The Official Artcenter Thread - like, omg! [Archive] - Page 2

poly_cube

November 29th, 2004, 12:21 AM

One word. Karaoke.

Dear god no!

Thanks for the suggestion jellybean and will. I used to work at a pet clinic (veterinarian technician), which was a great job that kept you busy; however, there was no time to draw or anything. Although now I have this dream job (antique store manager) where I basically just draw or read all day. Naturally you have to keep an eye on the store but at most only 10 customers come in a day.

Although I don’t know about the studio extra idea will. Since I imagine you would need a car to get to the production shoot (and you certainly can’t pick the production dates to do the shoot) and being the dashing young fellow like myself, I’m not sure they would pick me up in the Ferrari I would most likely demand.

fallingh2o

November 29th, 2004, 03:08 PM

thanks so much jellybean! :bashful:

jellybean

November 29th, 2004, 05:59 PM

you may consider working as a Studio Extra at feature films and TV Shows. All you do is sit on your ass and keep quiet. When the director says "action" you get up and walk around or pantomime that your talking. You can bring whatever you want with you as long as your available to be on set all day.

For Non-union workers, you get minimum wage, but you get paid $54 regardless if you work 8 hours or 3 minutes. A lot of studio sets go into overtime (and double-overtime), 10-12 hours of sitting is about average.

Huh, I thought I replied to this part. Anyway, I used to have a classmate who was a film major at Chapman. He'd be at shoots at 4:00 a.m. then head to our morning class afterwards. Ehh. That kind of schedule probably wouldn't work for most people but if you're super, there you go.

jellybean

November 29th, 2004, 06:05 PM

I know that more people are in the entering classes but it doesn't seem like many people get their first few terms waived. If people had prior degrees or extensive professional experience, I understand that but I don't know many people who were able to transfer many studio units. Anyone know how common that was in the past?

Mazzic

December 6th, 2004, 10:53 PM

13th Week...OMG.

I just wanted to chime in with my experiences as a first term ACCD illustration student...

I've been very pleased with my decision to go to Art Center. Though tough (and lacking in the social department), it's worth it. I've seen my skills increase immensely, been able to play with different techniques and work on developing a personal style...and completely re-evaluate what it is I want to do when I'm out in 7 terms.

I did the crazy thing and loaded up on as many credits as possible. I mean, you're paying for 18, why not make the most of it? Granted, I may not be putting as much time into some of my classes as I should, but I'm getting what I WANT to get out of the classes (even the "bad" teachers like Strickland and Robbins).

As for classes...I wasn't too crazy about Strickland's "Fundementals of Drawing" class...but it's really grown on me. It is this class that I've discovered where I want to go with my art, and developed a style I'm very pleased about. I might be missing out on some of the more "fundemental" aspects, but I'm very passionate about my personal project, and I've learned a lot from Strickland. Too bad it took me 10 weeks to realize it! ;-)

Gary Meyer is simply amazing. Perspective is a bitch, but he's just simply amazing. I have no words.

Vince Robbins is a character...we don't get to create as cool a little book like Claypool's class, but for a design class, I suppose it could be worse. I'm rather indifferent about this class. I've injoyed working in gouche and texture stuff.

Digital Design with Dana Duncan-Seal is my favorite. She's great - creates these amazing packets of information for each lecture...as current as it can be for the current version of PhotoShop/Illustrator/etc. She's not too difficult or demanding, but I've learned a lot of content from her class. What is not in lecture can be found in her amazing packets of information. Be prepared to spit out a $40 movie poster though. I realize most other classes are expensive too...but it's just sad writing a check in one sitting for one project.

Intro to Modernism...I could do without. I realize it's importance, but I'm over it. Just a basic art history class...not much else can be said. It's not horrible.

Head Drawing with Kyle Kane. AMAZING. Favorite/best teacher = hardest, scariest, most demanding. You'll learn a lot if you're willing to put in the hours (something I've still got to work on). Emphasis is on structure and form (which is a nice compliment to Strickland's "mood painting") Everytime I get down at the end of the week about having no friends, so much work, blah blah blah, he boosts you up with his half-time-locker-room speeches. Fight tooth and nail for this class - it's worth it.

Hope this helps in choosing classes!

Jia

December 8th, 2004, 01:16 AM

does anyone know a way to waive digital design without takign the waiver test?

jellybean

December 8th, 2004, 10:01 AM

does anyone know a way to waive digital design without takign the waiver test?

Even if you wanted to transfer studio credit, I had to take the waiver test first.

Jia

December 10th, 2004, 02:50 PM

i guess ill have to either waive it, take it, or postpone tkaing digital design untill i waive it
so for psring i lucked out
i have ross for design 2, luce for head painting, madden for analysis and schaefer for comp n painting
would it be too much of a load if i took a materials class or history of illustration along with the above classes and perhaps a digital design class?
that would be 18 units with some of the harder teachers - luce,madden, schaefer
some people think im crazy
advice please

jellybean

December 13th, 2004, 12:37 AM

would it be too much of a load if i took a materials class or history of illustration along with the above classes and perhaps a digital design class?
advice please

Well, I don't know about the above (I bypassed Analysis and Comp/Ptg.). This term I had Materials with Nick Agid and Seth Kauffman. They were pretty cool and knowledgeable but someone complained about the laidback nature of the class to the foundation chairs so expectations were raised... most of the students were fine art majors, if that means anything. The class takes up extra time if you have to make up an assignment which wasn't good enough at crit as well as some model shop time + $ [ex. when you mess up on the jeltrate/silginate and have to buy another jar] for the final. I spent at least 13-15 hours working machinery or plastics outside class for the term, which is not so bad when I think of painting.

steve kim

December 13th, 2004, 01:17 AM

hey thats cool i had materials with nick this term too... well, before i ahem dropped out :)

maybe we were in same class :D

i personally liked the laidbackness of the class. not as if there aint enuff work w/ the other classes.

jellybean

December 13th, 2004, 11:16 PM

Yeah foo, we were in the same class. Does this mean you've decided not to come back?

Oh, I've been meaning to ask you... how I do get to be an orientation mentor?

Jia

December 17th, 2004, 01:49 AM

its official..i survived first term

steve kim

December 17th, 2004, 10:28 PM

Yeah foo, we were in the same class. Does this mean you've decided not to come back?

Oh, I've been meaning to ask you... how I do get to be an orientation mentor?

haha, FOO! think i know who u are now. i'll be coming back but not till summer, which means ill be graduating sometimes next century

as for mentoring, obviously it helps to be incredibly stunning/charming/charismatic like myself but not completely necessary. talk to rebecca she's the one in charge of that. rebecca is the weird blonde counselor chick.

Scufie

December 20th, 2004, 01:18 PM

Has anyone gone to Europe to study abroad for a semester? I was just wondering. :bashful:

jellybean

December 20th, 2004, 03:33 PM

Has anyone gone to Europe to study abroad for a semester?

The Swiss campus was closed due to the high cost of living and sold to Shania Twain. Each of the departments do their own study away program that is open to other majors (but most of the classes will be in that specific department's major). Environmental went somewhere in Europe but I heard it didn't work out well. I think Product is going to Paris this spring. Fine Art has plans for either hopping between Berlin, London, and Venice for the Biennale or renting a facility in Brittany with a side trip to Milan.

The plan is to have study away open to upper term majors (tuition would cover most everything except your room and ticket) so that classes abroad would keep them on track with their programs. People under fifth term could still go but the courses wouldn't transfer...

If you're interested in going abroad during breaks, keep an eye out for flyers about tours led by Nick Agid. Last time he went to Washington for bronze casting. In over a week he's on his way to Cambodia and Thailand.

Scufie

December 20th, 2004, 10:58 PM

Thanks Jellybean for the info on what I asked about!

H.Evans

December 21st, 2004, 12:01 AM

Temple University/ Tyler School of Art has an awesome Study Abroad program in Rome. I just got back December 12th. It is open to students from other colleges, the application process just a bit more involved if you don't go to Temple. There I met some great people who are studying at MICA, NYU, and other schools. They offer classes in Painting (private studio work with crits) Sculpture, painting on paper, Drawing, "Rome sketchbook" (on site sketchbooking class) Photo, Printmaking (the shop is AMAZING!!!) Architecture and on site art history classes. There is an interesting blend of students b/c there are also liberal arts and business classes taught there.

Study Abroad - http://www.temple.edu/studyabroad/Programs/Rome/Rome-intro.htm
Tyler - www.temple.edu/Tyler

jellybean

December 23rd, 2004, 02:01 AM

First-termers, what was your gpa or grades? Sure you may have survived, but how did you do??

Jia

December 23rd, 2004, 04:13 PM

jellybean

December 30th, 2004, 02:59 AM

I did pretty much the same.

I was looking through the course evaluations and the facilities rating from the painting classes bothers me. What could they do to make those studios better? Uh, should the school make taborets available instead of us converting art horses and stealing stands from other rooms? (My main comment was add track lighting!)

Scufie

January 11th, 2005, 09:29 PM

saraesc

January 12th, 2005, 01:30 AM

saraesc

January 12th, 2005, 01:48 AM

I wish it was a hands on skills test, i know i could pass that kind of test. I just hope it's multiple choice and not fill-in-the-blank, since i'm quite the educated guesser.
anyhow, good luck tomorrow.

Scufie

January 12th, 2005, 02:03 AM

Well, I’m rather confused by two papers that I got from art center concerning the waver exam. On the Orientation To Computer Classes paper there is a section that says:

Regarding The Test: 1. If you have taken a computer imaging class at another college and it appears on a transcript you supplied to us with a grade of “C” or better, AND you pass our test, we will grant you transfer credit (3 credits counting toward your Art Center Degree).

BUT … ON

Sheet #2
I have a transfer credit evaluation (yellow) sheet that has credit accounted for Design 1 already in the Studio Exemption Based on Transfer Credit section. (I am guessing that this transfer credit is still up in the air until I pass their test). I feel that I still have to take the test because it said, “AND you pass our test, we will grant you transfer credit (3 credits counting toward your Art Center Degree)”.

The big question!
So, even though I have a piece of paper saying that I have credit for the design 1 class, do I still have to take the waver test?

I guess I’m going to call the school and ask them to clarify my confusion because the test is tomorrow.

-peace-

Scufie

January 12th, 2005, 02:07 AM

Good luck to you as well!

The test is multiple-choice and taken either written format or online in a monitored session. I believe the written format is a scantron sheet with a #2 pencil.

jellybean

January 12th, 2005, 03:11 AM

So, even though I have a piece of paper saying that I have credit for the design 1 class, do I still have to take the waver test?

I guess I’m going to call the school and ask them to clarify my confusion because the test is tomorrow.

Yes you have to take the waiver test before you get the studio credit transferred. In your case you don't have to waste your time trying to find a class to substitute and waive it with (that's what the test proctors will tell you before the test). I went through that already last term and I'll be telling you that at Enrollment if you show up tomorrow.

Oh yeah, if you don't get the results e-mailed to you by the next day or you took the written exam, just go back to the computer lab to check your grade.

jellybean

January 12th, 2005, 03:15 AM

I was wondering if anyone has taken or passed this waver test? Was it complex or straight forward? I know the test covers illustrator, photoshop, vector vs. bitmap, typography, and color output for print and web. I'm curious to know what other people thought of the test. Thanks!
-peace-

Its straightforward. Just a tip: Check the board to see which station not to sit on. I took the second computer I saw and because of weird computer test issues, I had to take the written exam because the answer was being chosen for me (turns out I was watching other people take their test through an admin computer or something) so I couldn't be sure I was going to get credit. The question that messed me up was about fiery output. I didn't take the class at Art Center so we didn't learn about that in computer graphics. You'll also need to know something like which storage media is most stable, like a CD vs. hard drive or zip...

Scufie

January 12th, 2005, 03:23 AM

after reading the through the book i found my mix-up. i have transfer credit for design 1, but not for Digital design 1. So i will have to take the test. No biggie. haha ...

steve kim

January 12th, 2005, 03:29 AM

i did ok..got a 3.4
but i felt i got screwed by limrite for head drawing..he made some personal comments about my work and made some empty promises regarding grades
he seems ncie but i didnt expect him to make personal comments liek that, very unprofessional : |
more hard work next term i guess

since limrite is one of my favorite instructors i feel somewhat obligated to defend him hehe... i think he's known to be a 'nice guy' but harsh grader or critiquer (that a word?). obviously i don't know what the 'personal comments' were and it's not really any of my business but again i feel i gotta vouch for the guy since he's really quite cool. feel free to pm me if you want to discuss it further.

cheers,
steve

Scufie

January 12th, 2005, 03:34 AM

thanks for the 411.

jellybean

January 12th, 2005, 11:57 AM

Jia, when you come back tell us how the snow trip was!

Helium Macaroni

January 12th, 2005, 03:59 PM

Yeah, Limrite is a harsh grader. He can be totally cool and cordial with you and all of a sudden smack you upside the head with a bad grade. But I thought he was fair to me.

Jia

January 14th, 2005, 11:36 PM

the skit trip was ok..too few people went and it was kinda clique-y with people split up kinda...
but i went there to snowboard and i went with friends so it was ok..if mroe people went i think it would kick serious ass..but it was good

anyways..i knew i owuld strike a nerve mentioning limrite, i can tell he is one of the better loved teachers because he has a great attitude when it comes to teaching
and i dont want to ruin anyone image of him because it could be that i mgiht have offended him in class in some way and he is just picking on me, but even my friends think he wasnt being fair to me at all.
and i did e-mail him to express how i felt and got a blunt answer sayign that he gave me the right grade according to his notes, and i wasnt even askign for a better grade.
on the whole, i guess he is a pretty good teacher though i do not think he is a great artist (tries to dodge bullets and bricks), i guess teachers just dont like me : |
no surprise there..: |

Jia

January 14th, 2005, 11:39 PM

plus he really dug my work in class and was really pleased with my "portfolio review" thingy for the in class work.
in fact he said he was very proud of me and had no criticism whatsoever.
so i guess i kinda felt cheated when i thoguht i deserved better
ok enuff with my bitter bitching!!! im moving on!

saraesc

January 17th, 2005, 12:24 AM

Hey Jellybean,
I was wondering why Art Center isn't on FaceBook.

