[jenmundy]

Originally Posted by jeffsimpsonkh

If you love doing something, odds are you going to be mostly self taught - even if you DO go to school, I find...Schools are only as good as the instructors, I've found. But then, I am a very pessimistic/stubborn kinda person

^ This.

No matter how much schooling someone has, if they don't love what they do, I don't think it matters-- as far as creative fields go. Also, schools are definitely only as good as their instructors... but no matter how great a teacher is, it makes no difference if the student isn't just as passionate.

I think most success stories in art related fields tend to rely on a 10% talent, 90% drive ratio.

[DanHowardArt]

mmm, good thread.


I was talking with BW-Inc about this just last night.


For me, personally, some times I have this feeling like I just stumbled into freelancing and suddenly I'm like a guitarist who doesn't know chords or the violinist in an orchestra with no classical background since I dropped out of art school and did nothing more except just draw and paint till I was good enough to be hired for work.

I personally think school is , in theory, the best possible way to find your foundation skills in drawing, observation, colour theory, etc. Some advanced courses are great to help you expand your creative thinking and give you some insight into the industry of your choosing.


However...

Skills and discipline can be taught, but not imagination or creativity. Those things are what I think separate skill from talent. And there are many that have worked their way up from the bottom to get to where they're comfortable professionally. And Illustrators are a lucky group where skill still shines over what school you attended, how much you spent on a degree, or the paper you got after 4 + years of hell.


So yeah, I think school is a great bonus for those who do/did it. But it's not the guarantee you're going to be the best artist on the block when you're done. 99% is just hard work and devotion to your craft.

[fongmingyun]

As a current student, but more importantly, someone who's mostly self-and-Internet-taught, I always feel like I'm missing something for having chosen not to go to art school. However, there are a lot of things here (eg - programming) which I wouldn't have the discipline to teach myself if I was just drawing all the time.

It's encouraging to know a degree is not exactly necessary to be an illustrator, but it's a little scary still - that, maybe, I need the environment to have the discipline to make anything. I mean, it was a pretty big personal move for me to get on this site rather than just try to work things out on my own.

I think art school can be as much a kind of growing-up thing as it is a foundational skill thing. I know a lot of people who like to draw but don't have the motivation to do it as a career, or simply to draw things they don't feel like doing. I wouldn't know, but maybe art school is a way to see if you can turn something you love into something you love that pays. Haha.

On a technical level, I talk with my friends who go to art school, and there are a lot of tricks that they know that I don't - I learned what S curves and C curves were just a few weeks ago, and that's helped me out a lot, just that one piece of information. It's like, teaching myself is possible, but I'm lacking a lot of help, so it takes a lot longer.

[silk]

Originally Posted by DrEuphony

However...

Skills and discipline can be taught, but not imagination or creativity. Those things are what I think separate skill from talent.

Not necessarily. Creativity is only important in some areas of CG, such as concept art obviously, but in other areas technical prowess will get you where you need to go.
Doing a technically brilliant and convincing photoreal human 3d model doesn't require much artistic creativity, but a lot of technique, and there's a lot of demand for such skills.
We are getting into the difference between a pure artist and a master craftsman - to me they are both equally impressive disciplines, and both require talent, just different kinds of talent.
I think that creativity tends to be an innate ability some people have in greater quantities than others, and while you can learn it to a certain degree, technical skill is something that everyone can learn as well as anyone else.

[artsypabster]

I've found out through hard ways that sometimes these people you wanna work with are more interested in your degree and how many years you wasted at school, than about your skills.
Not saying the latter is more important, no. I've met many people who couldnt be able to finish school, yet could destroy anyone with a 4 year degree. But sometimes your soon-to-be bosses care more about a paper with your name first, then your portafolio. Least, that's what has happened to me before :/

[cgaddict]

I'm mostly self taught, although I took a few courses here and there; It's important to keep training yourself on a constant basis, regardless if you've received formal education or not. So IMO, it doesn't matter at all; As long as you study art, be it by yourself or within a college, you'll be set.

[jamieboylan]

I wish I could have gone to school if for no other reason then it would have given me time to really devote to improving my art. As it stands between a day job and everything else in life it can be hard to find the time to work.

I just imagine what I could be doing if I would have had 3 or 4 years where all I was supposed to do was become a better artist.

