Just a reminder that I’ll be giving a 2-part seminar on character design at the Motion ’09 animation conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, October 11-14. It’s a real honor. Last year’s conference was packed with great speakers and seminars and this year the conference has even more to offer.

I’ll be part of a new “late night” session, speaking on Monday and Tuesday from 10:15pm-11:30pm. So if you attend be sure to bring your favorite caffeinated beverage!

Here’s the description of my seminar from the conference website:

Part 1: Principles, Personality, and Appeal

The job of Character Designer is one of the most sought-after – and most important positions in the animation industry.

In this session we’ll examine the fundamentals of good character design. We’ll look at some do’s and don’ts and discuss tips and tricks to help you create engaging characters with personality and appeal. We’ll walk through some helpful exercises to develop your skills as a character designer and point you towards some resources for further study.

Part 2: Putting It Into Practice

In the second part of this two part series, we’ll walk through the process of creating a character from concept to final design, including model sheets and turnarounds. We’ll also take a look at some of the industries that use freelance character designers including film, TV, advertising, video games, and toys. Get first-hand advice on breaking into those industries based on the Hohnstadt’s personal experience as a freelancer.

You can sign up for the conference at the Motion ’09 website.

Oh, and to whet your appetite here’s a quick YouTube slideshow displaying some of my character design work:

I’ve been invited to give two presentations on character design this fall at the Motion ’09 animation conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, October 11-14. It’s a real honor.

I attended last year’s Motion ’08 conference and it was one of the most fun and informative conferences I had been to in a while. I attended seminars on TV animation pipelines, character design for Flash, animating to music, surviving in Hollywood, acting for animators, designing ethnic characters, and more. I raved about it after it was all over. I even got to talk a little character design one-on-one with legendary character designer Dan Haskett. He was kind enough to look at my portfolio which was a real thrill. If you work in the animation industry (or want to break in) you’ll get plenty out of this conference.

Assuming the conference follows last year’s schedule there will be multiple seminars that roughly follow two tracks: One for character animation and one for motion design. I’ll be part of a new series of “after hours” seminars that will be offered in the evening. It hasn’t been decided yet whether I’ll be giving the same seminar twice or doing two different presentations. Either way I’ll be sure to pack in as much helpful info as I can. I’ll post more info soon.

In the mean time, be sure to check out the Motion ’09 website. The site is a little sparse at the moment but I’m told they’ll be stuffing it full of content very soon. So be sure to check back and/or sign up for updates.