Summer Camps
2024 Summer Camps Are Open for Registration!
Just a few spots left! Grab them before they’re gone!
5 Fantastic Camps to Choose From!
For the past 10 years students travel from around the globe and across North America to attend one of PortPrep’s acclaimed Summer Portfolio Camps in Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Students that attend our camps and programs get accepted to top ranked art and design schools.
Back by popular demand are the 5th Annual Youth Animation Summer Camp, the 10th Animation Portfolio Summer Camp, and the 5th Annual Architecture & Design Summer Camp!
Plus 2 new portfolio skill development camps! Figure Drawing and Urban Environment Drawing!
Here’s what each camp is all about…
NEW CAMP! The Figure Drawing Camp August 18 to 21 is for students ages 16 to 20+ who aim to improve their figure drawing skills for illustration, art and animation portfolios. Learn about anatomy, form and line weight from Seneca, Sheridan and Humber professors, including the award winning illustrator Werner Zimmermann! This camp is available as a day camp, day + evening camp and as an overnight camp with meals and accommodations.
NEW CAMP! The Urban Environment Drawing Camp August 4 to 10 is for students ages 15 to 20+ interested in art, animation, architecture or illustration. Students will learn how to draw perspectives of the urban and natural environments with people from observation and theory. The drawings will be converted into stylized layout art, illustrations or concept sketches for use in college application portfolios. This camp is available both as a day and as an overnight camp with 2 day time classes and 1 evening workshop per day.
The Youth Animation Summer Camp August 4 to 10 is for students aged 11-15, and helps to build the preliminary skills necessary for studying animation later in their lives. It is 6 days long, with 2 workshops per day, some evening games and activities, and overall is just a ton of fun culminating in a presentation of the story at the Open House Event at the end of the camp. There is the option of adding on our accommodation and meal plan to make the experience complete.
The Animation Portfolio Summer Camp August 11 to 18 is for students aged 15-20, and provides a great simulation of what it would feel like to work at a big animation studio making a film. There is character creation, background design, storyboarding, and even life drawing (a critical skill for success in animation). Students will be creating work that they can use in their portfolio to submit to colleges. It is 7 days long, with 2 workshops per day, and some evening programming and games. Like the Youth Animation Camp, there is the option of adding on the accommodation and meal plan.
The Architecture and Design Summer Camp July 28 to August 3 is for students aged 15-25, and provides a wonderful experience to start creating unique artworks for your architecture or design portfolios. It is 6 days long, with 2 workshops per day, and 1 evening class. There is the option of adding on the accommodation and meal plan.
Click the links below to learn more about each camp and see photos of the workspace and accommodations.
Read the camp cancellation policy HERE
Youth Animation Summer Camp
Youth Animation Summer Camp Details
Dates: August 5 to 10, 2024
Check In for Overnight Camp at Residence: 4 to 7 pm Sunday August 4
Check Out for Day and Overnight Camp at Classroom: Sat August 10, 7:30 PM
Format: Summer 2024 is run as an in-person day and overnight camp
Hours: 9:30 am to 5 pm, 7 to 8:30 pm
Camp Studio Location: 10C Shared Space, 3rd Floor Activity Room, 42 Carden St, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, across from Guelph City Hall
Camp Residence: In Guelph Junction area- we do not publish the location for the security of our campers. You will be emailed the location in the welcome email.
Materials: Drawing materials like pencils, pens, markers, pencil crayons, eraser, ruler and sketchbook. Laptop computer, tablet/ipad or smart phone is an asset but not essential. Specialized materials are supplied and are part of the fee. For full usage of all supplies pay $15 materials fee.
Order Art Supply Kit: Contact Us to request a supply kit for $80 ART SUPPLY LIST LINK
Duration: 6 days
Skill Level: Beginner to intermediate. Just bring your interest in drawing and telling stories and we will help you develop the skills to bring your stories and characters to life!
