In this blog I wanted to assemble a list of resources for those of you working as a storyboard artist, concept illustrator, or sculptor. It should also be usable by anyone else to get an insight into the entertainment business as well as see some great art!

In this list I will be listing a few examples under each category with a short description. In future blogs I will add to this list. But for now (to keep this from getting too long, I will just give a few choice examples for each category.)

SCHOOLS: There are a lot of great schools out there to choose from. These are just a few... - http://www.scad.edu/ Savannah College of Art and Design - Great creative art school based in the historic district of Savannah, Georgia. Okay, maybe I’m biased since I went there, but I whole-heartedly believe this is a great college to attend.

- http://www.scad.edu/ The Art Institutes - Lots of these schools across the country with great courses.

- http://www.gnomonschool.com/ Gnomon - A better school if you are interested in the digital realm. Very good teachers.

- http://www.tft.ucla.edu/ UCLA’s school of theater, film and television.

- http://www.nyfa.com/ Great New York film and acting school that teaches by doing.

FORUMS: These are places where people can get in touch with others in their field, show and critique work, get advice and grow as artists.

*Note: some of these sites ask for a simple registration to enter, but none require fees.* - http://www.conceptart.org/forums/index.php?s= This site started out as a community to showcase concept art only, but has steadily grown to also show off sculpture, photography, job listings and more.

- http://theclubhouse1.net/phpBB3/viewforum.php?f=9 This site is mainly for toy and maquette sculptors. The skills of these guys are unbelievable!

- http://www.theeffectslab.com/ This is a site with a forum for fx artists to showcase their art.

- http://storyboardcentral.blogspot.com/ A storyboard blog which is along the same lines in that if you’re accepted you can show off your work and correspond with fellow storyboard artists.

- http://www.creaturespot.com/ Another blog forum, but this one is a lot of fun in that it’s all creature designers!

WEBSITES: While I did mention some sites in the Forum section, these websites will be mainly associated with industries, jobs, and a few other subjects I’ll touch on.

- http://www.darkhorizons.com/ A website I go to daily for industry news. But there’s a lot of similar sites out there.

- http://www.imdb.com/ Check out everything about your favorite actor or someone working in the business here.

- http://www.boxofficemojo.com/ How did the box office do? How much did a movie make? What did it cost to make? Learn that and more here.

- http://losangeles.craigslist.org/ This is a good place to go when you’re starting out in the business. You won’t find high paying jobs on here, but it’s a good place to build experience. Just be smart and careful since anyone can post on it.

- http://www.mandy.com/ Another job and industry listing site.

- http://www.awn.com/ One of the best animation focused sites.

- http://www.linkedin.com/ A social network similar to facebook (which I also recommend to network) which is more profession-based.

- http://www.la411.com/ http://www.newyork411.com/ Huge listings for industry professionals in LA and New York.

- http://www.productionhub.com/ Another business networking community.

- http://www.hollywood.com/ Big movie info site that also has a magazine.

- http://www.variety.com/ Gotta put up this one. What hasn’t heard of Variety?

- http://www.makingof.com/ Great inside info and interviews on this site. Started by Natalie Portman I believe.

FESTIVALS: In this section I will list a few better known festivals.

- http://festival.sundance.org/2010/ Amazing yearly film festival.

- http://www.festival-cannes.com/ Probably one of the most prestigious film festivals.

- http://filmfest.scad.edu/ Great film festival held in Savannah, Georgia. It’s grown by leaps and bounds over the years.

- http://www.tribecafilm.com/festival/ Awesome New York film festival.

- http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/ British Film Institute’s yearly festival.

- http://www.comic-con.org/cci/ The San Diego Comic Convention.

- http://www.e3expo.com/ Electronic Entertainment Expo. This one’s a monster!

WHERE TO BUY MATERIALS: First off, I encourage you to buy local. You know, support your local communities and all. But I will recommend a few online resources to save a few bucks and find some interesting out of the way materials.

- http://www.dickblick.com/ Great deals on art supplies.

- http://www.budplant.com/ Excellent art book resource.

- http://www.sculpt.com/ Tons of sculpting supplies!

- http://www.cheapjoes.com/ Another great resource for deals.

- http://www.pearlpaint.com/ I fell in love with Pearl’s store in New York.

There are so many more examples to share, but I will save those for a future blog. Until then, all the best.