Conceptart.org / Massive Black Workshop
March 28-31st
Dallas Texas
I went to their last US workshop, in Seattle, and it was a mindblower. 4 days, 500 students, I'm guessing 50 instructors, 2 warehouse-sized rooms -- 1 dedicated to digital work, the other to traditional -- 8 to 10 hours a day, 1 crazy-ass opening party, at least a dozen demos going on at any one time, live music throughout the day to paint by, 6+ live models at all times (some nude, some in costume,)...and one million sparks of inspiration.
The trick about the Massive Black workshops is:
1) Don't be shy - the loose structure rewards artists that step up and ask lost of questions. All the instructors are there to be nudged, poked, and prodded for any information they can share.
2) Settle down and absorb as much as possible without stressing about what you are missing. It takes a while but you do eventually realize there is enough time to get around to everything.
This year's workshop is in conjunction with the American Film Instituter's AFI Fest. I don't know what that'll mean, but it can only be good, right?
This video petty much wraps up the experience:
Flickr set here.