Is there something we can do about that?

jellybean

January 17th, 2005, 03:22 AM

I was wondering why Art Center isn't on FaceBook.
Is there something we can do about that?

I mentioned it at Sidepanel and I'll e-mail Henry about it once I dig up more info. It would be cool to see if I have friends in common with classmates. Meanwhile you can use the student directory on Campusweb to search people at school, even if they decide to keep their e-mail and term private.

Update:
On Sidepanel, Sara showed that FaceBook will add schools to their network on their own, based on the number of requests over time. So many people need to e-mail them instead of through contact by administration. I'll try to send FaceBook info this weekend. Please feel free to do so too!
http://www2.artcenter.edu/acsg/sidepanel/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=216&an=0&page=0#216

seb

January 25th, 2005, 03:14 PM

let me get this clear, the parking situation has no been addressed in over a year? there were plans to have employees of the school who work standard hours park at the rose bowl (which the president is currently part of the board) and be shuttled up to the campus and using the new spaces for students. patricia oliver has shot down all other alternatives including building additional lots while pursuing the adminstrations mandate of creating a new campus of "legacy" buildings while others work to change the curriculm to making the school more theoretical.

jellybean

January 26th, 2005, 03:07 AM

From Sidepanel:
"Renting out lots from the Rose Bowl isn't cheap, and another issue is that events at the Rose Bowl would disrupt parking availability.

Telling students to park at the Rose Bowl is a lot to ask. (I did a survey, and some of the questions dealt with parking at the Rose Bowl and taking a shuttle up to campus.) Most students have a whole lot of stuff to carry, and many use the car as a storage space - going back to the car between classes to put stuff in and take stuff out.

The extra half hour (or whatever it would be) to park at the Rose Bowl and wait for shuttles is a major deal killer for most students. Even when I posed the scenario (in the survey) of would you rather pay a parking fee or park for free at the Rose Bowl and take a free shuttle, very few students would park at the Rose Bowl."

Helium Macaroni

January 26th, 2005, 03:31 AM

No no, he's saying EMPLOYEES would park at the rose bowl and be shuttled. In a case such as that, students would use the faculty parking. I would support a measure like that.

seb

January 26th, 2005, 11:12 AM

i used to be on ACSG almost exactly a year ago and this was one of the proposals brought up to Patricia Oliver and was not addressed. Like what helium said, only EMPLOYEES would be parking at the rose bowl because they have a fixed work day schedule(i am assuming 9-5) and also because President Richard is part of the rose bowl board(this is assuming he has some sway).

ps. i hear people enjoy the flat fees. especially those that have their own computer/printer and no use for the quick finger removal facilities(i mean the shop) and whats the deal with charging for print outs in the library? ART CENTER HAS GONE CRAZY WITH MONEYLUST

choughton

January 26th, 2005, 01:18 PM

Just a quick tip to people who may be considering Art Center, but are unsure about whether it's worth the investment. Take classes at Pasadena City College where several AC Instructors also teach. I did this 6 years ago, and it's a secret route to getting in; you get a REAL product design class, and you meet REAL AC Instructors.

Admittedly, this was some time ago. Anybody know if it's still true?

I've taken classes at both Art Center at Night and Pasadena City College. They're both great.

seb

January 27th, 2005, 11:27 AM

I guess we could ask alumni -- they'd understand.

hehe. people graduate up to their eyeballs in debt; this is an awesome idea much like asking a drowning man for a glass of water.

so would rent really have to be paid for something that lies fallow and unused and potentially we could get a buddy/buddy discount on? transition commitee still talking about changing the school to 2 terms a year?

jellybean

January 28th, 2005, 10:39 PM

I talked to Student Affairs and they're currently alleviating parking by moving more classes and events into lesser density days (Saturday, Monday, and Friday). Richard Koshalek isn't part of the Rose Bowl board. There were meetings on campus last term by a group fighting against traffic impact from Rose Bowl development though.
http://www.ci.pasadena.ca.us/commissions/rboc.asp

The school is 75 years old! Don't you think we have more successful alumni than that?

Yep, the Transition Committee still talks about changing the school calendar to be on par with nearby school schedules [to better facillitate interim terms?]. In terms of financial aid, this would only affect how distribution is structured (like work study allotments would possibly be $1500/semester instead of $1000/term).

jellybean

January 30th, 2005, 05:13 PM

From Magda (Student Issues)
RE: Limrite/Jia
"He is right on when he says he is not clear < fair > about grading.
He is not the only one that said that he is a hard grader or that they where excepting a different grade.
i personally think
The main issue is that he is so enthusiastic and positive about the work that the students except a better grade. He might just need to be a little bit harder doing the crit and clearer about what the grading standard is from the beginning of the term.
It is not really weather he is a fair or harder grader or not.
The reason is several other people have been coming to him with the same complains. So it is not that student that he does not specifically like. this is how he normally grades and how all other teachers grade. Except they are all clear about it from the get go and he is not."

Jia

February 3rd, 2005, 12:40 AM

but you dont know about the personal comments do you?
why is this even being brought up again man...im enjoying luce's head painting class tremendously and have moved on
i am one with the zen
now lets stop talking about limrite please, gosh

Artcade77

February 5th, 2005, 12:31 PM

I've been seaching these forums for a little while and came across this Art Center thread and was hoping you guys could answer a few questions for me. I was wanting to know a little bit about housing and how you guys handle it, so here's my questions.
Is Pasadena a very expensive place to live in and if so, would it be cheaper to live a few miles out further away from the college.
Also, from what I've heard about the school's work load and on this forum from you guys, holding down a fulltime job (40+hrs. a week) while going to school is extremely hard and not really recommended, so, my question here would be, how do you afford housing, is it reasonable to take out enough in student loans to also include housing and not only tuition. Is this how you guys do it.
I would greatly appreciate any info you guys could give.

Thanks

HellTaxi

February 6th, 2005, 01:00 AM

First off if you have friends or family in the LA area, see about staying with them. Housing isnt impossible, it just almost definately, requires a loan. Pasadena rent is about the same as everywhere else in LA area i believe. I live about 20 minutes away from art center, the drive isnt bad at all. As for work, working a full time job is close to impossible while in school. I had a class with someone who was doing that last term. Lets just say his work suffered. When he had it done, that is. Personally, im pulling a weekend job doing caricatures, and its been working out just fine so far, not too much hours, so i have time for hw, and im still getting to draw. not to shabby. Anyways thats just my 2 cents.

Gino
http://www.whitehallstudios.com

jellybean

February 6th, 2005, 01:26 AM

Is Pasadena a very expensive place to live in and if so, would it be cheaper to live a few miles out further away from the college.
Also, from what I've heard about the school's work load and on this forum from you guys, holding down a fulltime job (40+hrs. a week) while going to school is extremely hard and not really recommended, so, my question here would be, how do you afford housing, is it reasonable to take out enough in student loans to also include housing and not only tuition.

My financial aid doesn't exceed tuition and I was pretty picky the last few times I tried to find an apartment in the area so I still commute almost two hours to school. Try Eagle Rock and Glendale. I do have a few classmates commuting from Hollywood. Pasadena used to have good deals a couple of years ago but the housing bubble has let it be on par with the rest of the region (not as bad as the Westside, though). The Office of Student Life offers an EZ Rentlist and a weekly printout of available rooms for rent or share.

Artcade77

February 6th, 2005, 02:37 AM

Thanks for the replies guys.
HellTaxi, thank you for info about working. A part-time job seems to be the route to take while in college, and it's cool that you are using your art that way, very smart. As for a loan to pay for housing, thats just what I was thanking.
Jellybean, thanks for the info about where to look, will definately look into those areas, and more. Traveling some distance isn't that bad either, if it's for some quality education (which Art Center certainly seems to be from what I here). Anyway, I'm used to traveling some distance to college, an hour and a half to be exact.
Thank again for the info guys, I really appreciate it.

Dionysusnyc

February 7th, 2005, 03:08 AM

i'm 2 miles from the school and pay 500 a month. the extra sleep is a big help.
borrow whatever you need to live, it may be difficult to work

Artcade77

February 7th, 2005, 12:59 PM

Thanks for the reply Dionysusnyc, 500 a month, thats not bad at all, is that for the whole place or is that from splitting the cost with someone.
Anyway, thanks for the reply, much appreciated.

Dionysusnyc

February 11th, 2005, 09:53 PM

i have a room in a house, shared with 4 other roomates. it's fine, considering that im working all of the time anyway

Ben Mauro

February 13th, 2005, 06:23 PM

im also wondering about apartments down there, are there apartment complexes nearby? or do most students generally get houses? is it very hard to find roomates either?

leealex_2005

February 14th, 2005, 09:28 AM

jellybean

February 14th, 2005, 10:12 AM

I skimmed through all the things mentioned in this thread but i find no topic on the essay part of the app process. I am appyling as an undergraduate and I'm almost done with my essay (The first part is around 300 word and the second is around 100) Is there a word limit for the first question about the three artists who have influenced you the most...? i ask this because I am afraid if I typed too less.

If you send in your application, keep in mind that the school will send you a letter asking you for your portfolio. The content of your essays matters more than the length. I don't know about admissions more than the fact that your essay and portfolio are important. In counselor interviews, portfolio work is the primary concern.

A nice example is at http://www2.artcenter.edu/acsg/news/news.htm?yp=04aug19a.htm

jellybean

February 14th, 2005, 10:18 AM

im also wondering about apartments down there, are there apartment complexes nearby? or do most students generally get houses? is it very hard to find roomates either?

The nearest apartments are probably on Chevy Chase. The Rose Bowl neighborhoods are protected historic districts with some Craftsman bungalows and multi-floor hillside homes. It seems that most people rent apartments, but this is just an opinion. I've seen a map plotting where students live as part of the parking survey and most everyone is centered in adjoining cities to campus but there are people who drive in from Riverside and south Orange counties.

http://www2.artcenter.edu/acsg/resources/housing.pdf
I am sorry that this isn't a current file, but when I tried to get a copy of the housing list, there weren't any at the time.

Drunken Monkey

February 21st, 2005, 11:18 PM

How strict is ACCD with their prerequisites? For instance... If one wanted to take Background Painting (http://www.artcenter.edu/datalog/CourseDescriptionDetailLookup.jsp?id=13&dept=8&track=2531) in their 7th Trans term... would that be possible?

xHUNTERx

February 26th, 2005, 06:57 AM

I dont think it's so much of a problem of how art center is enforcing the pre-requisites. As far as I know, even 6th or 7th term trans students still have a limited knowledge for painting because it's not a part of the major's focus. Unless the person's been sitting in and practicing oil paint in the previous terms, I don't think sitting into an advanced class like background painting would help the learning process much.

Someone pointed me about a really important thought I totally agree with. Alot of people wanted to start making really awesome concept art right off the bat, overlooking the fact that it takes a good foundation to actually execute your ideas onto the medium. Same thing with life drawing, painting and such. knowing the basics very well would help one tremendously on learning more advanced levels of the same subject.

Artcade77

March 19th, 2005, 02:03 PM

I was wanting to know how good Art Center's Illustration program is and how it stacks up to other colleges, from a students perspective. I'm going to visit the college this summer but just wanted to know how any of you guys/gals thats in the program or are familiar with it feel about it. I really try to go towards a photo reallistic approach when I'm painting or drawing and just wanted to know if the program stresses or discourages this kind of method also. Any info would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

poly_cube

March 20th, 2005, 06:16 PM

Hey guys, I was curious what Strickland teaches for Analysis of form. Madden isn’t teaching Analysis of form so I was curious how Strickland differs from Houston? What can I suspect to learn from Strickland/Houston?

xHUNTERx

March 21st, 2005, 08:11 PM

Artcade77: art center's illustration foundation all about classical training. Which means drawing and painting as close to the original object/person as possible. So you should have no problem getting used to it. I can't really tell you how the school compares to other institutions since I've only visited a couple, but quite a few teachers here mentioned that after teaching around other schools, they found art center still pocesses the best students in comparison.

poly_cube: I thought madden teaching analysis, at least for this term. I think strickland is more easy going as a teacher. The next closes thing to madden is probably Steve Houston's class, him and madden both use the same teaching materials (though i've heard some stories about that guy).

cannibalcandy

April 1st, 2005, 01:52 AM

Artcenter student here too. I am graduating in three weeks... holy shit. Oh god.... looming debt.... must find work!

Drunken Monkey

April 1st, 2005, 02:07 AM

great stuff on your site cannibal. doubt you will have problems finding work.

cartoonfox

April 1st, 2005, 08:55 PM

hey all, cool thread

a while ago i really really wanted to attend art center, it was like a dream for me to get in and move to california and go and attend and learn loads and stuff.
but then due to money, and the fact that i live all the way here in the UK and no finacial aid and my work and stuff, that dream sort of dissapered

but lately i've been thinking about it again, and i thought why shouldnt i atleast try?
so yeah, i've been talking to i.was.ink and im gonna attend one year of art school here in london (starting this september) to give me a chance to beef up my portfolio (which is next to nothing right now) and then apply for fall 2006

so anyway, just wanted to say hi, get myself known round here ^-^
maybe later in the year some of you allready attending could help me out with my portfolio.

ooh also, sometime later this year i plan to visit LA/pasadena, and visit art center and a few other places like laafa (although they dont do degrees, which is important as i wonna live and work in the US) so that should be fun ^-^

peace all :7up:

Dangerousllama

April 5th, 2005, 06:32 AM

hello all...

