In need of some good advice for college next year

[Surion]

Hey all,

I am Tim, 16 and this year i graduate at secondary school and i can go to college next year.

I'm really doubting between 3 options:
- Art school:
The thing that terrifies me the most about art school is that, i think, drawing from life all day will get me bored, and i will go to 3 years full of boredom.
I know, life drawing is necessary to become good, but it just gets me bored.
Its like my view from realistic art and fantasy art:
I don't like realistic art because i don't see it as the biggest challenge, why paint something that already exists? with all due respect to all the artists that paint realism, but i find it extremely boring sometimes. I think the challenge is to paint something that doesnt exist yet.
I also don't think art schools would accept me considering the level i'm at at the moment. I'm not able to practice much due to lack of time :/

- Digital arts and entertainment:
This is the website in english (http://www.digitalartsandentertainment.com/?#/en/News/)
The bad thing about this one is that concept art is only a small part of it. You also get programming, maths, physics, 3d,... So i won't be able to specialise in art, because ill have to much work for the other parts.

- Or i could do a year of self-teaching (but i don't think this is something my parents would never understand/allow) and see what comes next


Any advice from experienced students/artists would help me a lot. so please help me out! It's my dream to become a concept artist, a dream i wasn't able to chase yet because of the lack of time. Next year i need to choose, and i don't want to make a bad choice, the idea of making a bad choice terrifies me.


Anyways, thanks a bunch on advance, and sorry for my crappy english


Surion

[Hyskoa]

I'm really doubting between 3 options:
- Art school:
The thing that terrifies me the most about art school is that, i think, drawing from life all day will get me bored, and i will go to 3 years full of boredom.
I know, life drawing is necessary to become good, but it just gets me bored.
Then you might wanne switch careers while you still can. People use reference/nature/... all the time to achieve speed in their work. And if you want to go the full renaissance tour (creating figures out of your mind completely with perfect anatomy), you'll be doing even more modeldrawing than if you were to use reference.
Its like my view from realistic art and fantasy art:
I don't like realistic art because i don't see it as the biggest challenge,
It was a challenge in the 1900's, now it's basic training.
why paint something that already exists?
Training.
with all due respect to all the artists that paint realism, but i find it extremely boring sometimes. I think the challenge is to paint something that doesnt exist yet.
Which one does by starting with a traditional base of realism. Otherwise you'll get extremely stylistic characters without propper form/proportion/life... anything really.
I also don't think art schools would accept me considering the level i'm at at the moment. I'm not able to practice much due to lack of time :/
Then try until you get in, and make time.

- Digital arts and entertainment:
This is the website in english (http://www.digitalartsandentertainment.com/?#/en/News/)
The bad thing about this one is that concept art is only a small part of it. You also get programming, maths, physics, 3d,... So i won't be able to specialise in art, because ill have to much work for the other parts.
Have you ever opened up a 3D program? DOne some programming? Unless you are driven to do both, you won't get till the finish.
- Or i could do a year of self-teaching (but i don't think this is something my parents would never understand/allow) and see what comes next
Get a regular education instead, draw in your free time. Once you have at least a basic degree in your hands, then you can think about getting a job halftime and working on your skills. Because now you're still under the authority of your parents.

Any advice from experienced students/artists would help me a lot. so please help me out! It's my dream to become a concept artist, a dream i wasn't able to chase yet because of the lack of time.
Then make time.
Next year i need to choose, and i don't want to make a bad choice, the idea of making a bad choice terrifies me.
A bad choice would be taking a specific course of education at the age of 16. Go for something like Latin-Greek-Economy. Develop your mind. And see if you still feel the same way 2 years from now when you graduate.
Anyways, thanks a bunch on advance, and sorry for my crappy english
Surion

Dae is more to create programmers and 3D modellers.
You'll only get 4 hours of art per week, so it's not the path to go for.


I know the current add generation thinks 2 years is a vast ocean of time worth of suffering. But the latin-greek-economy degree will give you options and will open doors. At that point, when you're a bit more sensible, you can start making decissions.
You'll be able to live on your own, take a job, and draw every single waking moment.

Also, don't really rely on the education program in belgium to teach you much, from what I heard, some fellow classmates hadn't even received perspective after 3 years of lower artschool, so don't expect too much.

They might teach you to render and do some alla prima groundwork, but they'll only give you half of the information you'll need resulting in a bumload of bad habbits. Which will take even longer to get rid off.

So choose a normal education until you're 18, then take another look on what to do.
Besides I don't think dae's program is for people below the age of 18.

Good luck.

[RyerOrdStar]

So you find it boring when you say yourself that you're not at the level art schools want? How can something be boring that should be a huge challenge to you, considering what you just admitted?

[Surion]

Thanks for your replies!

