Shirt.Woot

So is this an artist only poll?

blanked wrote:So is this an artist only poll?

Apparently not.

This poll has the whiff of a Slydon question. So, art school. It really depends on the school, the expected career path, and the disposition of the artist. I'll let the real artists weigh in for fear of talking out of my political animal.

Engineering school, or as i like to call it employed doing what you went to school for school.

This poll would only make sense if it were artist's only. Of course the vast majority of people who visit Woot didn't go to art school.

How many derby submitters went to art school? That's an interesting poll.

Never been to art school, but those people keep calling about that turtle head...plus I walk by the art department here on campus regularly. Does that count?

bblhed wrote:Engineering school, or as i like to call it employed doing what you went to school for school.

That was my path, though ironically I'm not employed doing what I went to school for.

I did 1 semester as a graphic art major. I've always enjoyed making art, I'm just no good at it.

Internships, internships, internships.

The degree is merely a piece of paper saying you're qualified to make art. Your portfolio and experience is proof you are worthy of being hired and paid to do it. The biggest joke I laugh about everyday are the people who graduate with an art degree and expect to just magically be hired, even in a GOOD economy. It took me three years, a couple Gaaar, Peter! jobs (so I could eat), three unpaid internships, and a whole lot of freelancing before I had the portfolio that caught the eye of the company I wanted to work for. It's SO worth all the effort.

And yes, I am a professional artist.

I'm even horrible at stick figures!

j5 wrote:Apparently not.

This poll has the whiff of a Slydon question. So, art school. It really depends on the school, the expected career path, and the disposition of the artist. I'll let the real artists weigh in for fear of talking out of my political animal.

What I find funny are the first two options. They are the same answer from different points of view. Because without foundation everything you learn after about the style you want won't be much good, so what is you view on what is more important.

I have a bachelor's degree in Graphic Design. During my schooling I discovered I enjoyed illustration far more than kerning text in annual report headlines. I've been humoring the idea of reworking my portfolio and hunting for a job at a firm, but I'm having lots of fun making silly shirts in the meantime...

I will echo the sentiment that your portfolio is worth far more than your degree.

blanked wrote:What I find funny are the first two options. They are the same answer from different points of view.

I don't think they are.

Because without foundation everything you learn after about the style you want won't be much good, so what is you view on what is more important.

Poll answer 1 indicates that Art school is everything, poll answer 2 indicates that it's just a starting point and there are many more factors involved (see the "portfolio" replies elsewhere). I answered the way I did because art school, and I'm talking 4 year college degree here (part 1: the school), provides core curriculum (Art history, English, Psych, maths, etc.), structured learning, peer review, mentoring, credibility, et. al. (part 2: expected career path) I'm not sure if Disney hires folks based on their DA profiles, but I know they had some lofty requirements for their engineering spots. Conversely, I also knew a kid who had an amazing eye for 3D modeling and got hired to work for Paramount with no degree to speak of.
(part 3: disposition) An artist can be wildly successful being "self taught" by using the vast knowledge available online, but they have to take advantage of it.

Slydon wrote:Um, thank you? But it's not mine.

Blast it all!

//edits answers to be more "fluffy"

I have a BFA in Illustration. Art school was worth it for me, but I agree that it's a starting point. I now think most of my work in college was really awful. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my illustration studies so I never had a solid focus, even in my senior thesis work. I would have done some things differently if I could go back in time, but it was a positive experience overall.
Art school doesn't teach you to be a great artist, it teaches you how to practice your art. Then, maybe you'll eventually become a great artist...or not. Whether or not school was worth it depends on what you take away from your education.