Wattsatelier?

[StephenC]

Has anyone gone to Wattsatelier in Encinitas?
If so what did you think of their program? How tradiotional was it? Their technique is alittle bit different from tradional isn't it ? since the y endorse photo tracing and such...but overall what did you think? Any high points low points?

[Deth Jester]

I haven't taken any classes there, but I went down a few weeks ago to check it out.. Some of there methods are a bit different.. But they really do teach you to draw..

The place is really small only 2 large studio rooms and 2 offices... But, everyone there seemed really cool, and the class I sat through was very educational...

You should go and check it out for yourself though, everyone gets a different feel for places..

[MadSamoan]

It's an excellent school. Ask to sit in on a class and look at the art on their walls.

Phototracing is an age old practice in commercial illustration and illustrators such as Norman Rockwell, Drew Struzan, and Morgan Weistling used them when a deadline took priority over artistic integrity. The only time you'll see them use phototracing at the school is in the context of one of their commercial illustration classes focusing on advertising or movie poster design. This is why collector plates and movie posters have such dead on likenesses and I would venture to say this is probably the same case at many other art schools that include commercial illustration in their curriculum.

If you sit in on one of the life drawing classes at Watts and watch one of their half hour portrait or figure drawing demos, you'll see that they don't use it as part of their normal routine and they draw from life whenever possible.