The School of Visual Arts

[Pgarg521]

Hi All,

I just applied to The School of Visual Arts in New York and I was wondering if anyone had attended there or has any thoughts about the plac ein general. So far I've liked what I've seen but experience offers the greatest insight.

Thanks a lot.

[Elwell]

All right, since nobody else has bitten...

What do you want to know? I teach there (went there too), so I'm not completely unbiased, but I can try to answer any specific questions.

[jrr]

go to a real school, geez!

[winjer]

I just sent my app in too. If youre taking questions lemme ask one. What percent of the students would you say are hell bent on mastering drawing and painting and how many are just wankers pissing away mom and dads money?

[Elwell]

Originally posted by winjer
... how many are just wankers pissing away mom and dads money?
You mean like JR?:p

Seriously, I don't think SVA has a particularly large number of trust fundies, and those that do exist don't tend to gravitate to the illustration department. What's more important is that each class have a critical mass of dedicated students who can feed off each other and pull everyone else along with them, and I think that's the case.

My advice to anybody considering any art school is research the hell out of it. Get a faculty list for your chosen major and check out their work, and look at as much work by students and recent graduates as you can.

[winjer]

Ok so whats the difference between the cartooning and illustration majors? It looks like mostly the same classes..

[Elwell]

Essentially one of emphasis, sequential narrative vs. the single image. Most of the course requirements are similar, but not identical. The cartooning program has been restructured in the last few years to bring it closer to the illustration program and allow more flexibility in the what courses both majors can take.

[Pgarg521]

Thanks for replying, sorry it took me so long but I haven't been able to log on for a while. Anyhow, I'm curious about anything you feel is uniquely important about SVA. I'm a very committed student, applicant and, artist (although I usually don't post anything because I just don't know how to) and want to know above all else if SVA is what I hope it is, a school full of serious artists, students and teachers.

As for JRR, I'll stifle my retaliation and ask; what do you find wrong with SVA and what school[s] do you recomend?

Thanks everyone.

[jrr]

ah, perhaps i should have STIFLED (like i stilfed briarioes cat) my urge to post on this thread but here goes.

have you ever read clowes' art school confidential? i'm sure there's like 2 people out there who haven't read it. well, that's exactly how art school is. go to the comic store and pick it up if you haven't read it.
i went to sva. i made some really good friends there, that's about it. the most interesting thing about sva is the crazy lady that mocks the people as they walk into the main building.

oh btw, it's pretty easy to post pictures on this forum. (gosh, i just stifled my urge for mockory!

flame on!

[Kortez]

So would you guys then rather recommend Parsons or Pratt?

[winjer]

I see a lot of pros from sva that are damn good. I havent really seen any pros from pratt or parsons on the internet boards. There was a guy from pratt who did a badass illustrated version of Dune though.

[Pgarg521]

Frankly JRR, you're a dick. So shut-up.


That is all.

[ErikH]

Pgarg521, I would be more than willing to answer any questions.

I for one had a really great experiance at SVA. I was there for the last two years and unfortunately had to leave this semester due to financial difficulties. (I should be back this spring though as long as everything goes to plan.)

But anyways, drop me an email if you want some info and I would be happy to help you. I was lucky to have a few people do the same for me before my first year there and it was a big help.

Cheers.

Erik.

[jrr]

Originally posted by Pgarg521
Frankly JRR, you're a dick. So shut-up.


That is all.

no, yooooooooooooure a dick.

[elara]

no I'm a dick! And I went to SVA too, and all I have to say about it was that THANK GOD I got out of the Animation Department and switched do the Illustration department. I found that most of my classes were useful, but some of my teachers, while they were masters at painting and drawing, they made horrible...HORRIBLE teachers. Unfortunately you can't go to school to get a degree to learn how to teach in an art school, so just talk to others about teachers, get the word from upperclassmen, and see who you should go with and who you might want to steer clear of. Besides that, SVA's Illustration program was pretty much a positive experience for me. Lots of options and lots of dedicated and skillful teachers. (and bad ones, just like in any other place I suppose) Right now, or at least when I was there, There was a change in the chairman of the department, while many people do not agree with his new ideas on how to teach Illustration, I believe that he is/was trying to change, and improve the program in a positive way (especially the cartooning department which often falls by the wayside.) You get what you give.
BUT the facilities of the school sucks!!!!!!! (painting oils in a not-very well ventilated room, has giving me nightmares and an awful aversion to linseed oil that will haunt me for the rest of my life...who knew this was an art school???)
My advice to someone looking is that they should research a school just a thoroughly as looking into a new house or perspective roommate. Cus if you go through with it, your gonna be at this place 4 years out of your life. So kudos' for asking. And I hope my rant helped. Now I will disappear back into the obscurity from which I came.

oh PS.
don't go to a school just cus..so and so when there and his artwork kicked ass, therefore the school is good too. If the artist is kick ass, he probably was headed to kick ass-dom far before his jaunt in art school.

