A few months ago, I took a took a flight to Germany to take part in the Pictoplasma academy Character Design masterclass with thirty-five other participants from around the world. With a CSU global Independent program, I shaped a short-term program that took me geographically and academically where I wanted to go.
As a mega fan of comics and a budding illustrator, I decided to take a character, that I was in the process of developing, through an intensive eight-day program that tested my limits. I got to have one-on-one mentor time to discuss my career goals, sculpt my character out of foam, draw storyline sequences and even learn more about licensing, law and contracts.
Working with the same character throughout the whole process was a huge challenge, for example we did an exercise with rapid sketching of expressions and poses. My character has a double set of arms so this really tested the limits for me – applying him to different situations and forms.
The fellow participants in the program were from across the world and the connections I made have had a lasting effect, with ongoing correspondence and helpful critique as we progress in our careers.
It was an incredible opportunity to have one-on-one mentor time to discuss my career goals and present my work to French illustrator, Geneviève Gauckler. Meeting and spending some time with Geneviève gave me valuable feedback on my designs and how I can take my work in new directions.
I am so happy to have taken part, formed such close connections with other participants and look forward to contributing to a group exhibition in Berlin for the 2019 Pictoplasma conference!
Find out more on how to organise an Independent CSU global experience and check out my last CSU global trip to Malta with Graphic Anthropology.