I got accepted into AC's illustration program and I was wondering if there is anyone here that's attending with little or no transfer credits and/or is right out of high school...
right now I'm still a senior in high school and getting ready for college, but I've heard that the best thing to do would be to get your liberal arts and sciences out of the way before you go to AC, or else its an impossible amount of work.

anyway, any thoughts on this would be appreciated... and depending on how things go, maybe ill see some of you there... ha...

jellybean

April 5th, 2005, 11:52 AM

right now I'm still a senior in high school and getting ready for college, but I've heard that the best thing to do would be to get your liberal arts and sciences out of the way before you go to AC, or else its an impossible amount of work.

From: Jeffrey L. Roames, Registrar
Even though our catalog states “All studio and liberal arts and sciences transfer credit must be finalized by the end of the student’s first term at Art Center” we have not enforced the policy. In reality, we have even encouraged some students to take a term off and attend another college. Looking at our long term goals and in preparation for our next accreditation review we have decided to implement enforcement of this policy – but only for NEW students starting in Fall 2005 and after. All current students will continue to be able to attend other schools and transfer appropriate courses back to Art Center College of Design.

shaoshao

April 5th, 2005, 10:26 PM

i came straight out of high school too, 2nd term currently, but im taking summer off to take some academics, i checked with the school and they'll transfer those credits. its tough, and i would recomend doing community college first, i personally wish i did.

shaoshao

April 7th, 2005, 06:48 PM

acctually upon checking my email, it looks like their transfer credit policy has changed. all entering students that came in this term and come in after, will not be allowed to transfer credits after they are enrolled in artcenter. if you were admitted before spring of 05, you will still be allowed to take terms off and take classes at community colleges. Studio credits cannot be transfered.

so, i definetly recomend taking a few years at a JC

jellybean

April 7th, 2005, 07:37 PM

If an entertainment design major was created, what classes would you include? Should it even be split up into tracks??

xHUNTERx

April 8th, 2005, 03:51 PM

the entertainment major better get its kick off this fall lol, if not i think everyone here would be quite disappointed. Personally I dont think it should be split into tracks, there're only so many different things a concept designers could do (characters, vehicles, environment, modeling etc). Besides, having heard from alot of many different people (and my personal perception) a good concept artist should be very versatile. Being able to draw only characters or only cars just wouldnt get you very far in today's competitive market.

On the classes side, I think instructors are already formulating their own cirriculum for this major (if it becomes one). So i doubt there is much to be worrying about.

Ben Mauro

April 11th, 2005, 04:17 PM

ive gotten into the illustration degree, but i want to come down one more time to check out the school and see an open workshop and the student work. are the summer terms good for that or are there not many students attending the summer terms. when would be a good time to come and see the school before the fall term starts?

if they did make an entertainment design degree would it be possible to switch over from illustration?

xHUNTERx

April 11th, 2005, 07:01 PM

they have drawing workshops everyday during school so you can visit that if you want. Otherwise you could just walk into classes in session to check things out, most teachers dont mind that. As for entertainment switching any major would require a whole new set of portfolio.

Ben Mauro

April 12th, 2005, 01:54 AM

do you think there would be many crossover classes? or would you have to start from scratch?

Odds

April 12th, 2005, 07:09 PM

i'm a sophomore in high school.. also heavily considering Art Center as a college to attend right out of high school. how tough is it to be accepted right out of high school? you can check out my sketchbook (in my signature) and tell me what i need to improve on, if you like. i'm working my ass off.. but i'm still worried i won't be good enough by the time i hit senior year. thanks for any replies :)

steve kim

April 13th, 2005, 02:00 AM

No no, he's saying EMPLOYEES would park at the rose bowl and be shuttled. In a case such as that, students would use the faculty parking. I would support a measure like that.

HAHAHAHA that would so own. man faculty would be hella pissed off.

steve kim

April 13th, 2005, 02:13 AM

oh and btw ill be returning to arcenter this summer and doing the orientation thing for incoming summer students again. i think my lecture will be ultimate example of do as i say and not as i do. hypocrisy i love it!

Helium Macaroni

April 13th, 2005, 03:15 AM

God Steve, I hate you SO MUCH.

Anyways! About an entertainment design program, there really needs to be a good balance between Illustration (foundation), Industrial Design, and Entertainment classes. Scott Robertson really said it best when he mentioned that most production designers are ID majors. However the ID programs at AC are a bit unattractive (at least to me) seeing how they are so exclusively deal with cars or products, and Illustration is just that.. Illustration with a slant towards entertainment if you care to go that way, sometimes to the displeasure of the teacher. I realize that there is entertainment through trans or product, but there needs to be a track where the fundamentals of illustration and industrial design are treated as complimentary towards the final goal of design for film/games. It all needs to be a balance of figurative study, TONS of perspective fundamentals, environmental drawing and painting, prop design, vehicle design, character design, etc. Classes I would probably start out with might be Viscom 1+2 with Nevile Page and Scott Robertson, Perspective and advanced perspective, figure drawing classes (pick which ever ones are relevant) Sketching for Illustration, Drawing for Illustration, Force, and landscape painting. Those are just a few off the top of my head which might be applicable in the first few terms. I haven't been at AC long enough to experience later classes or the actual entertainment studio classes. However I do notice a real need for entertainment foundation and fundamental focus. Make sure students can effectively capture aspects of character design, prop and vehicle design, environmental design, storyboarding, matte painting, story developement, visual storytelling, etc. Alot of those things are adressed to a degree in Eric Robisons class, however they really need to be tacked much more in depth in individual classes.

Thats just my input for now..

Ben Mauro

April 13th, 2005, 04:35 AM

thanks helium, that helps out a lot.

steve kim

April 13th, 2005, 07:45 PM

God Steve, I hate you SO MUCH.

hey don't hate just cause i got an epic mount w/ my hotsexy lvl60 mage ok and elite gear omg purplez on the way sup sup sup.

as for the actual topic.. no matter what artcenter higher-ups cook up and how important-sounding they will make it... its really all poopie-caca. what you ultimately want to learn, how you want to learn, and how much of it you want to learn is completely up to you. if you really care about your education you will check out other classes and talk to students and faculty and ultimately make your own choices.

the whole purpose of majors and 'tracks' is to lend credence and credibility to the school and suck in more students. OOOH we have 'illustration' and 'entertainment' and blah blah blah. what does it mean for you? the student? at best, maybe a handful of specific 'required' classes that you could have picked yourself. worst? being forced to take classes that you really have on interest in taking (this can be a good or bad thing:)).

noobie students look to schools and their degrees and majors and fancy doohickies as panacea for their insecurities. pick the right school and major and heck everything will be A-OK, right? pshtt...

no matter how good the institution is, (and arcenter is very good, no matter how cynical i sound here) it's not nearly as important as being pro-active in your own education. spoon-feeding thought nice at first will only leave you starving in the end.

unfortunately, some people honestly aren't good at teaching themselves... since i guess its not something that is taught in the first place. what to say to these people? i wish i knew... because i know good, deserving people drifting through term by term w/ nary a clue as to do w/ their education and their lives.

if u'r thinking about pumping in 100k+ into an art education, do it because you know in your hearts of hearts its what you want and need. don't buy into the hype. don't buy into the promise. buy into the _reality_ that is art education and be prepared to dwarf that 100k cash money with your own personal investment in yourself.

Visceral 619

April 15th, 2005, 11:04 AM

All you guy's/ gals living in close proximity of AC are so lucky...I'd give anything to go there. My dad made me a deal that i have to finish my degree (BA HONS) before he considers it.

I got so much shit to think about..."will i get in, where will i live, how will i pay for it all"...etc etc.

I promished myself i'll be studying at AC within the next 3 yrs...hopefully that'll give me enough time to come up with a decent portfolio. If i ever get there i'm gonna slap myself just to make sure i'm not dreaming.

This is great thread, i learned more about AC here then i did on there website.

Peace

I.was.ink

April 15th, 2005, 07:21 PM

Talking about the entertainment track you fellas are talking about. There was a meeting early this term about the illustration program, and entertainment will start rolling a lot heavier than it is now, in Fall. There will be specific classes based on entertainment(kinda like the ones helium/mike) mentions. So that's something I'm really looking towards. :)

Ben Mauro:One of the best times to come to visit school is during the last week, either on Thursday, or Friday(which is next week btw). Everyone's classes are finishing so everyone is turning in some big project of some sort. So what you can do is pop your head into some classes to check out the finished work, have a bite to eat or so, do some drawing in the workshops, then check out the graduation show. What that means, is that everyone graduating fills all the walls with their art, and the school turns into one huge gallery. It's awesome!

Whenever you consider coming down, lemme know, and if I have the chance I'll show you around and take u to the cool classes so you can see what its all about.

-ink

Ben Mauro

April 15th, 2005, 08:34 PM

thanks ink, ill be coming down there the 24th for the open house, i wish i would have known that sooner that would have been great to come in and see everyones work. will all that stuff be up at open house do you think?

-ben

Helium Macaroni

April 15th, 2005, 10:08 PM

Most likely, no. The end of the term is nigh and all that will be taken down before it ends. However you'll get to see "the cream of the crop" in the gallery. I use quotes because quite honestly some of that stuff is real shite. I don't know how certain things in that gallery even get considered. The galleries however have thier on years and thier off years. When I was looking around scouting the school, the gallery was very impressive, then when I was in first term it was kinda crummy, then the next term it was again impressive.

mercan

April 22nd, 2005, 07:04 AM

Hi all,

I just got accepted to Illustration program for Fall 2005.I've read many posts indicating that AC is a great choice for illustration, so I got no doubts about the education.But I was wondering what do you guys think about the social life in AC?

And for others who are thinking of attending AC and thinking about housing, roommates etc... Drop me a line, maybe we can work something out.

Helium Macaroni

April 22nd, 2005, 05:42 PM

Hehe.. what social life?

There's no denying it, Art Center is not your typical college experience. There is much less of a social scene than most other schools, less of a cohesive student body, less time to really have a life outside the school. This is due to many factors. First there's no dorms so there's less of a bonding atmosphere, the school is not very centrally located admidst a town or an accessible area, and the work load tends to be a bit intense.

If you are coming in from High School you may be dissapointed due to the lack of extra-cirrucular partying and whatnot, and If you're coming in from another college you'll be surprised just how stiff the atmosphere is compared to other schools. None the less its a great experience. You're going to work hard and thats great. Regardless of the work load, commuting, and isolation, you will still have time to make friends, go have a drink, see a movie and do fun stuff. You'd be surprised at how many social things you can do while sketching or working on assignments.

My advice is to just manage time well and keep from getting too isolated. If you manage your time decently you can have a healthy social life and still get all your work done. I have been lucky enough to have been able accomodate a good time out about once every weekend while I'm in term. You may find less time as the term reaches its conclusion, but that's understandable. I've always had time to usually keep friday or saturday free to hit the town. Friends I know usually have a big party at the beginning of the term and then one at the end. In between we usually have time to go Karaokeing, get sushi, or do other things. I have friends who live further out East and I find I usually have plenty of time to hang out with them on a regular basis.

You won't find Art Center as much of a good time as another school in terms of social life, but you will regardless have one anyway. You'll need one to keep sane. Even if there's no huge abundance of outside activity, you'll have an opportunity to get one of the best educations in the world. It's a pretty decent trade-off.

Hope everything goes smoothly for you coming in. Congrats on getting accepted :)

mercan

April 22nd, 2005, 06:57 PM

Not that I'm a party boy, I was just wondering how life goes on over there.Thanks to your reply, I've got a pretty good idea now.It's all clear now, I just can't wait to get started at Art Center.

steve kim

April 25th, 2005, 01:14 AM

i dunno what mike is talking about. i'm constantly surrounded by crazy partygoers and ppl going to keggers and ragers and all that. all i need to say is 'i'm go to artcenter' and the women come a flockin'. i usually have an elimidate-esque session to pick the woman worthy of clinging onto my arm.

btw, much to my surprise, artcenter updated my schedule on campusweb. i thought i'd have to pick it up in person cause i'm a re-admit (FAILURE) student. i'm wondering which of these classes is the most time consuming, cause i'd like to postpone one and ease myself back into student life.

i know materials is time consuming, but i've also heard horrific tales from letterform. which needs to go?! help me as i've helped you!

here's my schedule:

FND*A/010-A*03 ANALYSIS OF FORM 3.0 M 08:00am-01:00pm ACCD 0101 Strickland, M
FND*A/019*01 MAT OF ART AND DES 3.0 M 02:00pm-07:00pm ACCD 0229 Castella, K Kaufman, S
ACA*F/142*01 HISTORY OF ILLUSTRATION 3.0 T 04:00pm-07:00pm ACCD LAT Luce, D
FND*A/044*02 COLOR THEORY 3.0 W 08:00am-01:00pm ACCD 0207 Keyes, R
ILL*A/031*02 CONT.FIGURATIVE PTG 3.0 TH 02:00pm-07:00pm ACCD 0104 Smith, A
FND*A/022*03 FORM & LETTERFORM 3.0 F 08:00am-01:00pm F 09:00am-12:00pm ACCD A5 ACCD 0145 Bass, A

xHUNTERx

April 25th, 2005, 03:50 AM

hey steve i thought you took analysis 2 terms ago?

Helium Macaroni

April 25th, 2005, 03:52 AM

..steve took a lot of classes 2 terms ago. Doesn't mean he passed them :P

steve kim

April 25th, 2005, 03:55 AM

omg sticks and stones!