Adieu.

[jmascho]

jrr, you've been deemed a dick.

[jrr]

jm , you're a dick
bonnie you're not a dick!

[elara]

Thats Elara... And I better not be a dick, or have one for that matter!

[Pgarg521]

Thanks alot for your feedback. You're the second person that has said the cartoonign dept. isn't so hot but I'm, going into Illustration so maybe things will be ok. As for the poor facilities, I want to take a good long tour of the school to see what they're like.

Thanks Again!

[elara]

If your dorming at SVA consider the Jersey Dorms, they are really not that far away (15-20min) and they beat out the George Washington which tho is right next to the school is just like living in a jail cell. (would you be dorming? I'm not sure if you mentioned that or not.) I dormed in the NJ dorms and they are really spacious and dont have stupid guest curfew rules.

( Living situations are important as well, It's nice to be well educated but if you can't stand where you live, you won't be able to sleep well and digest what you have learned:p

[F3nix]

um.. I go to SVA.

I mean... it's ok. Great staff... 50% of te students are willing to learn and share.. the other 50% ...
"get out my way, or ill cut you with my x-acto knife"
but thats' every art school. As for other schools, I like parsons, but I only respect it for its Fashion dpt. Pratt... I'm not too crazy about I took some traditional studio classes not the best all around experience. I liek SVa, i think its one of the better choices in NYC. and like JRR said, one of the best things at SVA is you meet alot of good people and build alot of connections.

funny how you guys mention trust fundies...

in the stairwell towrds the library... if u look at the grafitti'ed walls, theres somewhere where womeone dabbled:

SVA GUYS ARE PUSSIES WITH RICH MOMMAS

or something..

[tiktok]

I went to sva....
I agree with JRR....
made some friends with some cool ideas....saw some great artists....but I'll tell you what...that school really makes it hard....there's tons of kids on drugs that don't give a crap and somehow graduate....
I went there originally as a film student...and that was the absolute worst film department I'd ever seen. I transfered into illustration...which was still sort of alright...mainly because of a few select teachers....(ie steve assael)...whom of which are getting kicked out of the department...or slowly nudged until they get pissed enough to just simply take up and leave. There were lots of messed up arrogant attitudes with people too...very hostile....

and on top of it....its new york...and if you have no money like I did...you'll end up barely making it and living in a shoebox.

I guess it depends on what industry or art you want to get into.

I would look into more selective figurative study programs...ie the waterstreet ateleir.....new york academy...arrt students league....things where your not stuck with enormous debt and not as much time as you'd think to spend on art.

I'll say too though if I hadn't struggled in new york I don't think I would have learned much of anything art wise....

just my two cents....
-bay

[jrr]

hey bay, bonnie, others. deeeeeeek!

[Buffalo]

I posted this elsewhere - but was hoping for a reply soon
here goes:

I'm readying my appl. to SVA's Illustration as a Visual Essay program these days and I'm trying to pick slides to send.

They want 15 -20 slides of prof. quality work. Which is fine. But I'm unsure about whether or not it'd be better for me to play up life drawing, still life, observational work in my portfolio or more creative illustration, cartoon, creative work. What would be a good number for each?

I'm a graphic designer as well, how much of that should I put in? They say they want a diverse array of stuff. So I figure I ought to represent it abit.

It's a Graduate Program, and I've been out of school for a little bit now and I feel a bit out of the loop. Any suggestions on how to divy up my portfolio would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[elara]

What would you say are your strong points. Looks like your into many things. What did you enjoy doing the most?

[winjer]

I have a new question for in here so if anyone can answer itd help. I noticed that the first year reqs only have 12 hours of drawing/painting a week? I do more than that on my own right now. Am i seriously supposed to pay $18K and get less drawing time than i get now for like $200 a month? Is there a way to just hang around sva and do figure drawing for longer than i have classes?