Wednesday, October 31, 2007


Well, I just recently finished my very first semester of teaching online, and am now halfway through the second semester. It has been an extremely rewarding experience, and with that I felt I wanted to share with you what some of the students have said. Every now and again it is ok to pat oneself on the back, and I am doing so here because of how proud I am of the students for their dedication and the 9 week course I have put together. My next semester starts in January, and there are only 3 spots left, My next semester will follow in March.



Silver; thank you so much for this class. I have a degree in illustration and have been a professional artist in the video game industry for 11 years. I learned more from you in nine weeks than I have in years. Your straightforward way of explaining your process and the principles of character design was both refreshing and inspiring! You really opened a new door for me.

Barry Prioste

I have had a incredible time. Prior to this course I had just completed a three year animation degree and after these past nine weeks I feel I have learned more invaluable practices and techniques with you than i did during my time at university. You are a true master of your craft and working alongside you has been a dream come true. I feel I have grown more as an artist than ever before and have a new found drive to become not only a great character designer, but a great all-around artist as well. I cannot begin to put into words how appreciative I am of the priceless knowledge you have shared with me and I will always remain incredibly grateful for granting me this fantastic opportunity.

Ben Williams

I just wanted to personally thank you for the time and effort you've put into these lectures and our critiques and everything. I know my drawings have improved and are more confident. I now have some experience in turnarounds and clean up and feel as though I was able to skip a lot of the heartache of trying to learn it on my own. I really enjoyed having a lecture each week to look forward to and being able to watch the other student's videos was a real treat. I've already recommended schoolism.com to a lot of my friends and fellow students.

Chris Houghton

As artists we are always looking for ways to grow and inspire us. Well what better way than to be mentored by a professional/master, who is at the top of his game, like Stephen Silver. Character design is a complicated mix between capturing a unique personality while applying appealing design elements to each character. There are many ways to study design, but the best is to be provided with in-depth instruction and valuable critiques. However, it is often difficult to find someone who is a master at the craft as well as an excellent teacher. Stephen Silver is just that, an amazing character designer by right, but also a priceless teacher. I could not possibly sum up the value of this class. Each lesson is packed full of beneficial fundamental information that placed alone would be worth taking this class. But combined with all the information you get one on one attention with informative critiques that will open your eyes to what you need to work on to improve your work. I recommend this class to people of all ages, amateurs to professionals; there is something for everyone in Stephen Silver’s character design class offered at schoolism.com.

Brittnie Bruner


Thanks for the class. It was really great, the course covered so much from basic drawing issues to ways to approach and analyze design. Your crits were very
Informative and gives you an insight on what pros see and do. Thanks agian.

Arree Chung


Stephen's character design class is fantastic. Each lesson is loaded with insight and inspiration. Stephen goes beyond just tricks and gimmicks to focus on mastering the fundamentals. His passion for drawing is contagious, and his one-on-one feedback was extremely helpful. Stephen raises the bar high and then comes alongside you to help you achieve it. I would highly recommend this class to anyone who is serious about becoming an animation character designer.

Cedric Hohnstadt


Thanks for all the lectures and in-depth analysis of my work, I truly feel I've grown so much as an artist in the past 9 weeks - and at a much faster rate than I would have on my own over several years. Really, I mean that.

You've helped me gain an understanding of a myriad of techniques and processes I can explore to broaden my skills, and most of all, re-ignited a spark that I had as a kid - my love for drawing and just having fun with it all.

I no longer feel intimidated by a blank sheet of paper, and have no fear of failure or producing bad drawings, because you've shown me through this course that each one gets me closer to a better one and deeper into the art form.

Rafi Nizam

I just wanted to say how valuable this course has been. Just the fact that I got to work with a personal hero of mine on assignments every week for the past couple of months has been incredible. Learning from someone who is actually working in the industry and going through everything that he teaches is a wonderful way to trust every critique as being correct. I never once found myself questioning anything that Mr. Silver was saying about my work. I found myself watching the videos multiple times just because my pen couldn't take notes fast enough. I would highly recommend this course to anyone (and I already have).

Steve Umbleby

I had a fantastic time on this course and have learnt so many new techniques and exercises that I will be using daily for the rest of my life. Stephen Silver is an incredible teacher who makes learning enjoyable and easy to understand. His 1 on 1 critiques are superb, and he really goes to great lengths to make sure you understand what is being taught and leaves no stone unturned when it comes to guiding you in the right direction to strengthening your designs. My drawings have improved so much over the last 2 months thanks to Stephen Silver's Character Design Course. I highly recommend this course for anyone interested in learning character design, you will NOT be disappointed. Thanks for all your help and guidance, Stephen. Kind Regards.

Justin Cook.

12 comments:

Brett W. McCoy said...

It is a wonderful course (being one of your students in the second semester), I find the critiques very inspirational. I hope Imaginism keeps doing more classes in addition to the ones already offered.

Ducks_own said...

Wow, that looks like an awesome course, maybe if I pursue animation as more than a hobby (which is unlikely for me) then maybe I'll give it a whirl.

SketchMark said...

I took the course during the first semester, and it was incredible. His video critiques and passionate lectures were exactly what I needed to see in order to improve. I can't express how appreciative I am of his class. Thank you Stephen.

Anonymous said...

This course WILL make you a better artist. I had really hit a brick wall creatively before I took the course, but now I have fresh ideas every single day. All thanks to Stephen Silver!!!

MOUNTAINFERN. said...

Cool!

K and Krew.

Unknown said...

Congratulations on a successful course!

Ben Lane said...

Hopefully, I can join one day. Otherwise, it's a great service you're providing.

Unknown said...

Wow those are some great testimonials!

Marcelo Vignali said...

Having had the opportunity to work at the same studio with you, I know exactly how the students feel. You are an amazing talent, and it's wonderful that you have found a way to share your amazing talent with the world.

Luke Francy said...

congrats on the success of the course, sounds like a great class to take.

oakleyses said...

michael kors outlet online, louis vuitton, nike air max, coach outlet, red bottom shoes, true religion outlet, louis vuitton outlet, gucci handbags, tiffany jewelry, longchamp outlet online, nike free, longchamp outlet, ray ban sunglasses, louis vuitton outlet, burberry outlet online, michael kors outlet store, longchamp handbags, kate spade outlet, louis vuitton outlet online, tiffany and co jewelry, polo ralph lauren, coach purses, ray ban outlet, chanel handbags, christian louboutin, nike outlet, prada handbags, oakley sunglasses, nike air max, polo ralph lauren outlet, christian louboutin shoes, jordan shoes, burberry outlet online, kate spade outlet online, tory burch outlet online, michael kors outlet online sale, true religion, louis vuitton handbags, cheap oakley sunglasses, michael kors outlet online, christian louboutin outlet, michael kors handbags, prada outlet, coach outlet, oakley vault, michael kors outlet, coach outlet store online

oakleyses said...

hollister canada, baseball bats, pandora jewelry, montre femme, pandora uk, swarovski jewelry, karen millen, supra shoes, moncler outlet, replica watches, gucci, hollister, wedding dress, canada goose pas cher, ray ban, toms outlet, canada goose, parajumpers outlet, converse shoes, coach outlet, hollister clothing, moncler outlet, oakley, iphone 6 case, ugg, moncler, moncler, moncler, louis vuitton canada, thomas sabo uk, timberland shoes, juicy couture outlet, canada goose, louboutin, swarovski uk, juicy couture outlet, canada goose, vans, air max, pandora charms, nike air max, uggs canada, converse, moncler, links of london uk, lancel, moncler, ralph lauren