I work primarily with High School students at an at-will after school program called Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild. We provide no-cost classes for any high school students in Allegheny County, and provide transportation for Pittsburgh Public School students. Our courses are developed with life-skill building as the primarily goal. Through the pursuit of artistic endeavors students learn to set goals, develop a plan to complete projects, and show accountability through attendance all ultimately with the goal of helping students develop the skills they will need to succeed later in life. You can read more about the full program on the MCG Youth website.
Spring 2022
Fall 2022
Winter 2023
Spring 2023
Fall 2023
Do you want to build new worlds? Design characters with stories to tell? In this class, you will learn the tools to create compelling designs for games, movies, mascots and more! Utilize state-of-the-art tools used by the pros to plan, prototype, and execute stunning designs for next-gen platforms. No prior digital art experience necessary!
If you love the crisp look of a freshly opened deck of playing cards, this might just be the class for you. Here in Print Media Design, you will have a chance to create physical prints for product design. Design layouts for packaging, board games, business cards and more to bring digital design into tangible forms.
There are so many ways to tell your story, and only you can tell it! In this class you will learn about the many formats that storytelling can take in the digital world. From storyboarding to webcomics, book covers, and even game design, get ready to learn the format that will make your story shine!
In game design we will be diving into some of the most aspect of game design such as map creation, print-and-play prototypes, branching-path narrative design, and non-linear storytelling. Find out what marks a compelling piece of gameplay by testing out mechanics and strategies that keep the player invested in your creation.
Students will plan and create merchandise in preparation for the Holiday Art Sale! We will explore different strategies for producing physical objects at-scale using laser cutting, 3D printing and digital print. We’ll also look at the best ways to pitch your products in a booth-sale setting by experimenting with different promotional materials.
There are so many ways to create moving art using digital media. In this class we will explore a few of the techniques used by motion graphic artists and animators in both 2D and 3D spaces. From post-production for live action footage to puppetting tools and traditional frame-by-frame, we will create art that moves you.
Get ready to venture into unknown territory and explore worlds of your own design! Utilizing digital painting tools and techniques, you will become a concept artist of your own planet. Learn how to visualize strange creatures, landscapes and more in this digital-painting focused class.
This class is for the inventors and crafters of world, and we’ll learn how to use tools like laser cutting and 3D printing to build it better. From prop design and set pieces to installation artworks, we’ll test out the best techniques to bring your blueprints to life.
Dip your toes into computer graphics with the powerful 3D program Blender. Practice techniques used by 3D texture artists to bring 3D models to life!
Use a variety of digital painting techniques to create, capture, tame, and study creatures of your own design. We’ll also learn ways to access free online references to make a more convincing creature design.
Weave a story that branches out in multiple directions. We will be working with branching-path narrative design, meaning the reader can choose the outcome of a story, in a world you create!
No prior knowledge needed! Learn some of the ground rules for working in 3D design. In this class, we’ll be using modeling and sculpting techniques in Blender, a free and open-source application.
Explore the ins and outs of 3D environment design techniques. Construct props, buildings and structures, and even entire landscapes using Blender 3D modeling.
If you can imagine it, we can have it. In this Concept Art focused class, we will use world building techniques to envision a better future; from vehicles and robots to nature and community.
Guest Artist and PPS Senior will be leading this class on digital music generation. Get into the groove and ride the sound waves with your very own synthesizers, melodies, and musical effects.