Entertainment Art Student Graduation Exhibition

Mark your calendar to stop by and show your support for our recent Entertainment Art graduates. We wish them much success in their journey as artists!

Bergamot Station
2525 Michigan Avenue, Building G – Space 8A
Santa Monica, CA 90404
May 11th, 6pm to 9pm

10-Years Of Excellence in Art Education

The Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art (LAAFA) recently celebrated a milestone of 10 years in art education. The party was held at the famed Bergamot Station in Santa Monica, CA where we exhibit artists' artwork and hold classes in our gallery throughout the year. And yes, the band playing in the video is Sean Cheetham's band, Del Toro. We have a spectacular line-up of instructors and individual classes this Spring Quarter for our extension students. Take a look at the choices of classes in our Van Nuys or Santa Monica locations. For students wanting to apply to our 3-Year Program, this is the best time to start your application process. LAAFA is considered a premier choice for students wanting an intensive art program that provides the necessary foundation skills which allow our students to excel and apply these fundamentals to a career in the fine or entertainment art industry.

LAAFA Open House - March 16th | Santa Monica | Van Nuys

The Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art would like to treat you to 4 marvelous open house art demonstrations.  Choose from our Van Nuys or Santa Monica locations.  Each demonstration is a great way to find out about the instructor and the methods and techniques they use to teach their classes.  We hope you will join us for the day.

Van Nuys – March 16th
Daniel Bilmes – Portrait Painting Demo
Ramon Hurtado – Figure Panting Demo

Santa Monica – March 16th
Michael Siegel – Portrait Painting Demo
Kate Savage – Portrait Drawing Demo

Please click one of the links above to RSVP and receive additional information and reserve your spot.

Online Art Classes  - Ongoing
Nathan Fowkes
Drawing the Portrait in Charcoal | DEMO
Drawing the Portrait in Charcoal | 9-Week CLASS

Rey Bustos
3D Anatomy/Ecorche | 10-Week CLASS

Art Classes in Santa Monica and Van Nuys | Spring Registration Open!

Our spring classes are now available in our Santa Monica and Van Nuys locations. At your convenience, you may download our spring art class schedule (PDF) with hyperlinks to each individual class. We are lucky to have the best classes and instructors under two roofs in Los Angeles!

Register for our Upcoming Visiting Artist Workshops:

Scott McCloud -  February 23rd - 2-Day COMICS: Theory and Practice

March 23rd - Portrait Painting Demonstration with David Leffel
Steve Huston - March 15th - 3-Day The Rendering of Gesture and Structure
Steve Huston - March 16th - Visual Story Structure Demonstration
David Leffel - March 21st - 4-Day Alla Prima Portrait and Figure Workshop
March 21st - 4-Day Alla Prima Portrait and Figure Workshop
March 23rd - Portrait Painting Demonstration with David Leffel

Online Art Course | Bluecanvas Magazine | LAAFA Winter Art Classes

Online "Drawing the Portrait in Charcoal" course by Nathan Fowkes

We are thrilled to announce the release of our latest online course with Nathan Fowkes, "Drawing the Portrait in Charcoal", now open for registration, starting January 21, 2013. Space is limited! This online course is a serious exploration of drawing the portrait from life in charcoal. Over the course of the class, Nathan will provide each student with the necessary understanding and experience to draw the human head with authority. Watch the preview video and learn more here.  

 

Online "3D Anatomy/Ecorché" course by Rey Bustos

A fabulous online course, Rey Bustos' "3D Anatomy/Ecorché" starting January 28, 2013 is also open for registration for critique and self-study courses. Space is limited! If you are a fan of Rey Bustos, you must experience him in a classroom setting with students present. The interaction between Rey and his students adds another dimension to his teaching since the questions posed by the students and the energy of the classroom environment lead Rey to veer off to lecture on topics that wouldn't normally be covered if he was lecturing to a camera. Watch the preview video and learn more here.

