Art-Schools VS Self-Taught (resume building tips?)

[cartoonjunkie]

So another thing that has REALLY been bothering me in relation to my artistic ability is that, I've had several people throughout my time on DeviantArt and Tumblr ask me for advice on character designs or have asked if they can borrow a drawing of mine to showcase as a demonstration of character illustration for a class assignment, yet I myself have not gone to any college or class for drawing, illustration, character designs or anything in relation to art in general!!

While it is flattering that because they think I draw so well they assume that I could pass for someone with that expertise, it is also very saddening to me because I have not been given the opportunity to contribute my talents on a professional level.

Which is why I bring up the topic of Art-Schools VS Self-Taught. Who here has invested in an art school and who here is mostly self taught? And for those who have been to art schools and have been advised on resume building, if you could please relay some tips as to what should be compiled into an artists resume?

As someone who has no high school certificate or no job experience with art except for the occasional art commission and personal comic/art projects, what would be the best way to try and show a potential employer that your art is good enough to be used for their company?

Any advice is appreciated, please & thank you!!

[keii4ii]

To be frank, I cringe every time I see someone saying "I'm a self-taught artist" as if that makes their effort more admirable (not that this is what you're doing -- but there are people who say that). There are plenty of great artists from both camps, and also many, many mediocre artists from both camps.

Speaking as someone who did not go to an art school:

I think art schools offer some very useful tools, but none of them are exclusive to art schools these days. You can find them elsewhere if you look hard enough. Peer critiques, expert critiques, live models (not photos), information...

what would be the best way to try and show a potential employer that your art is good enough to be used for their company?

PORTFOLIO!!! Let your art speak for itself. Make sure your portfolio reflects your strengths and versatility, and focuses on the kind of stuff that the specific employer you're showing it to is looking for (e.g. don't show super cartoony pictures to an employer who's looking for more realistic stuff).

The lack of job experience can be tricky; they don't know if you are reliable or not. For that matter, do YOU know if you are capable of churning out pictures after pictures done to your clients' specifications? That can be very different from just drawing for yourself, so if you haven't done this already, try out some private commissions on dA/tumblr before jumping right into formal employment.

[AnnaLandin]

Preface: I'm Swedish, and our school-system works different than the US one. For one thing, college/university level education is completely free. There are NO school fees involved whatsoever, and there's even a roughly 300 USD/month payout from the government for up to 240 weeks of college/university level schooling. That is, the government gives you money to educate yourself - enough money to, in some towns, pay your monthly rent. They also offer loans at good rates, in case you need more money to get by. Which you usually do - the cost of living is pretty high. What I'm saying is that higher education in Sweden is not as costly an investment as it would be in the US.

ANYWAY.

I''ve attended both a visual-arts oriented highschool (or equivalent) AND a Comics and Visual Storytelling 2 year college course - but they haven't been super-focused on technical drawing skills. They've been more focused on learning to work with different mediums (watercolour, acrylics, oil paints, photography, film, etc), or on the storytelling craft (a lot of my college assignments were focused on stuff like the flow of speech bubbles across a page, the depiction of events from two different camera angles to learn how to craft a clear and easily understood scene, dramaturgy and character development, etc., etc.).

I haven't had much in the way of, say, anatomy or character-design classes - and aside from some basics of colour-theory and composition (and I do mean basic), most of my technical drawing skills are self-taught. So I'm kind of a hybrid between schooled and self-taught - which, honestly, is both a help and a hindrance. I kind of wish I'd had more lifedrawing classes in school - I've taken a few outside of school, on my own initiative, but I'd have liked more of them - but on the other hand, having that personal drive to do something is what matters most. All the classes in the world won't help you if you don't actually feel like learning.

As for resume-building... >.> That's another thing I wish they'd taught me in school - we only got the vaguest explanations, a pat on the back and a "good luck!", which doesn't really help. I've tried my best anyway, and have managed to scrape together a couple of things for a decent-looking CV. Still feels a bit like I'm floundering, though.

