Learn to draw a standout portfolio in 19 weeks.

Complete our 228 hour curriculum in-person or online twice a week for 19 weeks and be finished in time to submit your portfolio. 

Drawing excellence
is essential.

If your dream is to get into animation school, you need to know how to draw. No “short cuts” or “tips on portfolio-making” can ever substitute for doing the work. 

We’ve designed Session II to cover exactly what you need to know in order to produce your best portfolio yet and, perhaps more importantly, to be able to meet the challenges of learning animation.

Session II: Sept 2023 - Jan 2024

In Person

Online

Animation Portfolio Workshop is Canada’s first and original animation portfolio preparation program. For 23 years, APW has set the standard for pre-art college training in drawing. 

All our animation portfolio preparation courses consist of 228 hours of live, comprehensive, and interactive curriculum. Learn character design, life drawing, perspective, layout, storyboards and more to build your animation school portfolio.

 

I’ve been meaning to do this for a while, but now with the new semester at Seneca I’m compelled to finally say it: Animation Portfolio Workshop is really making a difference in the quality of students that come into my first semester Life Drawing classes.”

Details

In Session II, our 228 hour curriculum is designed to have you prepared with a complete portfolio by the end of the program. The program is delivered both as an in-person and online format over 19 weekly, 6 hour classes on Saturday and Sunday, with a two-week break over the winter holidays.

You will cover a comprehensive array of foundational drawing exercisesDuring the latter portion of the course, simultaneously with the ongoing classes, the directors will schedule virtual portfolio review sessions to help students select their portfolio pieces.

Course Outline

Our program consists of two modules: Life Drawing for Animation and Drawing for Animation. These two modules cover all of the required drawings in an animation portfolio and together make up a typical session of the Animation Portfolio Workshop. 

The Life Drawing for Animation module exposes students to a series of drawing exercises that help to develop the skill set needed to create all the observational drawings that comprise an animation portfolio. 
The Drawing for Animation module rounds out our animation portfolio preparation program by introducing and covering solid, structural object drawing, linear perspective, layout, character body construction, character design, storyboarding and composition. 

One day of classes has a three hour Life Drawing for Animation class, a lunch break and a three hour Drawing for Animation class. Two courses, one workshop.

Sections

IN-PERSON 
September 7, 2024 – January 26, 2025 | Sat & Sun | 10:00 – 5:00 PM EST 
$5,300 CAD 
(Plus 13% HST and/or 4% surcharge where applicable)

Online 
September 7, 2024 – January 26, 2025 | Sat & Sun | 10:00 – 5:00 PM EST 
$5,000 CAD 
(Plus 13% HST and/or 4% surcharge where applicable)

Your portfolio matters.

Learn from the best.

Our students have been admitted to top animation schools around the world.

Animation Portfolio Workshop - Session II 1
Animation Portfolio Workshop - Session II 2
Animation Portfolio Workshop - Session II 3
Animation Portfolio Workshop - Session II 4
Animation Portfolio Workshop - Session II 5
Animation Portfolio Workshop - Session II 6

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

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.

Yes. We offer our full comprehensive program online for students who do not or cannot attend in-person. It’s interactive and engaging with plenty of one-on-one attention. Not just a bunch of videos to watch. Online versions of our course start in April and July

No, we are all about starting at the beginning and building up a solid understanding of drawing fundamentals.  Anyone who is interested can register.

Since the Intensive is under six months in duration, it is covered by a simple Visitors Visa. Plan to receive your visa well in advance of the Intensive start date to allow enough time to make adequate travel preparations.
Government of Canada Visitor Visa information
Processing times for Visitor Visa Applications
Check your Eligibility

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.

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

Please review our full Frequently Asked Questions page. You can also book a call with our Admissions Director.

Have questions?
We're here to help.