Bluecanvas Magazine Article

We are excited that Bluecanvas Magazine has chosen LAAFA for their most recent school collaboration article, issue #14. You may check out the full article here. In addition, Bluecanvas is sponsoring a contest for a $10,000 Entertainment Art Scholarship at LAAFA! Click here to check out the contest details! You can also order your own copy online or at your local bookstore.  

 

 Van Nuys and Santa Monica Classes start January 14th

While we are in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the holidays, we want to remind you to take a breath and think about taking some fantastic art classes with our talented instructors! Choose from a variety of beginning and advanced classes: * Portrait and Figure Painting/Drawing * Figure Construction * Quick Sketch * Perspective and Character Design * Still Life * Long Pose Painting and Drawing * Ecorché or Zbrush * Imaginative Animal Design/Drawing  

 

Instructor image by: Noah Buchanan

LAAFA Contest/Scholarship with Bluecanvas Magazine

For additional information, please click here.

LAAFA 10-Year Anniversary Party

Find out more information.  RSVP Requested.

Fall Art Classes Available

Fall Classes 

We are pleased to announce our Fall Quarter Schedule of classes starting October 1st!  Please note: Register by September 16th, for best prices.  Take advantage of:

• High School Program
• Work-Study Opportunities
• Payment Plans
• Discounts for New Students | Referral | Seniors | Multi-Course

Open House

You are invited to our Open House on September 9th, from 1pm to 5:30pm! We will have complimentary drawing demonstrations by Daniel Bilmes and Ramon Hurtado during the day's festivities. In addition, bring a book for our LAAFA Library Drive and receive one ticket per book for a chance to win an 8-week class and other prizes! RSVP for demos required.

Awesome Announcements at LAAFA

New Website

We recently launched our new website! Please visit us at your convenience and see all the wonderful improvements we have made to the website. 

Nathan Fowkes Pre-Sale Video

“Drawing the Portrait from Life” – In this 2 1/2 hour full demonstration, renowned artist and veteran teacher Nathan Fowkes gives you step by step instruction on how to successfully draw the portrait from life in charcoal.  This demonstration is digitally downloaded to your favorite MAC or Windows OS computer.  Introductory pre-sale price ends on August 31st.  Download will be made available by September 15th.  Order today and save.

Nathan Fowkes Drawing Workshop - August 18th

This workshop will be an instructive overview of the materials, techniques, and concepts for successful portrait drawing, it will include:

• The fundamentals of constructing the head with the values of light and shadow.
• Principles for creating the illusion of space and volume on a 2 dimensional drawing surface.
• Ideas for portrait composition and creating a likeness.
• Techniques and tips on materials and the drawing process.
• Instructor demonstration from a live model.
• Student drawing time from a live model with instructor feedback.

REGISTER HERE FOR THIS CLASS

August 2012 Workshops at LAAFA

This August at LAAFA, choose between these wonderful workshops - or take them all! 

August 3rd-5th
3-DAY PORTRAITURE PAINTING WORKSHOP

Spend 3 days studying portraiture with Sean Cheetham- one of the most acclaimed young figurative painters today!
Sean holds a Bachelor of Fine Art degree with honors from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA. He exhibited his work in 2005 at the Portrait Award National Portrait Gallery in London, England. In 2006, Sean had his first one man exhibition with The Mendenhall Sobieski Gallery in Pasadena.

 

August 11
1-DAY DRAWING AND FILM DESIGN WORKSHOP WITH JOHN NEVAREZ

Developing moments for visual development is key in "showing and selling" the story.  Animation industry veteran John Nevarez will discuss how to compose and design drawings for visual development in film. John will cover design as it relates to supporting story structure.  Basic principles of design for film, including composition and lighting will also be covered.

 

 

August 18

1-DAY PORTRAIT DRAWING IN CHARCOAL WORKSHOP WITH NATHAN FOWKES

This workshop will be an instructive overview of the materials, techniques, and concepts for successful portrait drawing, it will include:

• The fundamentals of constructing the head with the values of light and shadow.
• Principles for creating the illusion of space and volume on a 2 dimensional drawing surface.

