Recommend Mentors!

I’m proud and excited to say, today marks the kick off of our Motivarti Mentorship Program!   As our mentors and mentees begin their work together, we here at Motivarti are working on developing the next round!

Right now, we’re still not completely sure when the next round will be, but the earliest time the next session would run would be in FALL 2012.  In that case, applications would be due before the end of Summer 2012.  Please join our mailing list, or on facebook or twitter for the latest updates.

However, we’re hoping to make the next round just as great as this one, so we’d love to hear who you’d like to see as a mentor.  So please leave a comment letting us know who you’d like to see as a mentor and we’ll do our best to expand our list!

Deadline Extension

For anyone still hoping to apply to the Motivarti Mentorship SPRING 2012 Program, you’re in luck!  We’re extending the deadline for applications until midnight (Pacific Standard Time) Wednesday, December 21, 2011.

*Please note, during the extension, we are only accepting on-line payments and on-line applications.  The PDF version of the application will no longer be available. 

We have a fantastic list of mentors.  Whether you’re hoping to get into visual development, concept design, storyboarding, animation, character design, or even children’s book illustration or theme park design we’ve striven to gather a variety of mentors just for you.

Kathy Altieri
Production Designer at DreamWorks Animation

Chris Alzmann
Senior Art Director at Industrial Light Magic

Lorelay Bové
Visual Development Artist/Designer at Disney Feature Animation

David Colman
Art Director  at Hasbro Animation Studios

Louie del Carmen
Story Artist at DreamWorks Animation

Craig Elliott
Character, Painter, Set and Prop Designer at Nickelodeon animation; Illustrator for Blizzard Entertainment

Leighton Hickman
Visual Development/Concept Artist for feature animation

Robert Kondo
Sets Art Director at Pixar Animation

Mark McDonnell
Designer/Instructor at The Walt Disney Company

Leuyen Pham
Children’s Book Illustrator at LeUyen Pham Illustration

Octavio Rodriguez
Story Artist at Pixar Animation

Chris Runco
Principal Concept Designerat Walt Disney Imagineering

Rad Sechrist
Story Artist at DreamWorks Animation

Scott Watanabe
Visual Development Artist at Disney Feature Animation

Mike Yamada
Visual Development Artist at DreamWorks Animation

Dean Yeagle
President at Caged Beagle Productions, Inc.

Victoria Ying
Visual Development Artist at Disney Feature Animation

Hurry and apply soon before you miss this last call!

3 Days Left!

Only 3 days left to apply to the SPRING 2012 round of our Motivarti Mentorship Program!  We’ve got a great list of amazing mentors and we can’t promise they’ll ever come back.  So if you’ve ever wanted to learned from them, this may be your only chance!  Applications are due Sunday, December 18th, 2011 by midnight (Pacific Standard Time).

Also, congrats to our Holiday Giveaway winner, Elaine Joy Pascua!

Lastly, our friends over at MakeSpace ARTS, are hosting a Life Drawing Boot Camp in early January taught by Holly Williams (daughter of animator Richard Williams, author of “The Animator’s Survival Kit“).  For more info, check out the flyer below:

Mentor of the Day: Scott Watanabe

Our last, but not least, amazing Motivarti Mentor: Scott Watanabe!

Scott Watanabe is a graduate from San Jose State University with a degree in animation/illustration. For the last 4 years, he has worked at Disney Feature Animation as a Visual Development Artist on Tangled, Paperman, and Wreck it Wralph. He is also the creator of the successful book, Peck and Paw and the Black Mirror.

Before becoming a full time visual development artist, Scott entered Walt Disney Feature Animation through their apprenticeship program.  In an article with The Scarament Bee Scott talks a little his time there:

Watanabe was lucky enough to be assigned two mentors: Bill Schwab, a Disney character director who worked on “Princess and the Frog,” and Raffaello Vecchione, a character sculptor whose creations help artists render three-dimensional computer-generated figures.

“He practically lived at the studio during his apprenticeship and impressed us right from the start,” said Schwab. “One of Scott’s many strengths was not only his ability to draw and create beautiful art, but to think. He is an idea person, which is a huge part of our job in visual development. Scott has definitely become a go-to artist at the studio.”

Some advice he gave to aspiring artists in the article: “Don’t stop drawing and don’t be afraid to come up to someone like me and show them your drawings at any time when you’re young. We’re all just normal people, and we’ve all been in your shoes.”

Check out his amazing work he’s done since then on his portfolio site and blog.

And now, Scott joins us as our final SPRING 2012 Motivarti mentor!  Scott is opening to taking on 3 mentor from anywhere in the world.  Scott is hoping to help nurture blossoming talent to it full potential.  He’s open to doing project-based assignments and portfolio revisions as well as share the industry knowledge he’s gathered.  Remember, there are only two weeks left to apply!

Mentor of the Day: Victoria Ying

From her Little Golden Book’s version of Tangled to her exquisite visual development pieces for Disney, Victoria Ying‘s artwork will bring a smile to your face.

Victoria Ying was raised in Southern California watching Disney Films and reading comic books. During middle school she’d already made up her mind that she wanted a career in the arts, and after high school attended Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California where she majored in Illustration with a minor in Entertainment Design. During an interview with Art Center College of Design, Victoria talks about her time spent there and why she wanted to attend.  She also talks about her thought process when designing:  “I like to try find worlds that the character can touch, things that the character can actually effect, and move the action forward as opposed to just being a princess and ‘oh, this stuff is just happening to me.’  So that’s the kind of thing I find interesting and if it’s not built into the story I try to build it into the story.”

Determined to pursue a career with Disney, she worked first at Imagineering before transitioning to her current position at Walt Disney Animation Studios as a Visual Development artist. Her work has appeared in the films Tangled, Prep and Landing, and many other up-coming, but as yet unannounced, projects.

In addition to her visual development work, Victoria Ying is an avid fashion illustrator.  You can view her beautiful illustrations on her website and her fashion blog, 3 Ways to Wear It.  Her art blog is also regularly updated with delightful and charming illustrations as well.  Many of them are little watercolor gems.  So be sure to check those out!

Now, with what spare time she has left, Victoria has joined her hubby, Mike Yamada, as a Motivarti Mentor!  Victoria is open to taking on 3 mentees from anywhere in the world!  She hopes her mentees will have “their own unique vision and is passionate about art of all kinds with an open mind and a good work ethic.”  Victoria is open to creating exercises tailored for her mentees if it would help them with some skills.  So whether you’re looking to jump to the next skill level or revising some portfolio pieces, Victoria is opening to helping you!   So apply soon to be Victoria’s mentee!