Leaving School?

MikeF · Apr 2006

Lately i've been thinking about leaving school for a year to work purely on my portfolio, but i'm not sure if this is a wise choice... I'm currently attending a mixed traditional and digital animation school, but i dont feel as though i'm getting anything out of it.

What would you guys do if you were in my shoes? (keeping in mind i can also come back after a year and pick up school where i left off).

adam · Apr 2006

Well, I can only speak on what I did... and that was drop-out (or, "leave" as you've said it) of college and get a full-time job while doing my portfolio. It worked, but I can't recommend that route for everyone.

MoP · Apr 2006

If you can come back in a year and pick up where you left off, I'd say go for taking a break and working purely on your own.

It depends what the school is, if you're gonna be getting a degree out of it or whatever... if you don't feel like you're getting anything out of it, why not look at changing schools?
If you can get transfer credits to a place that has better teaching or a more appropriate course, it might be worthwhile switching entirely rather than just taking a year out - otherwise if you work on your portfolio for a year and then return, you might find that it's even worse than you feel it is now.

What do you think the benefits would be for taking a year out to work on your own work? Assuming you can stay motivated and learn well on your own, it should be a good thing since it'll mean all your time is devoted to it, but you don't want to fall into the trap of slacking after making that choice, otherwise you're just wasting a year.

Just my rambling incoherent thoughts

ebagg · Apr 2006

Whichever gives you the fastest and most efficient path to getting the portifolio you want, if you know taking a year off will do it, and you're strongly self motivated, take it, work hard and try for internships and/or meet contacts. You may even realize you don't need to go back to school, which will save you lotsa pain from repaying more loans.

MikeF · Apr 2006

It's a college level program, and it defenintely feels like one, i get a "certificate" in the end. The profs have even told us how useless the degree is, the only thing that counts is what you get out of it. I've been fairly self taught for about 6 years, so i dont think that motivation will be an issue.
How should i go about getting my name out to the industry after completing my portfolio?

Weiser_Cain · Apr 2006

Just a warning, I left school "for a year" then all hell broke loose. Don't quit unless you don't have a problem never going back. Could happen.
On the other hand I didn't feel like I was getting the most out of the classes I took so I sympathize.
In the end I'd probably give it another year and try to squeeze as much out of the teachers and classes as I could, sometimes you have to take the initiative in you own education and it's nice to have the resources your school supposedly has at hand to draw from.

rawkstar · Apr 2006

Thats what i did, i went to school for 1 semester, then left and worked on my portfolio the second semester and got a job afterwards. I recommend learning more 2d so you can translate your ideas into something visual and communicate them to others better, definitely learn how to draw well, the rest you can learn on your own.

I quit school because i didn't think i was getting anything out of it, and i really wasn't, it didn't have any impact on where i ended up being now, like many i wish i went for a more traditional background to get more traditional skills.

MoP · Apr 2006

Yep I agree with Mr Rockstar, traditional art (and education to that end) is where it's at, too many places (the place I'm at included) place too much emphasis on software and technical skills, that's usually not what the industry wants or needs, since pretty much anyone can learn 3dsmax or Photoshop if they have a good teacher or tutorial.

Focus on the traditional aspects and it will really boost your digital skills. Also I heard from a hiring person recently (although this was in the case of animators but i'm sure it applies elsewhere) that they'd much rather hire a skilled traditional applicant and teach them the software, than hire someone who doesn't know as much about the fundamentals, but is really technical and knows the software.

Just a thought.

Xenobond · Apr 2006

That sounds alot like what I had done, too. I'd take a couple of semesters, then take one off to work on my own projects. After 2 years of that I realized that I wasn't learning anything more at school that I could learn on my own. So, to avoid having to keep my student loans in defferment, I took the minimum amount of credits required, and worked on my portfolio and talents till I got hired.

Tully · Apr 2006

With where you are, I'd suggest trying to transfer to a better school. There are tons in Ontario. I'd suggest Sheridan.. their BAA in Illustration would be a good way to go. I'd also suggest the realist academy in Toronto (formerly known as the angel art academy) where my brother goes. It's a very traditional academic education--same sort of training the old masters of art went through--but you'd leave being able to draw and paint at the highest technical level.

You can translate a traditional art education into 3D very easily. If you already know the software, shore up your knowledge of anatomy, drawing, painting, etc, as you also fine tune your 3D skills. This will make you much, much more useful and versatile.

People who leave school always think, "oh, I can go back next year." It's a fact that life gets in the way and a lot of the time, they don't.

Sage · Apr 2006

If you feel you are not getting anything out of it leave and go to another school, simple as that. It would be very helpful to know why you feel that way though. What do you feel you are not learning. Write it down on paper and then look for a school that has what you need to learn. I went to school to learn to draw better and become a comic book artist. I never learned anything that helped me improve my technical drawing or painting skills. Most of my traditional skills I learned from watching my mother since she is a painter. I did get exposed to Computer Animation and decided to pursue that extensively until now. Everything I know about drawing I learned by reading and heavy drawing sessions I put myself through since I was 12 and not thanks to school.

If your school isn't teaching you anything you feel you need leave it and go somewhere else. I don't recomend leaving school and just working on your portfolio since real life will get in the way of your learning and you'll probably never feel like going back to school.

The biggest problem I found with schools is that they separate the approach of digital and traditional art. The professors I had and others that I have talked to after I graduated didn't seem to see traditional art and digital art on the same level and seemed to put once against each other all the time. To make matters worse too many schools are getting rid of traditional art classes and when they do have them they are all fluff. One of the biggest issues I have with drawing is that I don't know how to draw in perspective. Sure I know the basic stuff, but I didn't start to get a feeling for it until I bought The Techniques of Scott Robertson Volume 1 that my brain went and said "I"m starting to get it".

Good luck.

Alex

Leaving School?

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