When it comes to what to show your potential employers.... I got my first big illustration job - 120+ illustrations for an English textbook for a publisher in another country - by simply emailing them (after I'd heard they were looking for illustrators) with a link to my portfolio (which at that point, quite naturally, consisted only of personal, non-commercial work). They liked what they saw and hired me. What matters to potential employers is not some kind of certificate or list of fancy schools - it's real, practical skill. If they like the look of what's in your portfolio, they'll hire you.

My advice is to fill your portfolio with your best work - AND to fill it with the sort of stuff you would love to draw more of. If you absolutely HATE drawing super-technical machinery - don't fill your portfolio with it, because potential employers will look at what's there, and judge accordingly. You wanna do work as a character designer? Put a lot of character designs in your portfolio. And so on.

[studiomik]

What Annaladin & Keii4ii said; portfolio!

I gave myself a lof of selfmade projects: Made fictional book-covers. Tryout character designs. Little comics. Whatever i wanted to draw.

About the VS- VS thing:
I think drawing is about a way you look at things. What composition did you make. What colors you use. The linework. This can be self taught over years and years, but if you're studing you're more focused in a short period of time on drawing. Both won't say you're gonna be good / bad at it. It's a life-time search and you need to be open-minded to form your own style, you're own voice. The more clearer this voice, the more atractive it can be for a potential employer.

[zod]

Learned a lot more at Life drawing class than anything else, spend around 1 - 3 times a week at evening life drawing class or dropin sessions, you get to network with various kinds of artists from lots of fields. Can get great tips and advice but I guess what I learned the most is how important observation drawing really is and how it impacts our skills when it comes to drawing without reference.

Whilst it's true for comics to use simple ways to draw figures and such, its always good to have a confident foundation of drawing from life, you can get so much knowledge from it, it also builds a lot of confidence in one's self if you are struggling with figure, environmental and perspective drawings

[zelkats]

Yess. Like what others said, portfolio will do most of the talking for you.

It also helps to research on what the companies you're aiming for do and want. And it helps you a lot more if you can show some versatility especially when it comes to game companies. I did some job-hunting for both Japanese animation companies and video game companies when I was studying animation, comics and illustration in Japan. The way things work outside Japan probably aren't the same but I'll share some things just for reference.

The vocational school I went to works pretty hard at getting its students ready for employment (the more graduate employment they achieve, the better their reputation) but of course, lecturers can only do so much if students aren't determined enough. We referred to a lot past students' portfolios, lecturers would guide us in writing our CV's and they trained us for job interviews. I probably wouldn't have landed my current job if it wasn't for school LOL. So yeah, art school in some places can be a big help and push if you lack the discipline (like me lol).

As for animation, we were adviced to add a lot of "croquis" in our portfolio. They're basically rough, quick sketches of real life people and used as a way to show movement (and that your drawing hand isn't stiff) and basic knowledge in anatomy. They also made sure we have the ability to copy other people's characters decently without tracing because chances are you won't be the lead/key animator or character designer when you start out. A hard-ass lecturer who was one of the key animators for Mirai Nikki at that time also drilled drawing in perspective into us. He made us draw our own hands (and their various expressions) every morning as part of training and more stuff to put in our portfolio. I applied for 3 animation companies and managed an interview + entrance exam for one. But turns out, I didn't have much of a will to pursue animation. School sometimes help you discover what it is you're good at/passionate about. If you still want to do this after being pushed really hard, then it's the right thing for you.

Then I aimed for video game companies. It was sort of a last minute decision and I only got into the illustration course for the last year so I can't say much about the curriculum. But like the animation course, we had live sketch classes every week. I was nuts enough to apply for Capcom and Konami. I had to do my research because their requirements vary. Konami's employment exam required us to do finish a couple of assignments which are emblem and logo designs, and choosing a topic to draw a coloured illustration. And then we had to go to HQ and draw a live sketch of whatever random objects they provided. Capcom was a little tougher and trickier. No assignments , just plain ol' scary as hell test. They gave us a character sheet and we had to draw him in four different poses. Then we were given different topics to choose from and we had to draw a full pencil illustration on the spot (The topic I chose was draw a large mecha facing a monster at a military base. Why oh why.). And then we had to fill in a questionnaire to appeal ourselves to the company. I was somewhat prepared for most of these because I looked up on the internet for past examinees' experiences, lol. I guess this is a gist of how famous companies would test artists in order to find what they're looking for. This is mostly applied to those who want be employees instead of contract-workers.

