My dilemma (Akron vs. CCAD)

[raabzbaby89]

I'm on my second semester at The University of Akron taking art classes and I really like it here. I am among people with real talent, plus it is a nationally accredited art school. However, I thought that it would never get me a job drawing characters in a cartoon show or for video games, which has always been my goal. So for a few months now I thought I was certain that CCAD would be where I would transfer to for next year to pursue my goal.

BUT yesterday, I stumbled upon this forum. I read from several people that to be hired as a concept artist, you need a strong portfolio, and the bachelor's degree behind it is pretty irrelevant (but still it is recommended to have one).

Akron offers a BFA in Painting and Drawing, but only a minor in Illustration. Ideally, I would major in illustration, but I think that majoring in D&P and minoring in Illustration would suffice for a strong portfolio. Akron also has a computer imaging minor which focuses on flash animation, which could also be helpful.

Being hired as a concept artist for video games does not seem out of the question if I major in D&P and minor in illustration and/or computer imaging. I have seen some D&P majors do some excellent concept art-like work and I know Akron would give me the freedom to develop such a portfolio.

But being hired by a major animation studio? Probably not, right? If I majored in animation or illustration at CCAD, the odds of me getting a job in that area would be more likely. However, CCAD is much more costly and requires me to move farther away and adjust to a whole new setting. I refuse to make such a large adjustment if I don't have to.

I'm sorry this was so long but I am so confused right now and would greatly appreciate any advice. :sungod:

[Medelo]

I don't know about Akron U but I am a CCAD illustration grad and can give you my opinion, for what it's worth.

First of all, CCAD will likely not give you the drawing skills you need, if you are starting from ground zero and require good strong foundations. There are some VERY good teachers (especially for portrait drawing and some classes), but the school also has a lot of outdated teachers and some who don't teach at all. One teacher even asked a fellow student how he managed to achieve a certain effect (wait, aren't you supposed to be teaching us??), and not once gave drawing instruction throughout the entire semester. If you fight to get the good instructors, you can end up with a pretty good but still inadequate education, but if you don't you'll be presented with a model, with no instruction on what to do.

CCAD does have a rigorous first year foundation studies program but it has slowly been moving toward a more design-oriented curriculum. You will learn the very basics and even then all of this is subject to which instructors your get. My 'anatomy' class consisted of the drawing teacher giving us a chart of the muscles with lines pointing to the main ones and asked us to fill in the blanks. That was it.

There are successful alumni who have made it into concept art, but they have mainly done it on their own and with peer support. If you don't have a good grounding in drawing and fundamentals, you'll be fighting an uphill battle. You will be juggling classwork (some of it very irrelevant) as well as trying to learn things like anatomy and construction on your own.

As far as connectedness to the industry: CCAD is in Ohio. I set up a whole bunch of stuff for the career fair and not one video game or animation company attended. NOT ONE. There was some sort of comic book company that was more like a "oh, we'll invite one entertainment-related company to shut the Illustration majors up" kind of thing, but that was it. Most of the companies were geared towards CCAD's design divisions like graphic design and industrial design. You can pretty much count on being on your own in the Illustration department; I think it's slightly better in the Animation department but there are a ton of better places you can get animation training at.

The bottom line: the good students are good and most have already had their foundations in place before going to the school, and the bad students really make you question the whole point of a degree in the first place, because some of them are a total joke. Also, don't count on the school actually helping to connect you to the industry.

[slimin112]

Thanks for posting your dilemma! I am considering a transfer to Akron to get some type of illustration experience (minor). no other schools in Ohio offer a major in illustration except the three big art schools: CCAD, The Art Academy of Cincinnati, and the cleveland insititute of art.

Since you are already attending Akron, how do u like it so far (particularly the illustration courses) and how many illustration-driven courses will you have taken when you graduate?

[Bill]

[QUOTE=slimin112;2662166]no other schools in Ohio offer a major in illustration except the three big art schools: CCAD, The Art Academy of Cincinnati, and the cleveland insititute of art.QUOTE]

Las I'd heard, Kent's VisCom degree offered an emphasis in illustration.