FAQ

General

Why take the Animation Portfolio Workshop?
To get into a top animation school you need to submit a portfolio of your drawings that demonstrate skills in the areas of observational drawing, perspective, character design, life drawing and more.  We’ve designed our animation portfolio preparation course to cover exactly what you need to know in order to get into animation school and perhaps more importantly, to be able to meet the challenges of learning animation.

Is APW online?
Yes.  Our full comprehensive program is online.  It’s interactive and engaging with plenty of one-on-one attention.  Not just a bunch of videos to watch.

Are APW classes recorded and can I access them outside of the scheduled class times?
No. Our class delivery online is very close to what a student would experience for an in-person class in that we have an instructor present for the entire 6 hours of class and they are teaching and interacting with the students live. When the class is over, it’s over and there is no record of it and it cannot be accessed if missed.

If a student has a family emergency or is seriously ill for a period of time, it is sometimes possible for us to offer one or two make-up classes by the student attending a session on another day when the same class is offered. The exact missed class will not however be available but the time can be recouped. This must be pre-arranged with the Administrator.

Does APW assist students with the college application process?
No.  A session of APW focuses from start to finish on drawing.  All paper-work involved in the application process is handled by the student or by the parent or guardian of the student – APW does not contact schools on behalf of individual students.  Our focus is on the development of foundational drawing skills and on helping each student assemble the strongest portfolio they can.

Do I need to show my drawings to someone in order to get in to APW?
No, we are all about starting at the beginning and building up a solid understanding of drawing fundamentals.  Anyone who is interested can register for APW.

Is APW an animation school?
Our focus is on the fundamentals of observational drawing.  Our goal is to enable each student to put together a strong entrance animation portfolio and then to be prepared for the challenges of animation school. An introduction to animation is a part of our regular session and is featured in our APW March Break Boot Camp and in our APW Summer Boot Camp.

How long is a session of classes?
Each APW session has 38 days of classes.  *Some sessions have classes on the weekend, some sessions are mid-week, and some are Monday to Friday for two months.  Have a look at our calendar.  Each day of classes has one 3 hour Life Drawing class followed by 1 hour lunch followed by one 3 hour Drawing for Animation class.  *The APW Summer Intensive and the APW Winter Intensive have classes from Monday to Friday over a period of 8 weeks.

Why do classes end in February?
Many of the the top animation schools set their portfolio deadlines between mid-January and March.  Since the final portfolio reviews at the end of our workshop coincide with the deadlines for portfolio submission, APW students receive one-on-one guidance and input from their instructors and from APW directors at a time when it matters most – when they submit their portfolios.

Why learn drawing?  Isn’t most animation done with computers?
If you want to be an animator, layout artist or storyboard artist, you need to go to animation school and if you want to go to animation school you need to know how to draw.   As a standard part of the application process, all of the top animation schools like Sheridan, Seneca, CalArts, Ringling, SVA (School of Visual Arts) and many more require each applicant to submit a portfolio of drawings that show a demonstration of skill in Life Drawing, perspective, drawing various objects from daily life, animal drawing, character design, storyboard and more.

How do i register?
Fill out the form for the program you’re interested in and we’ll contact you to walk you through the rest.

Can I pay online?
Yes. You can pay with Credit Card, PayPal or E-transfer and your invoice will guide you through each payment option.

APW Summer/Winter Intensive

Who can take the APW Summer or Winter Intensive?
Canadians, Americans and international students are all eligible.

Do non-Canadian students need a study visa?
Since the APW Summer and Winter Intensive sessions are under six months in duration (8 weeks) They are covered by a simple visitors visa. Provided that the course or program of study will be completed within the period of your stay authorized upon entry into Canada.  Plan to receive your visa well in advance of the APW Summer or Winter Intensive start date to allow enough time to make adequate travel preparations.

What countries have Summer/Winter Intensive students come from?
Canada, United States, Mexico,  China, India, Switzerland, Jordan, England, Vietnam, Denmark, Senegal, France, Italy, Venezuela, Columbia, Guatemala, Australia, Romania.  Drawing and animation seem to really bring local students and internationals together.

Do the Summer/Winter Intensive sessions have the same number of classes as a normal APW Session?
Just like a normal APW session the Summer and Winter Intensive has 38 days of classes.  The classes take place Monday to Friday during 8 weeks in the summer (June to August) or in the winter (October to December).  Each day of classes has one 3 hour Life Drawing class followed by 1 hour lunch followed by one 3 hour Drawing for Animation class.

Do you arrange housing for students who do not live in Toronto?
We don’t.  For people who are looking for housing options we are happy to recommend these agencies.

How do i register?
Fill out the form for the program you’re interested in and we’ll contact you to walk you through the rest.

Can I pay online?
Yes.  Click Here.

APW Boot Camp

Who can take the APW Boot Camp?
Anyone who wants an intensive drawing workout in animation and character basics.

Can you make a portfolio in the APW Boot Camp?
No. These intensive sessions have 5 days of classes – and are designed to give each person total focus on learning animation and character basics. The full APW session of classes develops many areas of drawing, lasts longer and culminates in creating finished pieces for an animation portfolio. APW Boot Camp is not a substitute for the regular full-length APW sessions.

Does the APW Boot Camp have the same number of classes as a normal APW Session?
No. Each one week Boot Camp Session has 5 days of classes – each day has two 3 hour classes. A full-length APW session has 38 days of classes – each day has two 3 hour classes. The Boot Camp model is very much like a focused workout.

How do i register?
Fill out the form for the APW Boot Camp session you’re interested in and we’ll contact you to walk you through the rest.

Can I pay online?
Yes. Yes. You can pay with Credit Card, PayPal or E-transfer and your invoice will guide you through each payment option.