Testimonials
Student Testimonials
David Huynh 2010
Animation
I’m very satisfied with the knowledge and skill I achieved being at MTM. The instructors had so much passion and love for teaching and watching the students grow. I struggled a lot and they never stopped encouraging me when I felt like I couldn’t do it anymore.
I currently work and Corus Nelvana as a 3D technical director and FX artist.
My animation skills allowed me to learn to see mistakes in all aspects of a shot and to be able to fix them as well as giving me the understanding about how elements work to be able to create the FX needed for the show that are convincing.
Sara Semen 2nd Year
Animation
Max the Mutt is a wonderful institution. The class numbers are small so everyone gets the attention they need so if anything just isn’t clicking, it will by the end of the class. They will push you. The school wants you to succeed in the industry, so they hold you to that standard. The people who work here are wonderfully skilled, and very good at handling anyone who may need an extra bit of help. Speaking from my personal experience, Max is the third school ‘ve tried and the only one that feels as though they want to help YOU, not just earn a pay check. I highly recommend this school to anyone interested in animation production, concept art, or the sequential arts. So stop on by, get yourself a tour, everyone there is very friendly and would be happy to answer any questions you could possibly have!
Saar Bodman 2012
Concept Art for Video Games & Animation
The instructors at Max the Mutt were amazing to learn from. Having input from working professionals throughout the program was great. I’d say that I’m still not where I want to be with my art skills but, having come to Max the Mutt with very little skill, I am extremely satisfied to be as far a long as I am. There’s ALWAYS more to learn, and Max the Mutt has helped me get to a place where I’m in an excellent position to do so.
I was able to get work on a couple of small freelance contracts in the first month after school before being hired full time at Corus Entertainment as an Assistant Art Director.
Jake Kalbehnn 2012
Concept Art for Video Games & Animation
I found the school itself helped to instill and enforce excellent work habits….I currently work from my home studio on social media games for Lunchtime Studios located in Boston. I have also been offered a job as a colour key artist at Corus Entertainment to start in August.
Right now I’m creating characters for a game with the company Lunchtime Studios. While designing the characters I have been able to use my sense of posing and colour theory that Max the Mutt teachers had shown me. I have also been able to apply basic fundamental knowledge such as anatomy and different ways of using lines.
Dan MacKinnon 2011
Illustration for Sequential Arts
This is Dan MacKinnon, recent graduate of the Sequential Arts Program. I wanted to let you all know that I have been doing well as a freelance artist thanks to the instruction and support I received at Max the Mutt. The program has instilled in me an insurmountable work ethic. Thanks to your school I truly believe there is nothing I can’t do as long as I just keep pushing ahead. I would not be able to do the things I’m doing now without the drive and focus I learned at the school….My thanks again to everyone at Max who has helped me become the successful and professional artist I have become.
Sarah Arsenault
Hi Maxine,
I am writing to you because I wanted you to know, what a profound effect you have had on my life. I spent seven years taking art classes at Max the Mutt and was extremely sad when it came to an end at graduation. I enjoyed every class, even the ones I had to repeat, and feel privileged to have studied under you, Tina and all of the other faculty members I had the pleasure of learning from….Max the Mutt taught me the skills to be a good artist, but my success was always going to be up to me.
I miss attending your school a lot and hope that your current students appreciate what you are providing for them. By the looks of the talent on your website, I would say that they do.Thank you for everything.
Jordi Gonzalez
Animation
Maxine,
I would like you to know how much I enjoyed attending Max the Mutt ….This was a highly valuable experience as I am now working in the career of my dreams.
I would also like you to know my experience there was that I was very well treated. I consider you to be fair with all students, always keeping the high standards in education, regardless of their ability or country of origin.
I felt welcome at all times and all your staff encouraged me to get the best of my abilities and of my time.
I wish you well and continued success at Max the Mutt and will always recommend your school as I hold you to the highest esteem.
Jordi is an international graduate from Mexico, now working in Spain.
Andreas Anler
Animation
Thank you Maxine!
You always supported us students and I’m truly grateful for helping me and being generous with your time and effort. What more could a student ever wish from a teacher? Wishing you all the best now, and going forward! A thousand thanks!
Andreas is an international graduate from Sweden.
Karly MacDonald 2010
Animation
Hi Maxine!
I hope your summer is going well.
I just wanted to drop you a line and let you know that I have a job! I have been working at 9 Story Entertainment for the past few weeks doing Character Design for the new up-coming “Pound Puppies” show for YTV. Megan Leonard is working with me as well and we are really enjoying our new careers as designers.
Thank you so much for all of your hard work and providing a place for learning the traditional skills of our trade.
All the Best,
Karly MacDonald
Jason Camacho 2007
Animation
Hey Maxine!
I’m doing well. Adam and I are still at Big Soul for the third season of “By the Rapids”. We’re, as always keeping our quality and quota up…
How’s everything at school? I hope the new groups of animators to come have as much success as we did.Please say hello to Tina and the rest! AND thanks for the constant stream of job postings. I appreciate them and everything you’ve done and still continue to do for us.
Cheers and all the best.Jay
Colin Campbell 2nd Year
Illustration for Sequential Arts
Hi Carla!
Max is a school filled with people who are passionate about art. Their teachers are industry professionals who have experience and zeal. Their foundation classes instill not only techniques, but a new way of thinking about art and the world, and one feels the effect in a very short time indeed. The curriculum is strong and comprehensive, and classes interrelate and share everything that is learned. The staff and atmosphere is friendly and the instructors are dedicated to their craft and to their students alike. I have made friends for life here, and have built confidence and ability that will serve me for the rest of my days.
