Illustration Master Class (IMC) 2012

I'm at the IMC (Illustration Master Class), all week.
http://www.illustrationmasterclass.com/



Core instructors are:
Rebecca Guay
Donato Giancola
Boris Vallejo
Julie Bell
Dan Dos Santos
Scott Fischer
Greg Manchess 
Irene Gallo
and last year's guest instructor, Ian McCaig, is back again.
Guest Instructor for this year is Brom.
Doug Gregory, AD for Blizzard Entertainment
James Gurney, guest instructor from 2 years back, is visiting again to do demos and lectures.

Before we arrive, we get the assignments.  There are a lot of cool ones this year: 
Tristan and Isolde
Tarzan and Jane
Old Man's War
... a YA story (can't remember name)
... and a few others.



I chose the "Tristan and Isolde" assignment.  Going for the Romance!

We are to make thumbnails and bring sketches for a crit on the first day.

There is an online student network were we can ask questions, post images, and arrange shared shuttle rides from the airports.  I was busy reserving one of those on the way out for the afternoon arrivals (there were 5 of us), during the days before... But I actually did work up some sketches... No thumbs, though, bad me!  And as usual, I had to work on the sketches a bit more on the plane to Mass.


We signed up for a crit sessions with a set of instructors... So here are Rebecca Guay, Dan Dos Santos, Greg Manchess and Ian McCaig doing crits. 

These are the BEST crits ever.  Nothing nasty.  Just lots of great ideas to choose from.

We are encouraged to shoot reference.  There are lights set up in the Lecture Hall between lectures, and students bring stuff--like this full suit of plate armor.  And other students will put it on to model it for other students.  Everyone has work to do, but there's a serious amount of fun and cooperation.


We choose from two painting studios and one no-paint allowed digital room to set up our stuff.  And the instructors set up, too.  They come around and help students and also do demos and work.  Watching people like Boris Vallejo (here) and Julie Bell paint is just amazing.


Lectures so far:
Iain McCaig's Beginner's Boot Camp
Shooting Reference
Art of Greg Manchess
Manchess: the Talent Myth
Dos Santos:  The art of...
Iain McCaig:  Visual Storytelling
Art of Brom
Gurney: Composition
Gurney: Light and Color

Demos:




Donato's paper mounting method
Gurney d
Dos Santos painting from the model
Figure model for gesture poses
Manchess--painting
McCaig--monsters

I spent two days on my sketch, got it mounted on board the third day and did some underpainting...  Two days left to oil paint...!!!