Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).

The Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art, or Joe Kubert School, located in Dover, New Jersey, is a three-year technical school that teaches the principles of sequential art and the particular craft of the comics industry as well as commercial illustration, and also offers a major in film animation. Founded in 1976 by cartoonist Joe Kubert, it was and still is the only accredited school devoted entirely to cartooning. Its graduates include many successful and well-known comics pencilers and inkers. The school's instructors are full-time professionals working in the industry, many of them graduates of the school themselves, and the instruction is hands-on and practical. The school has a reputation for demanding and intensive coursework, evidenced by a dropout rate averaging roughly 30%. Dropout rate could also be evidence of disappointment over the quality of instruction.[citation needed]

Contents

[edit] Alumni

[edit] Classes (as of 2006)

All classes at the Joe Kubert School (JKS) are mandatory. Students cannot drop classes and if they fail one class, they fail the entire year. There are ten classes a week, two classes a day. Each class is two hours and forty-five minutes. Classes start at 8:30 AM and end at 2:45 PM, with a forty-five minute lunch from 11:15 AM to 12:00 PM.

First Year

  • "Introduction to Animation" teaches the fundamentals of traditional hand-drawn animation. Students learn to produce simple animations, including a walk cycle. Recently taught by Sal Mallimo.
  • "Paste-Ups and Mechanicals" teaches old-fashioned (pre-computer) methods for production of a comic book. Recently taught by Doug Baron (Sugar Ray Finhead).
  • "Humor & Caricature I" teaches how to caricature humans, as well as production of humorous comic strips. Recently taught by Brian Buniak (MAD Magazine) and Bob Hardin.
  • "Design I" teaches fundamentals of design. Assignments typically include character designs and ad layouts. Recently taught by Shelby McPherson and Dave McCoy.
  • "Lettering" teaches comic book lettering, in both dialogue and sound effect fonts. Recently taught by Hy Eisman (Popeye, Katzenjammer Kids), Michael Kraiger ("Scooby-Doo", former Marvel Comics editor), and Mike Chen (school administrator).
  • "Basic Drawing I" teaches the fundamentals of drawing, including lighting, rendering, composition, and perspective. Recently taught by Fernando Ruiz ("Archie").
  • "Layout I" teaches the fundamentals of layout and composition. Recently taught by Alec Stevens (The Sandman (DC Comics/Vertigo)).
  • "Figure Drawing I" is a life drawing class, typically featuing a live nude male or female model. Basics of human anatomy are also covered. Recently taught by Michael Kraiger and Kim DeMulder ("Swamp Thing").
  • "Methods and Materials I" teaches use of various tools used for comic production, including inking with brushes and crow quill pens, Duoshade, scratchboard, Dr. Ph. Martin dyes, and more. Recently taught by Alec Stevens and Kim DeMulder.
  • "Narrative Art I" teaches the production of finished sequential art, from thumbnail to rough layout, to penciled pages, and sometimes finished inked and/or lettered pages. Actual sequential pages usually make up about 10% of the assignments for this class. Recently taught by Adam Kubert ("X-Men," "The Hulk", "Superman") and Fernando Ruiz.

Note: After First Year, the school splits into two courses: "Cartoon Graphics" (dealing mostly with assignments relating to comic books and commercial art) and "Animation."

Second Year Cartoon Graphics

  • "Narrative Art II" continues the lesson on sequential art. Actual sequential pages usually make up about 50% of the assignments for this class. Recently taught by Andy Kubert ("X-Men," "Batman").
  • "Basic Drawing II" teaches intermediate drawing skills, and expands upon the foundations taught in First Year. Recently taught by Kim DeMulder, Alec Stevens, and Tom Taggart ("Doom Patrol").
  • "Layout and Design I" teaches computer production, including computer lettering (Adobe Illustrator), computer coloring (Adobe Photoshop), and page production (Quark XPress). Recently taught by Rick Cellano (a.k.a. "Rickman"), Dwayne Ferguson (a.k.a. "Hunter Wolf," a.k.a. "Storm," a.k.a. "Fergie") ("Hamster Vice"), and Gabe Bridwell..
  • "Humor & Caricature II" continues caricature lessons and production of humorous comic strips. Recently taught by Bob Hardin and Mick Posch.
  • "Human Figure I" is another life drawing class. This one goes more in-depth into human anatomy. Recently taught by Ian Dorian and Ravindra Rana.
  • "Advertising Illustration" teaches production of advertising material, such as posters, CD covers, and T-shirts. Recently taught by Shelby McPherson.
  • "Color Illustration I" teaches color theory and how to produce paintings in such media as acrylic paint and watercolor. Recently taught by Toby Cypress ("The Tourist," "Rodd Racer").
  • "Methods and Materials II" teaches painting methods such as acrylic paint, watercolor, and airbrush. Recently taught by Doug Axmann.
  • "Story Adaptation" teaches how to take a story from a medium such as novels or poems, and adapt them to comic book format. This class is generally referred to as the "second narrative class" of JKS Year Two. Recently taught by Michael Kraiger.
  • "Business of Cartoon Art I" teaches how to market oneself as an artist, and how to look for and secure jobs. Recently taught by Darren Auck, former Marvel Comics editor.

