JAI Courses

About the Course

Immerse yourself in a world of creativity with Drawing and Painting. This course explores traditional, technical, and experimental drawing and painting techniques to help you develop your creative voice and work with different media. Through various exploratory in-class assignments and projects, you will learn about color theory, composition, and perspective, develop a keen eye for detail and observation, and expand your creative potential. From graphite and charcoal to acrylic and mixed media, you will learn both drawing and painting skills, experiment to combining drawing and painting techniques, discover how to bring your vision to life, and evolve your personal creative style. Whether you want time to cultivate your creativity and imagination, or are looking for a powerful outlet to visually express your thoughts and ideas, this course incorporates a range of techniques from traditional to contemporary.

This course is suited for those new to drawing and painting, as well as those interested in discovering new mediums for their drawing or painting practice. Working in the Emily Carr University studio, your instructor will guide you and your peers through various prompts and projects, providing individual and group critiques to support your evolution as an artist.

2024 Schedule

This JAI course has two sections. Both take place at the Emily Carr University campus.
Block 1: July 2nd - 12th, 9:00am - 4:00pm
Block 2: July 15th - 26th, 9:00am - 4:00pm

Register for this course!

About the Instructor: Cath Hughes

Cath Hughes is a British-Canadian visual artist who works in painting, drawing, collage and assemblage. She holds a BFA in Painting from the Ruskin School of Art, Oxford University, a MA in Museums and Galleries in Education from London University, and a Postgraduate Certificate in secondary art education from Goldsmiths College, University of London. Cath began her career in education as a high school art teacher in London, then worked for several years as a freelance gallery educator, programmer, researcher and writer in some of the foremost London galleries such as Tate Modern and the National Gallery. She moved to Vancouver in 2008 and now teaches at Emily Carr and at Burnaby Art Gallery.

About the Course

Start on a creative journey that blends the precision of drawing together with the narrative power of illustration. Uncovering the world of character design, concept art, and narrative imagery using various traditional mediums like pen and ink, gouache and markers, this course asks you to let your imagination to take the lead. Whether crafting vivid characters, intricate scenes, or dynamic narratives, you will learn how to come up with ideas, where to look for inspiration, and what tools can convey your ideas and emotions visually. If you have a passion for animation, comics, and character-driven narratives, drawing and illustration together can give life to your imagination through visual mediums.

This course is suited to those new to drawing or illustration, or both. The skills you will be introduced to are applicable across diverse fields, from art and design to marketing and entrepreneurship, offering aa foundation for a future in the creative industry. Working at Emily Carr University, your instructor will guide you through prompts and projects, providing personalized feedback to support your creativity and exploration.

2024 Schedule

This JAI course has two sections. One takes place at the Emily Carr campus, and one takes place online.
Block 1: July 2nd - 12th, 9:00am - 4:00pm (on campus)
Block 2: July 15th - 26th, 9:00am - 4:00pm (online)

Register for this course!

About the Instructor: Hayley Carruthers

Hayley Carruthers is an artist currently living and making on the unceeded territories of the Coast Salish peoples including the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. Hayley approaches making as a means of thinking, learning, and questioning. She works primarily in drawing and screenprinting. Her work takes a speculative approach to reflecting on subjective experiences of mental imagery, perception, and other neural phenomena. Hayley’s work often entangles with ways of understanding from scientific knowledges within neuroscience and engages with histories of scientific renderings that visualize the invisible. In her process, she embraces ambiguity and what can’t be seen –the unknown– as a field of generative inquiry.Compelled by the wonder and strangeness in her subjective experience of being, Hayley draws upon her own internal space to pull out images from memory and give them a material presence. One of the challenges her work explores is how to resist making the strange familiar –to let these images exist in their strangeness. She uses drawing as a process to perceive the intangible internal moments of her reality, not looking to understand but to wonder -to arrive at more questions. To remember that not everything is as it seems.

About the Instructor (online): Vee Chorabik

Mx. Vee Chorabik (they/them) is a Polish-Canadian artist living and working in Vancouver, the unceded homelands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl ̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-waututh) Nations. They are a transdisciplinary artist with an MFA from Emily Carr University of Art + Design, 2021. Their practice includes installation, collage (digital and analogue), drawing, painting, collaboration, research, fun, and play. They use whatever medium best suits the conceptual and aesthetic nature of the project. Vee teaches at Emily Carr University of Art + Design, and they've been working regularly as an exhibiting artist since graduating from Langara College in 2017. By queering art, language, and education Vee aims to create a more celebratory, loving, and accessible world. Their current show line-up includes: “Vancouver Outsider Arts Festival,” Roundhouse Community Centre, Oct 12-17, 2023 and “The Pursuit of PLAYsure,” Slice of Life Gallery, Nov 23-28, 2023

About the Course

Start an exciting journey of creativity and innovation, where the themes of play, art, design, and technology converge to craft captivating and interactive experiences. Design is an ever-evolving, dynamic practice that transform the ordinary into the extraordinary, from everyday interactions to immersive installations. Through hands-on projects, you will gain a solid foundation in the fundamental concepts of User Experience (UX) and Interaction Design (IxD). Beyond this foundation, this course is infused with elements of play, including gamification, playful interactions, storytelling and narrative, and collaborative play. Whether you aspire to be a digital artist, a user experience designer, virtual reality world builder, or simply want to explore the fascinating intersection of art, design and technology, this course encourages you to experiment, innovate, and create new experiences.

