New member in need of some advice

[Passion]

Hello guys. Let me start off by saying.... Awsome site.

Ok...I'm looking for some advice from you guys in the know. I'm a 30 year old dude from Scotland who after working as an Engineer for the last 12 years, has decided to change career and go back to my first love of Art. Thing is, when i left school i listened to everyone but myself and was told pretty much to forget about Art as there was no money in it. Worst advice ever i know. But being a mere young impressionable grasshopper, i thought my elders would know better..... Anyhow after 12 years i've finally had enough of doing something i hate just for the money. No better than prostitution tbh.

So for the past few months i've been putting pencil to paper again and finding i haven't lost theee ol magic :) Now this is where i need advice. I start college in just over a month to do a 1 year portfolio course in preperation for Art school. At the interview with the teachers however, when i presented them with some of my recent sketches. They told me to get away from drawing fantasy Art.......... They said fantasy Art is the kiss of death when applying to Art school. Shock horror!!

Now this seems like a huge blow for me. I've always been into drawing things from my head. Giving birth to these ideas and concepts is what thrills me the most. Drawing/painting a vase, or a bowl of fruit, has limited appeal ya know. Anyhow i kinda understand that i gotta learn pretty much all aspects of
Art, grass roots and all. .. Just would like to hear a few opinions of people who have already been down this road. Do most concept Artists study fine Art first? Is it best to do it this way? Study the fundamentals of Art at school and keep fantasy Art for my own spare time? I just don't want to waste any more time than i already have...



I know i'm kinda old to be getting back into it, but if i don't, i know this is the one regret i will have in this life. Personal fulfillment is all i need.

Ok sorry about the dragging it out a bit. Any replies, advice,wisdom, are greatly appreciated.

[Samurai_em]

I'm 32 and starting college this fall. Not art school though just city college (hope to transfer to University Art program later), but pursuing fine art. You can never be too old!

The good news is that came to a good place to get some feed back and advice.

[Mirana]

Do most concept Artists study fine Art first? Is it best to do it this way? Study the fundamentals

Yes.

You have to know how to draw the things around you properly before you can create convincing fantastic things. If you like art, you should enjoy working out the challenge of observation work too. Know the rules before you break them.

[waranghira]

or you can just work as an engineer, and make art as a hobby...

but looks like you're determined.
then, of you go to school again XD

and fine arts is not just about drawing fruits and still life :|

[Musselfarmstudios]

It's fun to draw fantasy stuff but in regards to art schools its always better to choose subjects that are less cliche'd. I was into drawing military oriented stuff before I did the art school thing . . . it's like that with schools mainly because they want you to show them that you can use live references and not so much other peoples things work or ideas . . . same went for manga style drawings and old school comic style figures.

I admit it's kind of weird to say but it seems like it's more difficult to draw some of the old stuff that I use to draw despite the fact that I've gotten better as an artist.

But don't draw the vase or bowl of fruit . . . find something that engages your sensibilities . . . if not Conan with an Axe . . . try a lumber Jack . . . eh? You get the similar content minus the stigma of being chided for drawing fantasy.

[tensai]

I'll give you some Hawthorne on Painting:
A great composer could find inspiration for a symphony in a subject as simple as the tinkle of water in a dish pan. So can we find beauty in ordinary places and subjects. The untrained eye does not see beauty in all things - it's our profession to train ourselves to see it and transmit it to the less fortunate. The layman cares for incident in a picture but the artist cares rather for the beauty of one spot of colour coming against another, not a literary beauty...

Have fun

[v0rbiss]

Hello there! :) As a fine arts student ATM (3rd year to come) I will say that you can indeed find something interesting even in the most simple of assignments (vase etc. stuff), you just have to adjust how you look at the whole task. :)

I'm in kind of the reversed situation regarding what is harder/more appealing to do, if it isn't in front of my eyes I feel completely helpless. :) Which is the worse of the two I think, after all this knowledge is just an instrument. :P When you get the fundamentals you'll be free to materialize all of the ideas you have much more freely/easyly.

Another thing to add is that I really admire your determination to follow what you feel is THE important thing to strive for in your life, few ppl have the guts. ;)
Good luck!

P.S. excuse my 1337 engrish skillz

[Passion]

You are too right! One is never too old. An inspiring story i read in a local newspaper a while ago: This guy in his late fifties who could not read or write had worked in a shipyard all his days. He was sitting in the workers cabbin as the work had to be halted due to the weather. He was sitting watching the rain, pondering his life. In a moment of clarity he decided it was never too late to change it all around. He swallowed his pride, quit his job and went to college to learn to read and write. Few years later he was a manager.
I loved that story.

Anyhow.. Good luck with your journey.

[Stoat]

You learn to read and write from scratch in college? Boy, academic standards have slipped more than I thought.

[Passion]

Okay that was meant to be a quick reply to the first response. Hmmm i'll work it out eventually.

Anyhow thanks for the responses. Makes perfect sense really and is pretty reassuring. I suppose in order to evolve i shall have to begin as pond spawn or something to that effect. Learn to crawl before you walk and all that. The Conan/lumberjack reference is an interesting viewpoint. :)

The Hawthorne quote rings true for me also. I have always tried to see the tune into the beauty that surrounds us every day. The obvious, the grandious and the ever so subtle beauty.

Ok time to explore this site some more and bathe in the vaste knowledge.

Peace people.

[Passion]

You learn to read and write from scratch in college? Boy, academic standards have slipped more than I thought.

Haha! No doubt they accomodated the man. Some special learning unit or something.

[bhanu]

Do most concept Artists study fine Art first? Is it best to do it this way? Study the fundamentals
Yes.

DOnt agree..yeah you gotta study but that doesnt mean you dont do creaive stuff, at any stage of learning keep the creative apart alive, studying mostly is boring even in arts. You cant go past it, but you can always keep doing shit that first got you interested in art.

A great composer could find inspiration for a symphony in a subject as simple as the tinkle of water in a dish pan. So can we find beauty in ordinary places and subjects.
A great reason to study, and nature is best teacher...Its the only creative thing, we all are just derivatives...

So do both, study and keep the fantasy art alive too. show both,Also in many art schools(atleast here) they a bias for fine artsy stuff, like abstract, shitty semis abstract stuff. I hope thats the not the case there.

Anyways keep drawing...
Best of luck