That year probably took a couple of years out of me but I managed to get into one of the companies. But I probably wouldn't have made it if it weren't for a bit of knowledge in animation and story boarding because my illustrations aren't even that great compared to the other graduates employees in my year. I suspect game companies prefer those who have a various set of skills over those who appear to be one-trick ponies. They won't know if you're the type who is willing to learn new stuff but you can certainly try to convince them at the interview. One thing like character design isn't constant throughout production unless the place you're working at has multiple projects. So it's probably a good idea to know other stuff like mobile app buttons and user interface designs, web design, more than one style of drawing, After Effects, 3D modelling (something I made a point to take lessons on before graduating and it's a big time help now). I know some people outside of Japan who are skilled at illustration, 3D modelling and animation and they managed to keep their jobs while most other artists were fired to cut cost.

Art school can help present some opportunities and teach you things you never knew before unless you're friends with artists who are currently working in the industry. Not all schools are like mine(and it isn't perfect either but it did help some of us) so, before enrolling into one, it's probably good to learn more about what it does for students. If you're self-taught and want to make art your profession, then you have to actively get as much information as you need and get as many contacts as possible.

[getsuart]

Portfolios, yay ! It's hard to compose a good one, but people give a tone of nice advices. I do some reasearches before sending anything to a company, to fit them at my best. because if you do'nt show anything that look like something they do, how could they ever know that you can do it ? It's tricky to find companies that you could really apply for.
I remember having a job review with an editor who was doing books about mythology for adolescent, I thought I would fit, and they said to me "your work is for adults, not children" because I didn't use such as bright colors as them. A wrong move costs a lot !

It's nice to see your experiences with videogame companies, Zelkats. I've always been curious about how big companies such as Capcom would test artists !

I attended a school in the game section, and I was supposed to learn about anatomy, character design, colors and everything that would make really good game graphics. Unfortunatelly, I got a teacher who said "screw 2D, it helps nothing" and only concentrated on 3D (that's why we got ugly 3D models in the end).
So I basically learnt nothing about the basics of drawings at my school, and all learnt through internet, friends advices, personnal deduction, observation and such. That why I'm generally saying that I'm a self taught artist. Sure, things in 3D helped me, but I didn't know about color theory and composition.
And I don't think there is a more valuable thing about self-taught and school ! Both are great.

[Mane]

I am almost 100% self-taught artist and only recently decided to take some extra lessons to help with things I had problems with.

That having been said, while I agree that as long as you practice you can become just as good without attending a specific school or art college , I do think it's better if you do. This is from my personal experience, for a long time I only drew things that I loved and was good at, basically I very rarely ventured out of my comfort zone. Now as a comic book artists you are obligated to know how to draw pretty much everything, since it's the story that determines what should be drawn.If you want to make a story about fighter pilots, but are not good with drawing machined and planes...well.... I imagine that going to a school would help and more or less force you to get out of that comfort zone.
The biggest mistake I made, and I believe it would not have happened had I been to an art school, was avoiding learning and practicing perspective. These are the fundamental basics anyone interested in illustrations should first practice and master, but I only drew horses and dragons and people and whatever I was interested in at the time. It took quite a while to catch up and I still think I need more practice.

[Alli]

I am self-taught, though I really wish my parents had let me go to art school when I had the opportunity. I taught myself anatomy and I still need practice with perspective.

It sounds like you need a portfolio. Deviantart offers a free online portfolio service that you should look into. Since your strength is character art, offer several examples of different characters in different styles,with different color pallets, expression pages, and poses. Make sure that each of these portfolio characters has a unique personality and showcase them visually. Create at least one storyboard with NO WORDS. Tell a story with no non-visual context. It can be short, but it should involve a range of emotion and movement. Good luck!

[SpavVy]

I really don't think it matters which side you come from. I cannot afford to go to an art school so I rely on practice and experimenting a lot on Manga Studio along with watching or reading YouTube and DeviantArt tutorials. Hell YouTube taught me perspective better than my art teachers back in High School, now I have no problem with perspective along with some of the other things I was weak in. The way I look at it if they like your art I think you should be fine. What you need is a portfolio, I think it would be a good idea if you start doing that and SOON! Don't let good opportunities pass you by.

