Art Fundamentals course at Sheridan

[pleasance]

Hiya

Can anybody tell me if I'd be able to take this course at Sheridan while also studying full-time at university?

I want to transfer to another university eventually, but I am not sure if I want to pursue art or anything else yet. I'm almost a complete newb at art so I want to take this course portfolio to have a portfolio to schools with.

I'm guessing, theoretically I could do this, but realistically am I going to be burdened with an insane workload? I mean the Art fundies course involves 5 courses per term, and if I wanted to tack on another 5 normal courses at university... it's not going to work, is it?

What other alternatives might there be for someone who is interested in art but wants to explore and have something to show for her efforts by the end of it (to apply to schools with)

Thanks! =D

[kennygeeze]

You wouldn't have time.

Even if you had some insane ability to complete two full-time course loads of homework the class times would no doubt overlap. Fundies classes happen between 8 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon with life-drawing going into the evenings. When would you take your university courses? The weekend?


In my opinion you wouldn't even get that much out of fundies unless you took advantage of the optional drop in figure drawing, tutoring, etc. on a regular basis.

[Cherry_Cheesecake100]

Haha, it's funny how people still think Art School = Easy.
You'd probably be better off taking some little evening drawing classes once or twice a week than an entire course.
You can take fundies the next year, you don't have to stuff it all together. Why is everybody so rushrush?

[German-s]

I agree with mr or ms Cheesecake here. you get what you put into a program & if you are stretching yourself thin with two different programs how will you get anything out of either? Do one or the other.

I'm in Sheridan's art fundamental program right now and it seems like the ones who are excelling are the ones who take the time to do things right. Even the talented people's work are being brushed aside by the hard work of others.

[pleasance]

Haha, it's funny how people still think Art School = Easy.
You'd probably be better off taking some little evening drawing classes once or twice a week than an entire course.
You can take fundies the next year, you don't have to stuff it all together. Why is everybody so rushrush?

Oh dear oh dear! Why rush! I'm about to turn 24 and I still don't know what it is I want to do! I keep thinking I want a proper liberal arts degree (I never finished college) but I wonder if my interest in art is something I should follow through with.

Will taking evening courses allow me to make a portfolio to apply to art schools with (should I decide it is what I want) and also be able to explore all the different art fields around?

[pleasance]

I agree with mr or ms Cheesecake here. you get what you put into a program & if you are stretching yourself thin with two different programs how will you get anything out of either? Do one or the other.

I'm in Sheridan's art fundamental program right now and it seems like the ones who are excelling are the ones who take the time to do things right. Even the talented people's work are being brushed aside by the hard work of others.

Hi, could you share with me your take on the program? Is it really as broad as I think it to be? What exactly do you study? My problem is I believe I am interested in art but I am not sure in which field exactly. Everything from Animation to Illustration to Graphic Design they all seem interesting. I wouldn't know which to major in if I did study it at uni.

[Cherry_Cheesecake100]

Oh dear oh dear! Why rush! I'm about to turn 24 and I still don't know what it is I want to do! I keep thinking I want a proper liberal arts degree (I never finished college) but I wonder if my interest in art is something I should follow through with.

Why do you think 24 is old? You still have a good 40 years until you retire!
Taking some small night classes is a heluva lot cheaper than entire semesters, especially when you're currently unsure you even want to major in art. There you'll find out if you really do enjoy sitting on your ass for hours at a time drawing naked people and vases and pop cans turned slightly to the left and everything else we have to draw. And yes they will help you make a portfolio. Maybe not directly, but a good class should teach you the fundamentals of drawing from life, which is basically what an art portfolio (to get into school) is.
In the end it comes down to whether you're in love with being an artist or in love with the idea of being an artist.

[pleasance]

Why do you think 24 is old? You still have a good 40 years until you retire!
Taking some small night classes is a heluva lot cheaper than entire semesters, especially when you're currently unsure you even want to major in art. There you'll find out if you really do enjoy sitting on your ass for hours at a time drawing naked people and vases and pop cans turned slightly to the left and everything else we have to draw. And yes they will help you make a portfolio. Maybe not directly, but a good class should teach you the fundamentals of drawing from life, which is basically what an art portfolio (to get into school) is.
In the end it comes down to whether you're in love with being an artist or in love with the idea of being an artist.


