Workshop 01

FORCE Animation

What better way to understand FORCE Drawing than to go to the source of where it started, Animation! Mike will share with you how to animate with the concept of FORCE! Sharing his time at Disney Feature Animation, you'll learn how he furthered his knowledge with FORCE! This workshop includes:

• Bouncing Ball, the ultimate battle!
• Building and releasing FORCE
• FORCE in arcs and timing
• FORCE of good ol' squash and stretch
• The Leading Edge and its use in animation
• Hierarchical animating
• Tracking shapes and keeping volumes!

After this workshop, you’ll better understand how to animate with FORCE and how that  leads to better FORCE Drawing.  Make those animations and drawing come to life!

Workshop 02

Seeing FORCE and Uncovering Rhythms

Escape the monotony of dead, stiff drawings and unleash the dynamic and breathtaking essence of life in your drawings, and transform the way you perceive the world. Dive into the art of visual rhythm, discover the pulsating energy within the human form, and master the skill of capturing this vitality on the page. We’ll equip you with the fundamentals of FORCE Line, setting a solid groundwork for a summer filled with artistic growth and exploration. Join us, and see the unseen:

• The types of FORCES, and their impact on the figure.
• Identifying FORCES in model reference. Where are darn FORCES and how do they work?
• How to Draw and Connect through to generate rhythms.

After this workshop, you’ll have tools to start drawing figures that are more dynamic and present the rhythms of the figure!

Workshop 03

Perspective and Form

Are you struggling with perspective,? Ar you drawing flat and lacking form? Do you have a hard time drawing boxes from imagination and knowing how to use them within the figure? Do your figure drawings suffer from stiffness due to construction? In this workshop, students will learn how to add FORCEful 3-dimensionality to their drawings.

• How to use The GRID!
• Turning edges and loafs of bread!
• Keep a figure alive with form!

After this Workshop, you’ll know more about how to get perspective and form into your figures!  Construction is one third of the skills to becoming a great line artist.

Workshop 04

Draw Appealing Figures with FORCE Shape

Do you love Disney and Pixar films and the style of their characters? Do you want your work to look as beautiful and appealing? Learn the secrets these studios use to create appeal and how to apply this to your figure drawings in this exciting workshop. Lessons learned here can later be used for your beautiful character designs as well. Join us on an exhilarating journey where you'll learn how to infuse your figure drawings with the same charm and allure seen in beloved animated classics:

• Forceful and unforceful shapes.
• Thinking in terms of shape instead of just line.
• Silhouette (positive & negative shapes).
• Overlaps.
• Filling shapes with form (Wrapping Lines and Turning Edges).
• Use the shape checklist.

You'll know the secrets behind creating appealing shapes for your characters!

Workshop 05

How to Draw Figures with Clear Story

Are you feeling frustrated with your drawings? Do you find yourself struggling to capture the dynamic poses and emotions you envision? You're not alone. Many artists face the challenge of translating their ideas onto paper in a compelling way.

But fear not! There are tools and techniques available to help you bridge that gap between imagination and execution. By learning to identify and address common issues in your drawings, you can elevate your art to new heights.

Say goodbye to stiff, lifeless characters and hello to vibrant, expressive creations that tell a story with every stroke. Join us on a journey of improvement and discovery as we explore the secrets to crafting clear, emotive poses that captivate your audience.

With the right guidance and practice, you too can unlock the potential of your drawings and unleash your creativity like never before. Join us and transform your art from ordinary to extraordinary!

:

• Elements of clear posing:
• Examples of unclear and clear poses.
• Story: 
• Iteration: experiment to find the best solution; don’t settle with one drawing.

After this Workshop, you’ll know enough to design clear and exciting poses that present story.

Workshop 06

FORCE Character Design with Story

What is it about Batman, Mario, Mickey Mouse, and Goku that captivates our hearts and stands the test of time? These iconic characters have etched themselves into the collective consciousness, but what sets them apart?

Delve into the fascinating world of character design with us as we explore the secrets behind these beloved figures. Discover the artistry and ingenuity that goes into crafting characters that resonate with audiences worldwide. The Character Designer position is one of the most sought after in the world of art and rightfully so, there is no great film, comic or tv show without great characters.  Join us and learn why and how to design your own:

• What makes a character unique?
  
• What makes a character memorable?
• The meaning behind shapes
• What are three main body types?
• Discover more than 5 new concepts that help you further define your character.

After this workshop, you’ll have a deeper understanding on how to approach designing your own unique and memorable characters!

Workshop 07

FORCE Head Drawing

Ah! You’ve been drawing heads, ummm….but wait! Do your head drawings still feel lifeless and you have no idea what you’re doing wrong?  Do you know how to make those head drawings more emotional and expressive? I got you covered ! 

