Overview
Affordable Education for Creative Professionals
Since 1998, the Digital Art & Animation Program at Cañada College has been committed to providing both the academic and training skills necessary to succeed in the design industry, whether in graphic design, web design, photography, 3D animation and video game art, or video game development and design. Classes are hands-on, where students learn design fundamentals as well as develop a professional portfolio that takes them to the next step; either transfer to a 4-year institution or employment in their field of choice.
The program consists of both full-time and part-time faculty members. Each of them brings a wealth of information and expertise from their fields.
The Digital Art & Animation Program is designed to serve the needs of our wide range of students when it comes to course scheduling. Classes in the Digital Art & Animation Program are taught in the mornings, afternoon, evenings and online to accommodate our students with full-time jobs.
Areas of Concentration
Professional Studios
We have two state-of-the-art studios available for our students. One is cross platform, half of it is Windows and half of it is Apple, and the other one is all Apple. We aim to prepare our students in a dual platform environment so they are prepared for whatever situation they meet in the work world.
All the machines are loaded with the latest versions of Adobe CS software and Corel Painter. In our Animation Studio we also have Maya, Adobe After Effects, powerful Final Cut Studio and audio applications such as Pro Tools and other system specific support software.
A third studio is dedicated to teaching the fundamentals of storyboarding, drawing for animation, and principles of animation. Our faculty strongly believes that having some level of drawing skill makes students far more attractive in a very competitive job market, and has created coursework that will help develop the skills of artists of any experience level.
The studios are set up with a top of the line projection and audio system, and the students have access to laser and inkjet color printers as well as a fast black and white printer. We are also equipped with great peripheral equipment to digitize images and Wacom drawing tablets for all the computers in the rooms. Additionally, we have digital-still and video cameras available to students, as well as the latest VR technologies.
“We have the best teachers, amazing classes, and a supportive environment to work and learn. The instructors really take a personal interest in our education and success. We really think the Associate’s Degree in Digital Art and Animation here should be turned into a 4-year-degree; the program is just that good!”
— Ivy Wooldridge, Digital Art & Animation student