Second Year Animation

Please edit this entry if you have any information on the classes offered in second year animation.

Third Year Cartoon Graphics

  • "Humor & Caricature III" continues caricature lessons and production of humorous comic strips. Recently taught by Brian Buniak.
  • "Advanced Techniques and the Development of Style" teaches advanced techniques in art, including composition, layout, design, and rendering. Recently taught by Ian Dorian.
  • "Human Figure II" is another life drawing class, and teaches advanced human anatomy. Recently taught by Kim DeMulder.
  • "Sequential Art" is the third Narrative Art class, and actual sequential pages make up roughly 90% of the assignments. Recently taught by Joe Kubert ("Sgt. Rock").
  • "Layout and Design II" has a focus on website building, and learning Macromedia Dreamweaver and Macromedia Flash. Recently taught by Rick Cellano, Dwayne Ferguson, and Gabe Bridwell.
  • "Sketching and Layout" typically contains all manner of commercial art assignments, including sequential art, posters, logo design, and more. Finished artwork is usually not necessary for a grade. Recently taught by Irwin Hasen ("Dondi").
  • "Business of Art II" continues the lesson on marketing oneself as an artist. Recently taught by Darren Auck.
  • "Writing" teaches how to write scripts for comics, and how to develop characters and plots. Recently taught by Michael Kraiger.
  • "Color Illustration II" continues the lesson on color theory and painting. Oil painting is typically introduced this year. Recently taught by Toby Cypress and Ravindra Rana.
  • "Methods and Materials III" continues the lesson on painting. Oil painting is also covered in this class. Recently taught by Doug Axmann.

Third Year Animation

Please edit this paragraph if you have any information on the classes offered in third year animation.

[edit] Assignments and Grading

All assignments are mandatory, and must be turned in before the end of each semester. Failing to turn in any of the numerous assignments given throughout the semester results in an incomplete grade in the class the assignment was given in. Students are given the option of turning in a late assignment after the end of a semester, with a fifty-dollar fee per assignment.

Assignments are graded according to the individual potential of each student (an "A" grade means the student has done the absolute best work s/he is capable of, a "C-" means the student has put almost no thought or work into the project. Grades are also diminished if an assignment is turned in late. An assignment worthy of an A, for example, would be graded as an A- if turned in a week late. An assignment worthy of a B+ grade would receieve a B if turned in a week late. The possible grades are as follows:

  • A
  • A-
  • B+
  • B
  • B-
  • C+
  • C
  • C-

The lowest grade possible is a C-, although it is considered a failing grade. Receiving a C- grade in any class for a semester results in failing that class.

[edit] Students

Due to the small size of the school, and the fact that students come from all over the world to study there, JKS has a very friendly and close community of students. There are usually no more than 150 students attending the school at any time, and most students know each other. Especially in first year, when nearly all the students live in the three official student houses (the Carraige House and Mansion, former site of the school at 45 Lehigh Street, Dover, NJ, and the Clinton House at 145 W. Clinton Street, Dover, NJ) and one unofficial student house (the Frat House, at 271 W. Blackwell St., Dover, NJ). The Frat House is also the location of at least three major unofficial parties during the year: the beginning-of-the-year party in September, the Halloween party in October, and the end-of-the-year party in May. The school itself holds a Halloween costume contest every year on the last Friday before Halloween, with prizes usually including gift certificates and comics.

[edit] Art Supply Store

The school also houses the Joe Kubert Art Store, which sells all the tools and supplies students will need for assignments, as well as many other products such as books and drafting tables. Most of the products are of the highest quality, with some products even imported from other countries. One such available product is the Kolinsky Raphael sable inking brush, which Joe Kubert discovered in an art store while vacationing in Paris and now has shipped from France to his store. While an expensive brush (around $20 apiece), it is one of the very best brushes for inking comic work and is known to last longer than inferior brands.

[edit] Weekly Saturday Classes

As well as regular weekday classes, the school also holds weekly class every Saturday of the month for people who are underaged (or in some cases, overaged) to enroll for the actual classes. The class is on basic lessons on cartooning, and is taught by Fernando Ruiz (or by Alec Stevens, in cases when Ruiz is unable to attend). The classes cost $80.00 a month, unless the class must be canceled for a week, for holiday purposes, where it costs $75.00.

[edit] External link

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../j/o/e/Joe_Kubert_School_of_Cartoon_and_Graphic_Art_b801.html"