• Ideas for portrait composition and creating a likeness.
• Techniques and tips on materials and the drawing process.
• Instructor demonstration from a live model.
• Student drawing time from a live model with instructor feedback.

Can't stay until 8:00 pm? You can opt to attend just the Lecture & Demo portion of this workshop from 12:00pm-5:00pm.

A Week in the Life of LAAFA

This Summer, LAAFA is pleased to present an extraordinary collection of teachers and classes.  Here's a sampling of the exciting classes that are going on every day of the week at LAAFA. 

Ramon Hurtado

MONDAY: Long Pose Figure Drawing with Ramon Hurtado. Starts Monday, July 16.  In this class, students  will focus on creating long pose drawings that capture the specific character of the model.  Throughout nine 15-hour poses, Ramon will emphasize a balance  of 3D forms, anatomy, gesture, shadow patterns, and 2D measuring techniques for students.  The result: drawings that reveal the construction of the figure through the use of tone, and maintain a sense of movement while adding high finish.

Ron Velasco

Ron Lemen

TUESDAY:  On Tuesday evenings, starting July 17th, Ron Velasco will share his entertainment industry experience and gift for developing personality in drawings in Gesture Drawing for Storytelling.  Starting July 31st, from 11:00am to 3:00pm on Tuesdays, Summer Quarter Spotlight Artist Ron Lemen will illuminate the theory of color keys and chromatic concepts for students of all levels.  If you are a painter who wants to take your art to the next level, Life Painting with Focus on Color Theory is a class you don't want to miss!

Mark McDonnell

WEDNESDAY:  Character Design with Mark McDonnell is a chance to for students to design  characters based on a particular style.  The class is designed to give students the experience of "on-the-job situations." Mark will provide reference images for a particular style at the beginning of each session to inspire and guide students' work. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from an animation industry pro - this class starts Wednesday, July 18th!

Vadim Zanginian

THURSDAY:  Anyone interested in either drawing or painting will benefit from Vadim Zanginian's Tonal Figure Drawing class, starting Thursday, July 19th.  Vadim will help students elegantly portray light on the human form using tone, rather than line.

FRIDAY:  Plein Air/Landscape Painting is a class for students who love field trips! Every class meets in a different scenic location, where Sharon Weaver fearlessly guides students in the art of outdoor painting.

Sam Woodfin

SATURDAY:  Starting July 21st, Dynamic Sketching on Location with Sam Woodfin will give students a chance to take their drawing skills to a number of exciting locations outside LAAFA.  Sam will guide students in specific drawing solutions to complex visual problems such as conveying mood, texture, and other specific information about objects and animals.

SUNDAY:  Imaginatomy with Rey Bustos gives students the opportunity to create an animal out of their imagination and learn animal anatomy at the same time! Also on Sundays, starting July 22, Eric Pedersen will be teaching Basic Painting Fundamentals. This class is guaranteed to get you started off on the right foot as a painter, or to help you consolidate prior beginning study.

LAAFA at Comic-Con Part 2: More Amazing Artist Demos

If you weren't lucky enough to make it to San Diego for Comic-Con this weekend, here are just a few of the many highlights from this weekend at Booth #5567.

FRIDAY:

Armand Baltazar (Pixar) treated us to a one-hour painting demonstration. The man works fast- and the result has almost enough personality to speak for himself!

 SATURDAY:

Nathan Fowkes (Digital Domain), showed off his impressive skill with charcoal. Nathan will be teaching this technique on August 18th at LAAFA during his **1-Day Portrait Drawing in Charcoal Workshop** .

 

SUNDAY:

 Justin Yun (Section Studios) dazzled onlookers with his technical and artistic brilliance in a digital concept painting demo.

LAAFA at Comic-Con Part 1: Gearing up for the Weekend

Image by CECIL KIM

Comic-Con is here and LAAFA is right in the middle of the action! 

If you are at Comic-Con, be sure to stop by Booth #5567.  For those of you who won't make it until this weekend, here's a daily photo diary of what's happened so far!  Follow us on Facebook for updates throughout the day on what will be happening for the rest of the weekend!

