Sheldon's Art Academy

Refferal Letters Page 2


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Pernilla Persson

Statement

October 2, 2003
Stockholm, Sweden

I'm writing this letter of recommendation to whom ever, I hope, has already had the pleasure of meeting Sheldon Borenstein.

My name is Pernilla Persson and I am one of many who have Sheldon to thank for their success as artists and for the drive to keep learning. I have known Sheldon since I was a student at Cal. State University, Northridge in 1997 and he taught a figure drawing class with an energy and passion that I had never seen. Suddenly everything made sense. Drawing was no more a mystery as I got all the "tools" I needed, and the motivation to put in all those hours it takes came from Sheldon who lives and breathes art every second of every day.

Shortly thereafter Sheldon took in a small group of students to his home for weekly private lessons in animation and guided us from that moment to reach our goals. Every single one of us is making a living as artists today. In 1999 Sheldon, together with myself and a few other started the DPD institute in Westlake were I also tought together with Sheldon and Glenn Vilppu. It was a school for the serious student and it came to be very successful. It's a place I miss today.

During my time in Los Angeles I worked as a senior animator at Mike Young Productions. I kept teaching and the last year I ran an Art school for kids. I am now back in Sweden after 10 years in the US and I am now working at HappyLife Animaton while at the same time teaching at two different Universities.

I am just one example of what can happen if you get in contact with Sheldon. He is a person with many fine qualities but two that stand out is his passion for his craft and his drive to follow through with everything that he takes on and turn it into something exceptional - weather it may be a new class, a painting or spending time with his girls. Sheldon is my mentor and friend for life and I will always turn to him for advice. His philosophy is deeply rooted in me and I can never thank him enough.

It is my pleasure to highly recommend Sheldon to you. He is an exceptional artist, a savvy businessman and very funny! You should be so lucky do have him on your team.

Peter Overstreet

Statement

To Whom It May Concern,

I had the honor of being one of Sheldon's students during my academic tenure at San Jose State University. During that time, he aided me in my skills in animation, concept art, and life drawing. He also encouraged me in learning how to draw "on model". He took my "good drawings", and then passed on his skills to me in order to make them "great drawings".

His teaching method was simple, and effective. He was always honest when he saw me produce work that was, shall we say, not my best. However, Sheldon was always encouraging, engaging, and instrumental in helping students find their best drawings within. He was also wise enough to always be open to learn from students, as well.

While still a student, I landed an internship where I worked for Stan Lee (creator of Spider-Man). When I graduated from San Jose State University, I immediately gained employment as an Assistant Art Director in Hollywood at HKM Productions. From there, I was given the position of Concept Artist (and eventually Senior Concept Artist) at Backbone Entertainment (formerly Digital Eclipse Software Inc.). It was here that Sheldon's lessons came back to aid me in difficult times of hard work and deadlines. While at Backbone I was responsible for working on games based off of licensed characters, including: Disney's Lilo & Stitch, and Tarzan.

Sheldon once told us, as class, that someday he hoped to be interviewed by some of us. This literally came true when I interviewed Sheldon for a freelance position at Backbone Entertainment.

If I had never met Sheldon, or had become his student, I would not have had the career opportunities that I have had in my life.

Thanks Sheldon! Keep up the "Cal-State Cool"!

Sach Steffel

Employment

Namco Hometek
Artist The 3DO Company
Artist

Statement

Before I met Sheldon, drawing the human figure was a stilted, fuddled process for me. Sheldon taught me to use gesture, construction, anatomy and technique to help bring the human form to life. He taught me to judge where a persons' weight was, where their center of gravity was, and which lines of their bodies emphasized their mood and attitude. I thrived on his anatomy lessons so much that once, after a hiking accident, I was able to tell the doctor which tendon was injured in my ankle.

Sheldon also taught me how to present my abilities and talents to future employers; to be confident, perceptive, and adaptable. His unstinting support helped me get my first job in the video game industry. As an artist with no industry experience, I was hired based on my drawing skills, which were represented largely by my work in Sheldons' classes.

Sheldons' principles of figure drawing are essential for creating believable, compelling characters designs. His anatomy lessons have helped me build better 3D models, that have correct, believable musculature, and move and animate well. Sheldons' advice on looking for the right lines of movement and essence of gesture helps me set up dynamic key poses for my 3D animation.

Sheldons' life drawing lessons have been invaluable in my development both as a student and as a professional. I recommend his classes to anyone who wishes to be a professional artist, or simply wants an extra edge in understanding drawing.

Wayne

Employment

Industrial Light + Magic
Conceptual Illustrator

Statement

For those mystified by the art of figure/life drawing and eager to find out how it's done, Sheldon's method of instruction takes students behind the curtain to see just that. Sheldon, effectively entertainingly, communicates the fundamentals of drawing, enabling and inspiring students to take wing and develop on their own. As a former student and now an illustrator and an instructor myself, i find myself inspired bu his clarity as an instructor and continually reach back to knowledge gained through Sheldon's classes when I was at San José State University.

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