Helium Macaroni

April 25th, 2005, 03:57 AM

I still love you steve! You know it! And like I should talk.. if WoW had come out a 2 weeks earlier during the last term I was in, I'd have failed everything.

jellybean

April 25th, 2005, 07:30 AM

here's my schedule:
FND*A/010-A*03 ANALYSIS OF FORM 3.0 M 08:00am-01:00pm ACCD 0101 Strickland, M
FND*A/019*01 MAT OF ART AND DES 3.0 M 02:00pm-07:00pm ACCD 0229 Castella, K Kaufman, S
ACA*F/142*01 HISTORY OF ILLUSTRATION 3.0 T 04:00pm-07:00pm ACCD LAT Luce, D
FND*A/044*02 COLOR THEORY 3.0 W 08:00am-01:00pm ACCD 0207 Keyes, R
ILL*A/031*02 CONT.FIGURATIVE PTG 3.0 TH 02:00pm-07:00pm ACCD 0104 Smith, A
FND*A/022*03 FORM & LETTERFORM 3.0 F 08:00am-01:00pm F 09:00am-12:00pm ACCD A5 ACCD 0145 Bass, A

Damn, we can't even carpool. Almost had color theory together. I guess I won't see you around at all. I was talking to Kaufman before finals and he told me to charge at a canvas with a paintbrush while naked... Knowing you, I say get rid of Letterform because its in the morning.

poly_cube

April 26th, 2005, 01:02 PM

The social life at AC is pretty high if you ask me. I knew people that were going to bars, golfing and freakin road trips. Did they do as well as they could have? Who knows.

But the social life at AC is freakin awesome. At least for our term since everyone feels so easy going. Few days out of the week I would camp out in one of the room with trans and product guys just doing sketching (picked up some good techniques and tips). Doubt I contributed anything to them since I’m such a mooch hah.

Although the atmosphere was fun since we had maybe 6 people in the room (trans mostly) and just doing homework. Sounds boring as fuck but everyone had an interesting story to share. But those poor basterds pulled so many all-nighters.

If anyone is curious you can take over room 201 and pull all nighters. Maybe we could all meet up sometime and do some sketchwork/other homework.

le capitan

April 28th, 2005, 09:04 PM

well, i must say this was quite an enjoyable thread to read, not to mention most informative. grr.. you punks got me infected with the artcenter bug. Oh great, now i want to go to pasedena. It's so far away and so expensive. AND trying to find a place to live! but damn does it sound worth it :confident . alright wonderful, cant believe how difficult you guys make stuff. ^_^
could some of you post your portfolios that you got in artcenter with? im curious how hard it might be and what i have to look to.

T-lapia

May 4th, 2005, 07:40 PM

hi, i am planning to go to AC, but then i am a lil confused as to w/c major to take. i want something that covers a lot of the bases that i am really interested in like, concept art, graphic design and 3d? can anyone kinda point me in the right direction...??

my portfoilio that i am gonna show mostly consists of some graphic design, some freehand illus using PS, and a lil packaging design. if anyone can help me out it would be really great, its kinda hard to wade through all 7 pgs here.. but i am kinda leaning towards illustration or GD..

if anyone wants to see some of my work..
http://photobucket.com/albums/v708/abeworks/

also... since i am working as a graphic designer and i get paid pretty decent for someone without a degree, i dont want to give up working yet and go to school full time.. is it a good idea to go to school at night? or are there no degree classes at night??

jellybean

May 6th, 2005, 05:12 PM

http://photobucket.com/albums/v708/abeworks/

also... since i am working as a graphic designer and i get paid pretty decent for someone without a degree, i dont want to give up working yet and go to school full time.. is it a good idea to go to school at night? or are there no degree classes at night??

I feel like you're more of an illu person instead of graphic design, because I don't see a lot of information graphics or type work. Do you do any motion graphics/web design at work?? How is your life drawing background?

I'm not sure if it will be an issue of you finding night classes (most of them are more of an afternoon block) but more of a question of how you'll balance the workload.

steve kim

May 7th, 2005, 05:17 AM

also... since i am working as a graphic designer and i get paid pretty decent for someone without a degree, i dont want to give up working yet and go to school full time.. is it a good idea to go to school at night? or are there no degree classes at night??

major is easy. illustration if you want to draw with a stick. graphic design if you want to make brochures for pharmeceutical companies. trans if you like cars and little else. product if you like ipods and mac mini's. photography if your index finger needs a workout. film if you can't do any of the above. advertising if you're a . environment if you are really, really confused. and fine art if... well i won't go there.

looking at your work, illustration looks like a no brainer. you can incorporate a lot of design in contemporary illustration/art. hell half the shit that comes out today is design driven/oriented.

as for working while going to school. fine for night classes. potentially disastrous if you are going to school full time. it's kind of a paradox, on one hand you want to make money and pay for the damn thing, on the other you want to maxmize time and energy spent on school cause it costs so much in the first place! there was a star trek episode about this once i suggest you look it up.

cheers!
steeeeeeeeeve

Jucas

May 8th, 2005, 01:16 PM

Thought I'd chime in, and say 'ello to all the other artcenter people.

I go there... errr.. I took last term off. But I am comming back for term 5, which is frightening. I recognize some of your names, but some of you I don't know. Or perhaps I know you, I just didn't know you were on CA. Anyhoo, this seems like a good thread with alot of good information.

-J

mercan

May 10th, 2005, 11:31 AM

major is easy. illustration if you want to draw with a stick. graphic design if you want to make brochures for pharmeceutical companies. trans if you like cars and little else. product if you like ipods and mac mini's. photography if your index finger needs a workout. film if you can't do any of the above. advertising if you're a . environment if you are really, really confused. and fine art if... well i won't go there.

This is hilarious.Especially advertisiment part.

Anyway, what you said about going to AC full-time really worried me.I plan to get a part-time job when I start but do you guys really think it's pretty impossible to keep them both up?I dont want my grades to suffer because of my part-time work...maybe I should look up that star trek episode...

Helium Macaroni

May 10th, 2005, 01:26 PM

Star Trek has so much wisdom.. it's the bible of my life!

Oh, and Steve Kim is also full of wisdom. Wisdom and levity.. and a great butt, a true sage of our time!

Yeah the whole part time job thing might be a problem. If you're going to have one you probably at least need to do the bare minimum in terms of class load. You'll be really surprised as to how much time you devote to homework even if you have a light load.. Art Center guilts you into feeling you should be doing work during every available moment.. it's like a long, monolith-on-its-side, overbearing spouse. Honestly, if you'd like to pick up cash you should look into working on campus, really its one of the only feasible ways.

steve kim

May 10th, 2005, 01:34 PM

Oh, and Steve Kim is also full of wisdom. Wisdom and levity.. and a great butt, a true sage of our time!

i agree with this excellent assessment.

steve kim

May 10th, 2005, 01:35 PM

ASSessment, get it... "great butt"... ass....

my god...

mercan

May 10th, 2005, 01:45 PM

hmm...On campus jobs eh?Sounds good and reasonable, I should look into that.Thanks man.
The bad thing is, I want to use Art Center's every opportunity to improve myself and I'm afraid of overburning (and becoming broke).Anyway I still have time to put together a nice workin schedule for myself.

By the way does the Digital Painting night course still goes on?I remember reading somewhere about it, I hope it still goes on so I can finally get some serious help on my painter skills.

jellybean

May 11th, 2005, 02:40 AM

Do we need better cutting boards? Someone asked for a 24 hour copy center, but when I used to show up there in the mornings for Admissions, it would be practically empty.

Does anyone have any comments about staff attitude ("unfavorable")? I've heard a couple of complaints about employees at the Financial Aid office.

jellybean

May 12th, 2005, 10:18 PM

Effers!

I don't remember how I got on the student announcement list in the first place, but with this new spate of spams, I want out!

I've e-mailed copies of almost all the junk mail to the director of internal communications, director of network services, help desk, and the listadmin.

Jucas

May 16th, 2005, 05:02 PM

How'd everyone first day of school go?

Does the term look good for ya'll?

jellybean

May 16th, 2005, 09:51 PM

How'd everyone first day of school go?

Does the term look good for ya'll?

2 classes down, 4 more to go. I still can't tell which to drop.

caligula

May 18th, 2005, 12:56 PM

just curious if most students work while going to school or do your parents help you out?

as for me my parents can't help me out.. so if i went to art center i would have to work a part time job. right now i have a job at a design build firm doing some hand drawwings, drafting, and 3d modeling (of course part time)
sc i just want to know what everyones situtation is like while attending AC

seb

May 18th, 2005, 06:32 PM

i hear student government traded their seats on all committees for free pizza nights. is there truth to this?

mercan

May 19th, 2005, 08:18 AM

I'll definitly work part-time while attentindg to AC but I'm afraid I'll have trouble finding a job.An on-campus work still sounds good but of course I can't make any desicions from where I'm sitting right now.I'll see when I get to Pasadena.

For those who work part-time, did you had any difficulties finding a job?

jellybean

May 20th, 2005, 12:32 AM

i hear student government traded their seats on all committees for free pizza nights. is there truth to this?

Dude, there are no committees anymore. Its just direct liasons now except for the ticket appeal board. If you're talking about Movie Night as the one with free pizza, no sir we pay for your free food. I'd really love to have a student trustee back though.

jellybean

May 20th, 2005, 12:34 AM

mercan

May 21st, 2005, 05:51 PM

jellybean

May 22nd, 2005, 02:57 AM

Did you guys had difficulties finding a place near campus?Does the school helps you in anyway for finding a house or will I be by myself when I get there?

I don't really know what's the rent status down there but I guess the farther from campus the cheaper, am I right?

Student Life offers listings of apartments and rooms for rent. A housing structure will be built by 2007 (its currently at the city review phase because the school also requested a zoning change) at the South Campus parking lot. I won't have more details until I get my hands on the report.

wazabi

May 23rd, 2005, 12:13 AM

Hey Art Center Folks,
I m glad to find an Art Center thread...hope everyone is doing well on their start of the term.
I m an alumi working in the entertainment industry.
I just wanted to say Hi to everyone and stop by my thread if you guys have time after school works. Please be kind and leave a reply.

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=44667
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=44665

Cheers

etchysketchy

May 25th, 2005, 10:28 PM

Odds

May 25th, 2005, 11:39 PM

Nice stuff wazabi. I'll hopefully be in the Art Center Fall Term of '07. I MUST get in! My stuff is in my sig if anyone wants to look :P

GRK

May 27th, 2005, 12:58 AM

Hey! I visited art center today just to see whats it like round there. i must say im pretty sold out. i ruined a pair of pants rightaway when i saw the student gallery. I was then shown around the school by an illustration student. forgot her name :( anyway. Everyone seemed so busy except me :) so if youve seen a dork walking around doing nothing and looking at the student gallery with a stupid smile on his face, that was me!

I really wanna go there now. Im thinking of applying for fall '06. I'm thinking transportation but im scared to death that i will be bored by it someday. Illustration would be my second choice. Anyway. Take care guys and hope to meet ya'll in person in the future!

Oh btw, I would love to bother some of you with my questions about Art Center and everything. I will probably be bothering counselors alot next year but its always good to hear from students too!

Helium Macaroni

May 27th, 2005, 01:33 AM

If you're interested in entertainment and do trans, just do some illustration and figurative classes to balance things. Likewise if you do illustration, take some ID electives. And of course feel free to ask any questions about the school in the thread here.

Good luck on your application process.

GRK

May 27th, 2005, 01:55 AM

thanks helium. hey actually let me start with the question that's been bothering me for a looong time...
theres this instuctor/fine artist that teaches one of my design classes in my school right now. He seems to know ALOT about lots of schools including art center. Ive been talking to him alot about going to art center and one of the things he said was: "you wont be drawing cars for your art center portfolio but instead, you will be moving the viewer in space by your drawings" (he is not very clear most of the time) this bothers me alot. am i getting something wrong here? i was told that art center wants students to be extremely focused on their subject so if your applying for transportation, you would infact be drawing some vehicles for your portfolio.. please enlighten me!
:[

GRK

May 27th, 2005, 06:14 AM

Actually that was very helpful! One thing i noticed about art center is that they care about the progress. ALOT. your sketches are more important than you think cause they show how you improve your ideas and how you think. and about inspirations. now that you mention them too, i see that its another important factor. i recall seing inspirations presented next to the student projects in the student gallery. i think i understand what your saying by focusing but being diversive (sp?) as possible at the same time. cant put it into my own words but i get it. thanks for the reply. ill do my best!

GRK

May 31st, 2005, 09:03 PM

BTW,

If there's anyone in the transportation major here, im begging you, please pm me !

fixx

June 3rd, 2005, 03:52 PM

Great posts, thanks all for posting so much.
I'm actually considering switching schools over to AC. I figure $2000 isnt that much difference in my tuition anyway, so gonna switch now in my junior year. Ugh... :nohope:
I know next to zilch about California, or Pasadena (it's near LA? O.o)
Could someone tell me about the area, and possibly the areas for housing? Is there a site like craigslist.org where I can find possible roomies?
And.. erm.. if any international student at AC is around, wanna share info? hehe. tx

jellybean

June 3rd, 2005, 10:39 PM

Great posts, thanks all for posting so much.
I'm actually considering switching schools over to AC. I figure $2000 isnt that much difference in my tuition anyway, so gonna switch now in my junior year. Ugh... :nohope:
I know next to zilch about California, or Pasadena (it's near LA? O.o)
Could someone tell me about the area, and possibly the areas for housing? Is there a site like craigslist.org where I can find possible roomies?

A map is available at
http://www.artcenter.edu/accd/students/student.jsp

The most current weekly housing list is available by e-mailing housing@artcenter.edu

A.Miller

June 5th, 2005, 05:07 AM

do any of you guys attend the figure drawing workshop on Saturdays? the guy who instructs. i believe his name is sergio, is unreal at figure drawing. i advise all to attend...

