When In Doubt, Ask

[Hasum]

Hey CA.

I'm in a mood. Thought I'd make my first real post something of content, so. First, some fun facts:

I've lurked here for the better part of a year, posted little, and certainly never offered my own work for viewing.
I'm a fourth year biology student with a focus in zoology, interested in graduate studies and field research. I've taken a drawing class or two, but most of my experience with art comes from outside the academic setting.

I've never been certain about much, least of all my future. I've dabbled in virtually everything, and my interests on the science side of things are rather broad. Going in to college, I told myself the logical course of action would be to pursue a career in something "stable"--science, specifically biology (a varied enough feel to allow a ton of high-yield options from medical research to government advisory jobs), fit the bill more than the humanities.
In other words, I fell for the lie they tell from the first day of middle school--art and literature is all well and good, but it won't put food on your table.

Bull.

Sure, dual-major, or at least get some more art classes under my belt would be grand, but it's simply not doable. Time frames conflict every single semester with classes I Need to take (three-hour labs, mostly) against classes I'd Like to take.
Coming on my last year of undergraduate studies isn't exactly the best time for a change of heart, but I've come to the conclusion that I simply won't be happy without art as a central occupation of my life. As much as I love to observe and understand the natural world, I'm left wanting more than raw facts and bleak comprehension. That "something" is the realm of the arts.

Coming here I've reaffirmed the conviction that, by and large, great art (or at least fine art) is achieved through a solid understanding of how things work. That thing could be the skeletal and muscular structure of the human arm, or it could be massive land formations. It could be the physics of rain or fire and how to make those work, make them believable, in a composition.
To that extent, I don't think I've wasted the last several years if I do decide on a fundamental career change.

All my rambling comes to this: in browsing CA, I've seen incredbile talent, most of which has paradoxically served to motivate me. I see William Hand's latest update, or I stumble across a Mentler's massive threads of anatomical studies, and I think to myself, "I wanna do that!"

But a lot of you seem to have art school under your belts. At the least, mentors, training, etc.

What I want to ask CA now is--what's the chances of becoming adept in the world of art and illustration without "proper" formal training? Specifically, do companies look at where you've been more than what you've done?
Would I be wasting my time and money for what would ultimately be a fruitless endeavor?

I know, I know, "hey internet, tell me what I should do with the rest of my life". It's not quite that grandoise, I just want some input from the people that'd know best. :)

[Maidith]

what's the chances of becoming adept in the world of art and illustration without "proper" formal training? Specifically, do companies look at where you've been more than what you've done?

you have to be good. not just good, but REALLY super amazingly good. Let your portfolio reflect that, and no one will ask which degree you got. Keep in mind, there are folks with a degree in art, illustration or game art who cannot draw at all.

[cmalidore]

Everyone has a different experience, but I personally am working full time as an illustrator with only a few classes tucked in my belt. Schooling does not an artist make - at the same time, you can't discount it and say that it's useless. Being self taught teaches some bad habits and can work slower than formal training.

I once asked a handful of really popular illustrators what schooling did for them and all of them shrugged and said: "nobody has asked to see my diploma since I received it", and the general consensus was that while the classes helped, most of their learning was from experience in the field.

Do what you love, and pour your energy into being good at that, it'll do what it needs from there. Take classes if you need them or feel they'll give you an opportunity that you won't otherwise have, but don't think that an Art Director wants your class records more than your developed skills.

[deliciouspeter]

You don't need proper training, but it does help. You seem to be pretty academic, so perhaps you have the discipline to teach yourself, but there is nothing quite like going to class. There are opportunities all over the incredibly wide spectrum called "art" and sure, some employers/funders/benefactors fancy a solid pedigree, but in the end, it's all about the image. IF you can make the picture they want, they will pay you for it.

I believe a career in art is a combination of talent, energy, discipline. It's also solid financial planning. Remember this has to support you, and your family for the rest of your life or more.

It may end up being a lot more work than you're expecting. But first things first...sell US on your work. Post some stuff. You'll get some incredible feedback here from many talented, intelligent people, who really know art and the business of it.

[J Wilson]

If the skill is there, no one cares how you got it. I've never been asked where I went to school (or even IF I went to school) except as conversation with other artists. If you put in the effort to learn to do it well, it will pay off.

There is likely areas where your two interests meets. Medical illustration, or other technical illustration, is a whole field you rarely hear about. If you can draw and paint, and understand a subject well enough to make it clear in an illustration you, can find work doing that.

if you don't care about merging the two interests together that's cool too. Really good illustration and art is based on a LOT of knowledge. The more you know, the more confidence you have in the accuracey of your work. Even knowing how to find information and the importance of research is a valuable lesson many art students don't think about.

[Smarty]

It's completely up to the individual, Marko Djurdevic is a good example of someone who had no art eduacation at all and just pushed hard enough to standout.

[Black Spot]

There are artists who make a good living from painting animals. The more you know about them, the easier you will be able to draw them. Everyone here goes on about studying human anatomy and there are complaints about the lack of decent animal anatomy to study. You could place yourself in a great position with your zoological studies. Art can run along side your studies.

[Hasum]

Maidith: That's reassuring. I think that last bit applies to any field, honestly. My greatest concern was that there would be difficulty being taken seriously in the commercial art world without "credentials" beyond the merit of one's own work. Thanks.

cmalidore: I've certainly got my share of those bad habits, and have strove to eliminate them. Unfortunately they're tough to identify from the inside looking out. :)

deliciouspeterI've been debating starting a sketchbook on CA; I'm one of those people, unfortunately. On the other hand, it's inevitable if I want solid feedback, so I may as well man up and do it!

J Wilson: Medical or technical illustration isn't really my cup of tea. I'm approaching it now like you said, simply taking what knowledge I can about the natural world and how I can apply that to understanding art.

Black Spot: I've noticed the lack of animal/creature studies not only here on CA, but elsewhere. It makes sense in a way, human anatomy is something we're intrinsically familiar with, making it more difficult to fake a grasp of--mistakes are noticed more easily by viewers. On the other hand, people won't necessarily notice anatomical liberties taken on an animal subjects, especially one they're unfamiliar with. One of my favorite parts of biology is homology/homoplasy (the likeness of morphological structures between species which share, or don't share, ancestry), something I think artists employ all the time with creature and monster creation. Once the basics are understood, that gives a lot of breathing room for artistic adaptation. "Would a predator have a head like that?", or "if these two monsters are related, how should they be similar?"
Though I suppose that's more a matter of story than art, huh? :)

Smarty: Mr. Djurdevic's story is certainly an inspirational one...

Thanks everyone for your comments, they're very supportive and helped with some misconceptions I had about the reality of commercial concept art.

[Aphotic Phoenix]

You should check out Bluefooted's gallery (http://www.conceptart.org/?artist=bluefooted), but perhaps more importantly read the bio.

Also, art and science are not mutually exclusive. I have huge raster prints of illustrated fish anatomy up on my bedroom walls. I have many books about animals that feature both photographs and illustrations. In fact, some of my favorite field guides feature a lot of illustrated art. There are ways to combine the things you love if you really want to do so. ^_^

*edit* I should have paid a bit more attention, so I'd have noticed you don't like "technical" illustration. That being said, I really wish there were more artistic scientists interested in doing them. That's actually part of what has really renewed my interest in art.