So choose a normal education until you're 18, then take another look on what to do.
Besides I don't think dae's program is for people below the age of 18.
Saturday its my birthday, then ill be 17, so im born in december, this year i graduate from economy, and next year i can go to college/highschool/university or whatever it is called in english :p . Last decision of school i have to make in my life. So it's really choosing between thos options cause:
- my parents won't let me go abroad
- it seems like the two only options that interest me

Have you ever opened up a 3D program? DOne some programming? Unless you are driven to do both, you won't get till the finish.
Yes i have been practicing a bit in 3ds max, and i know the basics of 3d modelling. I haven't done much for programming yet, but again, lack of time, last year of secondary school is really time consuming!

So you find it boring when you say yourself that you're not at the level art schools want? How can something be boring that should be a huge challenge to you, considering what you just admitted?
Now, drawing from life i think, is boring. its drawing scenes from my imagination that i like a lot! I like doing anatomy studies too, but stuff like still-life and such i dont like. i'm attending drawing lessons, and there they allways do still-life, like drawing glasses or nutshells, and really, its hard to concentrate sometimes.

Btw, i'm really sorry for my bad english, it's hard to express myself :/
Anyways, to make everything clear, next year is the year i become 18 so, it's not for secondary school i have to choose, but for highschool/college/university


Thanks,

Surion

[Hyskoa]

If you're 18, your parents can't tell you what to do anymore.
Get a job, a place to live and work on your own. Take nightclasses in modeldrawing, save up enough money for an atelier(like studio escalier/lavender hill studios) and do a 3 month intensive course.

Now, drawing from life i think, is boring. its drawing scenes from my imagination that i like a lot!
And how would you draw from the mind if you've put nothing in it? Only way to draw from the mind is to do endless amounts of studies from nature. In fact, you'll be doing that mostly for the rest of your life to not get into a formulaic, dull method of working.
I like doing anatomy studies too, but stuff like still-life and such i dont like. i'm attending drawing lessons, and there they allways do still-life, like drawing glasses or nutshells, and really, its hard to concentrate sometimes.
Deal with it. Concentrating does tend to get easier as you age though.

I'm just saying, if you're bored with it right now, how will you feel if you're supposed to be doing it for the next 60 years?
Drawing from life is about the best, inexpensive workout you can get, drawingwise.

So either find a way to enjoy it, or maybe start looking into something different.

[rpace]

I don't like realistic art because i don't see it as the biggest challenge, why paint something that already exists? with all due respect to all the artists that paint realism, but i find it extremely boring sometimes. I think the challenge is to paint something that doesnt exist yet.
You can't make the imaginary look real unless you understand how to represent real things. All these "boring" realistic drawing is a requirement to making exciting fantasy.

Drawing is a reward unto itself, really, as every drawing where you really push yourself and try to learn and think about what you're doing makes you that much better for when you begin the next drawing.

If you want to draw and paint for a living it should be a passion NOW. It shouldn't be "I'd like to draw more", it must be "I have to draw more." Your not finding time to draw tells me that you probably wouldn't be happy as a working artist where you're drawing 8-12 hours a day.

There's nothing wrong with realising that art will never be more than a hobby for you.

~R

[Elwell]

God you sound so young.
Which is fine, because you are.
As long as you realize it.

[RyerOrdStar]

Hey, I never said stuff like that when I as 18 :P

[Surion]

Ok, thanks for the replies!

Yeah it sounds a bit childish and inexperienced, i know, so what i'm going to do is: practice as much as i can in the next couple of months (i got half a year before i need to choose) do studies from life, and a lot!
If I don't change my opinion untill that time, then i will know art is not a full-time occupation for me. I still got to learn a lot.
It's possible i find it boring because of the simple reason that i don't see any improvement in my drawings yet, and that's due to the fact that i haven't practiced enough.

So i will practice as much as i can. whenever i find free time to practice i will use it! and when it still doesn't become a passion, then i know what i have to do. Time will tell eventually.

It's just, i dont want to make a wrong choice for next year. I've always convinced myself of chasing my dreams, being a concept artist is one of my dreams. Not an easy one so it will require a lot of work.

Thanks again all for the information and the insight!

Cheers,
Surion

[gbenard]

Great thread to follow. I remember finishing high school and thinking I would study to be an artist, then finding out how terrible I was and how much I needed to learn. I personally learned so much in the first two years of art college, not just drawing from life, although of course that was a component, but learning how to see and think about art, the picture plane, composition, design, space and sculpture. I never regret those studies, especially the life drawing as it is the foundation for everything.

I'm new to this forum, and I am curious as to the career of Concept Artist. Doesn't this job have to be tied to an industry, such as design for film, television, games or illustration for books or advertising? Is there another place to be a Concept Artist? If you've learned some 3D modeling already, and you're interested in Concept Art for games or film, definitely carry on the 3D self-study. And best of luck in all your choices.