Saar Bodman 2012
Concept Art student
As a student at Max the Mutt I find that I have developed the skills to be a stronger artist while acquiring the tools to be a genuinely successful person.
Robert Rodas 2006
3D Animator, Guru Animation Studio
My schooling enabled me to go for opportunities with confidence and have pride in my skills in any area of the animation process that I end up in. For that I am very grateful to you and the school in preparing me for these situations.
Megan Jessup 2010
Animation
If you’re looking for a school that will give you a good solid understanding and training in the traditional skills of art Max the Mutt is a school to definitely look into.
Megan Jessup is now employed as a character designer at 9 Story Entertainment, Toronto.
Dale Hayward 2003
Classical Animation
The skills I have gained from Max the Mutt will constantly stay with me, and working with such talented mentors has been a great gift… far beyond what any other school could offer me.
Dale Hayward, Compositor, Stereoscopic After Effects at the National Film Board of Canada, owner, La Moustache Productions, former Animation Director, Cuppa Coffee
Noel Tuazon
The focus on fundamentals of drawing at Max the Mutt allowed me to push my work farther than ever before. I credit those classes in life drawing for supplying me with the foundation of my current style. Gesture, structure…. rhythm, its all there.
Noel is now a prize-winning graphic novel illustrator, “Elks Run”, Villard/Random House Books.
Lubomir Arsov 2007
Animation and Advanced Animation Diplomas
Max the Mutt has helped me with discipline. It’s hard for a teenager with good drawing skills to realize how demanding a career in animation is. You can be creative, but without discipline, an understanding of the principles and organization, you’ll never be able to express your creativity.
Lubomir Arsov – Character Designer, The House of Cool, Toronto.
Employer Testimonials
Anne Denman
Director HR & Recruitment, Nerd Corps Entertainment
It was so nice visiting your school The talent of your students’ work is truly remarkable, I am very impressed.
Clive Smith 2012
Co-Founder, Nelvana Ltd.
Max The Mutt is a small, unique private art school specializing in fine art, illustration, graphic novels and animation. The quality of the faculty is exceptional, comprised of many artists and designers with industry experience. The environment reflects a congenial and creative atmosphere that encourages and supports the students and clearly brings out the very best in them. The students‘ work is really amazing, inventive and technically brilliant, demonstrating a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and talent. Their work is clearly on a par with the best of the industry and the graduates are all likely to have an tremendous impact on their generation of illustrators and animators.
Mark Maia 2010
Creative Director, Big Blue Bubble Inc.
Hi Carla:
I must say that my experience with my very own Max the Mutt intern was a pleasant one. She was both eager to learn, worked great with the team and took criticism like a professional should (but not necessarily how all professionals do). Admittedly I was a little concerned at first, as I am with most students, but unlike most students, she adapted very quickly, and soon was creating art that is being used for the base of our next project. A definite hire back.
Larry Lauria 2010
Instructor, Founder, ONLINE Animation Fundamentals USA
Maxine:
You and your staff are to be congratulated! You are so right to teach the basics of art and drawing and you do it in a way to obtain results.
Kudos to you, your staff and the “kids”. I know that teaching this kind of curriculum is tough-it’s nuts and bolts, down in the trenches – a no fame kind of endeavor…but as you proved, it works!
Every potential animation (2D and/or 3D), concept art, illustration student, etc., should watch the video – so they realize what they need to do to gain the skills for a career!
Great to know someone is out there slugging away!
Keep up the good work!
Thanks,
Larry
Trevor Hembrey 2010
Cuppa Coffee Studios
Over the past 6 months Cuppa Coffee has had the pleasure of employing several grad students from Max the Mutt Animation School along with taking on several students as interns here at our studios. The project they were in involved in was a Flash based show called Ugly Americans for Comedy Central.
Each one of them brought something special to the show including for me the most important quality, professionalism. As the days went by on the production and we drew closer to wrapping up, you could find each and every one of these former Max students here at the studio in the late evening helping out with what needed to be completed that night and ensuring us of meeting our deadlines.
In this fast paced world of animation that had many young stars involved in it, you can be certain that the 6 people from Max the Mutt sit on top of the list of people that we would hire back.
Darren Cranford 2010
President and Creative Director, Keyframe Digital Productions
From the time Keyframe Digital Productions opened our studio doors back in 1997, we have turned to Max the Mutt time and time again for top animation talent, and we have never been disappointed with the quality of it’s graduates…obviously, Max the Mutt attracts high caliber artists and trains them into the professionals any studio would want.
Philip Ducharme
Big Soul Productions Inc
We were very impressed with the quality of work and professionalism of the two Max the Mutt graduates that we recently interviewed and look forward to working with them on our animated series ‘By The Rapids’. We are also excited about the possibility of bringing on a couple of student interns for the summer.
James Macaulay
former Animation Teaching Master – Sheridan College
You are giving your students a good solid foundation on which to build their future animation skills. Keep up the good work!
Sonya Carrey
Department Head, Yowza Animation, Toronto
Hi there! I hired one more graduate of yours. I just want to say, your students are the best. Eager, professional, and humble and well trained.
Toronto Star
An open, creative environment where the goals are quality, originality and marketability.
Lynn Johnston
Creator of For Better or For Worse, Lynn Johnston Productions
I have connected with a fine arts college, (intimate – almost exclusive), which focuses on anatomy, detail, quality of line, gesture, and most of all pride in capturing the essence of the classical style of animation that once made ‘Disney’ a household name.
Vince Commisso
9 Story Entertainment
…the submissions from Max the Mutt students were well thought out, beautifully drawn, and animated with a strong sense of timing and storytelling. Keep up the good work!