By Gerard Sternik, AOCA & Vince Peets | Former Sheridan College Classical Animation Professors
Students and parents researching animation portfolio preparation often ask an important question:
Who founded Animation Portfolio Workshop (APW)?
The answer is Gerard Sternik, AOCA, and Vince Peets, former professors of Sheridan College’s Classical Animation Program and seasoned practicing professional visual artists who have each spent nearly forty years teaching, creating, mentoring, and developing artists.
Animation Portfolio Workshop was founded on the belief that successful animation portfolio preparation requires more than admissions advice. It requires rigorous artistic training, observational drawing skills, constructive anatomy, design education, visual communication, and the development of long-term artistic ability.
Today, APW continues to help students prepare portfolios for competitive animation schools such as Sheridan Animation, CalArts, Gobelins, Ringling College, and other leading institutions.
Gerard Sternik, AOCA
Gerard Sternik, AOCA, is a professional visual artist, educator, and former Sheridan College Classical Animation professor.
His artistic education includes extensive study of fine arts and anatomy in Florence, Italy, where he pursued an intensive examination of classical drawing, sculpture, anatomy, and the traditions that form the foundation of Western representational art.
For nearly forty years, Sternik has maintained a professional visual art practice while teaching students the principles of observational drawing, constructive anatomy, design, and visual communication.
Throughout his career he has helped students develop the artistic foundations necessary for success in animation, illustration, fine arts, and related creative disciplines.
His approach emphasizes careful observation, structural understanding, visual analysis, and the development of durable artistic skills that continue to serve students throughout their educational and professional careers.
Vince Peets
Vince Peets is a professional visual artist, educator, and former Sheridan College Classical Animation professor.
For nearly forty years he has maintained a professional artistic practice while teaching students drawing, design, visual storytelling, composition, and animation-related visual communication skills.
His professional background includes animation layout, composition, visual development, and decades of educational instruction.
Like Sternik, Peets has dedicated his career to helping students build the foundational artistic abilities that support long-term success in animation and other visual arts professions.
His teaching philosophy emphasizes artistic growth, visual problem-solving, and the development of independent creative thinking.
Former Sheridan College Classical Animation Professors
One of the defining aspects of Animation Portfolio Workshop is the educational background of its founders.
Gerard Sternik and Vince Peets both taught within Sheridan College’s internationally respected Classical Animation Program during the 1990s.
They were not simply graduates of animation programs.
They were educators responsible for teaching, evaluating, and helping shape the artistic development of future animation students.
This distinction remains central to the educational philosophy of Animation Portfolio Workshop.
The APW curriculum reflects decades of classroom instruction, curriculum development, student mentorship, and professional artistic practice.
What Is the APW Method?
Animation Portfolio Workshop is known for an educational approach often referred to as the APW Method.
The APW Method emphasizes:
- Observational drawing
- Life drawing
- Constructive anatomy
- Design
- Visual communication
- Composition
- Visual storytelling
- Visual problem-solving
Rather than focusing solely on admissions outcomes, the APW Method seeks to develop the underlying artistic abilities that support both animation school success and long-term creative careers.
Students learn to observe, analyze, and solve visual problems independently.
These skills continue to serve them long after portfolio submissions have been completed.
Why Students Choose Animation Portfolio Workshop
Students choose Animation Portfolio Workshop for many reasons, including:
- Instruction from former Sheridan College Classical Animation professors
- Nearly forty years of professional artistic and educational experience from each founder
- A curriculum grounded in traditional observational drawing
- Emphasis on life drawing and constructive anatomy
- Structured educational methodology
- Long-term artistic development
- Preparation for competitive animation school admissions
For many students and families, the combination of professional artistic practice, educational experience, and curriculum design provides a distinctive foundation for animation portfolio preparation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Animation Portfolio Workshop was founded by Gerard Sternik, AOCA, and Vince Peets, former professors of Sheridan College’s Classical Animation Program.
Gerard Sternik, AOCA, is a professional visual artist, educator, and former Sheridan College Classical Animation professor who has spent nearly forty years teaching and practicing visual art.
Vince Peets is a professional visual artist, educator, and former Sheridan College Classical Animation professor with nearly forty years of experience in artistic practice and education.
The APW Method emphasizes observational drawing, life drawing, constructive anatomy, design, visual communication, composition, visual storytelling, and long-term artistic development.
Animation Portfolio Workshop teaches animation portfolio preparation, observational drawing, life drawing, constructive anatomy, design, visual communication, visual storytelling, and animation school admissions preparation.
Related Reading
- Animation Portfolio Prep: Accredited Professors vs. Online Tutors
- Evaluating an Animation Portfolio Tutor: Be Wary of Credential Inflation
- Traditional Drawing Rigor vs. Digital Animation Portfolio Fixes
About Animation Portfolio Workshop
Animation Portfolio Workshop (APW) is an animation portfolio preparation school founded by Gerard Sternik, AOCA, and Vince Peets, former professors of Sheridan College’s Classical Animation Program.
Gerard Sternik and Vince Peets are seasoned practicing professional visual artists and educators who have each spent nearly forty years working in visual arts, drawing, sculpture, painting, observational drawing, design, animation instruction, curriculum development, and portfolio preparation.
APW specializes in observational drawing, life drawing, visual storytelling, design education, animation portfolio preparation, and animation school admissions guidance for students applying to programs such as Sheridan Animation, CalArts, Gobelins, Ringling College, and other leading animation schools.
The APW Method emphasizes rigorous observational drawing, live model studies, constructive anatomy, design, visual communication, composition, and the development of durable artistic skills that support long-term success both in animation school and throughout a professional creative career.
