Art Direction - Design - Education
THE DRAW MORE GROUP
"STRESS LESS - DRAW MORE"
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WHY LEARN WITH CYNTHIA?
Cynthia is an accomplished entertainment industry pro with over 10 years of experience as Art Director at both Marvel Studios on What If and at Sony Pictures Animation, Visual Development artist on Beyond the Spiderverse, and with extensive roles in TV on shows like Venture Brothers, Mighty Nein, Vox Machina, Rise of the TMNT.
She has taught and spoken regularly at institutions across the US and abroad, including Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Lightbox Expo, Drawing America, in Italy and France, and at the School of Visual Arts in New York.
Her passion for the arts and sharing her knowledge is contagious. She excels at creating a fun, casual atmosphere for education that many students return to again and again.
OFFERINGS
Drawing Events and Workshops are primarily hosted in the LA. Custom or company events are available to schedule throughout the US & abroad.
DRAWING DAYS - IN PERSON
Join Cynthia & The Draw More Group for several hours of un-instructed drawing time while visiting beautiful locations! These days out drawing are a fantastic way to get out, relax, make new friends, and enjoy the company of other passionate artists. No skill minimums, no instruction, no required materials - just come and enjoy.
SINGLE DAY WORKSHOPS - IN PERSON
Learn to sketch with style and confidence as Cynthia shares her personal approach to Drawing on Location, giving students the professional tools they need to create stylish and well-constructed drawings that showcase their personal voice and help prepare them for the Entertainment Industry.
CARS & ART - IN PERSON
Cynthia Halley, Omar Rehman, & The Draw More Group team up with local venues to bring you laid-back drawing on location with special focus on real automotive subjects. Our entertainment and automotive industry pros are on hand to answer questions and give light instruction as desired.
ONLINE CLASSES & EVENTS
Join classmates from around the world to learn about entertainment arts and illustration. Whether you're just brushing up on your skills or looking for an education to help prepare for college or the industry, Cynthia is an experienced teacher who can help you get there. Online Classes are typically taught through www.DrawingAmerica.com and are announced as they are available throughout the year. Below are some examples of classes taught:
Cinematic Perspective Drawing for Visual Storytellers:
Through engaging examples from all areas of entertainment (including storyboarding, film, background design, comics, theme park design, and urban sketching), students learn the shortcuts to using perspective as a visual storytelling tool. They gain a broad understanding of the basics, how to use camera positioning and lens choices, and also how to imply perspective through common principles like like eye paths, scale, graphic simplification, and atmosphere.
Drawing for Film & Television (Designing for Entertainment):
This class guides students through current entertainment design theories and practices to create well-thought-out set designs, compositions, and environments that answer narrative needs - teaching them how to become powerful designers and storytellers for the entertainment industry.
Style for Entertainment:
A deep dive into Style in entertainment (animation and games). What makes style so important, how does it affect our stories, and how we can leverage its power as visual storytellers? This class teaches students how to reinforce the all important narrative, and use it to engage our target audiences with sophistication and fun.
The Power of Ideation - Thumbnailing for Visual Development
Have better ideas, more of them, and faster! Developing your ideas, editing them, and communicating them clearly are essential skills for art, and thumbnailing is the key. In this class students hone their visual communication skills, compositional knowledge, and sketching efficiency. We work through a series of techniques for sketching ideas in thumbnail form, with a different focus and method each week - from value grouping, layout, perspective. Whether for personal enjoyment or professional advancement (visual development, background design, concept art, etc.) this class is ideal for Improving the quality of your ideas and work flow for any application.
STAY IN THE LOOP!
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TESTIMONIALS
"Cynthia Halley has all the qualities of a fine teacher and artist. She has formidable skill and professional experience working at many major studios, and possesses the ability to patiently break down and clearly explain complex concepts and ideas to those who are new to the field."
- Will Weston, Head of Entertainment Studies at Drawing America,
Previously Professor at Art Center College of Design &
Head of ACCD's Entertainment Arts Track
"Cynthia has great technical knowledge, and contagious passion. She re-engaged me with my own creative side, is a pleasure to listen to and is very motivating to learn from. "
- Art Director at Undisclosed Studio,
Student at Drawing America
"...She makes her subject accessible and engaging for the audience, and her passion for her art comes through in every sentence... The depth of her experience is undeniable and her ability to apply her knowledge to other disciplines
is fascinating to listen to.”
- John Leonida, Consulting Superyacht Industry Advisor
ex Partner Clyde & Co LLP
"Having taught at Art Center for over 34 years Cynthia remains among my most favored speakers... [She] excels at communicating and presenting her material enthusiastically and effectively, [and is] a reliable and confident speaker
to my students."
- Jim Heiman, Executive Editor for TASCHEN America,
Professor at Art Center College of Design, Designer, Illustrator, Author