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9:30 to 10 AM Drop Off
10 AM to 12 PM Morning Class
12:00 to 1 PM Lunch Break lunch provided or go out to local venues
1:30 to 4:30 PM Afternoon Class
5 to 6:00 Pick Up Time/After Care
5:00 to 7 PM Dinner Break
7 to 8:30 PM Games, Outings, Movies and Guest Speakers
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We take your teen's talent seriously at PortPrep. We don't just provide playful drawing activities in our animation camp; we provide skilled instruction on how to develop a strong drawing practice. PortPrep believes in hiring specialized experienced and mature instructors rather than the typical recent grads or high school students so many art camps employ. PortPrep is recognized as the destination for high school seniors working on preparing their animation portfolios for colleges like Sheridan, Seneca or Calarts. Our youth instructors are professors from Humber College's Dual Credit Art Programs. So if you are looking to foster your kid's talents, you can rest assured that they are in good hands at our art camp.
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Keep your creative kid engaged this summer in this collaborative experience and glimpse into the world of animation. The campers will co-create a series of storyboards and a cast of characters over the 5 day camp.Each student learns how to design and draw one of the characters in the co-written story.Students bounce their ideas off each other as each student draws their own character plus one of their classmate's characters into one of the scenes in the overall storyboard.The final result is cut together into an animatic the students can keep to remember their experience in this interactive camp. There's plenty of laughs and interaction in our the online version of our youth animation camp!
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Campers discover how to take their love of drawing fanart into creating their own original characters and stories, giving them greater confidence and igniting their imaginations. This camp helps develop the creative thinking and originality they will need if your teen decides to study animation in college one day. So many professional animators start young with their love of cartooning! Give your teen a great foundation in cartoon drawing with the experienced art instructors at PortPrep.
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One of our favourite things about working with teens is watching their confidence grow along with their drawing skills! We encourage each camper's creativity and unique visions and provide positive input along with the design and drawing instruction. Even shy or self-doubting kids start to shine with joy in confidence as the week progresses. We look forward to meeting your teen or pre-teen and watching their confidence grow!
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PortPrep and 10C Shared Space create an inclusive environment where your teen can feel safe to express who they are as creative and unique individuals.
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All PortPrep instructors, TAs, camp counsellors, den mother and property managers have been vetted through official Vulnerable Sector Police Checks. PortPrep has been vetted by the Upper Grand District School Board as a trusted co-op provider. The venue at 10C Shared Space is a secure members only building with a visitor’s log and a staffed front desk.
Students are required to stay together in groups when taking lunch breaks or on outings and are accompanied by a camp counsellor or instructor.
The Summer Camp Director is the only camp personnel permitted to drive students between the residence and the studio.
Camp Availability Update:
4 overnight spots available 2024
4 day camp spots available 2024
Versions of Camp
Just the Day Camp: With this version of the camp, you sign up for the 2 workshops during the day, but not the evening lessons and games. Parents will also have to pick up their kid once the workshops are done each day.
Day + Evening Camp: This version includes both day and evening programming, and meals.
Day + Evening + Overnight Camp: This is our most popular bundle! It includes both day and evening programming, as well as accommodate and meals provided.
Meet our instructors here.
Animation Portfolio Summer Camp
Animation Portfolio Camp Details
Dates: August 12 to 18, 2024
Check In for Overnight Camp: Sunday August 11, 4 to 7 pm
Check Out for Day and Overnight Camp: Sunday August 18, 7:30 PM
Format: Summer 2024 is run as an in-person day and overnight camp
Hours: 10 am to 5 pm, 7 to 9 pm
Camp Studio Location: 10C Shared Space, 4th Floor Community Classroom,
42 Carden St, Guelph, Ontario, Canada across from Guelph City Hall
Camp Residence: In Guelph Junction area- we do not publish the location for the security of our campers. You will be emailed the location in the welcome email.
Materials: Bring your own drawing materials like pens, pencils, markers, eraser, ruler and sketchbook. Laptop computer, tablet/iPad or smart phone is helpful but not necessary. 1 stick conte and 1 pad of 18” x 24” newsprint are provided by PortPrep for the figure drawing workshops.
Art Supply Kit: If you would like to order a supply kit for $80, or $20 materials fee. Contact Us to order. ART SUPPLY LIST LINK
Duration: 7 days
Who Should Come to this Camp: Beginner to intermediate. If you find yourself drawing a lot of characters, sketching friends, and if you’re thinking about studying animation, illustration or concept art in college or university then this summer camp is for you!
