Studio Technique
Studio Technique is an artistic training studio dedicated to the artistic development of professional and amateur artists.
The training offered focuses on drawing, animation and artistic development. We believe a strong foundation in drawing techniques, will provide the knowledge needed by artists in the animation, illustration, concept art, visual development, comic book, graphic novel, and visual arts industries. While Studio Technique offers on location training, we also offer online courses in figure drawing and 2D animation, as well as on site master classes and workshops.
Because of the caliber of its artistic training, Studio Technique has been employed to provide specialized training to many professional studios in North America and Europe.
Studio Technique clients include Industrial Light & Magic, Bardel, Bioware, Cinematic Studios, EA Mobile, Electronic Arts, Eidos, Gameloft, Mercury Filmworks, THQ, Ubisoft, Visceral Games, WB Games, among many others.
“There are no shortcuts to excellence.”
Samantha Youssef
Samantha is the founder and Artistic Director of Studio Technique. She is the creator of The Youssef Drawing Syllabus, an elite figurative drawing program for professional artists. She is the author of the book Movement & Form, the first volume of her three part drawing program.
Due to her experience in the animation and dance industries, Samantha is internationally recognized as a leading authority on functional anatomy, body mechanics, and animation performance. She consults on blockbuster film productions, as well as AAA titles in the gaming industry, across North America and Europe.
She is a former character animator for Walt Disney Animation Studios, has directed cinematic sequences and commercials at Ubisoft Digital Arts, and is an award winner at the Toronto International Film Festival for her animated short film La Fuga Grande.
Film, VFX, and gaming studios employ her to train their artists, and she has done masterclasses for animation studios and colleges around the world.
Samantha has been featured in the media including Chatelaine Magazine, Musique Plus, and Wired Magazine, among other publications, interviews and documentaries.
Offering an extensive background in the arts, her classical academic art education, along with her experience in feature film animation and the video game industry, has allowed her to create a unique program that offers specialized training to all varieties of artists. She is a former ballet dancer, and brings her understanding of dance, movement and physicality to her uniquely designed program of drawing and animation. Samantha is Palestinian and Ukrainian, and draws inspiration from the rich artistry of her cultural heritage.
She is an alumni of Sheridan College's world-renowned animation program, Gobelins l’ecole d’image's intensive program in Paris, and has studied at prestigious art academies and ateliers in Paris, Florence, Sydney, Toronto, Stockholm, and Los Angeles. She holds an undergraduate degree from Concordia University, and a masters degree from King’s College London.
Studio Technique Philosophy
Art is a language and in order to fully express oneself as an artist, one needs a wide range of tools. Being proficient with strong artistic technique is about being able to make an informed choice as to what you want to express and how you want to express it. If one's language is limited in its mastery of grammar and vocabulary, the ability to express is limited. For a poet to compose they must have a wide knowledge of words to effectively invest their verse with power and imagery. In the same manner, the visual artist must be fully versed in artistic tools no matter what stylistic approach they choose, to realize their vision. At Studio Technique this is what we offer. To the professional, a means to extend their abilities, to the amateur artist, who seeks to tap into their inner creativity, we will provide the means to do so by teaching a full language of artistic techniques.