Teaching History

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I began my teaching career in 2007 in Los Angeles, where I'd been working for fifteen years as a storyboard artist, concept artist, designer, and writer. Teaching had always been one of my goals as an artist - to share my passion and fascination in understanding and exploring the visual world. Having taken a unique and rewarding road in my educational and professional journey, I felt I had a lot to offer my students - not just as a skilled professional, but as someone who is searching for meaning in the way we human beings express ourselves.

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Teaching Philosophy:  It's All About Story

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The backbone of my work revolves around story. Story draws the audience into a transformative world and offers new experiences through drama and imagination. I believe that we experience life as a series of unfolding stories, where we are all playing the hero - and sometimes even the villain. Whenever students lose focus in the projects they are working on, I tell them to go back to the story they trying to tell. In this sense, the story is like the compass they need to go where they want to go. The map is what they draw as they experience the landscape.

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Course Work

 

Because of my broad background in many related fields, I've been able to teach a wide variety of subjects - from writing for animation, film, and video games, to traditional drawing, to digital painting, sound design, and 3D design and modeling. Some classes are very technical, others are more conceptual. I strongly believe in following the "creative pipeline", where ideas turn into stories that evolve into sketches, concept art, and finished work. Artwork can then mover into a plethora of media arts, like live-action and animated films, video games, social media, and new forms of communication we haven't even invented yet. And yet it always goes back to story - having something to say that's worth saying in whatever medium you chose.

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