[Doubtcent]

I say it all depends on life's given you.
I did one art class during middle school, surprisingly taught by my own dad, who ended up teaching me the basics of everything since he's a professional graphic and web designer and has been for almost thirty years.
I kinda wish I had learned more from him or maybe asked him to personally teach me, even if it were only over one summer.

But now I learn on my own (>.<). I mostly learn from looking at how things are drawn, from manga and other mediums like Disney animation. I've only recently gone into learning how to draw detailed perspective backgrounds (still a bummer) and animals. I think I've got the gist of people since I spent the last year before starting my comic studying anatomy, however I'm still looking into ways to improve on that as well. I have no concept of color theory, but I'm working on that by, once again, looking at how other people draw or illustrate.

If I was offered art school, I don't know whether or not I would take it. I love learning concepts and techniques just by practicing them on my own, studying on different ways to do them and applying them to my personal style.
But if you're into going to art school, it's all up to you. (^~^)/

[kambreapratt]

I agree with everyone on the portfolio.

I went to art school and we had one teacher who spelled it out for us. He told us that we really didn't need to go to school for art, anyone can learn what is taught on their own. The key is that in art school you are given a concentrated dose with guidance to learn it faster.

[zerobloodyrose]

It depends. I have gone to art school but is self taught when it comes to making comics. Personally I found art school to help me to know what I was doing. It may not be the same for everyone. Some people can learn the basics on their own and some needs someone to help them figure out how to improve.

[pilot-obvious]

I went to art school at a state school and received a BFA in Digital Arts in 2018. My focus was on videography and photography and not illustration, though I did take a wide variety of digital based art classes that included illustration, animation, web design, graphic design, etc. I'm just going to break my thoughts down into sections and hope it helps someone!

Portfolio
As a visual artist, focusing on your portfolio is the number one thing that I would recommend. Your work speaks for itself and should be organized on a professional website. If you have the money, get a custom domain and email address associated with it (I highly encourage doing this unless you really can't afford it). You can use things like Squarespace, Wix, etc. to build it. Curate your portfolio towards the type of job you're looking for. Since I'm a videographer/photographer by trade, my professional portfolio is predominantly dominated by those mediums. I have a video demo reel alongside other video samples. I also have a photography section divided into different categories such as portraits, products, etc. Because I also have experience in graphic design and it's highly desirable alongside my other skills, I have another section for that, but it's not as prominent because it's more of, "Hey, I can also do these things if needed" statement.

Branding
I would also strongly recommend branding yourself. In college, we had a senior seminar where we did exactly that. It's a great design project to put under your belt and it will make you look more polished. Create a design for your business cards, resume, cover letter, and thank you cards. (Thank you cards not required but every job prospect I've sent them to has been over the moon about receiving them. I even got offered a freelance gig for sending one to a marketing agency that I wanted to chat with.)

Business Cards
In my line of work, I need to include my name, e-mail, phone number, website, and job title. I call myself a "Multimedia Specialist" because that encompasses the type of work I do for clients/work. Make sure the font is easily readable!

Resume
The best advice I received is to have multiple resumes tailored to each job you apply for. For example, I have a different resume for photography jobs, videography jobs, and graphic design jobs. They list the same experiences but are worded differently to favor each job title! You should have all of your contact information located in one spot (the top is a sensible space). Include your work experience (Job title, company name, duration worked there, and a brief description of what you did that is tailored towards the job you are applying for). Even if you've never had an art job, there are probably transferable skills that would be appealing. Have you ever taken initiative on a project or problem at work? Worked with people to make sure they were satisfied? Maybe you designed a flyer or a sign at a coffee shop?

List of things you could include:

• Contact Information + Portfolio Link
• Work Experience
• Education
• Any certification you might have (such as Google Analytics, etc.)
• Hard Skills (i.e. Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite, Product Photography, etc.) and Soft Skills (Self-Motivated, Communication, Easily Adaptable, etc.)
• Volunteer Experience or Awards

So what if you've never had a job? It's okay, that's a thing that people have had to deal with. Are there any volunteer experiences that you've participated in? Are there any school projects that might be related to the type of job you are applying to? Have you received any awards related to this? Are there any personal projects that you've taken on? (This really shows initiative!)

