Schooling/Education/College Help :(
polycounter lvl 4
I just joined this forum, but I've lurked around from time to time. Now that I'm a senior in HS I'm becoming more and more concerned with what I'm going to do with my life, but I think it'd be best to ask for some help from you guys. I'm not sure if this is the right board to post in, but hopefully it is. I've been aspiring to become a 3D generalist with capabilities to design/illustrate as well if needed. Now from reading on this forum and other places, a lot of people say that just learning online and self-studying is all you need which I will do regardless, but I feel like even if I am to become skilled, I won't really understand how to network well enough. Not to mention, I live in South Florida which is far away from industry hubs such as California. The closest school to me is Ringling, and if I take some general education in junior college, use my Florida Prepaid, and be essentially smart with my money, I can avoid a large amount of debt. The problem is I'm wondering if the school is worth it. I've talked to a rep, but I'd prefer to have some recent/current students tell me about the school better since I feel I'll get a less bias input. I'm also wondering if it's worth just going to Gnomon and being educated there...It feels like a long shot right now, but I'm not entirely sure. I'm feeling very indecisive and would be extremely thankful if some people with more experience could help me and give some advice.
Replies
Also, make sure you get a solid foundation in *art* : drawing, painting, sculpture, anatomy. 3D programs are just another tool, and there are fantastic tutorials online by professionals that can rival any of the overpriced game schools. It's much harder to get the life drawing, color theory, and painting training you need from self-study. Try to find the equivalent of an art fundamentals course (1 year) - this will serve you well regardless of what path you choose, and will let you decide without committing to a large tuition.
Thanks!
Other than that, you want to draw A LOT. The more you practice, the better. And having a nice crowd to critique your work can set you in the right direction and speed up your learning a lot. You want those who point out all the bad things about your work. Not the ones saying "So nice!" "Beautiful!" you won't learn anything from that.
If you don't mind the paid path, CGMA 2D does offer some nice classes and a good path to follow. I'd recommend you try learning from the free resources first tho, and when you think you need serious critique, try CGMA's "Dynamic Sketching 1" for a start.
http://2d.cgmasteracademy.com/programs/
A fundamental art education can be taken at most reputable art schools in your area - it may be more convenient and economical to attend there. Unfortunately, I'm not too familiar with schools in your area (if you were in Canada, that would be another matter). Look for life drawing, perspective, anatomy, painting, sculpting, and art history. Don't worry too much about your job or career or whether it's relevant (it may not seem so for some classes, but trust me, it is all relevant). Just focus on absorbing all that you can, and most of all - enjoy your time creating art.
I can not stress enough though...1000% you should get some traditional art training first (but not necessarily a 4 year degree), and it will carry you far with your long-term goals whether that means more training in the traditional school system, or through other channels.
Ultimately, an art director is not going to hire you based on a piece of paper. If you go to Ringling, CalArts, Sheridan, etc...it comes down to your portfolio.
*Also, read through the big education sticked thread on this forum if you haven't already done so.
I guess I should give some advice back since I'm asking for so much myself. What I did was look at multiple "foundation year" curriculum's for schools, different majors, etc. Usually it stays the same with every school more or less. The jist is a solid understanding of perspective, basic figure drawing, a viscom class, and possibly learning a program like Photoshop or something else like the art history of the major you're tailored to. I made a spreadsheet on all the fundamentals and understanding I needed to cover so I can mark them down when I've covered them/revisited them if I felt like I forgot parts and got books like How To Draw and Framed Ink which cover those as well as watching videos on YouTube, gumroad, and pretty much any other places online.
Panupat said: I've actually taken a class for CGMA's Dynamic Sketching and I have to say the draw-through method is probably the most important thing I've ever learned for drawing. I learned a lot from the Gnomon Workshop also which I think alone has developed me the most out of every other resource so far. I still have a long way to go before my portfolio is in top shape for a job, but I'm pretty confident in it for college admissions/scholarship opportunities at this point.
