Faculty members of the National University of Tainan and Tainan Woman's College of Arts & Technology visited Tokyo Zokei University for a tour of the school and teaching in action. The Tokyo Zokei University was selected for the tour because of its reputation for training human resources with broad perspective in design and art and education oriented to practical training in a broad range of expertise in the area. Tainan Woman's College of Arts & Technology had introduced the use of pen tablets only recently and wished to see practical uses of the device at in a university setting for reference. A lively exchange of questions and opinions took place, resulting in exchange of information on fine arts beyond language.

The group visited "Basic Digital Animation Workshop" taught by Ms. Kyoko Eguchi, employing Adobe After Effects for editing. Teams of 5 or 6 students were in the process of creating a 5-minute animated short films and were to give presentations on their progress. The group projects are varied--from a group that created an omnibus-style, eclectic production in which each member created on their own short and the individual productions joined together later, to another group which divided up roles into director, storyboard artist, character development, etc. as if an actual production company. Although the students were still freshmen, the high level of skill and talent impressed the visitors.

Each production was unique and showed a wide range of style (such as oil painting or anime-style illustrations) that can be found only in an art university. In the question-and-answer session following the presentations, the Taiwanese visitors showered questions on students presenting productions that stimulated their interest such as, "What software are you using?" They showed youthful liveliness as if they had returned into children. Productions by Taiwanese students were shown in the last part of the session, resulting in mutual stimulation of interest and an excellent opportunity for exchange of information.

Teaching style focused on creativity and respect for the individual

The classroom setting is ideal, with each student able to use an Intuos pen tablet. As in an the professional world, pen tablets are an invaluable tool for the art students who are used to using pen and paper. When so many pages of drawings and background must be drawn for animation production, students found digital creation using pen tablets to be faster and more effective allowing them to meet their deadlines. For the After Effects software used in this class, detailed work on screen is carried out more effectively with a pen tablet than a mouse. It not only increases productivity but appears to reduce fatigue as well.

The students were given freedom on how to use the pen tablet. Some used it only for detailed artwork; and others made use of it for things other than artwork as well.

Students who use the tablet both at school and at home purchase the tablet in order to work on projects and assignments at home. The device for school and home use is the Intuos2 9x12. The large tablet is preferred because long lines can be drawn with a single stroke. In a small tablet, the stroke becomes shorter. The large tablet also allows the student to draw freely with bold arm movements. Because students have not yet gained full mastery of the tablet, the scanner is still used to input drafts into the PC. Since direct input is certain to improve work efficiency dramatically, the students plan to test it eventually.

When students not yet accustomed to the tablet learned that a photo can be placed under the overlay sheet for tracing, they said they would love to try it.

Students who have not used the tablet will see work become much faster when they become accustomed to it. The outstanding work efficiency will be a great advantage for these students when they pursue careers after university. It may be a skill essential for creating outstanding productions in many fields. In fact, the tablet is used commonly not only in graphics and animation productions but also for CG effects in Hollywood films.

Tokyo Zokei University

Tokyo Zokei University was founded in 1966 by Yoko Kuwasawa, an illuminator, who was already awaken to the fact that the role of a designer or an artist goes far beyond his/her own self- expression.

Having the idea of "Zokei" (art and design) as the core, Tokyo Zokei University is an educational institute dedicated to "creating art".

www.zokei.ac.jp/eng/index.html