Character Mentor Studio, Workbook 1- Shape Inspiration
Tom Bancroft has almost 25 years of experience in the animation industry, most of which was for Walt Disney Feature animation where he was an animator for 11 years.  He has been nominated for Annie and Rueben awards, spoken at the Kennedy Center and awarded an entry into the Chicago Children’s Film Festival.   While at Disney, Bancroft had the opportunity to contribute animation on 10 animated feature films, 5 animated shorts, and numerous special projects and commercials.  Some of the classic films include, “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Lion King,” “Aladdin”, “Mulan”, and “Brother Bear”.  He was also a character designer and director for Big Idea Productions makers of the family-friendly “Veggietales” video series.   In 2005, Bancroft had his popular art instruction book, “Creating Characters with Personality” published by Watson-Guptill Publishers.  With “guest” contributors like Glen Keane, Jack Davis, Peter de’Seve, and Butch Hartman, it has already become the most recognized book on designing characters for animation, video games, comic books, and cartooning.  It has become a required textbook at many art schools around the United States.  His second book, “Character Mentor” will come out in April, 2012 from Focal Press.