Wednesday 16 July 2014

How to get into Sheridan Animation : Mentor for Portfolio Preparation

PS: Updated March 2017. 
I'm still teaching this course. Contact me online at premsaigs@gmail.com.

So currently I have six students taking my 'Story and Design in Life Drawing' classes and I have noticed half of them are 2nd years and 4th years at Sheridan and the other half are students from Art Fundamentals trying to get into animation. Since I take my classes for no more than two students at a time, I have been able to manage that quite well, starting from the very basics for the latter and going advanced for the second and fourth years who have spent enough time drawing to understand design. I remember many years back, how I myself had a hard time finding a teacher or a mentor to help me prepare my portfolio.

So I decided to make the two courses separate:
1. Portfolio Preparation for Animation - Focuses on the fundamentals required to have a successful entry into animation/illustration and help students get into their dream animation programs. Since different students have different abilities, I try to give more private lessons at/near Sheridan (also online).


2. Story and Design in Life Drawing:

This is more for students already in animation who want to bridge the gap between life drawing and animation. I started this class mainly because during my time here, I noticed a lot of students who were really good in life drawing, were unable to use their skills to be more creative in their design process or in animation; and a whole lot of others who could animate really well but couldn't life draw. To me both life drawing and animation are essentially the same, the latter just gets put on a time chart. One aids the other, and vice versa.




So far, it has received some great reviews from students.

Testimonials:
"As a Life Drawing tutor, Prem has a solid knowledge of the human anatomy as well as strong drawing skills. Prem's teaching style is very clear and organized, also distinguished from what I've learned at school. Because of his excellent drawing, he did many amazing demos in his class to analyze every crucial part in the drawing process. " - Lucy Feng , a very talented Second Yr Animation Student @Sheridan 2014


3. Sheridan Animation Portfolio Reviewing/Tutoring/Mentoring - I also do weekly portfolio mentoring and reviewing where I go through student work and mentor students as to what they should work on. So far, I have mentored quite a number of students successfully and I'm very glad with the results!

PS: Edit - March 2017. 
I'm still teaching this course. Contact me online at premsaigs@gmail.com.
My phone number has changed. Thank you!
 Cheers!


3 comments:

  1. I was wait-listed the first time I applied to Sheridan’s Animation program, and ultimately did not get in. I had a traditional art teacher help me the first time around, but I realized that I needed someone who truly understood the animation industry and knew what the school was looking for.

    Prem asked me what I wanted to work on most and also made suggestions through my past portfolio and artwork. Prem was patient and dedicated to my improvement, so that the odds of me getting into the Sheridan Animation program would be higher.

    It’s especially difficult to find an animation portfolio tutor who is so dedicated to teaching and is good at it. Prem is passionate about his craft, which is reflected through his teaching. His critiques are thorough and detailed, but he’s also open to any questions you may have.

    I would definitely recommend Prem to anyone who is looking for tutoring for their entrance portfolios or even for a more specific subject such as life drawing or perspective.

    At the end of my courses with Prem, I knew that even if I was not accepted this year, I improved tremendously since my previous portfolio. I could not have done it without Prem.

    Note: I was accepted into the program, and will be attending Fall of 2017! Also, my classes were done through Skype, which worked very well for me.

    P.S. Thanks again Prem, you’re a great teacher and an incredible artist!

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  2. While I previously attended another program in 2019 I still did not feel confident in my ability to create a portfolio for Sheridan and am extremely lucky to have come across Prem and his guidance.

    He is dedicated, meticulous and honest. I would ask for nothing less than what he demonstrates because it allowed me to build a stable foundation for my artistic skills and sense. He is patient and creates a comfortable environment, encouraging you to ask any questions that you may have. His passion reflects in his teachings and his wish to see you succeed and I can say with great confidence that in the few months I have had him I have improved so much more than I thought possible. Regardless of whether I am accepted or not I am proud of how much I have improved and can accredit my raised artistic morale to these classes.

    Thank you for everything!

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  3. Prem has tutored my daughter Jenny for animation portfolio for 5 months. At first I was concerned about the nature of the class being done virtually but am pleased to see how effective it has turned out.

    We are very lucky to have found him as Jenny has not had art training previous to this aside from life drawing classes. Prem’s teaching on this subject is very specific and beneficial. He would explain the muscle lines to better help Jenny’s understanding of how they are to be drawn. He first began with the basics of which will be understood later on. I was very happy to see how rhythmic and vivid her drawings had become as a result of these adjustments.

    Prem thoroughly analyzes and explains perspective which helped my daughter understand the processes of creating a perspective piece as she had not truly understood the concept before. His critiques are precise and has a very high standard in terms of what should be included in the portfolio and I am extremely happy that Jenny has gone through this training process.

    As Prem said to me at the beginning of the class, his goal is not to solely focus on the portfolio but to build an artist. Jenny’s improvement in these five months is remarkable, not only in her skills but her understanding of art and animation but most importantly her confidence as well. We truly appreciate what Prem has taught Jenny!

    ReplyDelete