Availability Update:
Day Camp and Overnight Camp.
Overnight Camp has 3 spots available
Day Camp has 4 spots available.
You can register for Day Camp + Evening Camp + Meals to access the same programming but find your own accommodations in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Contact Us for recommendations.
Description
We specifically focus on building the skills that most students find the most challenging (and that are often lacking in high-school art courses) like drawing the human figure, hands, character design, and drawing interior and exteriors using perspective. We teach sound drawing methodologies that you can use to increase your drawing accuracy and fluency. After jump-starting your creative vision and ability to capture what you see in your drawings, we will further hone your drawing abilities by introducing you to the study of geometric form and anatomy. There is both individual and teamwork involved in this camp, but we start very gradually so that everyone feels very welcome.
This summer camp is meant to give you a snapshot of the process that an actual animation studio would go through to develop the “pre-production” of a feature film or TV show, so we’ll be designing characters, locations, and making storyboards as if we were to “pitch” it to a larger studio. For those continuing into an animation program, these components are a big part of the portfolio!
Boost your chance of acceptance into top ranked animation programs like Sheridan, Seneca and CalArts
Versions of Camp
Just the Day Camp: With this version of the camp, you sign up for the 2 workshops during the day, but not the evening lessons and games. Parents will also have to pick up their kid once the workshops are done each day.
Day + Evening + Meals: Select this version for all the programs and meals if you prefer to find your own accommodations or when the Overnight Camp is full.
Day + Evening + Overnight Camp: This is our most popular bundle! It includes both day and evening programming, as well as accommodate and meals provided.
This is our most popular summer camp! In it, you’ll learn how to design great characters and backgrounds to bring your stories into reality. Much of the exercises and assignments are directly applicable for the entry portfolios for studying animation at Sheridan, Seneca, or CalArts. You will also be learning crucial drawing skills such as perspective and figure drawing, which are applicable to a wide array of different fields within art (especially for the college portfolios). This course really acts as an intense one-week simulation of what it would be like to work at an animation studio.
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Arrival Time: 9:30 to 10 AM
Morning Workshop: 10 to 12:30
Lunch: 12:30 to 2 PM
Afternoon Workshop: 2 to 4:30 PM
Clean Up Time: 4:30 to 5 PM
Pick Up: 5 to 6 PM
Dinner Break 5 to 7PM
Evening Outings and Programming: 7 to 9 PM
Quiet Time at Camp Residence: 10 pm
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Our camp instructors experienced professional artists, illustrators or animators. Several of our instructors are professors at top ranked art colleges including Sheridan and Seneca. Recent grads and current animation students work as TAs and come as guest speakers to share how they got accepted into animation programs. Meet our instructors here.
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All PortPrep instructors, TAs, camp counsellors, den mother and property managers have been vetted through official Vulnerable Sector Police Checks. PortPrep has been vetted by the Upper Grand District School Board as a trusted co-op provider. The venue at 10C Shared Space is a secure members only building with a visitor’s log and a staffed front desk.
Students are required to stay together in groups when taking lunch breaks or on outings. The Summer Camp Director is the only camp personnel permitted to drive students.
PortPrep, the Camp Residence and 10C Shared Space create an inclusive environment where students can be free to express their unique personalities.
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10 C Shared Space is just down the street from Guelph’s train and bus depot. If you are travelling from outside of Canada Contact Us if you need assistance with an airport, shuttle.
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2 possible check in times:
Sunday Aug 11 between 4 and 7 pm at Camp Residence. An email will be sent to you with the address.
Monday Aug 12 between 8:30 am and 10 am at 10C Shared Space, 42 Carden St, 4th Floor Community Classroom.
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Follow THIS LINK to fill in the PortPrep Camp Registration Form. A welcome email will also be sent to you with a link to the form.
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TBA
Architecture & Design Summer Camp
Architecture Portfolio Camp Details
Dates: July 29 to August 3
Check In for Overnight Camp: Sunday July 28 4 to 7 pm
Check Out for Day and Overnight Camp: Saturday August 3 7:30 PM
Format: Summer 2024 is run as an in-person day and overnight camp
Hours: 9 am to 4 pm, 7 to 9 pm
Camp Studio Location: 10C Shared Space, 2nd Floor Heritage Room,
42 Carden St, Guelph, Ontario, Canada across from Guelph City Hall
Camp Residence: University of Guelph, East Village Townhouses, East Ring Road. Meals provided by University of Guelph Cafeteria.