I certainly don't have any dreamy eyed notions of being an artist or think that being one is romantic. In fact I would never proudly announce that I was an artist (should I become one). I am very much pursuing the field despite of the label. I love art and it's always appealed to me but I've never thought about pursuing it in earnest until now.

OK, portfolio-making aside, where/how will I figure out which field I am interested in? Graphic design or illustration or animation? The art fundies course appealed to me because it seemed to explore all of them and gives the student a chance to decide. I'll never know which is right for me if I don't try them out first.

[pleasance]

Why do you think 24 is old? You still have a good 40 years until you retire!
Taking some small night classes is a heluva lot cheaper than entire semesters, especially when you're currently unsure you even want to major in art. There you'll find out if you really do enjoy sitting on your ass for hours at a time drawing naked people and vases and pop cans turned slightly to the left and everything else we have to draw. And yes they will help you make a portfolio. Maybe not directly, but a good class should teach you the fundamentals of drawing from life, which is basically what an art portfolio (to get into school) is.
In the end it comes down to whether you're in love with being an artist or in love with the idea of being an artist.

Sorry, and 24 certainly isn't old in the grand scheme of things, but it is old if you haven't gotten your degree yet. It makes it look like you haven't got your act together yet. It's old to still be floundering so badly and not being able to decide what you want to do with your life!

[amarryth]

I take mild offense to that. No, just kidding..

But I'm on the verge of 26 and still working things out. F*ck age.

And I see nothing wrong with being proud of being an artist.

I personally went into fundies with aspirations of doing animation.. but it definitely helped me realize what was the right direction for me. Wander around the websites of illustrators, animators and graphic designers.. look through their portfolios... what world do you want to be a part of? Ask questions to people on here.. any PMs I've ever sent on here I've only received the kindest replies.. we've got an awesome community here!

Over the years I've noticed that we're never 100% about anything.. but the wonderful thing about the field I've chosen (Illustration) is that there are few things you CAN'T do with it.

Obsessively draw everything you can think of. Draw from life, draw from you mind. Write down ideas. Get a sketchbook you love.. splurge if you must and get that damn first mark on the page. Take chances. Use a variety of media. Don't brush off anyone's advice..

That'll fill up the core of your portfolio. Get all those ideas out of your little brain and onto paper. Don't be scared to share.

If you're applying to a Sheridan program that requires a portfolio, you will receive guidelines from them on the majority of what to include. But to prepare yourself for that you need to draw, draw, draw. Experiment. Have fun. Get crits (that's where this place comes in handy ;) ).

You've found your way here... it would be wise to start up a sketchbook and ask some artists that you admire to crit what you've got.

[pleasance]

I take mild offense to that. No, just kidding..

But I'm on the verge of 26 and still working things out. F*ck age.

And I see nothing wrong with being proud of being an artist.

I personally went into fundies with aspirations of doing animation.. but it definitely helped me realize what was the right direction for me. Wander around the websites of illustrators, animators and graphic designers.. look through their portfolios... what world do you want to be a part of? Ask questions to people on here.. any PMs I've ever sent on here I've only received the kindest replies.. we've got an awesome community here!

Over the years I've noticed that we're never 100% about anything.. but the wonderful thing about the field I've chosen (Illustration) is that there are few things you CAN'T do with it.

Obsessively draw everything you can think of. Draw from life, draw from you mind. Write down ideas. Get a sketchbook you love.. splurge if you must and get that damn first mark on the page. Take chances. Use a variety of media. Don't brush off anyone's advice..

That'll fill up the core of your portfolio. Get all those ideas out of your little brain and onto paper. Don't be scared to share.

If you're applying to a Sheridan program that requires a portfolio, you will receive guidelines from them on the majority of what to include. But to prepare yourself for that you need to draw, draw, draw. Experiment. Have fun. Get crits (that's where this place comes in handy ;) ).

You've found your way here... it would be wise to start up a sketchbook and ask some artists that you admire to crit what you've got.

Yes f*ck age indeed! I am tired of living my life to this internal clock, this unseen schedule that demands that I need to have so-and-so achieved by this age and have this or that by now...

I guess I don't really know what art schools look for in portfolios. Are the portfolio requirements for each school different? I came across thisYouTube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGEZW72rcz4)made of a Kingston University (in London) admissions officer looking over one prospective student's art portfolio and this is what got me so worried! That portfolio doesn't look like something I could scrape together on my own outside of a classroom setting with no instructor guiding me.