Drunken Monkey

June 7th, 2005, 12:57 PM

sergio sanchez? he kicks ass huh?

A.Miller

June 9th, 2005, 04:14 AM

Yep thats the guy. He knows figure drawing like nothing I have ever seen. It's awesome just watching him for like 5 minutes. So damn good.

T-lapia

July 14th, 2005, 03:33 PM

i have a question about all AC guys around here...

I am really considering going to AC, i already went to show my stuff and from what Kit Baron (VP admissions told me) i can get in pretty easy, i just need to do a few color paintings and i am there. problem is...

1.) I dont have any experience with using paints, and i only painted with PS b4 plus, i tried watercolors once and i am not that good at it.
so if anyone can help me (tutors anyone?) with this i would be really greatfull, maybe point me to w/c school or class that has a painting class.

2. and 2nd.. i want to know how you guys pay for AC... i mean, are ur parents paying for you guys? or is anyone here also have big money problems??
- do u guys have loans and stuff?
- what kind of job do most of you guys do? i am guessing a lot of u do PT work.
- are there a lot of lab and material fees? how much in average?

i want to ask more questions but i'll ask them one at a time...

thaks mr. kim for answering my questions above.

thanks in advance to anyone willing to help answer my questions, oh and i am shooting to go to AC this January 06, if i finish my portfolio by then, i am taking a class at PCC this coming fall to help me get things done.

jellybean

July 19th, 2005, 12:36 AM

Ok, I appreciate all of the replies, you all have been a lot of help. I have one more question...As I've been looking through the course descriptions I've noticed that there aren't any of the standard "art" classes (ie. drawing 1, color theory, etc..) are they simply classes that aren't offered...is it something I need to have or should take at another school first? I'm kinda put back a little by the fact that they say 95% of the students have practically completed a degree at another school...I've only taken crap classes at a community college...it that a problem?

way too much to think about

We do have foundation classes such as analytical figure drawing and color theory (FND A/044). If you take it at another school, good luck with transferring the studio credits. I took classes at community college and waived almost all of the liberal arts requirements, so its worth it.

jellybean

July 19th, 2005, 12:59 AM

2. and 2nd.. i want to know how you guys pay for AC...

I have consolidated loans and a scholarship on top of two work study jobs. My parents took out a loan to help pay for tuition .

If you need painting, why don't you take Art 20A at PCC or attend the painting workshops at Art Center (the former is probably less intimidating though)?

We have a universal access fee ($200) that covers lab fees unless you're a photo major [they have an additional $60 fee on top of...], then the APA membership adds extra equipment insurance. The cost of materials is really up to you. For example, I've probably spent almost $200 on paint over 8 months and $300 on oversize prints at Kinko's. Art Center's catalog lists $1750/term to budget for supplies...

T-lapia

July 21st, 2005, 12:54 PM

here's my situation, I am doing this on my own, i have around $10k only, i am not getting financial help frpm anyone... ill prolly need a decent paying part time job to pay for all my fees and expenses while i am in school...

say i apply for a loan,.. i am not gonna pay anything while i am in school right? everything gets piled up and you start paying off every cent right after you graduate right? is that how it works?

oh, does artcenter have 3 terms a year? its a total of 8 sems right?

how many people get awarded scholarships?

how much will you get in financial aid every sem on average??

T-lapia

July 21st, 2005, 01:00 PM

We do have foundation classes such as analytical figure drawing and color theory (FND A/044). If you take it at another school, good luck with transferring the studio credits. I took classes at community college and waived almost all of the liberal arts requirements, so its worth it.

what are the liberal arts classes that is required in AC?? PCC has direct transfer for those classe right?

Odds

July 24th, 2005, 03:29 PM

hello art center alumnis/students/wannabes :)
i also recently visited art center to view a student illustration exhibit... it was amazing. my life drawing teacher at my local art center (palos verdes art center) went to art center and graduated with a bfa in illustration. i've been going to his class for around a year now, and he's told me that my observational drawings are almost ready for applying to art center. i dunno, though... he went there awhile ago. btw, i'm going to be a junior in high school this year so i still have awhile till i have to apply.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v612/odds/s260.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v612/odds/s261.jpg
here are two of my recent life drawings.. tell me what you think. thanks guys

jellybean

July 26th, 2005, 12:36 AM

Art Center has three terms a year, but during the summer about 200 students take a leave of absence for vacation. It will be nine terms if you enter without transferring any liberal arts classes [they're changing most of the major's curriculums again to add more academic requirements].

Honestly, I only know of one person who has a full ride (he's a "diversity scholar"). My loans were automatically deferred even though I put them in repayment to consolidate for a lower interest rate. You can choose to pay the interest rate while you're in school which is cheaper because the in-school rate is cheaper. If you don't consolidate while you're in school, you have six months after graduation before you start paying your loan but you can get a three year deferrment if you can't find a job or make enough money. Scholarship availability depends on the major, but your best chance is to compete against all the other new entering applicants.

jellybean

July 26th, 2005, 12:45 AM

According to the PCC website, they no longer have an articulation agreement with Art Center. See the Art Center catalog for specifics:

"A maximum of 36 of the 45 Liberal Arts and Sciences units required for graduation may be transferred, depending upon the major. A number of required liberal arts and sciences courses can be taken only at Art Center. These vary by major. The categories include art history, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Other courses may qualify for transfer at the discretion of Enrollment Services.

Credit is transferable for liberal arts and sciences courses taken at another accredited college in which a grade of “C” or better for electives or “B” or better for core courses has been achieved. All entering students must take an English placement test at orientation. This test will determine either placement in a section of English composition or exemption from this class for students who achieve a grade of “B” or better in a 100-level or higher English composition course at an accredited college in which the language of instruction is English. Students who do not receive transfer credit for this class must complete it in their first term."

T-lapia

July 27th, 2005, 12:42 AM

WTF!!! really? how the heck am i gnna cut down my liberal art subjects and all the other not-so-important subjects???

jellybean

July 28th, 2005, 10:43 AM

Natural Science:
Core classes - Grade B or better. Any Bio (except Bio 103), Chem, Phys, Geol, Physics, or Astron. All major, except Envl -- 3 units

Math 3, 4 A-B, 5 A-C, 8, 125, 131, or 132 A-C
Grade B or better. Envl/Prod/Tran - 3 units

Elective classes - Any Astron, Bio (except Bio 103), Chem, Geol, Math (except 38, 111, 401A-C, 402), Phys, Geog (Geog 1, 1L, 10-152), Physics, Oceanography, or Zoology course. Grade of C or better.

Adv/Film/FineArt/Graphic/Illu/Phot: 6 units of above

Social Science:
Core classes - Grade B or better
All majors - Anthr 2, 4, 31; Any Psych, Any Hist -- 3 units

Electives - Any Cultural Anthro, Hist, Psych, Social Cultural Geog (Geog 2, 3, 5), Pol Sci course, Economics, or Business. Grade C or better will transfer

T-lapia

July 28th, 2005, 03:40 PM

that's really cool of you jellybean, remind me to thank you once i get in art center :D ok, ill PM u in a few weeks

I am going to PCC this fall, hopefully by next year i can get in. my initial plan of going in this spring is very foggy. We'll see :D

jellybean

July 29th, 2005, 12:52 AM

Beware -- because we have new chairs, the curriculum has changed for incoming students

Art History:
Electives - Any art, film, music, or photo history. Grade "C" or better

Advertising/Environmental/Film/Product/Trans: 6 units of above
Graphic/Illustration/Photo: 3 units of above

Fine Art/Illu: Art 4B, 4C, 4D - up to 6 units will transfer

Humanities:
Core classes - Grade B or better
All majors - Any English Literature or Philosophy course

Pixeldragoon

July 29th, 2005, 07:22 AM

Want to comment on odds' piece is all, everyone else can ignore this post.

I am by far no expert, but Your lines seem very stiff and unconfident (Which mine do, but it's becoming less and less noticebale). Do you draw with your arm or your wrist? That makes a large difference. Also, These are quick pieces- I'm not sure about AC's criteria for portfolio's, but I nkow RSAD's, and they like fully valued out (shaded) pieces. They like gesture and other quick ones, but It's important that you can take your time on a piece. So show them that as well. Maybe (If you have a girlfriend or someplace you can figure draw people) Put them in a comfortable pose, and try and take a while and flesh out 4 or 5 values. Make sure you look closely, and once in a while blur your vision and focus on lights and darks. Alot of the time, you will have a layer on, say the leg or arm, that goes like this:

Highlight
______
Begins darkening
Shadow
______
______
______
Reflection from cloth/chair/other object

The reflection is usually very subtle, and you really have to look for it (in terms of value). I don't have any good pics though.

THat's all I can say, good luck!

Helium Macaroni

July 29th, 2005, 05:38 PM

Uh, I think Odds was asking for crits from those of us who attend or have attended ACCD due to the fact that we may know a thing about what they're looking for, not just a random crit. For that he would have posted them in a sketchbook or a different thread... not specifically the Art Center thread.

Anyways Odds, your figure studies definately need some work. That being first and formost in the realm of proportion. The heads on your figures seem rather small in comparison. Try focusing more on the shape breakdown for a while, forgetting any rendering or details. At ACCD a lot of teachers call it the "lay-in" where we put the figure down in its 3-demensional forms. Kevin Chen is of course the most notable example of this method, and even though it's widely mimicked, its a very useful approach. Such a method will allow you to get a greater grasp on proportion and form, which is all you really need. Shading and rendering are great but superfluous without the proper underlying shapes. Try treating the body masses as just that, 3-D masses that have wieght. You might actually try drawing the body as just volumous masses for a while.

You'll learn a lot of this art Art Center believe me, they just want to see that you have potential (and you do), that you are well rounded and that you are willing to work. Just keep at it and apply to AC when you feel ready.

Good luck to you.

steve kim

July 30th, 2005, 07:00 AM

steve kim

July 30th, 2005, 07:14 AM

i looked at the first post u know out of nostalgia and all that and then i noticed it was a year ago and i was 4th term... cept.. IM STILL 4TH TERM omg that's so depressing...

btw, to be on topic, illustration is being split up into 5 'tracks'... that ur supposed to declare when ur 3rd or 4th term. LOTS of changes are going on so anything you hear from ppl who've graduated (and even current students) is prolly only partially true or just outright wrong.

dunno how accurate my info is, but the tracks are something like... entertainment: design (a la scottrobertson hard surfaces/robots/ships/boobs), entertainment: art (everything else, apparently, very vague), painting (headed by aaron smith), graphic illustration, and i 'think' editorial but i'm not too positive. lots of new teachers will be getting hired and some older ones will be either leaving or put to part time status or some such.

sucks polentz wont be teaching rendering techniques anymore i still need to take it!~~~ my rendering skillz will forever be sub-par now :/

jellybean

July 30th, 2005, 11:00 AM

dunno how accurate my info is, but the tracks are something like... entertainment: design (a la scottrobertson hard surfaces/robots/ships/boobs), entertainment: art (everything else, apparently, very vague), painting (headed by aaron smith), graphic illustration, and i 'think' editorial but i'm not too positive. lots of new teachers will be getting hired and some older ones will be either leaving or put to part time status or some such.

Foo, is it true that you have three ipods?

I have to tell you, we know more than Enrollment Services at this point, although the registrar has the curriculum and is still in the process of approving specific classes. Why are older instructors leaving? I understand Limrite -- been getting more complaints about him again.

steve kim

July 30th, 2005, 11:50 AM

well with the new classes come new teachers, and there's only so many teaching positions. so apparently a lot of formerly full-time faculty are being bumped down to part-time or some such. this may disgruntle some teachers, i don't know... it's all so much conjecture.

limrite's departure has nothing to do w/ the new stuff though. he was offered to run a seperate art school and he finally accepted. kinda spiffy. i saw a flyer for a farewell party for him.

and no, i don't have 3 ipods. i have a first gen 5g... back when white headphones weren't quite so common... and a 2nd gen 20g. both are the old brick-like ipods.... i swear i feel like the only one with these dinosaurs, everyone has at least a 3rd gen or higher... all svelte and sexy like.

it just goes to show what a trendsetter i am!

I.was.ink

July 31st, 2005, 01:11 PM

Hey Steve. Ive got a 2nd generation ipod so do feel left out. I'd trade it in for one of those new shiny ones though. :)

Btw, you're not missing out on very much by not taking polentz. At first he doesnt seem like such a bad guy. My pencil rendering piece was fun and I enjoyed it, but the oil and acrylic pieces had the signature Polents feel to it. The figure is in the center, they have a big head and the colors seem to glow(kinda like the 80's). So no matter what you do you're paintings turn out looking like his crappy work. I say crappy, cuz the concepts are pretty dumb and his colors are really odd looking.

Do you know what his theory on color mixing is? He says he buys every single color that liquitex makes so that he doesnt have to mix any color. He says he's too lazy to mix more than 2-3 colors together, so he'll sit there and mix 2 colors and whatever super bright intense color he gets(cuz most of the time they're highly saturated colors that dont make sense) he'll just put down because he's too lazy to mix again. What a pretty stupid color mixing theory wouldnt you say so?

You'd be better off buying a book on rendering, and do some sketches and comps, and ask Kato or Aaron Smith for suggestions and just follow the book and render that puppy for about 30- 40 hrs or so and I bet you'll have learned more than you would in Polentz class.

Ben Mauro

August 1st, 2005, 02:48 AM

whats the main reason for all the teacher shuffling do you think>?

Helium Macaroni

August 1st, 2005, 02:54 AM

Ben,

It's the new Chair of Illustration, Anne. She apparently is shaking things up much to some of the faculty's, and a lot of the students', dismay. She really apparently knows nothing about Entertainment and seems to have a very distorted view of what makes up an effective Illustration cirriculum, even for editorial. A lot of core classes have been made into electives and some classes have even been eliminated. True, Scott Robertson has been put in charge of one of the entertainment tracks, but the course arrangment seems very myopic and stale. We shall see I suppose.