Materials: Bring your own drawing materials like pens, pencils, markers, eraser, steel ruler, utility or Xacto knife and sketchbook. Laptop computer, tablet/iPad or smart phone is helpful but not necessary. Specialized papers and boards for building models and creating paintings and collages are supplied as part of the camp fee. ART SUPPLY LIST LINK
Art Supplies Fee: Supplies for workshops are provided. Additional supplies available locally at Wyndham Art Supplies. Supply Kit :$180 or pay a materials fee to borrow for $75
Duration: 6 days
Who Should Come to this Camp: Those who are 15-25 years old and interested to study architecture, interior design or industrial design, and need to build a portfolio that will ensure their success!
Availability Update:
Day Camp & Evening Camp available.
Overnight Camp has 4 spots available
Day Camp has 6 spots available.
You can register for Day Camp + Evening Camp + Meals to access the same programming but find your own accommodations in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Contact Us for recommendations.
Description
Making Creative Design Portfolios
In PortPrep’s Architecture and Design Summer Camp you will learn what types of art works and designs to include in your art portfolio. In this camp, we discuss the fundamental design principles you need to create strong designs and how to draw and present your ideas via concept sketches, renderings, models, sculptures, and artworks. This year we will be focusing on creating abstract paper sculptures/models/fantasy architecture and low relief collage and mixed media sculptures as creative artworks for student portfolios. You will learn how to move through the design process and how to come up with intriguing ideas and artworks that will make your art portfolio stand out!
Our goal with this camp is to give students a taste of what is required from them to make their portfolios, and to teach them how to think like an artist that is capable of being in competitive architecture and design professions.
Versions of Camp
Just the Day Camp: With this version of the camp, you sign up for the 2 workshops during the day, but not the evening lessons and games. Parents will also have to pick up their kid once the workshops are done each day.
Just the Evening Camp: With this version of the camp, you sign up for just the evening lessons. Parents will also have to pick up their kid once the workshops are done each evening.
Day + Evening + Meals: Select this version for all the programs and meals if you prefer to find your own accommodations or when the Overnight Camp is full.
Day + Evening + Overnight Camp: This is our most popular bundle! It includes both day and evening programming, as well as accommodate and meals provided.
Meet our instructors here.
See the East Village Townhouses here
PortPrep Student Residence at University of Guelph East Village Townhouses
Figure Drawing Summer Camp
Figure Drawing Summer 3 Day Camp Details
Dates: Monday August 19 to Wednesday August 21
Check In for Overnight Camp: Sunday August 18, 4 to 7 pm
Check Out for Day and Overnight Camp: Wednesday August 21, 8 PM
Format: Summer 2024 is run as an in-person day and overnight camp
Hours: 10 am to 5 pm, 7 to 9 pm
Camp Studio Location: W Zimmermann Studio at Catch 23 Studio.
23 Wyndham St North, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Camp Residence: In Guelph Junction area- we do not publish the location for the security of our campers. You will be emailed the location in the welcome email.
Materials: Pay a materials fee or bring your own drawing materials including B and 2B conte crayons, 2 pads of 18” x 24” newsprint LINK TO SUPPLY LIST
Art Supplies Fee: Supplies for workshops are provided for $20 cash. Supplies available locally at Wyndham Art Supplies.
Duration: 3 days
Who Should Come to this Camp: Those who are 16-25 years old and interested in studying art, animation or illustration.
Description
If you are working on a portfolio for animation or illustration you will need to develop strong figure drawing skills. This camp brings you a unique opportunity to study with an award winning illustrator and anatomy professor from Seneca and Sheridan Animation programs, Werner Zimmermann. In this 3 day workshop you will learn human anatomy, how to capture the 3D form and volume, draw effective gestures that capture movement and convey weight distribution, and use conte to create dynamic line weights. Draw from the skeleton, muscular models and live models. Further insights will be revealed to you via evening workshops with Sheridan and Humber professor Karen Kesteloot and tutorial videos from the Animation Tutor, Garth Laidlaw. Note that students must be a min of 16 years of age to register for this course.
