Hooray! Illustration & Storytelling for Sequential Arts, a 4-year Diploma Program, has been approved by the Ontario Ministry Of Advanced Education & Skills Development!

 Orientation Week 2016, First year students team challenge

This program, based on our previous 3 year diploma program, Illustration for Sequential Arts,  has been re-structured and designed with input from leading Canadian artists in the field, and gives students a 21st century skill base that includes using digital media, creating mobile comics, knowledge of the entire Adobe Suite, essential graphic design and illustration for advertising skills, storyboarding for film and advertising….and a fourth year two-semester graphic novel development course that will leave each graduate with a package that can be pitched to publishers. Core courses from the three-year diploma remain part of the new diploma program. These include all the basics of creating, penciling and inking comics, storytelling and scripting for comics, and children’s book illustration.

Digital media is now an essential part of the course, leading students to the ability to create digital art in both vector and bit-map based programs. Students will learn the basics of using e-book creation software as well as creating a print book available for sale online. Each graduating student will complete this course with a professionally self-published book available in print and ebook format.

We’ve been developing the “Illustration & Storytelling for Sequential Arts” diploma program for several years, getting ideas and input from industry professionals, getting feedback from graduates of the 3 year diploma program, holding meetings with current faculty to discuss and develop course ideas, and re-examining the curriculum in the current program to make tweaks and additions. We’ve been waiting with great excitement for this new 4-year version of the diploma, renamed “Illustration & Storytelling for Sequential Arts” to be formally approved by the Ministry of Education.

All year one and year two students currently enrolled in the 3-year diploma program, will have the choice of either remaining in the 3-year diploma program or choosing to transfer to the 4 year program. The 3-year program, however, has had its final intake with the group starting in September 2017.

Graphic Novels are now an accepted and popular literary genre. They are being used as part of grade school and high school curriculums bought for school libraries.

Comic Books have also gained popularity, as have apps for uploading comic books with limited animation. Max the Mutt offers the ONLY  in-depth program in Canada! Now, we are ensuring that while our graduates are establishing themselves, they are employable in a variety of jobs that can use their skills, everything from advertising to graphic design.

Why is Max the Mutt unique? We believe in a solid foundation and teach more traditional representational skills in greater depth than other programs we know about. Many programs limit life drawing partly because of the cost of models: Max the Mutt is pledged to offer the best education we are capable of and will never do that.

Our faculty continues to be composed of top industry professionals who have the desire to share what they love with the next generation.

The new business course, combined with Portfolio Development, ensures that students are prepared to handle themselves in the real world.  Every student has a website before graduating and every student has learned the ins and outs and processes of internet publishing- and has published before graduation.

Our annual Industry Event brings top professionals from Publishing, Animation, Games, and Advertising to the college to see graduate work and meet all graduates from all 3 programs in person.

We offer an exceptional education…and we’re very excited!

Contact us to get more information and arrange a tour and information session. It’s our pleasure to discuss your goals, share information, and, if you decide this program is a good fit for you, explain our application process.