This course is suited for those new to art and design practices, or both. It is an excellent opportunity to combine interests and skills to suit an increasingly digitally engaged world. Working in the Emily Carr University studios, your instructor will guide you and your peers through individual and groups projects, providing personalized feedback to support your creativity and exploration.

2024 Schedule

This JAI course is scheduled to take place at the Emily Carr University campus.
Block 1: July 2nd - 12th, 9:00am - 4:00pm

Register for this course!

About the Instructor: Morgan Martino

Morgan Martino is an interdisciplinary designer, researcher and facilitator, whose work focuses on building and supporting communities that can foster caring relationships, critical learning, and informed social change. Her current research practice explores how everyday material culture and designed systems inform and reflect our complex relationships to care. Morgan graduated from Emily Carr University of Art + Design in spring of 2021, studying Industrial Design and Social Practice + Community Engagement, and was the student speaker for her graduating class. Morgan currently works as a research assistant for Emily Carr’s Health Design Lab and coordinates the Roving Designers, a collective she founded in fall 2020.

About the Course

Bring characters to life, set scenes in motion and weave narratives that captivate audiences. Discover the combined power of illustration and animation to breathe life into your creative vision. Using traditional tools and media like pen and ink, gouache, and markers, this course encourages you to channel your imagination, discover inspiration, and convey emotions and ideas through illustration. Working independently and in groups, you will create a world full of characters, environments, and stories, brought to life frame-by-frame using stop-motion animation techniques and software.

The skills acquired in illustration and animation are in high demand in today’s creative industries, and can open doors to a wide range of future careers, from animation studios and graphic design agencies to film production companies and game development studios. Whether you're an aspiring animator, a budding illustrator, or simply exploring new ways of making, this course will set your imagination free. Guided by experienced instructors in the inspiring setting of Emily Carr University studios, you and your peers will experience a creative journey filled with exciting projects, prompts, and personalized feedback to nurture your artistic talents.

To fully benefit from this course, prior experience with drawing is recommended

2024 Schedule

This JAI course has two sections. One takes place at the Emily Carr campus, and one takes place online.
Block 2: July 15th - 26th, 9:00am - 4:00pm (on campus)
Block 2: July 15th - 26th, 9:00am - 4:00pm (online)

Register for this course!

About the Instructor (on campus): Weronika Stepien

Weronika Stepien is an artist that incorporates 3D animation, drawing, painting, and sculpture. In her work, she re-inscribes the representational tropes and technology of gaming and fantasy CGI animation into a visual matrix. Weronika graduated from Emily Carr University’s Film and Video and Integrated Media program in 2009 and the University of British Columbia's Masters of Fine Art in 2019. She has studied in the United States, Germany, and the Netherlands and has exhibited work in various galleries around Vancouver. She has 10 years of experience in teaching art and animation to students of all ages.

About the Instructor (online): Vee Chorabik

Mx. Vee Chorabik (they/them) is a Polish-Canadian artist living and working in Vancouver, the unceded homelands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl ̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-waututh) Nations. They are a transdisciplinary artist with an MFA from Emily Carr University of Art + Design, 2021. Their practice includes installation, collage (digital and analogue), drawing, painting, collaboration, research, fun, and play. They use whatever medium best suits the conceptual and aesthetic nature of the project. Vee teaches at Emily Carr University of Art + Design, and they've been working regularly as an exhibiting artist since graduating from Langara College in 2017. By queering art, language, and education Vee aims to create a more celebratory, loving, and accessible world. Their current show line-up includes: “Vancouver Outsider Arts Festival,” Roundhouse Community Centre, Oct 12-17, 2023 and “The Pursuit of PLAYsure,” Slice of Life Gallery, Nov 23-28, 2023

About the Course

Motion graphics are everywhere, from film and television to games and interactive media, to web design and advertising. Versatile across industries, a motion graphics artist has the creative freedom to explore new concepts, styles, and techniques in any number of creative fields. Like visual magic, they make images, words and designs come to life using movement, timing, pacing and choreography. This course combines fundamental animation principles with the visual impact of motion graphic design. You will be introduced to industry standard digital tools to design captivating title sequences, interactive graphics, or stunning visual effects, from keyframing and compositing to 3D modeling and rendering.

The skills you gain in this course can open doors to exciting career opportunities. Whether you're creating eye-catching social media campaigns, mesmerizing visual effects, or engaging user interfaces, animation and motion graphics will be your creative playground. Led by experienced instructors and hosted in the Emily Carr University labs, you and your peers will bring static elements to life with guided workshops, hands-on projects, and individual feedback to support your creative journey.

To fully benefit from this course, prior experience with drawing or illustration is recommended

2024 Schedule

This JAI course is scheduled to take place at the Emily Carr University campus.
Block 2: July 15th - 26th, 9:00am - 4:00pm

Register for this course!

About the Instructor: Xiwen Zhang

Xiwen has gained her undergraduate degree in experimental animation with an art history minor at California Institute of the Arts and is currently pursuing her MFA at Yale University. Xiwen’s work often deals with the poetic crossings between video and digital projection of 3D animations combing with analog methods. These video works have been displayed in exhibitions and as installations in various environments and settings. Besides animations, Xiwen has also worked in advertising studios and independent galleries as a graphic designer. As she is striving to combine graphic design and stills as part of her professional practices. Xiwen also teaches lifelong learners, introducing video editing techniques and software.