To view Werner Zimmermann’s drawings visit his instagram and websites:
https://www.instagram.com/man4art/ https://wernerzimmermann.ca/ https://man4art.blogspot.com/
See the Backyard Bunkie at the residence here
Versions of Camp
Just the Day Camp: With this version of the camp, you sign up for the 2 workshops during the day, but not the evening lessons and games. Parents will also have to pick up their kid once the workshops are done each day.
Day + Evening + Meals: Select this version for the day workshops and evening program plus meals or if you prefer to find your own accommodations or when the Overnight Camp is full.
Day + Evening + Overnight Camp: This is our most popular bundle! It includes both day and evening programming, as well as accommodations and meals.
Availability Update:
Overnight Camp has 1 spot available
Day Camp has 2 spots available
Sign up for Day Camp + Evening Program + Meals..
Urban Environment Drawing Summer Camp
Description:
Learn how to sketch the urban environment for your art portfolio. This 6 day camp develops perspective drawing skills for students applying to architecture, animation, or illustration programs in college and university under the expert guidance of art profs and grads from Sheridan, Seneca and Humber colleges. Two classes of 3 hours each per day focusing on observational drawing of urban scenes with myself as an architectural illustrator with over 30 years experience teaching perspective drawing in art and design colleges and universities and by award-winning illustrator Werner Zimmermann and former figure drawing professor from Sheridan and Seneca Animation ProgramsStudents will learn how to draw accurate perspectives and people in the urban environment from direct observation while picking up skills in drawing natural elements in an appropriate style for their program of choice. Our instructors will share how to convert the observational plein air sketches into stylized layouts for animation or convert them into appealing concept sketches for architecture. Illustration students will learn how to grab the essence of a scene with strong line weight contrast and form suitable for their application portfolios.
See Werner's work here: https://www.instagram.com/man4art/. https://wernerzimmermann.ca/. https://man4art.blogspot.com/
Urban Environment Drawing Camp Details
Dates: August 5 to 10, 2024
Check In for Overnight Camp at Residence: 4 to 7 pm Sunday August 4
Check Out for Day and Overnight Camp: Sat August 10, 7 PM
Format: Summer 2024 is run as an in-person day and overnight camp
Hours: 10 am to 5 pm, 7 to 9pm
Camp Studio Locations:
Downtown Guelph at 10C Shared Space 45 Carden St
Downtown Guelph at Werner Zimmermann’s Catch 23 Studio at 23 Wyndham St N
Downtown Guelph cafes and Royal City Park
University of Guelph campus and arboretum.
Camp Residence: University of Guelph, East Village Townhouses, East Ring Road. Meals provided by University of Guelph Cafeteria.
Materials: Drawing materials like pencils, pens, markers, eraser, ruler, sketchbook or tablet/ipad and smart phone is an asset but not essential. Specialized materials are supplied and are part of the fee. Borrow supplies for a Materials fee of $20
Order Art Supply Kit: Contact Us to request a supply kit for $70 SUPPLY LIST LINK
Duration: 6 days
Skill Level: Beginner to intermediate. Just bring your interest in drawing and capturing life in the urban environment.
Who should take this camp? Architecture, animation, illustration, landscape architecture and art students wanting to strengthen their observational perspective drawing skills and ability to sketch people in the urban environment.
Availability Update:
Overnight Camp has 2 spots available
Day Camp has 4 spots available
Sign up for Day Camp + Evening Program + Meals.. 4 spots available
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In the daytime workshops we go out drawing street or park scenes from direct observation and create sketches. Students will draw both people in the urban environment, elements within the environment and learn how to effectively observe and draw the forms and textures of trees and plants.
Morning Session: 10 am to 1 pm
Afternoon Session 2 to 5 pm
Cost of Day Camp is $895
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In the evening workshops we take the studies made during the day and convert them into finished drawings by adding shading and line weight variation, applying stylization, adding imaginative elements or making design changes. They will learn about visual communication, composition, hierarchy of contrasts and line weights.The students will learn from professionals and recent graduates in the following fields: animation, architecture and illustration. Dinner is included in the evening programming.
