The Oatley Academy of Visual Storytelling

Q&A With Chris Oatley At Huntington University

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Versatility is making a comeback.

– Chris Oatley

Chris Oatley & Jenn Cooper are hosted by Bryan “Breadwig” Ballinger at Huntington University in Spring 2015.

Inspiring Highlights:

  • Inspiration vs. overwhelm.
  • When specialization is a distraction.
  • Productivity tips for collaborative projects.
  • What will studios look like in the future?
  • What Cloverfield can teach us about creating big projects on small budgets.
  • What LOST can teach us about character and Theme.
  • Why painting matters.

[Read more…]

Extended Interview: Aliki Grafft :: Prolific Animation Writer/Director Story Artist & Show Creator

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Aliki Theofilopoulos Grafft describes her career as “failing upward.”

She broke-in during the TV animation revolution and has since accumulated numerous impressive credits including: animated series creator, director, storyboard artist, writer, emmy-nominated songwriter and voice actor.

This Extended Interview Contains Almost Half An Hour Of Extra Audio:

  • The artistry and emotional power of cartoons.
  • How Aliki practically applied her love for cartoons.
  • Her adventures as a PA at Hanna Barbera.
  • And the rest is history? No!
  • Growing (painfully) through character design.
  • The art and heartbreak of pitching.
  • Phineas and Ferb.
  • Being a mom in animation.
  • The road maps of storytelling.

[Read more…]

Extended Interview: Jenn Ely :: The Winding Road To Laika (Part 1)

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Like the design of the world of The BoxTrolls, Jenn Ely‘s life is full of quirky twists and turns.

With stories like these, it’s no wonder she eventually got a job at Laika.

This Extended Interview Contains Almost One Hour Of Extra Audio:

  • More memories from the Emu farm.
  • Chris and Jenn’s tell stories of their weirdest and most ridiculously ambitious childhood art projects.
  • How Jenn transcended the discouragement from a bad teacher with the help of a good one.
  • How Jenn found sweet salvation in the world of illustration.
  • How Jenn created her own concept art curriculum at SCAD.
  • More ranting about the pointlessness of degrees.
  • How collaboration is vital to good Commercial Art.
  • Showing your artistic process within the art itself.
  • Why commercial viability is not always a compromise.

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DELETED SCENE: When A Character’s Emotions Get In The Way :: With Justin Copeland

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As you are building your portfolio, I believe that there is a nucleus that everything is derived from … and that nucleus, to me, is the story….

– Justin Copeland

Justin Copeland (Storyboard Artist for Marvel and Warner Bros.) talks about the challenge of finding truth in a character’s performance in this deleted Q&A segment from Chris Oatley’s ArtCast.

Inspiring Highlights:

  • The problem of phony emotions.
  • Understanding the true source of a character’s emotions.
  • Why “pencil mileage” matters.
  • Do I need to draw digitally?

[Read more…]

Connect With Us:

Whether you’re pursuing concept art, illustration, character design, storyboarding, comics, animation or children’s books, The Oatley Academy will help you become a professional Visual Storyteller. Please reach out! We would love to connect with you.