A 2nd Year Art Student here..

[Mecha Frog]

Hey all,
I have a general pondering for the mass public here at conceptart.
First a back story...
I am currently enrolled in the University College of the Fraser Valley which is located in Abbotsford, B.C. Canada. Currently I am in my second year of studies, and am very close (only one more semester) to completing my Visual Arts Diploma. Next year, I'll come back and take more classes to get my Bachelor of Fine Arts.
Now, what I would LOVE to do with my art career is work for a video game developing company somewhere in the lower mainland (probably Vancouver, Canada) or do Freelance work for companies.
I would also just love to paint, illustrate and work on graphic design as well!
*My dream is to perhaps have my own business one day the caters to Illustration/Game Art Design/Graphic Design.

Is there anyone out there on the intertubes who can tell me that this is a good route for schooling to take to get to my specific career in life?
What have you done to get to where you are today?
I'm not a rich artist, but I believe I have the talent and skill to get somewhere.
Sometime soon when I am at my computer, I can perhaps post some of my sketchs and pieces.

Cheers all,
A.H.Smith
"Mecha Frog"

[Storyboard Dave]

Hey all,
I have a general pondering for the mass public here at conceptart.
First a back story...
I am currently enrolled in the University College of the Fraser Valley which is located in Abbotsford, B.C. Canada. Currently I am in my second year of studies, and am very close (only one more semester) to completing my Visual Arts Diploma. Next year, I'll come back and take more classes to get my Bachelor of Fine Arts.
Now, what I would LOVE to do with my art career is work for a video game developing company somewhere in the lower mainland (probably Vancouver, Canada) or do Freelance work for companies.
I would also just love to paint, illustrate and work on graphic design as well!
*My dream is to perhaps have my own business one day the caters to Illustration/Game Art Design/Graphic Design.

Is there anyone out there on the intertubes who can tell me that this is a good route for schooling to take to get to my specific career in life?
What have you done to get to where you are today?
I'm not a rich artist, but I believe I have the talent and skill to get somewhere.
Sometime soon when I am at my computer, I can perhaps post some of my sketchs and pieces.

Cheers all,
A.H.Smith
"Mecha Frog"

Great aspirations.

One thing I would suggest would be to work for someone else first. Learn the business from them (and maybe several more stops along the way), improve upon it and then break off to become your own business.

Beyond skill & talent- luck, perseverance and dedication are also key to successful businesses.

[Seedling]

Hello Mecha! Try the "Games Industry" link in my sig. Somewhere towards the end of that is a link to a game developer map, that can help you locate companies. However, do be aware that games are a niche industry, and you will likely have to move elsewhere for a job.

[MattVogt]

Hello!

I live in Chilliwack and help run highschool game design courses online in Abbotsford hahaha (http://abbyvirtual.com). Let's meet for a coffee or something and talk about some process and what this art stuff's all about?

Let me know dude!

Here's my sketchpad and website:

http://mattvogt.com
http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=105506


email => matt@mattvogt.com

[Mecha Frog]

Thanks all for the input on my query ^___^

Matt: Hey that sounds awesome. I actually live in the wack, and just commute to abby for college.
Drop me a line at
Haleylicious @ gmail . com

Cheers,
A.H.Smith

[Maxine Schacker]

Hi Seedling. Just a note to tell you that Canada has a thriving video game industry, with major companies (such as EA) , and many smaller companies on our west coast. The east is also doing well : in Montreal, among others (another branch of EA, for example), UbiSoft is a major presence.

Toronto has been slower to develop, but there are some excellent smaller companies such as Pseudo Interactive , and a branch of Rockstar ( as I understand it, Canadians, whose game idea appealed to Rockstar were the originators of a company Rockstar purchased, leaving the guys who put it together in management positions). My point is simply that there is a lot of work in Canada, and, specifically, there are many thriving companies in British Columbia.

By population, we are a small country, but, as you can see, very strong in this area. Similarly, there are many animation companies here that have done work on major productions. Frequently their names are not well known even to Canadians. They do good work, they are very busy and they have worked and are working on excellent projects.

Mecha Frog, check out the curriculum in the concept art diploma program at Max the Mutt. It will give you an idea of the skill base you will need, and perhaps already have! The web site is:www.maxthemutt.com.

[Mecha Frog]

Hey, thanks for the information Maxine. It is much appreciated. I can tell from just scanning over that list that I know a good chunk of topics. And will be learning in the future when I continue with a BFA.
That is totally helpful, I will definatly bookmark it and reference it to my own studies!
Thank you again!

Cheers,
MF