Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Mark Thurman - 1st Year Life Drawing

I've been teaching in the Classical Animation Program at Sheridan for the last 8 years, and I teach with an amazingly talented group of people.

It's also great to teach students who are focused, talented and love to draw. To see their growth as storytellers and film makers over their years at Sheridan is very rewarding.

I've earned my living mostly as an Illustrator/ Author, and designer of children's books (45 so far),with a 16 year period as co-creator and Illustrator of the Mighty Mites comic in OWL Magazine(154 episodes).

I've also pursued a career as a painter and gallery artist - with a primary focus on figurative work. I still draw the figure on Sundays at the TSA.

My one stint working in the world of Animation was one summer in the early 1960's when I painted cells for Rocket Robin Hood.

My interest in Figure Drawing and Anatomy is a natural extension of my childhood years where I spent summer holidays in an old log cabin with no electricity or running water. During day long hikes with my brothers I would collect stones,bones, sticks, feathers, frogs and snakes.

In public school I loved Illustrating my notes with detailed drawings from the world of science and nature -- and I still do.