ECU Summer Teens Program Help Young Learners Explore Artistic Practices

For many young learners, the Summer Institute for Teens (SIT) program at Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECU) is a place to grow their creativity. Mariana joined the Spring Break Art Camp in 2023 to explore her love of animation and learn more about storyboarding. Now, in 2025, she’s returned to the SIT program, deepening her animation skills and discovering new techniques.

In this interview, we hear from Mariana about her experience in the SIT program and the transformative process of showcasing her work for the public in Paracosm, the 2025 SIT exhibition at ECU.

Mariana, SIT Student

What sparked your interest in exploring your art practice with the SIT program?

I was exploring my art interests but wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I knew it would be moving pictures or animation. The first direction for that was storyboarding, and I heard there was this big, famous art school in Vancouver called Emily Carr University! I decided to try a course during the Spring Break program for a week, because it was my first dip into a big art program.

What did the SIT program provide in terms of honing and deepening your skills?

At ECU, they start by teaching you traditional animation techniques, which is a great way to build a strong foundation. You do classic exercises like the bouncing ball and the flour bag, things you’ll see all over the internet, but here, they take it further by applying those skills across different animation mediums. I took online classes using affordable tools like Toon Boom, Harmony, and FlipaClip. At ECU, you also work with clay, paper and other physical materials. That helped me understand what’s happening behind the scenes in digital animation. It gave me a new appreciation for how much time and effort goes into the process and made me want to do it even more.

What were your experiences in taking ECU’s youth programs?

I feel like it’s made me more confident in my art. I am not the best artist by any means. Honestly, I don’t think anyone is. But these programs helped me understand I’m not done practicing my art yet and I am getting to where I want to be. They’ve also helped me become more aware of the artists around me, making it easier to feel like I’m not falling behind, even when surrounded by people who might seem more advanced. It’s just such a supportive environment. And as I get older, I can see how it’s helping me build confidence.

What did you learn from these programs that you’ll take forward in your artistic journey?

In my storyboarding course, even though it was just a week, they covered all the basics, which helped me plan out my animations better. Then, in my animation course, I discovered a bunch of styles I enjoy, especially puppet and 2D digital animation. That helped me start to figure out what I wanted to focus on.

This year, in the SIT program, I’m taking digital illustration to improve my painting, anatomy and overall art skills. It’s helped me understand I need to work on my technique most, because I know I have good ideas, and it’s just about figuring out how to bring them to life. That’s something I think ECU emphasizes: having big ideas and finding your own way to express them. It’s different from other schools that are more technique-focused. For someone like me, who needs a bit more creative liberty, that approach helps.

What advice would you give future students who might be curious about participating in the SIT program?

Just show up and bring what you have forward. You’re going to learn! When I started, I had very poor drawing skills. I was just the kid who would draw in little notebooks and didn’t absorb much information in class. But when I came here, I understood I was here to improve my art. It's not easy getting criticism sometimes, but when you’re surrounded by people who have mastered their craft over the years, or even those who are just here to help, it’s essential to keep an open mind that we’re all here to learn art.