Did anyone here went to art college?

[Chocolate]

How was your experience? What was your field of study? Did you get a job in your field upon graduation? Would you recommend it to other people?

[LCT_m_a_d]

I went to University for art. Majored in Painting and took computer classes in the side. I was doing pencil portraits for money but ended up with a career as a Programmer.
I recommend college, but if someone is going for art, I say major in what I you want to draw, and minor in art.

[Aeneas1]

I am a member of King’s College London’s Arts society, but I barely ever attend any of their meetings. In terms of manga drawing, I taught myself how to do it from books, from watching anime and memorising the style, etc. And I still haven’t perfected it in a way that could be authentic.

[Legendofgenii]

I loved it (and sometimes hated it because they push you out of your comfort zone).

I did a bunch of art & design subjects up to A level, then:

Art Foundation > BA Illustration with Animation > MA Product Design

After Uni I did some work experience in various design studios, then I was hired as a greeting card designer for a couple of years. I didn't enjoy that, but I learnt a lot and eventually quit to set up on my own.

I now sell personalised stationery (printed & digital), Illustrations and clip art.

[GumshoeComix]

no, and honestly after going to art therapy for the better half of a year I feel like it's pointless.
you can teach anyone to be creative, anyone can learn to paint, write or do music if they try.

There are people in their 60s who are making paintings for the first time in their life, selling them for $50-$100, and painting better than I've drawn my whole life, and I've been practicing art since I was 10 years old.
I hope to one day go to college to become a therapist though, once I'm done with all my comics

[Shanny8]

Went to art college, but not to learn to draw...that part I already knew how to do. I went for design applications related to advertising- got a certificate of completion, but never pursued it career wise. In fact I didnt even get a computer or take any of my design/computer capabilities seriously until Comicraft(the comics lettering people) made their fonts available to the public...once I got a computer I tinkered around with things, and eventually re-sparked my interest in using my design skills- to design my own comics' graphics.

If you want to go to art college to learn art beyond comics, fine...but if you're looking to better your comic art abilities, save your money and learn online through tutorials or books.

[RedLenai]

I've tried becoming an art teacher, left due to other issues but didn't care enough to get back to it.

I only have my high-school title oriented in visual arts and the other titles that I have (Makeup, Haidressing and Manicure) are totally unrelated to art. Basically, you get the classical: story of art, different art movements, watch documentaries, some experimental/dense movies that nobody knows about, a sculpture here and there, no project took more than a single day at least for me, even if they were the type that you have to wait before proceeding to next steps of it.

What I can tell, based on asking the students near graduating in the Art Teacher career is that you gotta inform yourself about which artistic career you want to choose, because your idea of what you may end up studying could be completely wrong, for example, if you're studying to become an art teacher, while you get a lot of knowledge, you are less than average in several areas, you don't get to master none of the abilities. Or the classic example of the person who wants to work making comics/manga or illustrations for books but accidentaly goes to the Graphic Design career, while there are things that you can incorporate to your practice... is not quite what you're originally going for.

[cfmateus]

I graduated Illustration in University. Never got a job at the field and it's been 5 years since I graduated. I do have one or two commissions a year but that's it regarding arts.

I personally didn't have a good experience, my 3rd year teacher told me my art sucked and if I didn't change my style he'd fail me. Mind you, I was the only one who had any kind of art background in my class, I knew how to draw and how to use Photoshop, Premiere and After Effects, something my other classmates didn't know. I stopped drawing for a long time and not following my pasion which is creating comics due to the comments I received.

Is it worth it? In my honest opionion it isn't. The tutors don't teach you anything. In 3 years I had only 2 live model drawing classes, I learned how to bookbind and had 1 class on Adobe Illustrator, my other classmates wanted classes regarding Photoshop and other art programs and we only had 1 class or none at all. 0 people of my field giving lectures and the University itself prised the Fine Arts and Fashion students only.

I did my degree in England but had to come back to my country because I couldn't land any kind of job.

Taking a PhD only gives you the ability to give classes.

Overall I don't sugest it.