Some other things to keep in mind about resumes: You should probably keep them to one page. Nobody wants to flip through multiple pages of a resume unless you're applying to an academic job (But that's what CVs are for). I've heard stories of resumes being thrown directly in the trash if they were more than one page. The other thing is to keep in mind the colors and fonts you use when you create your resume. Make sure the colors aren't too light because if an employer prints them out on their crappy printer, they might not be able to read or see important information. The same thing happens if your font is too small.

I know at the beginning of this section I said the most important advice I received was to have multiple resumes tailored to the jobs. But to add onto that, use language and words that are in the job posting!! Most employers use ATS tracking systems to automatically select applications that have specific keywords. If they say they are looking for a creative artist who is proficient in Photoshop and Illustrator and is great at communicating effectively with teammates, include that in your application (as long as it's the truth). If you have never used Photoshop, don't say you're a master, but if you know the basics, it's okay to include it.

Cover Letters
Cover letters are not always required when applying for jobs, but if there's an option to upload or write one, then I say you should always include one. My takeaway from this is to make it concise and highlight your achievements. I start off with a strong opening with what I like about the company and how I can make a difference. Then I make a bulleted list of accomplishments or skills that I think would fit (3-4 bullet points that are one sentence each), then I close with reiterating the differences I can make and including an invitation to speak further (including email/phone number and portfolio url).

My Honest Take on Art School
Art school is expensive. I'll be paying off my loans for a few more years, and I went to a state school. And always remember this: you won't be guaranteed a job when you graduate. If you're interested in going to school for art, especially if it's something commercial like photography or graphic design, consider community college or a state school. It's much cheaper than a private art school. Also remember that your college experience will only be as beneficial as the amount of effort you put in. If you just do the bare minimum by completing assignments and nothing more, you probably won't be successful in the long run. But if you are proactive in building relationships with your peers, doing extra work to really build your skills, and participating whenever guest artists come to campus, then you will have a more well rounded experience. Join art and professional related clubs, network with your peers and help each other out, and ask for feedback on your portfolio/projects when guest artists come. You're not just paying for your education, you're paying for network connections you make. And the difference between getting the job and not getting it could be the person you know. (These are also things you can do without going to college, but it might not be as easily accessible depending on where you live).

Anyways, I've already written a novel, but if anybody has any questions or wants me to take a look at their professional materials, feel free to let me know and I can take a look. After all, we're all in this together!

Edit to add disclaimer:

My advice is based on what I know of my industry. If you're reading this and you're interested in working in the animation or illustration industry, I can't guarantee that all of this advice will apply in the same way.

[pilot-obvious]

Not all schools are like mine(and it isn't perfect either but it did help some of us) so, before enrolling into one, it's probably good to learn more about what it does for students.

This is very important information to know before investing a ton of money in your education. Even though I majored in digital arts, our school's digital arts program was geared towards the fine art world and not the industry. A lot of our students didn't come into school knowing this, so they often got upset about the way things worked while simultaneously not taking initiative to learn about the industry themselves or transferring to a program that would be more beneficial to them.

[carloswebcomic]

The only art classes I ever took were in high school, and I sucked at it.

I developed my own style from scratch, being careful not to copy others.
It was the most utterly stupid thing I could've done.
Despite the enormous amounts of time and effort I've put into it, my artwork is amateurish and boring. It does not inspire and it impresses no one.
When you consider I've been drawing non-stop for 17 years now, it's a clear example of what can go wrong when you don't learn the fundamentals.
I could never dream of doing professional work as I'm not up to scratch.

But then again, I probably just suck as artists. I have no natural talent and self-taught artists that have been drawings for less time can run circles around me.

I strongly recommend some art classes just to cover the foundations, because you might be good at doing your own stuff, but when you start drawing what others want you to do, you could be caught with your pants down.

[skicoak]

In terms of what the true value of an art school offers...

The best art teachers build and break you at the same...at a highly accelerated rate compared to self-taught. There's no comparable alternative to that kind of guidance and criticism in equal parts.

And a student body of other talented artists, on the same journey, will simultaneously ground you while also motivating you.