Ben Mauro

August 2nd, 2005, 04:17 PM

how could something like that happen? is she very qualified? what sorts of things is she trying to emphasize?

when i went to the open house i was under the impression after talking to mr. robertson that the school was opening an entire entertainment design degree, is this still true? or has something changed? how is the entertainment track being integrated into the curriculum?

thanks

Helium Macaroni

August 2nd, 2005, 04:33 PM

Well, hopefully someone who's been attending for the last 2 terms can fill you in more than I. I've taken off the spring and summer term so I've not been privvy to some of the wider changes going on. But what I've heard from some friends is that there will be 2 entertainmet tracks. One more figurative and story related, and one more industrial design related. The latter will be headed by Scott Robertson who I believe has been pushing for something like this for a while. And while all fine and dandy it may sound, what is really needed is a broad program that encompasses both of those tracks. I've heard that most of the people who get into the more industrial design related track will be product people, and that there will only be about 10 applicants allowed in per term. Again this is all second hand information on my part. We shall see how things materialize. The system is not in effect yet and its probably better that way for us current students. I think it will still be best to pick and choose your schedule to tailor your own education, thats what I'm trying to do. Even if there is an "entertainment major" or track of some sort, it doesn't guarentee placement or even proper training for a career in the entertainment industry, no school can guarentee something like that. It will be up to the individual student to research what makes for a well rounded designer and take the appropriate classes to work on thier weaknesses and grow thier strengths.

jellybean

August 3rd, 2005, 01:37 PM

Hullo, I am going to a presentation about the new curriculum for illu and photo at the end of the week and will report if I learn something new.

EDWIN USHIRO

August 3rd, 2005, 01:50 PM

Cool!! Art center folks! Hi my name is Edwin Ushiro Ill/00. I just wanted to invite you all to my art exhibition on Saturday Aug. 13TH at BOLIVAR CAFE AND GALLERY from 7-10PM. I am now a Concept Designer in the film industry. I have concepted for SONY and most recently a Cinematographer at INSOMNIAC GAMES. Let me know how to help in this forum. Check out the art I uploaded from the show. Well, hope to see you here>>>

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“LOVE SONNETS” TRANSLATED AS COMICS AND VISUAL FORMS

A solo art exhibition featuring Conceptual Artist Edwin Ushiro presenting his current body of work entitled, “LOVE SONNETS” on Saturday August 13th 2005 from 7PM to 10PM. This exhibition to be held at Bolivar Café and Gallery 1741 Ocean Park Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90405 ph#: 310.581.2344.

###

Sincerely,
ed

S.W.

August 6th, 2005, 10:35 PM

"I am pleased to inform you that the Admissions Committe has accepted your application to Blah blah blah...."

So....hail guys. :bashful:

Helium Macaroni

August 6th, 2005, 10:37 PM

guh-reetings.. welcome to the jungle.

S.W.

August 6th, 2005, 10:46 PM

Jungle, you mean the ice box, maybe? :bashful:

Just got this nicely packed decision letter....200 dollars mail-back for place holding duh. Should I apply for scholarship now?

S.W.

August 8th, 2005, 10:22 PM

So I walked into cafeteria with my sketchbook, I havn't been there since Saturday High. No mashed potato today so I asked for potato leek soup and Polish sausage sandwich...and probably an icy cup of water?

Tag: "Water is free, cups are not."

Well YEAH. :^^;:

mercan

August 13th, 2005, 01:14 PM

17 hours of flight and finally...Pasadena.First impressions: I quite like it.I haven't got the chance to visit the campus yet though.I've got an appointement for monday with my International Student Advisor.Until then, any recommendations for places to visit in Pasadena ?(now I'm acting just like a tourist)

And just out of curiosity, who else is starting to AC this term?

Helium Macaroni

August 13th, 2005, 03:40 PM

Places to visit in Pasadena.. hmmm..

Well, theres the YMCA. You can get yourself clean, you can have a good meal, you can do anything you feel..

But besides that theres:

Old Town - The posh "downtown" area of pasadena with the high class shops, movie theaters, restaurants, bars. It's kinda like SoHo in NYC. Very nice area.

The Norton Simon Museum - Just West of Old Town. A small art museum with a very nice little collection.

The Huntington Library - A gorgeous Art Gallery/Botanical Gardens down near South Pasadena.

Eagle Rock (Woo! where I live!) - A hip little up and comming area East of Pasadena with a nice walkable area on Colorado and a Farmers Market every Friday.

And more stuff besides that. Hoipefully you have a car and are able to be mobile. If thats the case then just cruise around a bit and get comfortable with your surroundings.

Welcome to Art Center.

mercan

August 14th, 2005, 10:32 AM

Ahh...Thanks man.Unfortunately I don't have a car, and it seems like a must have here.I'll get to that when I settle down properly.

By the way, where do you guys get your art supplies?From somewhere close to AC campus or is there someother place with decent prices?

S.W.

August 14th, 2005, 12:54 PM

Art Center has its own art store in campus, quite adequate.
There's another The Art Store in Pasadena on Raymond near Green crossroad, if my memory is correct.

gunnz

August 17th, 2005, 12:50 AM

Can anybody give me some solid tips on preparing a portfolio for Art Center? I have a bunch of figure drawings, but I'm having a bit of a "writer's block" when it comes to drawing some concept stuff. I'm interested in the illustration major, with an emphasis in entertainment design. I've met with the counselor there, and all she said was to work on a sketchbook. They did talk about the new "tracks" in the illustration dept, and it sounded interesting.
drawing 1 (http://x0a.xanga.com/d7a82b777313111832884/b8633030.jpg)
drawing 2 (http://x06.xanga.com/e8917177264a211832900/b8633041.jpg)
drawing 3 (http://x7c.xanga.com/85f82b73d153111832916/b8633054.jpg)
drawing 4 (http://xfd.xanga.com/2dd840727913311833749/b8633603.jpg)
I dont have a scanner big enough for 19 x 24.....who does? So...I used a digi cam. Gross...but I think you can see some of the stuff I've been doing. Tips please!! I already have B.A. in Studio Art, but I really want to get into illustration.

Helium Macaroni

August 17th, 2005, 02:05 AM

Well, for mercan or anyone else who is coming to AC without a mode of transportation... (and good luck without one, its just one of those things you need in LA)

IF YOU NEED A CAR TALK TO ME!

My girlfriend works at Glendale Mistubishi and they have a really nice used car lot, and she will try her damnest to get you a good deal.

If you care to visit www.glendalemitsu.com, (www.glendalemitsu.com) you can find out how to contact her directly. Her name is Kathryn, she's the internet/fleet manager and you will get the best price from the dealership by talking to her directly. She's extremely nice.. I wouldn't be dating her if she wasn't, heh.

Eshara

August 19th, 2005, 07:24 PM

I have a question for the poor people who attend AC:

How did you do it? I want to attend, but is it really $100,000 to get a BA in Illustration??? Its so dishearting to read that...

Is there short cuts you can take to make it cheaper?

Right now its just my husband working, so we don't have a lot of money and he doesn't get paid a lot.

Also, when you graduate are you guaranteed a job afterwords or are your chances a lot better?

jellybean

August 20th, 2005, 11:33 AM

Apply for a [automatically renewable] scholarship when you apply for admission. And if you don't get it or want to increase it you have another chance each term.

Most of us probably have student loans. Its a risk and an investment to go to school.

No one is guaranteed a job. 96% of the alumni who responded to a survey (50%) have found placement within a year of graduation. Its a scam to go somewhere where you technically pay to work.

The only things that make it cheaper are attending at advanced standing and transferring in almost all your liberal arts requirements so you graduate sooner.

Drunken Monkey

August 20th, 2005, 11:22 PM

Anyone know any details about new Trans curriculum? The first 2 semesters now have to be taken sequentially (no semester off), and the old courses have been taken out

Perspective, VisCom 1&2, Model Const. 1&2...

New curriculum looks like this:

Design Fundamentals
Design Process
Visual Communication
3d Presentation
Digital Communication

Whats new with VisCom? And whats replacing perspective?? Its not all digital now is it?

I've also been accepted, btw. Trying to secure a loan now.

gunnz

August 22nd, 2005, 12:08 PM

drunken monkey,
congrats! do you have any of your entry portfolio online? i really would like to see some of your work.

Marty

August 22nd, 2005, 03:27 PM

yes i agree it would be great to see some of the portfolios that got accepted. at the moment i have no idea what level of skill you have to have to stand a chance of beeing accepted

mercan

August 22nd, 2005, 06:04 PM

How did you guys took care of your housing?I've been looking for a week now and I'm still homeless.I'm looking from Art Center's housing list but so far I got nothing.
Did you guys used a different source to find a house?

Drunken Monkey

August 22nd, 2005, 07:31 PM

gunnz, i am trans, not illu... i still do figure drawings to warm up, but its mostly ID stuff now. Not sure if you are insterested in that. But if you are in irvine, take a few classes at LAAFA you'll be good to go. I drove there for a year straight every weekend, very good school, awesome instructors (i think some now teach at accd - like sanchez - i took a lot of classes with him), also vilppu is 15 mins from there.

Mercan, try http://www.ezrentlist.com/ ,, i havent started looking yet, not sure if i can get funds in time, but hear nothing but good things about that service

gunnz

August 23rd, 2005, 12:43 AM

Where's vilppu teaching at? I was gonna go take a class by Karl Gnass....but it has to either be close to irvine, or on the weekends.....since I work full-time. I need to go to school BAD. Thanks for the advice....and keep 'em coming!

A.Miller

August 24th, 2005, 02:39 AM

What's up art center folk. Just got accepted to illustration so wanted to pay my respects to fellow students. Not starting till spring however so I can save some cash money and look for loans and stuff but at least I do not have to stress about getting in.

mercan

August 24th, 2005, 11:12 AM

Congrats on your acceptance and welcome to AC.

steve kim

September 1st, 2005, 02:20 AM

any folken entering this fall? orientation is next week! yay~~

Drunken Monkey

September 1st, 2005, 04:47 AM

if i get EFP to send me some money.... they been dragging for month and a half. beurocrats... supposedly any day. whatever... if not then drunken will stay here and bounce bars for 4 more months :\

mercan

September 1st, 2005, 10:19 PM

I'm starting this fall.And for those other new students who don't know, before the orientation in September 6th, there's an event on the roof of South Campus; The Sunset Social.I don't think it's just for the new students though...just wanted to let you know.

jellybean

September 1st, 2005, 10:43 PM

any folken entering this fall? orientation is next week! yay~~

Steve you nerd, getting excited over new blood. What's the hidden agenda?

Drunken Monkey

September 2nd, 2005, 01:05 AM

got the money, all good. see you jabronies there :wink:

etchysketchy

September 2nd, 2005, 09:55 PM

im starting this fall too for product design. Does any higher term people have any opinions on this new curiculum setup? Do you think this will really make things better or worse? Easier or harder?

YOHAN14344

September 2nd, 2005, 11:47 PM

Okay, I also plan to study in AC. I've read a few pages on this thread and I'm getting dizzy. So I just jumped to the last page to post this. eheheh

So how come everyone's talking about Illustration? What about Graphic Design courses? I want to go into Web Design / Computer Graphics and Web development. So is it right if I take Graphic Design?

I absolutely have NO idea how portfolios should look like... I mean, that's why I'm enrolling... to be good at it. If I'm already good, why bother spending a fortune? :^^;:

steve kim

September 3rd, 2005, 12:46 AM

Steve you nerd, getting excited over new blood. What's the hidden agenda?

man, i always get excited about orientation. my enthusiasm is starting to scare rebecca...

for you guys coming in this fall cross your fingers and hope you will bask in the glory that is STEVE'S ORIENTATION MENTORSHIP ECSTASY 2005 SUPER TURBO EDITION. for some reason the more asian you are the likelier i will be ur mentor. coz i've gotten like the L through K's (lee's and kims) like every time. hopefully that will be the case again~~ say no to whitey!

i'm hoping i can find space in my schedule to do hs mentoring this term too... you now... get 'em while they're young.

btw, yohaan, sounds like u need to do more researching because if you are asking about graphic design on a forum like this something is amiss! is graphic design something u really wanna do or is it for the $$$?!

cheers!
steve

YOHAN14344

September 3rd, 2005, 10:58 PM

btw, yohaan, sounds like u need to do more researching because if you are asking about graphic design on a forum like this something is amiss! is graphic design something u really wanna do or is it for the $$$?!

I REALLY do need more research. What I really want is to do graphics for web designing, logo, posters, company image, etc. But I like to concentrate on web design graphics. Any suggestions?

Am I in it for the money? I haven't thought about that... I just want to move to this field because it's the only thing that I really enjoy... web designing. :teeth: Hooorah!

jellybean

September 4th, 2005, 12:53 PM

Okay, I also plan to study in AC. I've read a few pages on this thread and I'm getting dizzy.

So how come everyone's talking about Illustration? What about Graphic Design courses? I want to go into Web Design / Computer Graphics and Web development. So is it right if I take Graphic Design?

From Graphic Design curriculum presentation:
Draw & Aim/Draw & Shoot, new first and second term requirements, Business 101 phased in as elective
Form and Letterform name change to Type ("center of what we do in the graphic design department"), emphasis on FEP
Materials a third term requirement
Identity Systems a fifth term requirement
Web Portfolio will be an eighth term requirement

jellybean

September 4th, 2005, 12:57 PM

im starting this fall too for product design. Does any higher term people have any opinions on this new curiculum setup? Do you think this will really make things better or worse? Easier or harder?