[Dylan]

A piece of paper doesn't make you a better artist, doesn't even assure you a job. Its all about passion, drive, dedication, being awesome, etc

I went to art school and dropped out. Wish I did so earlier. The only thing art school was good for, was a little bit of networking. I found the whole art school experience rather constricting.

[jaybendt]

From what I've learned to going to school for art, in the end, you learn more from your peers than you would from the teacher. They will guide you through the first steps and show you the ropes, but in the end, you learn on your own, or you learn from your classmates. Long story short, it's all about the piece of paper that says "I graduated from ________ with a BA in ____________" that counts for industries, but when it comes to art itself, I really do not think that it matters where and how you learned, as long as you can do it effectively.

[ish]

It's really this way with most jobs, save the prestigious legal work i suppose. Experience is much more important to an employer than degrees. For an artist this is pretty simple, since a portfolio doesn't take an internship to produce, and can be of the artist's free inspiration.

I would say going to school for art should be more about learning how the community really operates. Any good art class will give you a good understanding of the creative process and stick you with harsh critique and deadlines to get you used to creating under pressure as well. It's all about seeing what you'll be up against perusing a career in art.

[frankhong]

Great discussion thread, i've heard quite a bit from both sides, and personally i think if affording it isn't the biggest problem, going to school is as good as you make it to be.

I'm studying Animation in Canada, and just started 2nd year actually. I've always been a self-starter, although my progress various vastly with what i am exposed to. Being in my art program for me is the best experience i've ever had, and not everyone around me can say the same thing from their heart. Networking is one aspect of it, and plus I love being busy, try alnighters working with your friends and art group, having the option of going lifedrawing everysingle day, and cafe sketch while hanging out with buddies. I agree with elloi, you can learn so much from your peers. the classes offered is just a nice addition for me to try out things that i normally wouldn't. like composing sound effects for a visual presentation or lifedrawing with a chopstick.

Actually, non of the works in my gallery are school projects, nor am i really aiming to become an animator. On the side, i still work as a freelancer in the industry, been keeping it up for more than a year, but enjoyable non-the-less. I think it's all about being efficient with your time, i can't see a reason why anyone wouldn't be able do all of these things on your own, but being in school for me is just a much richer experience.

[RionaWolfheart]

I think a bit of both! If I hadn't gone through with art in college, I don't think I would have progressed as far as I have. but then again, I think it really depends on what your tutors and classmates are like. I had the most amazing tutors who did everything they could for us, and encouraged us to work in our own styles. My class was nice and small as well, it's great being able to work alongside other artists and to have their input.

At the same time, if you don't feel passionately about what you're doing and aren't determined to take it forward, then no amount of art courses will help. :/ A few people in the year below us I think only took the class for 'an easy mark,' and it really shows.
The art courses help, but it's all about determination!!

[Wilhelm_III]

This thread has me really down... I've spent so much time and effort (and my parent's money, I'm rather embarrassed to say) working towards getting into an art college, and now everywhere I look it seems like people are saying it isn't really necessary. I had made the decision because it seemed that I couldn't find anything online to help me progress as much as the one art class I had ever taken, or in some areas, at all. And now all over the place I'm hearing that the only real reason to go to college is the contacts you make there...

I just feel kind of disillusioned, since being home schooled, I had (and am having to) work work harder then most to get my credentials together to actually get in to college. It makes me feel like I've wasted a lot of time, effort, and money.

[Lucong]

Wihelm - don't worry too much about how your education is going to affect your career, just do your best at whatever you are currently doing. Things have a curious way of working themselves out, you can't prepare for what is impossible to know.

I got my undergrad in in biology, and did half of my grad school work in Humanities/philosophy. The only art classes that I find helpful were uninstructed classes. I could easily see my formal education as a big waste of time and money, but I honestly never felt that way, not because I try to find some practical use for them (people always say 'biology must helped you with anatomy,' or 'philosophy is good for concept development,' it's all nonsense), I was happy about my education simply because they are things that I have done and they are part of who I am.

Back to topic, I think art is a purely personal undertaking. If you have your heart set on making art, you won't need art education, but it wouldn't hurt either. If you think that art education will make you an artist in the way that medical education will make you a doctor, then you should seriously reconsider.

I wish you the best. You have so much to look forward to and there's no reason to feel disillusioned.

[silk]

Yes, having a formal art education (if it's a good one) certainly isn't goign to hurt your prospects, we're just saying it isn't necessary to make a skilled or successful artist.
What it does do is give you a lot of dedicated time in which to learn and practice art.