The Oatley Academy of Visual Storytelling

The OA Backstage Pass:

Available exclusively to students, The Backstage Pass includes our Escape From Art Jail series, live portfolio review sessions, hour-after-hour of extended interviews from The ArtCast, The Paper Wings Show and MORE!

DELETED SCENE: The Power Of A Focused Concept Art Portfolio :: With Paul Scott Canavan

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Being a concept artist is like being a five-year-old kid. You need to constantly be asking ‘Why?’

– Paul Scott Canavan

Paul Scott Canavan, Lead Concept Artist for Blazing Griffin, talks about how to know when you’re “good enough” to get hired as a concept artist.

Inspiring Highlights:

  • A common (but often invisible) barrier to becoming a “hirable” concept artist.
  • A surprisingly effective way to track your artistic growth.
  • How to check your art for clarity.
  • The value of a focused portfolio.
  • The cost of pursuing too many goals at once.

[Read more…]

Extended Interview: Jimmy Gownley :: From Self-Publishing to Scholastic

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Since he was 15 years old, Jimmy Gownley has never stopped breaking the rules of self-publishing.

He went from selling self-published comics in the hallways of his high school to huge publishing deals with both Simon & Schuster AND Scholastic.

This Extended Interview Contains 40 Minutes Of Extra Audio:

  • It all started with Peanuts.
  • The Dumbest Idea Ever.
  • The rise of independent comics in the 80’s.
  • Jimmy shares about getting Amelia Rules published.
  • Understanding how story works.
  • Challenges of being a writer who draws.

[Read more…]

Extended Interview: Jenn Ely :: The Winding Road To Laika (Part 2)

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In part one, Jenn Ely regaled us with tales of alligators, emu burgers and art school…

Now, Jenn talks about her time at The Savannah College Of Art & Design (SCAD) as well as her mentorship with Dreamworks Production Designer Kathy Altieri.

…but most of the episode is, as promised, about her time at Laika.

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

  • What drew Jenn to animated film rather than games.
  • How she connected with OA and Visual Development..
  • Jenn explains her need for a mentor who would not hold back..
  • It’s important to recognize the roadblocks, not just the “good parts.”.
  • Look for people who understand you and want to invest in you.
  • Is your fear bigger than your desire?
  • Consider what others need from you, rather than what they can do for you.
  • Jenn gives detail of the creative process she experienced at Laika.
  • Life comes full circle as she joins OA to teach!

[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.

[Read more…]

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…]

Deleted Scene: Who Can Steal Your Confidence?

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I heard from yet another art student who received yet another harsh-but-unhelpful critique from an industry butthead and I just had to drop everything I was doing to talk to my Magic Box students about it…

I cover three main points in this 20-minute rant.

The first two points are related:

  1. How to deal with a harsh critique from an industry butthead.
  2. How to respond when negative feedback wipes you out.

I wrap it up with a challenge to deliver stronger concepts, stronger ideas in your work and how to “invent the future” of games, animation, comics etc…

[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.