THE STORY THAT CREATED THIS AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM

When I was teenager, I dreamed of having a place where I could grow in the art and creative expressions that were inside of me. I loved movies, cartoons, Hollywood and artistic media. I loved to draw and experiment with cartoon animation. I wanted someone to show me how I could get really good at it. I wanted a community I could be a part of that would affirm and encourage who I am as a creative person. The problem was that none existed that was either affordable or accessible to me. Eventually, I enrolled in an expensive art school that failed to provide any lasting community to support me on my journey.

Today, creative youth are experiencing that same frustration. I discovered this first hand as a public school art teacher. Many of our in-school art programs are restrictive and limited to academic requirements that do not allow artistic students to truly explore their creative interests and ambitions. Today’s students are inspired by their heroes and the pop-culture stories that they have come to love and respect. This is why I have created the Animation Production Group After School classes.

This is a place where students who love animation, digital media, or pop-culture art can grow in the skills and expressions that they dream of mastering. Students in this program have told me that not only do they love what they learn in these classes, but also that they love to come because it is a safe place from the stresses and pressures of life, and that it provides a peaceful atmosphere where they can relax and enjoy their creative gifts, and enjoy the company of others who share that same passion. They tell me it’s the best 90 minutes of their week!

Artists need mentors and friends who share their passion and will walk with them as they pursue their creative passions. We invite you to register below and join us for this purpose.

____________________________
Nathan Fisher
Animation Group Teacher

WHAT STUDENTS ARE SAYING

“I loved the knowledge of the animation programs that I learned. A huge benefit was the community feel. It’s a wonderful place to come and explore your passion, or just laugh with some new friends. This class was much better than online videos that have no structure or new material. It was a wonderful experience. I wish I had more time to explain how much I admire this class. It perfectly combines a friendly environment, allowing everyone to learn at their own pace and enough challenge to keep me engaged.”
– S.H.

“I learned how to make my drawings more loose and alive. I liked how I got to interact with others in this course. All I ask is that we get to do this more often during the week. Compared to other classes I have taken, I got to get more in touch with my character design and improve on it. I loved this class and the people involved. I’m so happy I joined and cannot wait for next semester. My passion to draw has increase 100 times!”
– A.H.

“The class experience was awesome!!! Before this class I used to lock myself in my room and try to learn off the internet. This class is better!! I got to work with cool people and I love the method of art teaching.”
– M.S.

“This class exceeded my expectations. I only wish it was longer and more often. It’s great to be able to come together with other artists and see their different styles. I loved this class and am excited to come back for the next one!”
– E.P.

“My art really improved. This class was much higher in quality than all the other art classes I have taken before. I love that it is a space where I am free to explore the subjects and styles that I am interested in drawing. This class was worth every penny. I made good friends and good art. The lessons were good and I am learning to animate.”
– H.H.

“Coming to this class was better than Udemy’s drawing class.”
– J.O.

IMPORTANT – WHAT WILL I NEED FOR THIS CLASS?

Students will need the following to fully participate:

1) BLANK PAPER (a sketchbook is recommended), PENCILS, SHARPENER, and an ERASER.

2) A DIGITAL DEVICE TO DRAW, DESIGN, AND ANIMATE WITH
– ONE of the following:
• Desktop or laptop computer (Windows or Mac) – with a drawing tablet*. 8MB RAM minimum is recommended for the apps to work well.
• iPad Pro – with an Apple Pencil. Apple Pencil ONLY works with the iPad Pro
• Touchscreen Chromebook – with a drawing stylus. 8MB RAM minimum is recommended for the apps to work well.
• Touchscreen Mobile Device – with a drawing stylus. Smart phone or tablet (older iPad, iPhone, Android, or Kindle Fire) with a drawing stylus: We recommend the Adonit Pro drawing stylus available on their website for $30 Also, right now the Adonit Mini 3 is available on clearance for $12. Test the RoughAnimator App on your mobile device to make sure that your device can support it. If RoughAnimator will not work well, other animation apps probably will not work on that device either.

*IMPORTANT NOTE about drawing tablets for Windows or Mac computers, either of the following options will work –
• Wacom drawing tablet – for Windows or Mac computers. You can find a good one on the Wacom website or on Amazon for approx $75 to $100. The Wacom Intuos S is a good starter tablet. Alternative options for drawing tablets include Cintiq, XP-Pen, Huion, and Gaomon.
• iPad Pro and Apple Pencil with Astro Pad Studio. If you already own an iPad Pro and a Windows or Mac computer, this is an alternative option to provide a drawing tablet that will allow you to use Windows and Mac only apps like Toon Boom Harmony, that do not run on an iPad or mobile device. With this option, you will not need to buy a Wacom drawing tablet.

3) ANIMATION APP – RoughAnimator ($6). 