Dinner Break: 5 to 7 pm
Evening Session: 7 to 9 pm
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-Perspective theory and the picture plane, eye level, 1, 2 and 3 point perspective
-Observational perspective drawing and sight measuring, accuracy and methodology
-Urban and natural environments in perspective
-Adding people and characters into environments
-People in the urban environment
-Layout design, stylization of the natural environment into design sketches
-Visual communication, composition, hierarchy of contrasts and line weights
See the East Village Townhouses here
Versions of Camp
Just the Day Camp: With this version of the camp, you sign up for the 2 workshops during the day, but not the evening lessons.
Day + Evening + Meals: Select this version for the day workshops plus dinner and the evening workshops or if you prefer to find your own accommodations or when the Overnight Camp is full.
Day + Evening + Overnight Camp + Meals: This is our most popular bundle! It includes both day and evening programming, as well as accommodations and meals.
Summer Camp Instructors
Karen Kesteloot
Summer Camp Director
Karen studied interior design and fine art. She mentors architecture and interior design students in creating their application portfolios. As a fine artist, Karen mentors illustration students and teaches drawing skills to youth and beginner level animation students.
Karen teaches:
Hand drawing and perspective in the Animation Portfolio Camp.
Architecture & design courses and camp.
Youth art mentoring & camps
Drawing Fundamentals for animation students
Personal Mentorships for illustration students.
Werner Zimmermann
Seneca Guest Instructor
Werner is our guest Instructor from Seneca’s animation program. He’s a bestselling Canadian children's author and illustrator and specializes in figure drawing, anatomy, and storytelling.
Werner teaches:
Hand and figure anatomy at the Animation Portfolio Summer Camp
Figure drawing workshops
Robert Virtu
Industrial Design Tutor
Robert Virtu is a graduate of Humber Industrial Design with experience in the worlds of industrial, interior and graphic design. Robert is a motivating design professor who excels at teaching students to sketch bold and captivating concept sketches.
Robert Teaches:
Architecture & Design Portfolios Summer Camp
Personal Mentorships in design drawing and design portfolios.
Garth Laidlaw
The Animation Tutor
Garth studied Animation at Sheridan College and leads the Animation Portfolio Summer Camp and is the Animation Tutor at PortPrep. He teaches the story, character design, layout, and storyboarding classes. Garth is PortPrep’s lead animation tutor.
Garth teaches:
Animation Portfolio Summer Camp
Series of animation portfolio courses including World Building 1 & 2, Animation Fundamentals 1 & 2, Figure Drawing & Anatomy, Digital Painting and more!
Personal Mentorships for animation, illustration and game design students.
Mark Thurman
Sheridan Guest Instructor
Mark teaches first year figure drawing at Sheridan College’s Animation Program. He works with hundreds of students every year, and is an expert in anatomy, gesture, and sustained drawing. Mark has extensive experience as a comic book and magazine illustrator and figurative artist.
Mark teaches:
Figure drawing at the Animation Portfolio Summer Camp
Lucy Ray
Youth Animation Tutor
Lucy Ray is a graduate of Seneca 3D Animation and the Toronto Film School. Lucy has worked as a layout artist and illustrator, and filmmaker. Lucy provides insights into story structure for our animation campers.
Lucy teaches:
Story structure in Youth Animation Summer Camp & Animation Portfolio Summer Camp
Youth Monthly Mentor
Zen Rankin
Lead Youth Drawing Tutor
Zen studied Illustration at Sheridan College and assists our younger artists to move past their bad habits and become the artists they were meant to be! Zen provides mind-set mentoring to animation & illustration portfolio students.
Zen teaches:
Youth Monthly Mentor
Mind-set mentoring
Personal Mentorships
Scott Mooney
Youth and Illustration Tutor
Scott graduated from University of Guelph’s Studio Art Program and is an award winning freelance illustrator, animator and comic book artist who leads the Youth Animation Camp.
Scott teaches:
Youth Summer Animation Camp
In person or online Youth Monthly Mentor
In person or online lessons within the Personal Mentorships to illustration students