Nick Leysens

Nick Leysens is a designer, storyboard artist, illustrator and animator who has been working for the last 10 years in the tv/film, tech, and commercial industries. His clients include Nickelodeon, Warner Brothers, Titmouse, ShadowMachine, Miley Cyrus, Duolingo, Cinemax, Fox, and Adult Swim. Nick studied at the Laguna College of Art & Design. Nick has worked on shows such as Animaniacs, Looney Tunes, BoJack Horseman, Spongebob Squarepants, The Simpsons, Baby Shark’s Big Show, Mike Judge Presents Tales from the Tour Bus, and Clone High.

Nick has taught on the collegiate level for 5 years at the Cleveland Institute of Art and also serves at the School of Visual Arts MFA program as a mentor.

Storyboard illustrating an animation scene of a character watching a whale show, notifying the audience about the show. The character then observes a whale and a fish in the water, with various expressions showing surprise and amusement, ending with

Storyboard of a classic cartoon scene showing a dog and a bird playing guitar and singing, with the dog experiencing various emotions.

Storyboard of a cartoon hamster in a zoo, showing its journey from talking to a human, being fed, going underwater into a tank, escaping, and causing chaos in the aquarium.

Storyboard sketches of animated characters, including a mouse and a rabbit, engaged in various playful movements and interactions.

Storyboard frames from the cartoon 'Bugs Bunny,' showing Bugs Bunny balancing on a tightrope with a fixated look, and a man lying on the ground trying to catch him with a long stick.

Nick’s Credits

Poster for the Netflix series 'Bojack Horseman' showing a human character with a horse head against a sunset background.

Poster for Animaniacs featuring Yakko, Wakko, and Dot with Pinky and the Brain on top, inside a tower with a red roof.

Animated characters from the show 'Clone High' sitting on bleachers in a stadium. The characters are smiling, laughing, and interacting with each other. There are scattered confetti and paper streamers on the ground.

SpongeBob SquarePants underwater scene with animated characters including SpongeBob and various floating bubbles with character faces, colorful coral, and ocean flora.

Close-up of a young woman with short, blonde hair with darker roots, wide open eyes, and an open-mouthed surprised or shocked expression, against a pink background. The word 'Bangerr' appears in white script.

Illustration promoting the Netflix series 'Chicago Party Aunt' showing a woman with short red hair, high heels, and a black top sitting on the stairs with her arm around a young man with glasses and brown hair, wearing a green hoodie. They are surrou

Colorful cartoon cover featuring Baby Shark and a small orange fish in an underwater scene with coral, seaweed, and bubbles. Title text reads 'Baby Shark's Big Show!'

Colorful cartoon cover of 'new Looney Tunes' featuring classic characters like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety Bird, Sylvester the Cat, and others, floating against a blue sky with clouds.

Colorful poster for the show "Tales from the Tour Bus" presents next stop: Funk, with animated characters riding a space-themed roller coaster. The characters are depicted in vibrant outfits, playing instruments, and singing, with a starry space back

Foundations

The Foundations structured 5-week course is designed to guide individuals with no prior experience toward achieving a foundational level of proficiency. Preparing them to successfully engage with any course or workshop across the curriculum.

Sept 17 - Oct 15

Learn More

A pink banner with the word 'WORKSHOPS' in white text.

Make It Speak: 2D Animation Lipsync

Two 2D animated illustrations of a human head, demonstrating head movement from a forward-facing position to a downward tilt, with arrows indicating the motion. The image is part of a tutorial for lip-sync animation, created by Nick Leysen, promoting an event from May 20 to June 17.

The Make It Speak: 2D Animation Lipsync 5-week course at The Art Club focuses on bringing characters to life through believable phrasing and lipsync. This all-levels workshop breaks down the mechanics of lipsync, facial construction, and performance, guiding students from foundational phonemes to fully realized animated shots. The emphasis is on clarity, timing, and acting, helping artists understand not just how mouths move, but how characters think, feel, and speak in dialogue scenes. Through demos, critiques, and hands-on assignments, students will build confidence in animating dialogue that is believable and engaging for audiences.

Enrollment Closed

Learn More

Make It Move: Animation Basics

Colorful digital graphic with animated circles and shapes resembling a person jumping or dancing, promoting a beginner animation class from September 21 to October 19, led by Nick Leysen.

The Make It Move: Animation Basics 5-week course at The Art Club is a beginner-friendly introduction to 2D animation, designed for artists who are completely new to animation or have never animated before. This workshop uses guided demonstrations, hands-on exercises, and feedback to teach the 12 principles of animation step by step, helping students build the skills and confidence to create their own animations.

Sept 21 - Oct 19

Learn More

The Invisible Structure Composition

Join Nick Leysens for a free, two-hour live class exploring the essential principles of composition and how they can be applied to all aspects of art. From illustration and character design to environments, storytelling, and more, we'll look at the invisible structures that make an image clear, engaging, and effective.

Enrollment Closed

Learn More