We recommend every student have RoughAnimator installed on your device to follow along with live in-class demonstrations. We work primarily with RoughAnimator in our classes for many of our lessons and we will teach you how to use it. But in additional to RoughAnimator, you are welcome to use other animation apps for your assignments and projects if you already know how to use those apps. An optional student subscription to the industry standard animation software, Toon Boom Harmony will be available for a student materials fee. This software will ONLY work on a Windows or Mac computer, not on other electronic devices. We also have tutorials available to teach you how to use it.

We do not teach how to use the following apps but you are welcome to use them for your assignments and projects – Other recommendable industry standard 2D animation apps include: TV Paint, Clip Studio Paint EX, and Blender. Other recommendable iPad animation apps include Toon Squid, Callipeg, and Clip Studio Paint EX. The following animation apps are fun to use, but their features are too limited for many of our lessons: Krita, FireAlpaca, FlipaClip, Flipbook, and Pencil2D.

4) A SKETCHING APP FOR DRAWING, PAINTING, AND CONCEPTING IDEAS. The following apps will work for this purpose: Sketchbook app, Clip Studio Paint Pro or EX, Photoshop, ProCreate, or any of the following FREE apps: Krita, Ibis Paint, Medibang Paint, or Jump Paint.

5) A DIGITAL DEVICE WITH INTERNET ACCESS AND THE ZOOM APP installed to connect to and participate in our live online classes – it can be the same device used for #2 above, but it is often easier to follow along if these devices are separate.

PLEASE NOTE:
• NO refunds will be available for missed classes or for classes already attended.
• NO makeups will be available for missed classes, but each ONLINE class session will have a recorded replay video available. These recordings will also be available to IN-PERSON classes.
• Some IN-PERSON class sessions will NOT have replay videos available. If the same lesson was taught in one of the online classes, the replay for that class will be made available to IN-PERSON students.
• For all IN-PERSON classes, students must be picked up promptly at the class end time. We will not be able to supervise students after the class ends.

WHAT PARENTS ARE SAYING

“Mr. Fisher, You are such a wonderful teacher, encourager and inspiration to my daughter. Thank you for believing in her and helping her excel. We both appreciate your influence in her life.”
– Parent of 7th grade student

“Thank you, Mr. Fisher! My son has loved your class! Thanks for all your effort that you put forth into an encouraging and positive experience for the kids!”
– Parent of 8th grade student

“Mr. Fisher, Thank you for setting this up. I appreciate being able to see what she has done. She has enjoyed your class.”
– Parent of 8th grade student

“Thank you so much for being such a great teacher. My daughter has truly enjoyed being in your class and will miss you.”
– Parent of 7th grade student

“Your work is not unnoticed. Thank you for all your efforts and support.”
– Parent of 6th grade student

“Mr. Fisher – My husband and I just wanted to thank you for all the work you have done with the students. I am sure they have learned a great deal.”
– Parents of 6th and 8th grade students

“Thanks for all your hard work on this!”
– Parent of 10th grade student

“Thank you for the great work this year. We appreciate you!”
– Parent of 9th grade student

“Thanks Mr. Fisher…it seems like my son really enjoyed your class and he learned more than usual. Great job!”
– Parent of 8th grade student

“They loved it. Thanks again for everything you do for our young ones.”
– Parent of two 6th grade students

MORE OF WHAT STUDENTS ARE SAYING

“This class was a good experience. I was happy with the pace I was learning. My anatomy drawing has gotten better. I liked having a place to work on art with friends and get feedback from other artists.”
– A.A.

“This class made me better at drawing in the style I want to draw in. I loved drawing with cool people. I felt challenged and made good progress in my skill development. I liked that it did not feel like an art class at my school. I was not forced into a box and was not restricted to an academic curriculum. I was given the freedom to pursue my passion, creative interests, and artistic style. I was able to accomplish a lot and work with some really great people.”
– K.D.

“I have improved a lot in character design and animation. I am learning so much from this class and I love it!”
– K.H.

“I loved how this class created a positive space for me to draw, create, and work on projects that I am interested in and excited to do. I enjoyed designing concepts and characters. I also learned how to develop a character properly.”
– C.O.

“The best parts of this class for me were character and story creating and also ‘real-life’ collaborating with teammates on an animation. I also loved your teaching!”
– R.R..

“I was grateful for the community, help, and support of everyone here. Thank you for so many character design and animation tips.”
– M.B.

