement it with the perspective tutorial if you feel you are not comfortable with 1 through 4 point perspectives.
Q: Can I take 2 different levels of drawing courses at the same time?
A: It depends on the courses. Some courses have prerequisites. If there is no prerequisite, then there is no problem in taking several drawing courses during the same session. For example, you can take Drawing: Essentials and Drawing: Movement & Form at the same time. Many artists have done so and have produced good results from the two together. However, Drawing: Anatomy is only available to artists who have completed Drawing: Movement & Form. You may also repeat a class at the same time that you take the next level (example: some artists chose to repeat Drawing: Movement & Form after completing it a first time, while also taking the next level of Drawing: Anatomy).
Q: What materials do I need for the Drawing courses?
A: Online: You need a sketchbook and drawing pencils. In our live studio location, we insist on 18 x 24 newsprint pads with Derwent Drawing pencils in ebony. We have all artists stand at easels. As online education is different, we recommend at least a larger sketchbook (11” x 14”) to allow for looser drawing. Of course you are welcome to set yourself up as though you were in the studio!
Studio (on location): Pad of newsprint paper (18” x 24”), and drawing pencils. Derwent Drawing pencils, china markers or graphite pencils are other options. If you have graphite pencils, make sure they are between 3B-7B. No HB's or H's. We recommend Derwent Drawing Pencils in ebony as the best choice as they offer the highest variety in line quality.
ANIMATION COURSES
Q: Does the animation class require that I take a drawing class beforehand?
A: It is recommended and to the artists’ advantage to have basic drawing tools for the Animation 1 class. Animation levels 2 to 4 become more complicated in character drawing and a basis in Drawing: Movement & Form is strongly recommended. Drawing: Movement & Form is designed for animators and animation drawing.
Q: Will Studio Technique be offering training in 3D animation software?
A: At Studio Technique we offer artistic training. We teach artists visual development and animation techniques. We train the artist in you, not the software technician. Software does not teach you how to animate. Moving rigs in software is not the same as animating with strong feature film principles. We have had past students working in 3D software, but we believe and insist that the value and quality of what we offer is best learned by working in 2D. As we are experienced in both media, we are able to help 3D artists translate the knowledge of 2D to their 3D work.
Q: What materials do I need for Animation?
A: You will need a peg bar, and a light box or animation table and disc. You will also need 12 field animation paper (make sure this is punched). You will also need HB-2B pencils, or col-erase pencils. You also will need to be able to line test your animation. This means compositing your drawings into a quicktime movie file. Digicel flipbook is a program designed for pencil test animation and it has a free version with a watermark. If you are an enrolled student, we can provide you with an educational discount code. We understand that many people are also used to working with digital tools.
We make corrections your work online using a Cintiq. However we do not recommend drawing and animating with this type of tool or other digital drawing tablets. It does not offer the level of control you will need to accomplish feature quality 2D animation, and will compromise your learning. If you have no other option, at least make sure you are not doing your animation drawing in vector based software.
Please watch our video on materials for the animation courses.