Art colleges: Are they worth it?

[Katniss_Blair]

The question you have to ask yourself is why do you want to go to art school. Art school isn't job training its learning. Art school will help develop your skills, you'll be surrounded by other artists, and a lot more artistic opportunities. However, art school doesn't mean you'll be the next big thing or an amazing artist. There are pros and cons to art school like any college.  

[Brent Da Supreme Overlord]

Art colleges are NOT recommended if you just want to do recreational stuff but if you actually want to be able to draw/paint the RIGHT way then yes they are recommended because NO book or internet tutorial will teach you art. There are TONS and TONS of things in an art piece more than detail and drawings. The reason that paintings are famous is because they create and use the rules of art.

FOR EXAMPLE:

Mona lisa, the only reason this painting is so famious is because it coined the term of atmospheric perspective. That and it was amazingly played out, the positive and negative shapes, the massing of darks and lights, the contrasts and so forth.

It is not famious simply because it is realistic.

you wont be able to simply learn these things outside from a teacher... all the greatest artists and painters had a teacher or teachers.  

[Nayumi-kuru]

Uhm, I don't know how it is in other countries, but here are some universities (we don't have colleges, for us, college and university is the same) that have connections with some companies, and try to get their students into them, but what I think it's the best part when you go to a school related to what you wanna learn is that you can get relations with other people that goes for the same places that you go, you get to meet many people and the experience is the one that counts most.

But even so, we have some universities that are really good and all, but when you search a job you don't really get any help by saying that you got your studies at "x" or "y" university.

It's just an opinion but I guess you gotta be careful when choosing an university, I think is better if you get to go to one than staying withouth the studies.  

[Twilakam]

Secondary education in Art is pretty much nessecary to make it in a creative industry. It just is. I think a bachelors is the lowest level of certification you're going to require to be truely successful.

That said, I think a lot of technical 'art schools' are far too overpriced, and from my experience, over-saturated.

I would personally look into community colleges that offer art programs, and possibly begin there. Usually you'll have an art program, from what I've seen, and that's a good place to begin. They may even have a graphic design course... and the Art Institutes were trying to stick me in that when I was applying for animation, stating they place all their potential animation students in there to begin with. (I'd already had two years of graphic design at a community college, and managed to bypass this process).

The further benefits of a community college is you can get your more mundane credits out of the way as well, and probably cheaper than you would at a technical school. The last benefit I can think of is that this way you can also determine if art is, indeed, the way you want to go.  

[.[ Cheesecube ].]

Dejection

I went to CalArts in Valencia...the school started by Walt Disney. Pretty much every animation student goes immediately to work for Pixar, and a lot of the original Pixar animators even teach there.

Depends what you want to do, really

I went there for a month last summer at csssa. :]  

[Otome Picasso]

In order to become successful in the art world, artistic guidance is recommended. You may be the best artist in the world, but your profession won't be stable without a fine degree. I'm facing this situation myself and finding out that i need better schooling for my degree in order to be able to nail a promising job. Art supples alone can be alot and you will want to be sure to have a stable income, or the phrase "starving artist' will come into play lol sweatdrop  

[Vodou von Prettypants]

Oh, hello there, internets!

I would not necessarily recommend going in as a major in any kind of fine arts, but I would definitely encourage anyone to enroll if they were interested in design of any kind, or even illustration. Ever heard of S.C.A.D.? It's a great school, and even though it's actually pretty expensive, there are lots of scholarships that you can apply for, which just pertain to your portfolio (and there are lots of others, too).

I did not see you there.

 

[Otome Picasso]

Oh yes. I have heard of the Savanna College of Art and Design. Fantastic school.

And It is a wise insight about the Major in a fine arts. My mother is a music teacher and when she was in school, there were a lack of jobs as a freelance musician. And that issue pertains to artists as well. Unless you really have a natural talent and recognition, the odds of becoming successful are quite difficult. So a minor would be recommended, if you so choose to study a fine art.  

[Seira Relur]

I live and work overseas and am traveling constantly. I've been looking into the best Online art college (odd, right?) that I can find. This has led me to The Art Institute of Pittsburgh Online. Does anybody have any opinions on it? I'm aiming on my BA in Animation and an AA in Graphic Design through them.

I'm avoiding to use my GI Bill with them so I can use it when I get out of the military with another school; possibly the Columbus College of Art and Design, but I don't know where my life's gonna take me yet. smile