So where did you learn your skills?
So that's right, where did YOU learn all of your 3D, 2D skillwizz?
I'm a college student, studying Digital Arts and Entertainment in Belgium.
This is their site: http://www.digitalartsandentertainment.com
But I'm more interested in where you guys all learned it!
I'm the sort of person who doesn't do well if not pushed, which is why I'm searching to study further.
Problem is, I don't know which schools are good and which aren't,
or affordable...
So please, help me out here
I'm a college student, studying Digital Arts and Entertainment in Belgium.
This is their site: http://www.digitalartsandentertainment.com
But I'm more interested in where you guys all learned it!
I'm the sort of person who doesn't do well if not pushed, which is why I'm searching to study further.
Problem is, I don't know which schools are good and which aren't,
or affordable...
So please, help me out here
Replies
but technically I gave all my money to the art institute instead
Digital Tutors. And still learning.
Learning how to improve art?
Conceptart.org, GA.org, PC.com and shit load of reference books along with one classic human anatomy for artist book.
Learning how to program games?
Books.
Well on a serious note, it's mostly trial and error. Blender tutorials for the most part aren't very useful for techniques, except for clearing up the sometimes cryptic interface.
Also crits here have helped too, but some really influential things helped:
- xcloud korean character pdf file. can't read it but you can see it!
- That one topology edgeflow head picture
- a wild cholden
HA exactly, same here
That is unless you're just amazingly awesome prodigy child who somehow already knows everything there is to know.
and then all the cool dudes at Iron Lore
And vcortis is right; this isn't exactly a field you can succeed in if you don't have the ability to push yourself. From my experience and judging from what I've heard others say, 3D schools and teaching are basically crap right now. You can learn more by getting online and checking out tutorials, Polycount and practicing than you can by having some guy give you an assignment you don't actually want to do.
If you really want to push yourself to learn, forget about focusing on 3D and instead look into hardcore traditional art schools. The only thing traditional art won't teach you is how specific programs work; all the other skills can transfer almost directly over.
QFT
It's a small program that a few of the artists from ArenaNet started early last year. Here's their site. I'll be taking the Professional Program which is all of their modeling and texturing classes along with a few concept art classes that you attend over 3 or 6 months depending on what works for you and it's only a few thousand dollars. It's mostly focussed on Environment Art, but if you're interested in Character Art they have a few specific classes taught by Stoofoo on that.
Need a trad-art foundation though, everyone seems to have one, I want to join the club.
Though I'm starting to appreciate my school more and more as I look up fantastic schools with their enormous tuitions. A 5k grant just isn't going to cut it if you have to cough up 25k. How do they even have students? :'D
Then, once I'd managed to fluke my way into the industry I just tried my best to learn from better artists around me. I'm still doing that on a daily basis.
Yeah that's partly why I chose to go to Futurepoly after spending some time learning on my own. I don't want to spend $80,000 at one of the 4 year schools, especially when I can learn on my own and a degree isn't necessary and especially when nearly everything I hear about those $80,000 schools is bad. I see Futurepoly as more of something to expedite my learning.
What school do you go to? Sounds like you found something somewhat similar in Belgium.
But that would be a lame post, so I'll summarise for convenience.
I got to DAE @ Howest in Kortrijk, Belgium. It pretty much covers everything: 2D-skills, 3D-skills, animation, etc. I'm currently in my second year and our exams ranged from making shaders to game characters to drawing modelsheets. You have to work hard to be good, but the best of our school aren't half-bad
There's of course the 50% who suck, but that's their fault for not working hard enough, imho.
Belgian students only pay 'bout 580 a year.
I started looking up schools, and I have to say, it would be cool to go to Ringling. You can always dream, right?
But I'm starting to get the picture, most are self-taught. Which does motivate me to get better.
By the way, Zipfinator, I was looking up your blog, and I love your paintings. :] But I can't seem to find any of your 3D work.
leilei: Got a link for that unreadable pdf? And I'm sorry, but what is wild cholden? :S
Good ol Polycount U.
I learned much more at my first job as a game artist, and then even more as a freelance artist. There's nothing like the pressure of a deadline to force you learn what you need to get the job done.
Of course like everyone else, I've also learned a lot from reading stuff on Polycount over the years.
So I guess it was a combination of things for me.
With all the resources and information available online now, I'd say that going to a traditional college or school for to learn digital art or "game art" would be a waste of money and possibly time.
The basics of traditional art on the other hand would probably be better learned in person at a school provided you have good instructors. Still though, self study is a possible route to take with places like the conceptart.org forums.
I'll also echo what others have said:
If you don't enjoy the process of learning new things on your own to increase your skills and knowledge you've got no chance at a long term career in this field since it changes so fast and is so competitive.
I would say most of my software knowledge was learned through trial and error.
The foundation for my modeling and texturing techniques came from people here by looking at their wire frames and flats as well as their WIPs, and back in the day I used to import models from games or PPMs and see how they were put together and textured.
Anatomical stuff came from a lot of self study. I also took Anatomy classes while in Art School which really fortified my understanding of the body and organic forms in general.
Elements regarding design, come from anything and anywhere.
Still learning good methods for more dynamic hard surface stuff though, which I'm picking up bits and pieces from here, as well as messing around with crap in the software.
Quite frankly I'm sure I'll keep picking up techniques and what not from various sources as long as I do this sort of stuff.
Ha, I don't have a blog so I have no idea who's paintings you were looking at... Definitely weren't mine though, I don't really paint. Most of what I have to show in 3D are TF2 items at the moment. Otherwise most of my work has been level design/scene compositing for Source although I've done a bit of modeling for those mods. If you want I can PM you some of the recent stuff I've been working on. It doesn't really belong in this thread though.
We need to get that onto a shirt.
(Sorry ZacD, but since your post is above mine, Im using you for blame.)
uh, but, I went to school for animation, but the bulk of my learnings come from the interwebs, cruising forums, reading tutorials, and just messing around trying stuff out. Oh and some studio/figure drawing classes didn't hurt either.
But of course i also learned a lot from polycount, even though i entered the forum when i already knew the basics due to years production, but still there was a lot to learn and gather from the great artists around here
1
2
I need to find a better font
For my programming, I took a one-semester course on C# programming from the local community college, and learned the rest from books I had acquired. Now I functionally program in several different languages, for multiple platforms.
In this day and age, self-teaching is almost a requirement.
hell yeah! I love it!
I'd totally get a PU hoodie!
Zipfinator: Oh didn't you say you were teaching the 3D-courses? The name there says Jason Stokes? :S
Word.
I think Skanker's original actually feels more authentic as a fake college shirt.
Art fundamentals are key, I'm playing catch up now.
Hawkin, if you can get Adam an EPS of the final design, there is an extremely good chance this will end up in the polycount store. Shoot him or I a PM when and if you get something you're happy with.
Edit: It might of sounded like I wanted to personally profit off of this... I just want it in the polycount store.
http://www.polycount.com/forum
#md
Love all three.
The net is a double edged sword. its really easy to become miss informed.
+1
if this isnt added to the polycount shop I'm going to get it printed for myself. It'll go beautifully with my N7 jacket