Fall 2013- 1st Club Meeting Complete

Hey Ideation!

The first meeting went well, we knocked off a lot of creative rust, and even got to breaking the new members into the club SUPER fast! Myself and my officers are so excited there is still a desire for us to continue on with our love for a productive community for visual ideas. This club will be a great break for us all to escape too, and have indulgent productive fun. Hope to continue seeing new an old faces in the coming weeks. Please remember that this club is entirely for your benefit and needs. Also know our community relies on each of us, not just myself and my officers. So that being said, we are all contributors too our sanctuary so speak out if you want/need something. :]

Any questions, suggestions, concerns, request, complaints, funny videos, cute kitties popping out of socks....Send them our way at Ideationclub@gmail.com.

Enjoy your weekend!

LINKS!

James Gurney

Gnomon workshop

Muddy Colors

Ctrl+Paint

Brandon Pike - Guest Speaker-spring 2013

Hey Everybody!
Today we had guest speaker Brandon Pike with us for an awesome lecture covering his experiences from graduating the academy in Spring 2011 to working as senior concept artist at Zynga. It was quite the pleasure to listen to a professional and alum who not long ago was in the same position as us. He empathized that in his last semester, he struggled and feared his career as many of us are.

"I know things are bleak now in the industry, but it doesn't mean there aren't opportunities." - Brandon Pike

Reassuring words from a great artist. Brandon shared some useful information and tips which hopefully you will all put to good use.

Good Websites to distribute your art- Tumblr, Blogger, Facebook... "Whatever works for you" - Brandon Pike.

Worthwhile Conventions/Expos- Creative Talent Network (CTN), Alternative Press Expo (APE), and WonderCon.

Actions to tackle while still in school- Learn to collaborate with others, truly learn how to accept and or (with reason) ignore certain feedback.

If you wish to know more about Brandon, you can check out his work or contact him:
brandonpikeart@gmail.com
bpike@zynga.com
Facebook: The Art of Brandon Pike
Tumblr: The Art of Brandon Pike

Perhaps the greatest advice Brandon shared with us tonight was to always find opportunities to learn. Even though you might get a boring project as your first job, take it and learn from it. These projects could provide a new lesson you may not have experienced, and it adds another tool under your belt as an artist. Hope all of you are still hanging in there and tackling your finals. Don't forget the Spring Show 2013 submissions are due TONIGHT so get those in fast! Also, Ideation's last meeting will be May 10th. Come and hang with us one last time before the semester ends! Lastly, listed below is Brandon Pike's information if you wish to check out his work or contact him. Enjoy your weekend!

Hey amazing peeps!
Today's topic we talked about time management, and later critiqued each other's work for potential Spring Show 2013 submissions (which I might add looked amazing!!!!) For those of you who may have missed the meeting today, do not fret! You can still view the PowerPoint presented here.

Many thanks to Heriberto for sharing this awesome site to help with your time management.
Many thanks to Vice President Jacob for providing this video:

Emerson Tung and EA Trip!

Hey Ideation! Today's guest speaking panel with Emerson Tung on concept designs was absolutely fantastic! Many of us learned about his beliefs and approach to concept designs (particularly gearing towards mechanical/robotic designs) and how we can incorporate his knowledge and methods into our own works. For those of you who were unable to participate in this event, do not worry. Emerson provided me some links you can use to further your education:

Blog: emersontung.com
Portfolio: emportfolio.blogspot.com
Email: emersontung87@gmail.com

The Art of Freelancing by Noah Bradley
sweetrefbro.tumblr.com
notjustanarmor.tumblr.com




Also, yesterday's field trip to EA was beyond cool! Thankfully we were granted permission to take photos. The 15 of us were given a tour around the EA campus, and later a private session with EA concept artists Albert Truong, Javier Lazo, and Bobby Deddens. They shared their portfolios, work experience within the EA industry, and held an informal Q&A. Here's some of the many photos taken from the event. Many thanks to members who shared their photos!

GDC drought, internal spring break

Hey Everyone,
Just wanted to recap the last club meeting's events. First it was a small group of members who attended, mostly people were attending the Game Developer's Conference going on in San Francisco, hope you all enjoyed yourselves and learned much! So for all of you who were unable to make it to the club this week here is the run down. First we had a mini lecture on how artist even come up with new designs for anything visual, and the process from the initial spark/idea, to create a well resolved art piece. After that we spent a good amount of time on the character design challenge.

Create a new Skylander toy/playable character- time limit- 1:20 mins
Here is a link to all the skylanders at the moment.

