Summer Institute for Teens | Schedule + Studios

Bring your artwork to life through traditional and stop-motion animation. Create your own 2D animations using original drawings and build vivid digital environments and characters using Adobe software. You will be introduced to fundamental animation principles, learn to observe and analyze movement in everyday life, and apply this knowledge towards creating lifelike motion. Through hands-on exercises, you will gain experience with stop-motion and computer animation techniques and workflows, and create short films for your portfolio.

Estimate cost of supplies: $90-$100

Take your animation skills to the next level! Learn basic 3D modeling techniques, how to animate objects, apply textures, and digitally render your scene. Through various exercises, you will broaden your understanding of movement, timing and acting, as they relate to body mechanics. By the end of the course, students will be equipped to integrate texture, expression and personality into 3D character animation.

Estimate cost of supplies: $90-$100

Investigate architecture and its surroundings through hands-on model-making, technical drawing and creative problem-solving in this practical studio course. Consider buildings, spaces, and landscapes from a design perspective though intensive site analysis. Learn technical drawing skills, how to create plans, sections and architectural elevations as well as how to translate those drawings into scale-models. Discover how architecture shapes our lives and our communities.

Estimate cost of supplies: $130-$150

Communication Design plays a large role in our everyday lives, guiding interaction and communication in both physical and digital forms. In the Communication Design Studio, you will develop visualization skills and creative thinking through a mix of experiments in various forms and media. As you learn a visual language, design principles, and thinking methods, the program also provides experiences of exploring contemporary issues and concepts and examining how designers contribute from commercial design to social awareness campaigns.

Estimate cost of supplies: $30-$40

Explore how you see the world around you with traditional, technical and experimental drawing processes. Through various drawing methodologies investigate and apply a variety of drawing media and approaches to elevate your work and extend your comfort zone. Learn to work with graphite, ink, conté, charcoal and pastel as you further develop your technique and style. Create a variety of large-scale representational drawings, abstract compositions and sketches for your portfolio.

Estimate cost of supplies: $80-$90

Digital illustrations can be found in everything from webcomics to magazines. Expand your illustration abilities as you apply your sketching, drawing and composition skills in a digital environment. Learn to work with layers, shape vector art and utilize colour as you create both process-based and print-ready work using tablets and industry-standard Adobe programs. Discover how the creative process can apply to concept, product and character design within a digital arts or commercial environment.

Estimate cost of supplies: $60-$80

Broaden your illustration knowledge and creative potential through a range of projects. Create detailed and stylized illustrations that communicate ideas, capture characters and envision imaginary spaces. Using pen and ink, conté, charcoal, and watercolour, you will learn to consider line, texture and tone. Future illustrators, animators, graphic novelists or fine artists are invited to learn traditional illustration techniques as they develop their individual style and grow their body of work.

Estimate cost of supplies: $100-$120

Discover how sustainable and human-centred design can positively impact the world around us. This studio introduces the core values, application and potential of Industrial Design through prototyping and case studies of product design. You will learn technical drawing, CAD software, and model-making alongside principles of accessibility, ergonomics, material innovation and ecological concerns.

Estimate cost of supplies: $115-$130

Push your creative boundaries and express yourself through diverse media arts techniques. In this studio, you will learn to communicate concepts, emotions and narratives in a dynamic way, using experimental approaches to photography, video, sound and multi-media installation. Field trips and classroom discussions will help you build a strong creative foundation, and introduce you to contemporary media artists. You will learn to format your final media pieces for screen and/or installation.

Estimate cost of supplies: $50-$70

Investigate how observed and imaginary spaces and objects can be represented with acrylic paint and mixed media. Challenge yourself to take new approaches to your work as you experiment with abstraction and realism in order to further develop your personal style. Build technical skills through rigorous exercises in paint application, brush strokes, composition and colour theory. Historical and contemporary practices will be considered.

Estimate cost of supplies: $170-$190