Overview of the class & teacher.   

This is a drawing class. It is based on old school, 2D animation and the principles that are its foundation. This is NOT a 3D, cgi class. We will not be animating with computers, but we will USE computers to record our drawings as motion pictures or "movies". It is also not a "masterclass" taught by a "master animator". I studied Walt Disney's lectures and movies as a child that were on Disney's TV show, "Walt Disney Presents". I grew up watching TV cartoons after school, enjoying Loony Tunes, Hanna/Barbera, & U.P.A. My Bachelor Of Arts degree in Animated Cinema was earned at San Francisco State University in the 1970s. I then won a Fulbright Award to do work/study at the Zagreb-Film Animation Studio in former Yugoslavia, with Oscar-nominated directors like Dragic, Grgic, Vukotic (Oscar winner),  & Gasparovic.

 I am a very experienced professional animator who has worked in Hollywood,  at the Zagreb Film Studio in Europe, and all over the San Francisco Bay Area as a freelance animator-for-hire. My birthplace and background is the San Francisco Bay Area in California. I have traveled all over Europe, to Japan, Mexico, & Canada, and now live in Oakland with my wife and our 5 cats. 

This animation class teaches how to draw for animation at the beginning levels. We start at the beginning, with the basics of the line, the 4 basic forms, and the line of action, and work our way up from there. Exercises have clear visual guidelines and references for students to follow to learn exactly how to animate by drawing. The principles of animation as taught by Disney greats Frank & Ollie are behind all the movement. We also study and use the Laws of Physics, especially regarding weight, gravity, and momentum. Exercises include moving objects, such as bowling balls and soap bubbles, natural phenomena such as rain, wind, and smoke, plus the movements of human beings.