Loading...

Course Description

Four blowfish in shades of pink, peach, and coral, swimming in a cluster.

Offered in Summer and Fall.

CalArts' Portfolio Development Workshop for Artists and Animators is an eight-week online intensive designed to help you explore concept design and visual development for animation, and enhance your application portfolio for college animation programs. The focus here is less on making perfect drawings and more on giving you an open arena to explore and learn to love drawing while broadening creative ideation and output.

Each week, the instructor will introduce different illustration styles and examples from films to inspire new work and teach you about visual composition and storytelling. Weekly assignments based on these resources give you the opportunity to produce exaggerated character designs that can be used as concepts for future animations, 3D models, graphic novel ideas, and gallery work.

Portfolio Development Workshop class sessions and critiques are not live streamed. You are free to access the class materials each week at your convenience. You will work on your assignments on your own time and upload them to the class module on Canvas, a CalArts online learning platform, by a set deadline. At the end of the week, the instructor will give you direct feedback on submitted assignments with video critiques. Lectures and video critiques are pre-recorded.

Application Instructions

The demand for portfolio development workshops is very high, and you are strongly advised to submit your application materials as soon as possible. Please be advised that in the event a class reaches capacity we will cease reviewing applications, which can happen at any time. Materials submitted after the deadline, or when application reviews are ceased, will be considered only if space remains or becomes available.

Enrollment in this workshop is based on the instructors' review of:

  • Five examples of your work, which must include:
    • One life drawing of a plant (using traditional materials)
    • Two life drawings of whatever you wish to draw (using traditional materials)
    • Two other work samples of your choice

When we say “life drawing” we mean that you are drawing from life. In other words, you need to look closely at the person, place or thing as it exists in the real world and draw it as your eye sees it while you are observing it, not from memory. In addition, the three (3) life drawings must be done using traditional materials, not digital tools. For more information on Life Drawing, click here.

Prerequisites

You must be 14 years old or older to take part in this workshop.

Loading...

Application

Name
Application for PDW for Artists and Animators (course- fall)

Enroll Now - Select a section to enroll in

Section Title
Portfolio Development Workshop for Artists and Animators
Type
Online
Dates
Sep 28, 2026 to Nov 27, 2026
Delivery Options
Online-Asynchronous  
Course Fee(s)
Tuition non-credit $1,000.00 Click here to get more information
Instructors

Section Notes

For an example materials list, click here.

THIS COURSE IS ACCESSED THROUGH CANVAS

The Canvas platform provides an instructor-led learning experience. These class sizes are small to facilitate discussion and engagement with your instructor and other students. You have access to recorded content from CalArts instructors and may complete the course work at your own pace with set deadlines. Class sizes are small, allowing students to get to know one another through their artwork, and engage with faculty and peers through discussion boards. The instructor is available to respond to student questions through Canvas messaging.