Meet The Animation Tutor
Garth is a professional freelance animator and illustrator with a degree in Animation from Sheridan College, where he successfully completed the 4-year Bachelor of Animation Program. Since then, Garth has been actively engaged in various artistic pursuits, including working as an animator, children's book and cover illustrator, and landscape painter. Additionally, Garth has been serving as a portfolio tutor with The Animation Tutors’ sister company, PortPrep.
With a genuine passion for supporting young artists, Garth finds immense joy in helping students bring their bold stories to life. Having experienced a similar journey himself, he deeply understands the challenges of aspiring artists and enjoys reflecting on the transformative process of students becoming the artists they were destined to be.
Teaching Philosophy
For over a decade, Garth has served as a dedicated mentor to students worldwide, guiding them on their journey to mastering the demanding discipline of animation. Through his experience, he has recognized two key modes of study that are crucial to cultivate from an early age: classical studies and creative studies.
Classical studies are centered around enhancing technical drawing skills that often draw inspiration from external sources, be it from observation or reference images. These exercises are not dependent on a written story or context but rather serve to expand knowledge and build muscle memory towards drawing. For instance, drawing a building from observation, or life drawing from a model exemplifies classical studies.
Creative studies encourage students to apply what they have learned from classical studies and channel their imagination into their artistic practice. In the context of animation, creative studies might involve creating storyboards or designing a lineup of characters for their own narrative. An example of this would be taking the building previously drawn and placing it in a new world, accentuating its personality to imbue it with a captivating story, or using a life drawing pose to inspire an imagined character’s pose.
While classical art schools prioritize classical studies, Garth firmly believes in placing equal importance on both classical and creative studies simultaneously. He understands the significant synergy that emerges when students absorb new knowledge and immediately apply it to their imaginative creations, especially in the realm of animation.
This video was animated for the band Tragedy Ann, and involved a traditionally painted background combined with with multiple looped animal animations throughout, and is completed entirely in one shot! No cuts!
While Garth tutors and mentors students for significant portions of the year, he is still very active in his field as a freelance artist. He animates music videos, illustrates children’s books, and even rents an art studio to sell his original paintings in his quaint town of Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. Garth firmly believes that it isn’t enough for mentors for young artists to simply teach — they must keep their skills sharp and the their knowledge current in their field of study.
Occasionally, Garth has even hired back some of his best students to help him with his larger scale animation projects, often providing them their first gig as an animator.
“I absolutely love bringing past students into my professional projects! What a great way to give back to them for trusting me with their early artistic education. I hope to make this a bigger part of my practice in the future.”
Have a look at some of Garth’s work!
This comprises a small sampling of his many diverse projects, and will be updated regularly to reflect his newest works. He enjoys working with whimsical, imaginative, folk-tale based themes and stories, but welcomes many projects that allow him to grow as an artist.
FAQs
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The top choice for the majority of my students is Sheridan College, which aligns with my own background as well. In addition to Sheridan, many students also apply to other esteemed institutions such as Seneca College, CalArts, Capilano University, The Animation Workshop in Denmark, and, more recently, Gobelins in Paris.
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The success rate of my students has been steadily increasing year by year. In 2023, despite facing the toughest marking year on record (with a Domestic passing grade of 89% and an International passing grade of 95%), I am proud to share that I mentored a significant portion, around 10-15%, of the successful applicants who were accepted into Sheridan College's Animation bachelor program. You can find interviews with many of these students on my Testimonials page, showcasing their achievements and experiences.
To date, I have mentored over 100 students who have been accepted into their top-choice animation programs, helping them achieve their dreams in the field of animation.
At this point in time, I’ve mentored over 100 students who’ve been accepted into their top school choices.
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The primary reason to work with me as your animation tutor is the significant education gap between high-school art programs and the expectations of Colleges and Universities. Many students have completed all art courses in high school, but still lack essential knowledge in perspective drawing, which is crucial for advanced art studies. To understand the level of skill expected by institutions like Sheridan College, you can explore examples of my past students' work on my Past Student Work page.
Unfortunately, the preparation provided by senior-level art courses in high school may be inadequate for the rigorous demands of post-secondary animation programs. Similarly, general preparatory art courses in post-secondary institutions, like Art Fundamentals, might not be focused enough on the specific requirements of animation. This is where my programs excel - they are tailor-made to precisely address the needs and challenges of animation as a discipline.
I understand firsthand the struggle of excelling in high-school art classes, only to feel lost when assembling an animation portfolio for Sheridan College. It was this personal experience that led me to create these courses and mentorships, with the aim of helping students who feel similarly bewildered in creating an impressive animation portfolio that meets the highest standards. My dedication lies in assisting students in achieving their animation dreams, just as I wished for guidance during my own journey.
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While my expertise lies in Animation and Illustration, I collaborate with a wonderful partner company called PortPrep. PortPrep caters to a diverse range of fields, including Architecture, Design, Interior Design & Decorating, and various art programs tailored for youth who are in the early stages of building their artistic skills.
Additionally, I have the privilege of teaching at their Animation Summer Camp held annually in Guelph, Ontario, where young aspiring animators can learn and explore the fascinating world of animation during the summer months.