We had some great ideas created for some new characters. The beauty of the Skylander toys is that they are not just toys, but actually the playable character that is truly the players own character in growth and customization. So no longer are your toys just toys, but useable, valuable items for multiple purposes. I even use my prism break skylander as a night light back home.
Watch the two videos please- Prism Break Lightcore trailer
                                                Prism Break Lightcore un-boxing (fast forward to 1:20)

We noticed how students are starting to drag down from the knowledge of no spring break. So to us we say,"Pfft, I do what I need, to keep going strong" Please try and relax and gather yourselves for the final onslaught for the later half of our semester. We might not have a real spring break, but that does not mean you should not take a break for yourselves. So work on personal artwork for a bit or play some games, watch a movie. Make a trip or plan an activity with friends, family, or even just sleep in a little extra this weekend. School might be the most important function in our lives at the moment, but do not let it break you. Always remember you are in school to have "FUN" not to be run down or beaten. Keep up the good fight everyone!

Sketchbooks and Farewell

Hey Ideation,

Hope you are all doing well and keeping positive. In today's onsite meeting, we had our own Jacob Sweet talk about sketchbooks, his experiences throughout the years, and some helpful/inspiring tips and tricks on how to keep active in your sketchbooks. Handouts were provided, which you can download. Jacob supplied a small portion of his collection (brought approx. 20 books) to share, and encouraged other members in advance to bring theirs as well. It was a unique experience, and interesting to see how everyone differed in their priorities, preferences, and personalities. Definitely a treat, and many thanks to Jacob for his time.

In other news, as mentioned in the previous post I will be stepping down as your president in Ideation. This does not mean I'm graduating, or that I'm leaving the club for good. Rather, I felt it best to pass the torch now than later so new leaders can gain experience and ask questions while I'm still here. If you're interested in the president position, or even interested in becoming a member please notify myself or the ideation staff (Jacob Sweet or Alejandro Bibriesca) at ideationclub@gmail.com. Be sure to specify what role you're thinking of pursuing as well.

Lastly, we have a few events planned for next semester: two guest speakers and a tour of EA (limited space). The guest speakers are Brandon Pike, senior concept artist at Zynga, and Emerson Tung, game artist at Booyah. Fliers with more information will be posted soon, so keep an eye out. As for the EA tour, we're almost at our limit!! There are only 4 seats left until we are completely full. If you're interested in attending, download the Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), complete it, and send that to us. Make sure you read it all! There have been too many forms I've had to turn down due to missing information, or misunderstanding what is being asked. Without it, we cannot add you to the list.

Hope you all are having a fantastic weekend, and best to you,

Mina Roy
President of Ideation

Not Goodbye, Just See You Later

Dear Ideation,

It's been four great semesters of running the Ideation Club as president. There's been such a dramatic growth since the establishment of the club in Spring 2011, transferring from Concept Art Club to Ideation Club. What originally started as a small get-together of highly talented, motivated 3-5th year students wanting to trade ideas and information off each other (as well as a few inspired freshmen such as myself and treasurer Alejandro) transformed into what now feels like a mini "Massive Black". We have guest speakers, volunteer/job opportunities, lectures/discussions, a concept art challenge/workshop, a website, gmail, Tumblr, over 325 members, soon a club field trip and tour of major museums and industries with courtesy discounts and transportation provided by the Academy of Art University, and in the near future another great surprise which I can only hope to complete before the end of my term. That's a tremendous change and I couldn't be more proud with the direction the club is going.

With that said, it's evident I cannot be president forever. The club will have to go through new management if it is to continue thriving after my time here at the academy.  At our next meeting I will invite members to run for office.  Interested members will be directly involved in officer meetings, will plan events (both present and future), and become actively engaged in all of the duties of president.  They will be mentored by me and serve as "president-in-training."  My hope is that by May interested members will have a better understanding of what my position entitles, can make a more informed decision of whether to run for the position (or any other position) and will be better prepared for Fall 2013.   In addition to ensuring the incoming officers do not  feel lost, insecure, or overwhelmed, this month-long period of "in-training" will permit the club membership to meet those interested in office and cast their vote based on proven performance and not simply campaign promises.

Next month (April) I will step down, but continue as President Emeritus through the end of the semester, available to assist the "presidents-in-training".  Thereafter I intend to participate in the club as a regular member so I may dedicate more time into my studies. I also wish to view the club in a new perspective, and will contribute suggestions and ideas to the new officer(s) when convenient. 

Thank you for the experience and memories; and for standing by me as I pass the torch onto the new line of Ideation leaders.

With sincerest regards,
Mina Roy
President of Ideation Club
www.minaroy.com
mina.j.roy@gmail.com