A lot of the people I talk to in general (unless they're graphic or illu) usually don't care about new curriculum for entering terms because it doesn't affect them.

What's the news on Product? I only have the packet from Environmental. Should have thought of getting all the course of study printouts...

Azrael

September 5th, 2005, 02:08 PM

Man, I just came across this thread. How deppressing it is too. I moved out to LA six years ago with the sole intent of attending Art Center. I went to community college for a year or so to get my general classes out of the way to lighten the finacial load of the school. My portfolio was review about five years ago and I actually got accepted only to find out that the extremely rediculous price admission was much too steep for mine, my parents or even the states pockets. My application for financial aid was denied becuase my parents made just enough money to not be in poverty, but not enough to shell out 100 freaking grand for college. So I joined the Air Force for that elusively entising GI Bill money. Well, four years and a few wars later I am back in LA and even with the GI BIll money there is no way that I could afford Tution and the cost of living in Los Angeles(which is freakin redicilous in itself). I don't know how the hell anyone can afford this school at 12 grand a freakin semester!

Is it really worth being in debt for the ten years?

Drunken Monkey

September 5th, 2005, 04:02 PM

you application for financial aid was denied?! why? how many lenders have you applied with? Out of 15 or so i found, half approved me, 3 gave me excellent rates. my one parent is barely making enough to afford the life here on central coast california,, i often help with bills. i don't think it matters how much your folks make... not once you are over 24.

on a side note, anyone else notice that with all the ACCD grads teaching around LA area, it might be cheaper to go Atelier route illustration wise? If i was going for illustration/figure skills, i would look into that more carefully.

gunnz

September 5th, 2005, 08:20 PM

Yeah...that tuition sure is killer. I already have 15k in loans for my BA at UC-Irvine. Shoot....and the problem is that I have a decent job right now too, since about a year an a half ago. They are probably going to give me less aid because of that. It's not like I've been "living it up" though. My mother is struggling to get by ( Drunken Money, I totally know where you are coming from) , and my father is taking care of the bulk of my undergrad loans (other than my 15k loan). When, I applied for Fafsa this year....I had to report my income. It's not really a lot of money in SoCal, but they put my EFC (expected family contribution) as 8k a year. Oh well, I'm not gonna worry about all that stuff though. It doesn't really matter whether I can pay for it or not, if I don't have that acceptance letter in front of me. For now, I'm just stressed about getting into school before I get too old! I'm sure there will be a way for anybody to get into school if that's what they desire. If not Art Center, I'll check out Laguna or CCS. CCS is Detroit is not a bad deal. Tuition is about the same, but I think they give out more aid (based on what I've heard), and the living expenses out in Detroit are ALOT less. The campus is really small and cozy too.

YOHAN14344

September 5th, 2005, 08:39 PM

100k USD!!! That is insane. What's the difference of studying in ACCD as opposed to other schools? Do they like give you this magic pill that would make you a better artist? Or are most people just after the I CAME FROM ACCD statement?

What about schools in Toronto? Any of you heard of good art schools there?

steve kim

September 6th, 2005, 12:46 AM

artcenter is a private school, so it's tuition isn't really any more or less than them. really fancy private schools are in fact more expensive.

how do people afford it?

lucky ppl get grants and subsidized loans

even luckier get scholarships. ive been on scholarship. i know many ppl with scholarship, partial and full.

the rest get unsubsidized and PRIVATE LOANS...

there will always be plenty of people out there willing to lend you money, as long as you are willing to take it up the ass in terms of interest and payments.

in the end it's about how important the whole school thing is to you. lot of good people never bother w/ the debt and school thing and do just fine. ultimately, it's highly personal and not really anyone on a forum can tell you. you should know (or at least have a general idea) if such a sacrifice is right for you.

cheers,
steve

I.was.ink

September 6th, 2005, 12:57 PM

Hello Everyone.
I have a simple question, that I think I know the answer to, but I'm not sure. When does school start? This week or next?

I'm thinking next week, but I dont know...

EDIT: Nevermind, I found out it starts next week!

http://www.artcenter.edu/accd/events/academic.jsp

YOHAN14344

September 7th, 2005, 12:28 AM

I have a thought...

Is the school really that important? Some schools have the WOW factor... probably ACCD has that factor in terms of price and training. But will schools like this really make a difference to the student? Or is it really based on RAW talent? Or what about Hard Work and Dedication?

So which of these are MOST important:

SCHOOL?
TALENT?
HARD WORK AND DEDICATION (or love)?

Gollee gee... wonder if I have at least one of 'em. :S

jellybean

September 8th, 2005, 07:38 PM

So I joined the Air Force for that elusively entising GI Bill money. Well, four years and a few wars later I am back in LA and even with the GI BIll money there is no way that I could afford Tution and the cost of living in Los Angeles(which is freakin redicilous in itself). I don't know how the hell anyone can afford this school at 12 grand a freakin semester!

Is it really worth being in debt for the ten years?

Right now my student loan payments are $50/month for 10 years, which I've started paying already, because it will probably be 2.5x that by the time I graduate. At 2.87% (? I consolidated) I can afford to save the rest of my money for other things instead of trying to finish it off in a few payments.

Is it worth it? Time will tell. I can't even compare the experience with other art schools unless I pick up another loan for grad school.

jellybean

September 8th, 2005, 07:41 PM

But will schools like this really make a difference to the student? Or is it really based on RAW talent? Or what about Hard Work and Dedication?

So which of these are MOST important:

SCHOOL?
TALENT?
HARD WORK AND DEDICATION (or love)?

Gollee gee... wonder if I have at least one of 'em. :S

Dude, its also about who you know. Once you're out, you're on your own with your alumni benefits and skills. No alum I know advertises that they went to this school.

YOHAN14344

September 8th, 2005, 10:58 PM

Dude, its also about who you know. Once you're out, you're on your own with your alumni benefits and skills. No alum I know advertises that they went to this school.

Yes. I understand. Very very good point! :^^:

So it's not really about the school... but about you... how much you love your work. :)

Azrael

September 9th, 2005, 09:15 PM

Thanks for the feedback from all of you. I think I'll just hang out around campus and such up all the talent. That can't cost much...well with gas prices..... maybe I'll just stick to the forum.:teeth:

opnitm

September 10th, 2005, 03:57 AM

Hi,

Just wanted to add my 2 cents. I just graduated last term and I owe alot of $$$. Do I think its worth it going to art center... yes. I think its worth it if you want accelerated learning enviroment and instructors that really push you to your potential. I am sure other schools offer instruction similar to art center but what made me choose this school over others is the students. The majority of the students that graduate have an ability to execute and meet deadlines. There is a sense of professionalism and standards a majority of the students have. It might be that everyone has huge egos... but who knows... hehehe

Anyways, I have to disagree with jellybeans comment about no alum advertise that they went to art center. Look at the website of Ryan Church, James Clyne, Feng Zu, Syd Mead, Scott Robertson, Neville Page, etc, etc.. they all say they went to art center.

Saying you went to art center opens alot of doors, I can personally say it did for me. Alot of companies I've interviewed with hold art center in high regard. I'm not trying to be biased towards art center, there are alot of great designers/artist that have come from other schools. You just have to make the decision of whether you want to invest 100k+ . In the end its how hard you work, not where you attend school. I just think art center provides a great enviroment for someone interested in this field to learn and improve quickly.

t.

Helium Macaroni

September 10th, 2005, 04:26 AM

I'd like to add something if I may...

For anyone who is considering going to Art Center but put off by the cost, ask yourself this: "Do I need to graduate?"

I've already been to a previous school and have a previous MBA, I don't need another. Even if you haven't had a previous education, you still might not need to go through all the motions and work through 'till graduation. It's all dependent on you, how much you want to commit, how much you'll put in during your own time, and how good your ability to network is. Los Angeles is saturated with the entertainment industry, and therefore you'll meet people everywhere who can present opportunities. The best education is job education. It's the steepest learning curve, and there's no room for mistakes.

The plan I had when I initially came out was that I knew I'd have to either have a kickass submission portfolio, or I'd have to network enough to get a job. I didn't want to come out and work at Starbucks while I worked on my art; I wanted to buff up my skills also. It took me until the 1st week of my second term to find a huge opportunity. I was invited to a game of broomball by a friend, where I met a guy who was friends with a sculptor in the entertainment industry. I carry my portfolio with me wherever I go, so I showed it to the guy at broomball, and he referred me to his friend. Immediately I began interning, just hanging around, doing runs, helping to keep the studio clean. After about 3 months I was hired.

So now, I go to school part time, and work in the entertainment industry to pay my rent, and whatever tuition I can, alongside my loans. Will I see Art Center through till graduation? I don't know. I constantly learn at both work and school, and the simultaneous exposure to an environment of peers and an environment of professionalism is priceless. If I feel confident enough in my skills before graduation, I'll bolt. If I want to see my (second) education through until the end and take advantage of the school's placement program, I'll stick with it.

School is what you make of it. And no document, no amount of training will solidify when you are "ready" to enter the real world. It's going to be a leap of faith and trust in your own abilities that will see you to your profession. I'm always looking for new opportunities, to meet new people, to be as friendly and as amiable as possible so that I can cultivate relationships that lead to work. It’s an amazing game of politics. I find it much more preferable than cold calls and unsolicited submissions. You just need to take everything you can from the Art Center experience, but don't let it limit you to staying with the endeavor all the way if you don't need it. If you concentrate on becoming as good as you can be, as fast as you can, you may not need that diploma, or the liberal arts classes required, or that one class that just makes you cringe to waste time on something you know you'll never need.

Anyways... that’s my inspirational rant.. I think I'll go do some motivational speaking in my sleep now.

gunnz

September 12th, 2005, 12:56 PM

Wow, awesome advice. You have a previous MBA? That's awesome. I have a BA too....and I totally get what you're saying. I heard that in illustration and entertainment design especially, you don't really need to graduate, but just possess the needed skills and professional demeanor. But I guess for trans or product, that degree is pretty important. Does Art Center have part-time enrollment?

Helium Macaroni

September 12th, 2005, 08:39 PM

Gunnz, actually I have a previous (and useless) BFA from Pratt in Illustration. However I only realized until near graduation that I was attending the wrong school on the wrong coast. A teacher told me my senior year about Art Center. I was dead set after graduation not to attend another school, but after not being to find work, or work only in the editorial type illustration realm, I moved to LA after much denial and entered Art Center. You really don't need to graduate, or have a piece of paper from a school. You just need a killer portfolio, good skills, and the ability to work well with others to get a job. Having connections, or getting to know people with who to politic with is also extremely useful. That’s where my work comes from, knowing people. And knowing people is as easy as having a social life and being friendly. Skills are what matter most in the field. To build those skills you can either develop them on your own time, or go to school.

And yes, Art Center has part time enrolment... now. It used to be that you could only do a part/half-time load (Art Center Lite as they call it) once in a while, or only once per entire enrollment. That however has changed. Basically that's what I'm doing now and going to continue doing so I can work full time and buff up my skills simultaneously.

gunnz

September 13th, 2005, 10:21 AM

Yeah, my friend who is a senior at Otis, just recently transferred to Art Center. When she was just about to graduate, she realized that a senior in the illustration dept at Otis is equivalent to a sophomore at Art Center...according to some of the studios and professionals out there. Helium, that is a good thing you got going there. I haven't really met anyone that is working that hard in undergrad.....which is why I need to go to a good, competitive school like ACCD. I'm meeting with Molly Ryan at admissions next week...for some guidance on my porfolio. Can you suggest anybody at admissions? I've also been going to the Drawing Club. Bob Kato gives some good tips, and it only costs $20 to draw for three hours.

I.was.ink

September 13th, 2005, 10:42 PM

I've also been going to the Drawing Club. Bob Kato gives some good tips, and it only costs $20 to draw for three hours.

Yeah, Bob's an awesome teacher and I still can't believe I haven't gone to the drawing club yet. I need to get on that now.

btw, instead of having to pay for drawing from the model(im not saying bob's drawing club isn't worth it), you can go to drawing and painting workshops we have at school everyday. They're five hours long, 6 or more hrs. on Friday, plus painting workshops on friday and saturday. Best of all, they're FREE!

-ink

gunnz

September 14th, 2005, 11:16 AM

Dang, I wish I could go to those workshops. Since I work full-time, I only have the nights and weekends to draw. Do they have drawing workshops on Saturdays? Anybody can go? I'm trying to find more workshops closer to home(Orange County). I go to the Anaheim Museum workshops on Saturdays, and the drawing club on Thursdays (long drive). I wish there were illustration workshops or something. Since I'm a beginner, I find it hard to draw unless there's a model. My portfolio only consists of life-drawing. Oh well.

Dangerousllama

September 14th, 2005, 06:30 PM

hello art center people! just started as an illustration major! see you around... lol

mercan, i think i met you at orientation. the quiet japanese kid with glasses at lunch was me...

Gygaxis

September 15th, 2005, 01:27 AM

Hey, more ACCD peeps. I'm first term Illu right now, and loving it.

we should do some CA.org meetup sometime before this term really gets into full swing. That said, I need to get to work doing some studies ^_^

--Gyg

Helium Macaroni

September 15th, 2005, 01:49 AM

Welcome guys.

I.was.ink

September 15th, 2005, 01:53 AM

the quiet japanese kid with glasses

No offense but there's like a million of you japanese guys with glasses at school. teehee

:)

mercan

September 16th, 2005, 01:20 AM

No offense but there's like a million of you japanese guys with glasses at school. teehee

:)

Hehee, I was going to say the same thing....

Gygaxis

September 16th, 2005, 01:37 AM

Whoah, hey Omercan, you gonna be at the drawing workshop tomorrow?