[Radio_chio]

I went to college and studied graphic design, but also incorporated a lot of other art classes which was great for pushing me out of my comfort zone and trying lots of new things. Since it was at a university I also had the opportunity to take classes in a lot of other different subjects that helped give me a lot of ideas to work with for future art projects. A lot of the knowledge I picked up in “unrelated” art classes translated into useful ideas for my design classes, so it was worthwhile. It was also useful in terms of finding a community to network with for jobs and gallery shows and to know what was going on in the local art scene.

I did end up getting a job in my field, though it took a bit of time to get to where I wanted to be. If you’re unsure, I’d suggest a university with an art program and not specifically an art school - you’ll have more opportunities and variety in classes with just as much art focus, and the cost is often less. Plus, if you decide it’s not for you, you’ll have more options to fall back on.

[powerplantanimations]

I've thought about it, but then I realized that I was better off taking tutorials online. Like how I figured out how to write on my own. I really don't regret that decision.

[thecrystalrook]

Nope. Computer Science and Engineering here. Graduated 11 years ago and not regretting that decision. Almost everyone I know that pursued an art degree is now working in another field, with the exception of art teachers and graphic designers. And graphic designers mostly end up becoming UX/UI designers. Unless you intend to pick one of those fields, I don't really recommend it. If you insist on it, minor in it instead or take art classes as electives.

[IzzyBloom91]

No i never went to art school or had any lesson of any kind in the field of arts. Everything is self taught

[margodraws]

Yep, went to school for animation and I've been working in my field ever since graduation. I would recommend it, as long as the program is reasonably priced and you have clear goals in mind. Getting that outside feedback from teachers and classmates was invaluable for my improvement.

[stiatent]

Yea i did - i was thankful for it as its where i got my boost with 3d art and a more professional mindset. Was fun meeting peers who shared the same passion as me. In my home country, trinidad art isnt taken so seriously throughout academics so it was exciting to see it treated so differently in art school. At the time i may not have been into all the traditional art and general electives outside the 3d courses, but looking back they were just as beneficial eg. A class like psychology was handy for crafting character mimdsets, principles of design helped me better understand placement. The visual art teachers were always entertaining and super friendly too. 🤣

Got a BFA in animation at Ai Miami and did my Masters in Game Design at FIEA. Originally i was hoping to stay and get a job in game design but had returned to my home country as i had to help family and a university there wanted to start an animation and game course. At FIEA i saw alot of my peers and seniors make it into the game industry so that seemed promoising, my teachers there were also from various game companies with years of experience behind them (mainly EA games) so ot made for great networking too.

These days with youtube having lots of tutorials can be helpful but to me learning from teachers in realtime helps you level up even faster, and help you develop a professional mindset.

[river121693]

I didn't go to an art college, but I graduated from a well priced State University with a Fine Arts degree. It's a conceptual/contemporary art program so I had to teach myself the techniques , but I learned a lot about how to see the world, how to think critically about your art, and how to examine media in general. I also found a community with some of the weirdest and most thoughtful people.

The jobs that I got directly from this program was Fine Arts adjacent. I was an art handler (moving and installing artworks for museums), an exhibition curator, and an art educator. I had a few art exhibitions, but I didn't sell a significant amount of work.

I recommend you do research the art field you want to get into and look for well regarded programs that cater specifically to that. Don't look into just "Art School;" look for well regarded "animation program," "illustration program" etc. These fields are completely separate from each other; while some of your skills transferable, your connections are not. Each fields also value different skills. In some, technical abilities and connections are way more important than a degree, and you might be able to get that by going to atelier and online courses from industry veterans. Conversely, a college setting might give you a real life community and make you learn more about the world than just art. You'll also have a degree which you still need for many non-art jobs. You'll have to take General Ed courses first, but use it as opportunity to learn things you can put into your art.

One thing I don't ever ever recommend is going to an expensive for-profit Art College. They're never worth the crippling debt

[DelythThomasArt]

Gosh I had a similar experience too 8c sorry you had a rough time and I feel you on not getting any art based jobs either. They do bugger all to prepare for art careers

[Chocolate]

How many years will it took for you to get your teaching certificate? OsO

[RedLenai]

I've tried becoming an art teacher, left due to other issues but didn't care enough to get back to it.

I don't have a teaching certificate. According to other students back when I asked it can take around 6-8 years

[system]

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