[RyerOrdStar]

I'm always somewhat vexed when people say they like art and thus want to pursue it as a career. Half the time all they like is the IDEA of art. Or they like looking at art.
Before making such a huge decision I think you have to ask yourself some hard questions.

Do you like actually doing it?
Do you wake up each day excited to get down to drawing? When you're drawing, are you so happy you could lose track of time?
Do you draw right now? If you don't, how can you expect to suddenly change your focus completely and become one?
Are you ready to put in the amount of work and man hours it takes to get even one painting done?

These are all things to think about. For instance, I like animation and appreciate it, and I COULD theoretically do it, but I know myself and I know that I would never be able to do it as a career. Same with interior design. Liking something isn't all you need to be able to go into something for life, or even as a hobby. It all requires dedication.

[pleasance]

I'm always somewhat vexed when people say they like art and thus want to pursue it as a career. Half the time all they like is the IDEA of art. Or they like looking at art.
Before making such a huge decision I think you have to ask yourself some hard questions.

Do you like actually doing it?
Do you wake up each day excited to get down to drawing? When you're drawing, are you so happy you could lose track of time?
Do you draw right now? If you don't, how can you expect to suddenly change your focus completely and become one?
Are you ready to put in the amount of work and man hours it takes to get even one painting done?

These are all things to think about. For instance, I like animation and appreciate it, and I COULD theoretically do it, but I know myself and I know that I would never be able to do it as a career. Same with interior design. Liking something isn't all you need to be able to go into something for life, or even as a hobby. It all requires dedication.

What do you mean? I am not saying I want to pursue it as a career. The whole reason I am interested in the Art fundies course is because I wanted to see if art was something I could really stand doing as a career.

Do you draw right now? If you don't, how can you expect to suddenly change your focus completely and become one?

By taking it one step at a time, thanks very much. I don't expect to suddenly become one-- I don't know where you get that idea from. Why are you trying to discourage people from doing it? They will find out in their own time whether art is for them or not.

[amarryth]

I'm not sure whether Rebecca went through fundies or not.. but it would make sense if she did. I believe she is speaking from that perspective. Art fundamentals will be much easier to survive if you are already in the habit of making your life about art. The majority of the kids that go into it have been studying art most of their life already and either didn't quite know what they wanted to do yet, or didn't quite make the cut into their desired program. Don't be offended, generally the advice we give here is only coming from our experience and meant to help.. and it's possible, just like as we get older, we catch ourselves saying things our parents would say.... we also catch ourselves saying things our instructors have said or would say.

The main point is, if you're planning on putting a portfolio together any time in the near-ish future.. like in the next few years.. the sooner you start getting your pen (my preferred).. or pencil, or crayon, or paintbrush, or marker, or fingers on paper... the better prepared you'll be when the time comes to build a collection of work according to someone else's rules.

I know that there's many examples of Illustration & Animation portfolios that were successful within the sketchbook section. If you're curious at looking at a few, post on the Sheridan Information Please! thread and I'm sure a few would be glad to send you a link to theirs.

My Illustration portfolio, which is in my sketchbook, just barely made the cut the year I got in. But I was ok with that, fundies taught me to look at those with more skill and talent and creativity than myself for inspiration to try new things instead of getting frustrated that I'm not as good as them.

[kennygeeze]

I'm always somewhat vexed when people say they like art and thus want to pursue it as a career. Half the time all they like is the IDEA of art. Or they like looking at art.
Before making such a huge decision I think you have to ask yourself some hard questions.

Do you like actually doing it?
Do you wake up each day excited to get down to drawing? When you're drawing, are you so happy you could lose track of time?
Do you draw right now? If you don't, how can you expect to suddenly change your focus completely and become one?
Are you ready to put in the amount of work and man hours it takes to get even one painting done?

.

Someone who is only considering art fundies isn't going to know the answer to these questions and may not know until years into art school or after.

Maybe the OP should take fundies. If you're interested then why not? The tuition isn't nearly as much as one year in a degree program... you'll spend a year drawing, around other artsies... you'll leave having at least a basic knowledge of how to draw/paint. Even if you don't pursue art afterward you'd be unlikely to regret one year.
Being able to draw decently would be a pretty awesome skill to take with you into the rest of your life... communicating visually 'n all that.