Atelier a possibility? (Lotta reading inside, sorry)

[Bubs]

Hello, my name's Bubs, i'm 19 years of age and i've been drawing for almost two years now.Here are a few things I feel obligated to tell you guys about:

First things first, I have a bit of O.C.D., and get stuck in routines. If something in my life changes, and I drop a habit, it is very hard for me to get back into it, even if I really want to. On top of that, i'm diagnosed with A.D.D. as well, and focusing is very difficult for me unless I am on medications. Finally, I have a single-tracked mind, making it very difficult for me to multitask.


I got into art during the middle of my junior year during my free time and have loved it since. About the only artistic training I have underneath my belt is a high school beginner's art class and a Drawing I college class I took during the spring this year. Because I started so late in my high school year I wasn't able to build up a portfolio to send to an art school. I don't really blame the teachers; after all, they had to spend most of their free time dressing up the portfolios of the more experienced students who had been there since day one, who had 20+ pieces prepared in a variety of mediums.



Anyways, since I wasn't able to get into a decent art school i'll be attending a community college this semester, followed by tranfering to Austin Community College to work towards an associate degree in Animation (it's what I want to do with my life you see). The reason why i've decided to go for an associate degree is so I can "test the waters" (so to speak), to make sure that this really is what I want to do career-wise. If I change my mind, I haven't commited to an expensive long-term commitment. Very few people actually know what they'll be doing in life upon the first few years in college, so this is my way of making sure that i'm commited to this field.

Here's my problem: I live in Texas, an area where there are virtually no decent (if any) art schools period. I've been fully aware of this since day one, but haven't been able to do anything about it in regards to leaving the state because of money issues. I'm pretty sure that it's a well-known fact that art school tuition is expensive ($60,000 to $80,000+ for a decent one if i'm correct?). For me, not only do I not have the funds, but no scholarships as well, meaning that if I apply for student loans i'll have to use it to pay for my entire tuition.

Maybe it's just me, but signing my life away to a staggering debt like that does not sit well with me. I can understand if others want to do that, but for me the less that I can get myself into debt the better, especially considering a field with little pay like this. If i'm gonna do this whole art endeavor (which I am), my top priority is to not get caught in a sea of debt. It's just not something that I want to put myself through.

Here's my dilemha: Since i'll be attending a community college for the first couple of years, i'm pretty sure the community isn't really going to be crazy about art/animation. In fact, that's my biggest regret in not going to one of these fancy art schools; the community. It really makes a difference you guys. Surround yourself with other like-minded, hard-working people and it'll help you churn out better results. Really get you motivated to give it your all, ya know?

Even though i'll be study animation, something that really caught my eye is the Atelier offered here at Conceptart. Maybe not the school exactly, but the idea in general; a place that focuses solely on life drawing art five days a week at a fifth (!) of the tuition cost. Not only does the price sound right, but the fact that I could focus on one thing at this place and be surrounded by other like-minded people sound wonderful.

Although Atelier might be out of my league for quite some time (I hear you have to audition to get in), i'm a bit curious: Would considering an Atelier or something in the same vein be a wise move for me? If I followed the ACC 2D animation curriculum exactly, it would take me about two and a half years to complete (maybe even less; i've tested out/taken a few classes already). Would it be a good idea for me to see if I can get into an Atelier/something similar after completing graduation?

The idea behind attending an Atelier is that if I can get very skilled at life drawing and studies the knowledge gained will reflect upon my animation skills and i'll have more freedom when it comes to animating whatever I want.

I apologize for the extremely long text, but i'm at a bit of a loss at this point. Any help is appreciated here. Thank you for your time!

[Seedling]

Hey Bubs. Something I have observed from folks who have attended ateliers* is that they have been trained to draw from life with exquisite slowness. While you would definitely learn good things at an atelier – anatomy and value in particular – their methods of determining correct proportion will hobble you as an animator, and you will absolutely need to fight that tendency to draw slowly. The other negative of ateliers is that they seem to focus exclusively to working from life. While you do need to practice from life in order to become an animator, you will have to start working from imagination at some point, as well.


*not including the CA atelier

[Bubs]

I see.

Can anyone recommend some alternative options for me then? An Atelier sounds swell, but if it's going to hinder me as an animator then it might not be the best move on my part.

[moroi]

You could always transfer to an art college after a year or two. I don't know about other schools, but when I transfered to SCAD after one year at uni, my scholarship doubled. So, I saved money by going to my free uni, and money in the future with a bigger scholarship. Get good grades where you're at now. That'll help. Most of my scholarship came from my high gpa. You'd still have to take loans (probably) but they'd be much smaller and perhaps more manageable.

[Bubs]

So how would the scholarships thing work then?

Would I just submit a portfolio a few years down the road to see if I can get a scholarship?

[moroi]

I can't speak for other schools, but I can for SCAD. First you apply (and you might as well send off the portfolio at the same time), and if you are accepted you'll receive notifaction of that. Then a few weeks later you'll find out your awarded scholarship money. For SCAD the scholarship is usually a combination of grades & portfolio. Make sure to apply early in the year before the money runs out too. ;) i.e. If you want to start in Fall of 200B year, send out your portfolio/application Winter of 200A. Of course, you could apply later, but it's always good to start early.

[Gozza]

Hey, I know that this is my first post here, but I've had the account for a while, just haven't used it; I felt that it was important to post.

Just last year a BFA in Animation became available at Sam Houston State University. The program is lead by David Dawson, who will work you incredibly hard and if you have the passion for it WILL get you a job in the industry. The program primarily focuses on animation for games. In our first year we have already worked with a legitimate company, and we are working on another project this year.

Send me a message if you want to know anything else, or I can get you in contact with Dave.