This drawing workshop uses old submarine interiors, steam cars, tanks, pre WW1 flying machines, and 19th century dental and medical equipment as references allowing drawing students to portray character-filled man-made lab equipment, creepy lab furniture, and environments.

Students learn to draw everything using cylinders (pipes & pipe fittings), balls, boxes, wire and ropes, all exaggerated for clarity and expression.

Students then scale and design a cutaway for a Mad Scientists laboratory allowing for staging and potential layouts.

Live Class Schedule (Zoom): April 8th, 15th, 22nd 29th, and May 6th, 13th from 2:30 – 4:00 pm ET. Homework is due Wednesday night at midnight. Video critiques are posted on Fridays by midnight. Zoom links in ZOOM TAB the night before the live class. Live class available as replays 24 hours after class. 

I was originally an advertising illustrator with agents in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. I eventually entered the entertainment field, where I was trained in Walt Disney Studio’s excellent Feature Animation training program. In the following years, I worked as a layout artist, background painter, and a visual development artist for Disney Feature and TV Animation, Nickelodeon Animation, Warner Bros., and Sony Feature Animation.

I have an MFA from the Claremont Graduate University in California. I am retired from ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, where I taught in the Entertainment Arts and Entertainment Design programs. I won ArtCenter’s Great Teacher Award in 2012, an award granted by student vote.

I teach workshops internationally on figure drawing, costumed figure drawing, drawing on location (plants, architecture, furniture, vehicles, etc.), landscape drawing & film composition. Also, Photoshop painting, composition for animation & film, and style development for animation.

I teach professional workshops for Dreamworks Animation, Blizzard Entertainment and other professional organizations as well as offering online courses through Drawing America.

– Will @willwestonstudio

Students may choose to work in Photoshop, Procreate or any drawing medium they prefer.