April 26 Coffee Talk: Chat and Sketch with Maria Vela + Model Daniella Traub
Join us for an inspiring afternoon with Maria Vela, renowned character designer and storyteller, at CTN Community Hours! From 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM, Maria will share her amazing creative journey, career insights, and the challenges she's overcome in an intimate chat and sketch. This is more than just a talk—it's a chance to connect with fellow artists, ask Maria your burning questions, and gain valuable industry knowledge.
Special Feature:
Experience an exclusive live drawing session where Maria will sketch and discuss her creative process in real-time! Plus, attendees will have the chance to win a signed artwork in a special giveaway. Live Costumed Art Model Daniella Traub.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to engage with one of animation’s brightest stars in a relaxed and welcoming space designed for artists and storytellers like you!
May 3rd CLOSED
We're sorry we missed you. We will return to regularly scheduled programming on Saturday May 10th.
May 10th Salon Talk at CTN Studio: Chris Chan – Art, Nature, and Community Connection
Calling all artists who want to include nature as a part of the toolbox to inform their visual storytelling! Join us for an intimate Salon Talk with Chris Chan, a fellow artist and Recreation Leader from the Burbank Nature Center. A graduate of Art Center College of Design, Chris has carved a unique path that bridges creative expression and environmental stewardship.
In this artist-focused conversation, Chris will describe her art journey from Art Center and how that her to a life and work in both community and nature education.
PLUS: Get a sneak peek into CTN’s upcoming Artist Hike in Burbank, led by Chris the following week — a guided outdoor gathering designed to refresh, recharge, sketch, and reconnect with nature alongside your creative peers — offering fresh inspiration for artists seeking new ways of connect creatively with the world around them.
Date: Saturday May 10th
Time: 12:00pm - 3:00pm
Location: CTN Studio, Burbank, CA
Free and open to all CTN and Teen CTN Club Members (Join Club CTN Free https://app.joinit.com/o/clubctn)
Other creative visionaries who have let nature inform their storytelling include legendary names like Hayao Miyazaki, Lewis Caroll, Eyvind Earle, Mary Blair, E.E. Milne, Aaron Blaise, Walt Disney, Iris Compiet and Brian Froud — each using the natural world to shape the stories we know and love today. Let’s go outside and have a talk with Nature !!!
May 17 CTN Salon Talk: Brian Mainolfi - Resources, Reference & Research for Animation
Pull up a chair and join us for another relaxed, inspiring and informative gathering at CTN Studio!
In this edition of CTN Salon Talk, we’re welcoming TV Animation Director and Story Artist, Brian Mainolfi, for an open conversation about the essential resources and reference tools
animators and visual storytellers rely on to help bring their stories to life.
From favorite books and websites to photo archives and visual databases, we’ll dive into the endless ways today’s creatives gather inspiration and fuel their projects. Whether you're deep in production, developing personal work, or just curious about where to start, this is your chance to share your go-to research habits, pick up new ones, and connect with fellow artists in an intimate, casual setting.
Date: Saturday May 17th
Time: 12:00pm - 3:00pm
Location: CTN Studio, Burbank, CA
Free and open to all CTN and Teen CTN Club Members (Join Club CTN Free https://app.joinit.com/o/clubctn)