FRIDAY: ANIMATION VETERAN AND PIXAR SKETCH ARTIST JOHN NEVAREZ  

JOHN DEMONSTRATED DAZZLING SKETCH-WORK AT 3:00PM ON FRIDAY.

   REGISTER FOR JOHN'S VISUAL STORYTELLING WORKSHOP NEXT MONTH AT LAAFA WHILE THERE IS STILL SPACE!

THURSDAY:  CECIL KIM FROM SECTION STUDIOS

 CECIL SHOWED A WINNING COMBINATION OF TECHNICAL MASTERY 

AND IMAGINATION DURING HIS 4:30 PM DEMO

WEDNESDAY:  PREVIEW NIGHT

  ARTIST/ILLUSTRATOR/TEACHER MARSHALL VANDRUFF CAME TO VISIT

Ecorche/3D Anatomy w/ Rey Bustos - Week 10

 After nine weeks of study, and hard work sculpting our ecorches, for our last class session, Rey turned the studio into an old time movie theater - complete with an Edison bulb sign & popcorn in paper holders.

Students and our guests of honor, our completed ecorches, enjoyed a slideshow of inspirational artworks by artists whose anatomical knowledge helps them reach higher goals in artistic expression.





The works in the slideshow spanned the centuries, from the Renaissance, to contemporary artists.
Across time, however, it was clear that a sound understanding of anatomy is an essential basis for compelling figurative art.

After the slideshow, we were able to admire our ecorches in a group.  I know I'll miss Sundays with our great group of 16" ecorches & taller humans too.

Ecorche will be offered again in future quarters at LAAFA, but during Summer Quarter 2012, Rey Bustos will be teaching animal anatomy in his IMAGINATOMY class.

The class starts next Sunday, July 15. Interested? Register here.

Creature & Character Design Summer Classes

Join LAAFA this summer for some creatures and characters!  

 Imaginatomy with Rey Bustos - A class created by Rey to augment entertainment and character designers by bringing in anatomy and mechanics into the thought process of character design… This class is designed for those who want to invent a completely imaginative animal or creature while keeping the same logic of human and animal anatomy.

Rey has also been teaching since 1990 and is now considered one of the preeminent artistic anatomy teachers in the country. He is known for his lively and passionate lectures and his enthusiasm is very evident and contagious. Rey currently teaches at his Art Center College of Design, California State University, Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art and he is also in the teaching staff at Disney Feature Animation. 


Class starts July 15th - Enroll Now.

Creature Design with Rob McKinnon - This course explores the creation and design of science fiction aliens, terrifying monsters, and mythological creatures for live-action motion picture and video game. Students will breathe life into their creatures exploring concepts such as research and development, sketch and technical drawings, and final rendering. Students will receive in-class demos and mentoring. 


Rob attended Art Center College of Design, where he graduated with honors with a B.A. In Illustration in 2003. Shortly thereafter, Rob began his career as a concept artist in Hollywood. He has worked for the past 9 years on a wide variety of projects ranging from theme park ride concepts and film to animation design and visual effects.

Rob has worked on over thirty motion pictures. Some of his credits include Live Free or Die Hard, Transformers III, Tron Legacy, I Am Legend, Inception, Twilight:Breaking Dawn, Terminator Salvation, and the upcoming films Total Recall and Iron Man III.

Class Starts July 17th - Enroll Now.

Character Design with Mark McDonnell - Students will design a character(s) based on a particular style. Reference will be supplied on each style at the beginning of each session for inspiration and guidelines stimulating on-job situations. Considerable draftsmanship will be needed to control the designs associated with the class. Time outside the class will also be needed to perform the tasks at hand.

Mark McDonnell’s work as a designer has touched a wide variety of skill sets while working for many of the entertainment studios. He has worked as a character designer, a layout/set designer, prop designer, look development designer and instructs at many of the entertainment studios.


Class Starts July 18th - Enroll Now.