The human head holds emotional and expressive weight, while also serving as the gateway to capturing a person's likeness and the depth of their soul through their eyes. Join me in this exhilarating, fun-filled workshop as we uncover the deeply hidden secrets of drawing heads.

:

• We’ll start with drawing FORCEs of the head. Discover the way to connect the head to the body and not make them look like separate parts.
• Uncover the simplistic methods that I develop over years of drawing heads, without getting into mathematical or geometric terms. Simple and sweet.
• We’ll deep dive into Skulls! The skull is the underlying structure of the head and encases everything that we see on the surface. Mastering the skull will allow you to tackle even the perspective of the head so your drawings don't look skewed.
• Now that we've tackled drawing skulls, putting features on top is a breeze! In our upcoming workshop, we'll explore a variety of faces, including male, female, and baby faces. Get ready to uncover the distinct features that set them apart and learn how to bring each one to life with confidence and ease!

After this Workshop, you’ll know how to draw faces and the head with more expression instead of just a box.

Workshop 08

FORCE Hands and Feet

Are you ready for an epic 2-hour drawing extravaganza? No more hiding hands and feet in pockets or shoes - let's bring them out into the spotlight and give your characters some serious personality. Join me for a fun-filled workshop where we'll crack the code to mastering these tricky subjects with FORCE drawing fundamentals and pizzazz. Ditch the boring measurements and pencil-blocking techniques! In this workshop, we're all about injecting excitement and drama into drawing hands and feet. Get ready to unleash your creativity and express these body parts with flair and enthusiasm! It's gonna be a blast! All levels welcome ! :):

• Unveil the secrets to kickstart your hand and foot drawing journey with straightforward techniques and easy-to-follow rhythms
• Master the art of translating those rhythms into expressive hands and feet, perfect for quick and lively gesture drawing sessions.
• Explore the structure of hands and feet, as it is essential for understanding their anatomy.
• We’ll be exploring both traditional and digital media, together! We'll experiment with various tools to achieve the same fantastic results. It's all about finding what works best for you, so let's dive in and have some creative fun!
•  After a week of unleashing your creativity, it's time for the grand finale: a thrilling feedback session! Submit your assignments, and get ready for live critiques filled with fun and excitement!

After this workshop, you’ll have tools draw hands and feet with the most exciting and expressive way to draw hands and feet!

Workshop 09

Comics

Have you thought of writing and illustrating your own comic? Not sure where to start but you have this great idea you've been sitting on for some time? Maybe you love comics and want to draw one yourself or you want to draw for Marvel or DC. Join and get a step closer to those goals:

• Get Basic story structure
• Discover how to layout a page
• Learn powerful composition tricks
• Quick tricks on how to place figures in perspective in those compositions
• How to use the "gutters, the space between the panels.

After this workshop, you’ll have tools to start working on your comic!

Workshop 10

Storyboarding 101

Do you love films and/or tv shows? Do you love story? Do you have a story you want to tell? Want to know about the skills you need to board and do it well?  Mike will share with you the most common mistakes and their solutions in this entertaining and educational workshop!:

• How to know what the right amount of panels to draw to tell story!
• Simple composition tricks to support story!
• Many camera moves and framing

After this Workshop, you’ll know enough to start boarding your own film.

Workshop 11

FORCE Animal Drawing into Creature Design!

Are you hungry to design your own creatures? Do you love seeing all the aliens, monsters and unique races found in the sci-fi and fantasy genres across film, tv, comics and more? In this workshop, students will learn how to build on the principles of FORCE: Animal Drawing and analyze the works of top industry professionals, discovering what makes for inspiring creature design:

•  How to make creatures relatable and appealing
• Learn about different creature design from the abstract to incredibly real.
• Discover how to design your creatures through the filter of function and make them believable!
• Get story and personality into your creature designs!

After this Workshop, you’ll know enough to get started on designing your own unique, creatures with story, function and personality.

Workshop 12

FORCE Rendering

FORCE drawing has everything, except rendering until NOW ! Welcome to your first exposure to one the major important polishing steps, rendering the human figure! We’re gonna be taking the FORCE concepts to fuel our rendering workflow. From quick techniques to ways that will infuse your painting with dynamic motion and energy. Forget working micrometer by micrometer with a single hair brush. We are going to work big, bold and expressive! Take this exciting journey with me to discover how you can take your FORCE concepts to finally painting:

• We’ll discuss lighting! The utmost important thing to learn for any sort of rendering.
• Discover Sculpting! A spicy technique used by many greats and still to this day to inject flow and dynamics into figure drawing.
• We’ll block in the color but we’ll follow a painterly approach which will keep the soul of the figure alive.
• Combine Sculpting and color to create flow!
• Let’s keep it more about the techniques and mindset! Learn tools that’d work in any software, not just one!

After this workshop, you’ll have tools to render your figures with FORCE!!