Technomancr said: So far I'm at an art based magnet high school where a lot of my time is focused on art making (AP Studio classes and figure drawing) and portfolio development classes as well as classes like art history. In a way, I've already started networking with lots of people who want to work in the same field as me or similar. I've also attended precollege at SVA which I wouldn't really say is worth the initial price they offer, but I got in with a scholarship that covered a lot and gave me some college experience and a fun time in Manhattan. As for my economics, Florida Prepaid reduces the costs immensely to the point that it would cost as much as a community college rather than a private college which after applying for aid, grants, scholarships, and transferring credits, I don't see will break my bank and leave me with crippling student debt; more or less it'd be the same price to attend a college in Canada (comparing costs of a school like Sheridan). Another factor is that my dad works for a very wealthy and generous couple who've offered to cover some costs which I'm not entirely sure to what extent, but It may be enough that I end up with no debt at all after college. I'm very fortunate and thankful that I have those benefits and would definitely consider an alternative route if they weren't present. I completely agree with the portfolio part, mines isn't even that great, but it's gotten me so far already that I can only imagine when I've put lots more development into it. I've considered not going to college at because I really don't see much value in a BFA diploma (especially if it were at a sticker price), but I feel that combining both a traditional college experience and a self-study route would be a good choice considering that I feel my a lot of practice and not just beginning to draw, see my economics as secure and that I'm not paying some insanely unreasonable sticker price as well. My only worries are getting a job after graduating since I've heard its hard to get your foot in the door.
Thanks guys for all the advice
Ringling is my closest and most convenient school, the Florida Prepaid discounts the tuition and housing fee to about 10k a year plus there's a private school grant (not based on need but residency) which lowers it another 3k so I'm looking at 7k a year so far without the consideration of the costs of books, food, etc and possibly other grants/scholarships. While this is much lower than the sticker price and pretty mantainable for my dad, I'm still conflicted about if it's worth it.
I didn't recieve a scholarship from Ringling unfortunately and I'm not sure if they give them out when those who recieved them decide not to attend. I'm between going to community college, fininshing my generals, and reapplying with a more refined portfolio or just going to the school at the price it is right now. I'd probably come out of the school with around a 30k debt, so I'm really being questionable and would like some feedback. Hopefully a student/alumni can even see this.
Use polycount or other specialized online courses (Futurepoly, etc) to learn the ins and outs of 3d. If you're going to buy some tutorials, I would suggest avoiding Digital Tutors for everything except the basics. There are a lot of amazing specialized tutorials (Grant Warwick's hardsurface essentials comes to mind) to make the jump from beginner to intermediate / advanced.
Networking can be done online. None of my jobs have come from in-person networking. I landed my first interview from posting work on here and artstation, and I landed my first job from posting the art test from my first interview on Lunch Crunch (back when it was active). I actually was still in school when I landed my first position and was not actively looking for a job. My old co-worker at Hi-Rez was hired the same way. He was not actively looking, but he had a good presence and good work online and that got him a art test/interview. The only in-person networking that benefited me was a portfolio review that I signed up for.
Even in specialized colleges or online courses, I've found that over half of the people usually end up doing the bare minimum or don't even hand in work at all. It seems like for every 20 students in a course, there are about 3-4 who actually want to really push themselves to become a better artist. I should add that in my class in school, I was the only one in my class (and one below or above) that was pursuing AAA game art. It was a bit of a bummer and I ended up posting here a lot and doing Google Hangouts to work with like-minded people. My portfolio progressed the most from online critiques.
Overall, I think going to Gnomon is a great idea. The one thing I would suggest is to learn the basics yourself before you go out there. It is better to be ahead technically than behind at a school like that. Most of the teachers there are great artists and if you can spend less time learning the software and more time making art after class that will give you more opportunities to get meaningful critique rather than "hey, i'm stuck with how to extrude in Maya".
That was a bit of a ramble and poorly written, but I hope some of it helps.
I'm still trying to figure out all the networking stuff but this place is really shaping up to be a good start
I looked at Gnomon and thought this is definitely a dream school, but I do see it as a place for higher education of those who are already really skilled and just need polishing, also it's out of my budget lol at least for now.
Why not go to school in Canada?
It's like a quarter of the price and the education is as good as the top US Art Schools.
I mean it's ridiculous to spend an additional $80,000 for no reason.
I feel It'd be different for others who aren't in the same situation as me, but I think moving to Canada would be overall more expensive to study than just staying in state.