“I will miss being in your class and thank you for helping me in my journey to an art college and art career.“
– 8th grade student

“Thank you for being a role model and an inspiration to me.”
– 7th grade student

“You have supported me throughout the year. I have thoroughly enjoyed art with you. You are the best.”
– 6th grade student

“You were a wonderful teacher and taught art in a very memorable way!”
– 7th grade student

“Character design has improved my drawings!”
– 9th grade student

“I’m going to miss having you for my art and animation teacher. You have made my love for art grow.”
– 7th grade student

“Thanks for showing me new forms of art. I have learned a lot from your class.”
– 8th grade student

“Thanks for making me better at concept art.”
– 7th grade student

“You are so inspiring and encouraging to me all the time!”
– 6th grade student

“I loved going to your class, wished it was everyday.”
– 7th grade student

“You are an amazing teacher. Thank you for all of your encouragement. You have inspired me to do more in art.”
– 7th grade student

“I enjoyed your class the most!”
– 8th grade student

“Thank you so much for teaching us all of that cool stuff and for being a great teacher!”
– 8th grade student

“Your class was the highlight of my day!”
– 7th grade student

“Thank you for being such an amazing teacher, giving me advice and making me more confident in my work.”
– 10th grade student

“Thank you for teaching me new art stuff.”
– 6th grade student

“Thank you for being an awesome art teacher. I learned a lot in your class. It was a blast.”
– 8th grade student

“Thank you for being the best teacher ever and improving my art.”
– 7th grade student

“Thank you for teaching me how to draw stuff that I could not draw.”
– 6th grade student

“Thank you for the great art class. I had a lot of fun in your class.”
– 8th grade student

“I have learned so much from your class.”
– 8th grade student

“Thank you for the awesome projects you let us do this year.”
– 7th grade student

“This was the best art class I have ever taken. Thanks so much.”
– 6th grade student

“Thank you for teaching me new art skills and for believing in me!
– 7th grade student

“You helped me find my talent.”
– 6th grade student

“Thank you for teaching me to do different ways of art. I’ve learned so much. I’ll miss you as a teacher.”
– 7th grade student

“Thank you! You have been a great teacher.”
– 9th grade student

“Thanks a lot for having me in this class! I’ve really enjoyed it. I loved learning how to use the drawing and animation software that you taught us here.”
– R.M.

“I liked learning how to use the drawing and animation software. These tools will be really helpful. I also liked the class environment and being able to advance so much in animation. Thank you for the help and for everything. I am so thankful for this class.”
– A.N.

“I really enjoyed animating in this class! I was able to work among friends rather than alone at home. I also enjoy being able to share my work and receive feedback! (Cuz I can’t at home that much).”
– A.A.

“I love the people in this class, and doing comedic scripts. I also liked performing voiceovers with my classmates.”
– K.F.

“What I really like about this class is that it doesn’t stress me out like the rest of my life does. Instead it provides a peaceful place where I can enjoy my creativity and take a break from the stresses and pressures that I face at home and school. This also makes it so easy to learn something every time I come. Thank you, Mr. Fisher!”
– O.R.

“My favorite things about this class are the work environment, the live character design lessons, the friends I made, the different art techniques/styles, and my teacher!”
– G.N.

“I had so much fun at the Character Design class.”
– 7th grade student

“Thank you for teaching me about one-point perspective and facial proportions.”
– 6th grade student

“Thank you for being such an amazing teacher! I absolutely loved your class!”
– 7th grade student

“Thank you for everything you’ve done! I appreciate it a lot! You were one of my favorite teachers.”
– 6th grade student

“I had a total blast in your class. I learned so much. Thank you.”
– 8th grade student

“You rock as a teacher! You always make the day better, not to mention art!”
– 7th grade student

“You taught us so much! Can’t wait to be in your next class!”
– 6th grade student

“Thank you for helping me. You had my art improve and I’m very thankful for that. Thank you for believing in me that I can get to my dream.”
– 7th grade student

“Thank you for all that you have done.”
– 7th grade student

“I want to thank you for all the art techniques you taught me!!! I really appreciate how patient and awesome you are!!!”
– 6th grade student

“Thanks for being such a good art teacher. I loved the fun things we got to do.”
– 6th grade student

“You have allowed us to take art to a new level and have made art class fun again! This semester has been amazing and I will always remember you! Thank you!”
– 8th grade student

“Thank you for teaching me my favorite subject, and also for making it fun.”
– 7th grade student

“We’ll miss you so much. Mr. Fisher, never stop doing art because you inspire us.”
– 7th grade student

“I’ve learned so much from you and I’m glad I’ve found my art style in your class.”
– 7th grade student

“Thanks for making art fun for me!”
– 7th grade student

“Mr. Fisher, I had a lot of fun in Animation Production Group.”
– 7th grade student

“You have taught me so much. Thank you for a wonderful year!
– 7th grade student

“Thank you for everything you have done for me.”
– 7th grade student

“Mr. Fisher, thank you for two years of amazing fun. Thank you for teaching me so many new things. I will miss you.”
– 7th grade student

“Thanks for all the amazing after school classes.”
– 7th grade student

“Thank you for teaching me so much about art and we will all miss you dearly.”
– 7th grade student

“You always would push me to try new things. My art was graceful because of you.”
– 7th grade student

“You taught me that I can paint the Galaxy. Thank you for being an amazing teacher.”
– 7th grade student

“You helped us even when you were busy.”
– 7th grade student

“You have changed my perspective of art forever. Thank you.”
– 7th grade student