Drunken Monkey

September 16th, 2005, 02:19 AM

quiet asian kid with glasses,, that made me chuckle. :P

i am the loud, tall, obnoxious ukrainian without glasses in jesus sandals and with metal watch hanging off my belt. say hi, i am friendly.

i am still shitting bricks just thinking about the homework,,, they have been scaring us (trans) shitless since day one.

"you will have to become celebate, lose a finger or two, forget about sleep, stress out and go insane, lose touch with family, and graduate in serious debt, but we love you. TIME MANAGEMENT! DONT SPEED ON LIDA!"

lots to look forward to.

and whats with the "asian only parties"?! how about WHITE ONLY PARTIES? WHITE POWER!... come on guys,, uncool.

peace.

Gygaxis

September 16th, 2005, 02:27 AM

We seriously all need to just go around with name tags saying "Hi My Name On The Internet is _____"

wazabi

September 16th, 2005, 03:32 AM

Congrats to everyone who got accepted and coming back from vacation to start the Fall term.
I m an alumni working as a concept artist in the movies.
Just wanted to drop by and wish you guys all good luck.

Drunken Monkey you are definetly in for a treat. Trans is the hardest and most challenging major in ACCD. (Although I was Illustration)
you'll be getting regular 2 hr sleep a day and shitting blood.

Tip: shower as much as you can on the weekends cuz you wont have time to do so on school days

Cheers

Nightcrow

September 16th, 2005, 07:03 PM

Drunken Monkey you are definetly in for a treat. Trans is the hardest and most challenging major in ACCD. (Although I was Illustration)
you'll be getting regular 2 hr sleep a day and shitting blood.

How come?

mercan

September 16th, 2005, 11:58 PM

Well I don't know about "shitting blood" but I have a couple of friends in trans, they work real hard but they can manage some spare time for relaxation too.

Gyg, we should do a CA workshop meeting or something like that.I think there are a lot of CA ppl out there in school but they are too shy to admit it heeehee.

A.Miller

September 17th, 2005, 04:45 AM

sweet jeeezus!!! figure drawing workshops crowded as a son of a bitch. came late thursday, could barely move around or find a place to draw. blahhh!!

Helium Macaroni

September 17th, 2005, 05:47 AM

It's better to go to the drawing workshops that are during the day earlier in the week anyway. Less crowded. And don't worry, things will thin out as the term goes on.

Gygaxis

September 17th, 2005, 12:08 PM

the workshops last night weren't too bad due to the multiple rooms. But Lorrie Madden's 150 figure drawings this week and next for homework sure aren't helping those be any less crowded lol

Dangerousllama

September 19th, 2005, 02:50 PM

No offense but there's like a million of you japanese guys with glasses at school. teehee

:)

hah, this much is true... was hoping he only saw one on orientation... lol

Omercan and gyg, i will say hi next time i see you

gunnz

September 20th, 2005, 06:13 PM

Any tips on coming up with some concept art stuff for the portfolio? i talked to the counselor at Art Center yesterday, and she said that my life drawing is great and that I didn't need to do any more (probably because I had over 20 pieces in there). However, she said that I needed either 5 really fleshed-out concept pieces, or 20 rough ones. This is just so tough for me because I lost most of the stuff I did in college. I'm starting from scratch....Any exercises that you guys do to get ideas? I think I'm suffering from a lack of inspiration. That is what working in a cubicle does to you..... :nohope:

Gygaxis

September 21st, 2005, 06:16 AM

gunnz

September 21st, 2005, 10:53 AM

I'm far from awesome at concepting so far, I'm still working on it. What I've been doing, especially on the device of Scot Drake, one of the entertainment faculty guys, is coming up with unique reasons for something, plausible backstory, anything that can give character. Try to avoid cliche stuff, do a bunch of robot designs for things you wouldn't normally have, etc. If you're trying to get into illustration, you're gonna be submiting a 12-20 piece portfolio of original work/prints that is primarily figure work.

Thanks gygaxis. I have 20 monocromatic figure drawings already. Right now I'm just working off of ideas from my sketchbook and trying to come up with some color pieces. I guess I'm concentrating more on mood and storytelling than the actual reason behind the piece. Can you briefly describe the portfolio that got you into Art Center? Thanks-

Gygaxis

September 21st, 2005, 09:54 PM

uhm.... a few really good figure drawings, more finished pieces obviously, in color. Oil pastel work, some acrylic wash, a strong b&w perspective environtment, somewhat abstracted oil painting, slide of a sargent reproduction, some digital paintings, some architecture renderings. I worked in about 5 different mediums for the work in my port, and tried to spread around what I had in there. Don't show anything but your strongest work, obviously.

gunnz

September 28th, 2005, 08:53 AM

Hmm....I can draw, but I've never painted. Do I have to have acrylic or oil paintings in my portfolio? Can I get by with some colored pencil work?

mercan

September 28th, 2005, 12:30 PM

I don't think you have to have oils or acrylics.In my portfolio I only had color pencil, watercolor, and color pastel works as color work, and it did work out.If you have digital paintings that you can print out and put in your portfolio, that would be a nice touch too.

oppostrophe+

September 29th, 2005, 02:48 PM

I have a question on the new experimental "entertainment major" or track of some sort...does it focus majorly on just designs, storyboards, relatively 2d stuff or will it also focus a bit on 3d animations (modelling, texturing, animating...), post productions etc...since its an "entertainment major"...

A broad coverage of the entertainment industry might help distinguish from the other majors.

Art Center students, hope you can answer my question? Thanks a lot! :^^:

jellybean

September 30th, 2005, 02:44 AM

The New Illustration Curriculum
"The Art of Research"- will be a required class for 1st, 2nd, and 3 rd students starting fall 2005.

What's new?
1) Design based thinking - understand what's relevant to illustration.
2) Relevant and contemporary- international language.
3) Business skill- students will know their markets.
4) Presentation skill

Committee's interests:
1) Entertainment Design- 3D base foundation of design work.
2) Entertainment Art- mostly character books.
3) Motion Illustration- motion and traditional.
4) Contemporary- involve conceptual work.

A.Miller

October 3rd, 2005, 01:20 AM

gunnz

October 3rd, 2005, 11:56 AM

Hey Gunnz if you are gonna apply try not to get too hung up on the fact they say 12-20 pieces. I had probably like 40-50 figure drawings and paintings(traditional and digital), a sketchbook and even an entire Biggie newsprint pad of warm up gestures and stuff. I would never have considered submitting that much stuff but an admissions advisor told me to and it worked out, I got in. I would strongly advise meeting with someone in admissions and getting feedback on what your portfolio is lacking. Good luck.

Thanks! I talked to the counselor a week ago....and she said I needed either five finished color concept pieces (what a broad term), or 25 quicker ones. I had like 20 figure drawings which I showed, and she said that I didn't even need that many. I think I'm just going to keep doing landscape and architecture studies....which will be my color pieces. I have a big sketchbook, but I guess those studies are too experimental. I'll probably have to pick some good ones and redo them onto a bigger, more finished format. I've been polishing up on my life drawing skills as well, and trying to replace OK pieces with better ones. Hopefully I will have a portfolio suitable for both Cal Arts and Art Center. The animation program at Cal Arts looks great too. Eventually I would like to get into 3d and animation....and the emphasis on storytelling and being able to act out the characters is what I want. Art Center is an attractive program because there seem like more possibilities.

gunnz

October 5th, 2005, 03:08 PM

Ok...I'm confused. Some of the Art Center students say that it is hard to get scholarships the first year, and then it gets a lot easier once you get to the sophomore year. Oe the other hand, I've also heard that if you don't get scholarships coming in as a freshman, then it's damn near impossible. Which is true?

PolinaH

October 5th, 2005, 04:36 PM

I hear the latter is true, and I've seen it happen more often than not. The besttime to get a scholarship for artcenter is the time you apply. Compitision is a little less, and I think the judges might be a little easier...

I've just got accepted to Art Center, but I'm still waiting for results before I make my decision

Gygaxis

October 6th, 2005, 07:12 PM

I've heard word that the entry scholarships are generally a larger reward, but I also hear it's next to impossible to get one of those coming in. You can apply for scholarships every semester, there is a good chunk of money out there for scholarship funds. I also hear that applying for scholarships during the summer semester is the best time, due to less competition.

Helium Macaroni

October 7th, 2005, 05:18 AM

If anyone has the need for a very nice place to live, and has a bit of cash, there are two openings in my appartment complex coming up, a one bedroom and a studio. My appartment manager specifically asked if I knew anyone from Art Center that was looking for a place. I asked him why Art Center students and not Occidental College students whose school is right in the nieghborhood. He mentioned that the Art Center kids were always quiet and never had any noise complaints filed against them, while the Oxy kids were always annoying as hell and treated the place like a dorm, parties and all. I laughed and said that was probably because we have no life.

Its funny 'cause its true.

I live in Eagle Rock and its a wonderful hip neighborhood that's actually walkable and is about 15 minutes from school. The one bedroom will go for about $925, while the studio will go for $750 I think. The one bedroom is actually quite comfortable to live in if you have a boyfriend/girlfriend/or farm animal that you live with who you can split the rent with. Not the cheapest, but its a very nice place to live, the managers are extremely nice, the places are clean and well maintained, parking and laundry is in-building, central heating and air as well as a wonderful neighborhood to live in. (And the best fucking coffee house in the city on the corner.)

Let me know if anyone is interested.

PeggyChung

October 8th, 2005, 01:18 PM

just curious, how much are you guys expecting to pay at the end with financial aid coverage? and how much do you get in financial aid? how much in scholarships? thanks

mercan

October 8th, 2005, 11:06 PM

I laughed and said that was probably because we have no life.

Its funny 'cause its true.

That's not true.We do have a life, just...a...ah...different yeah that's it.

A.Miller

October 9th, 2005, 08:46 PM

Helium, I'd like to hear more about the studio if you have got any more info about price, size, etc.

Drunken Monkey

October 9th, 2005, 11:59 PM

not entirely true... 1st term trans with 21 units here... there is space for life. 1-2 evenings a week, + 1 full day you can go out to bars/clubs/beach/museums or whatever your venue. 6-7 hours of sleep a day... its not ideal,, but then its ACCD THE NAVY SEALS OF DESIGN HOOOA! LATE TO CLASS? FORGOT YOUR NAVY SEAL GEAR? BETTER TAKE THIS TERM OFF JABRONIE!

mercan

October 10th, 2005, 01:59 AM

1-2 evenings a week, + 1 full day you can go out to bars/clubs/beach/museums or whatever your venue. 6-7 hours of sleep a day...

Wow...I envy you.I can have 7 hours of sleep only once or twice a week, and going out to even for an evening is kinda hard, with all the workshops and all...maybe I'm pushing myself too hard.

steve kim

October 10th, 2005, 05:07 PM

i agree with the monkey. the 'artcenter will takeover your life' sentiment is kind of overblown. if you manage your time well, you should get all your school work in, + a little 'life' here and there, AND tons of time spent on your personal work.

most of the tales of woe prolly come from 1st/2nd term students who are struggling to adapt to the new workload. veterans such as i find it all laughable! hahoaeh!

jellybean

October 10th, 2005, 06:53 PM

not entirely true... 1st term trans with 21 units here... there is space for life. 1-2 evenings a week, + 1 full day you can go out to bars/clubs/beach/museums or whatever your venue.

21 units + Trans --> death wish?

I was going to ask why, but I remembered that they gave me the same unit load for my first term too. Did you transfer your academics?

After the first year, I feel like I have an extra class in my workload. Its smarter to load up on units at the start and coast later to make time for your professional book.

I thought art boot camp was going to make me a better person, but deep inside, I'm still a[n obsessive] lazy ass.

jellybean

October 10th, 2005, 06:56 PM

Wow...I envy you.I can have 7 hours of sleep only once or twice a week, and going out to even for an evening is kinda hard, with all the workshops and all...maybe I'm pushing myself too hard.

Um, this is why student government gives out food at Movie Night. We're passing out ice pops on Wednesday afternoon at the bridge. Sugar is my friend too. Seriously, I'm looking forward to having people hang out instead of just passing by once they get a freebie.

mercan

October 10th, 2005, 08:51 PM

most of the tales of woe prolly come from 1st/2nd term students who are struggling to adapt to the new workload. veterans such as i find it all laughable! hahoaeh!

Hehe, that's probably true.We're just a bunch of scared fresh meat.

It's not just about the workload though, after all the homework you want to work on a personal project too.I think that's the most time-eating part.

BlackGuy

October 12th, 2005, 09:45 PM

I need advice because I feel extremely lost and confused right now as far what to do. I'm gonna pour out my past, my present situation, and my goals and I'm going to tell you my problem/s and I hope that maybe someone can give me some guidance and advice on what the hell to do.

I dropped out of high school my senior year in 2003. It's my biggest mistake and one true regret of my life, but I was pretty much a fuck up back then. I dicked around all of 2004 because there was a bit of a shitty situation going on, and I finally started thinking about my future this year. I got my GED in february and got my shit together and am going to the Art Institute of Washington. I am also currently working part time as a legal assistant in Washington D.C.
Now my reasons for going to the art institute are two fold. The first is while I'm there, to build up a better, more recent portfolio. The second is to pour all of my energy into my work to get as close to a 4.0 as possible. I've asked my drawing teacher for extra assignments on top of the extablished curriculum because I want to improve and because if I do all this work, my letters of recommendations will be better. I don't doubt that I can get the grades because I can tell that nothing here is too difficult. I will stay commited and I will do it.

That is pretty much where I'm standing right now. Here are my problems/questions. I want to go to Art Center. I very much want to go to Art Center. But I live across the country in D.C. I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be able to work and attend school there at the same time, mainly because of several things that I've heard. And since the school doesn't offer housing, I don't know what the hell I'm going to do as far having a place to live. This is my MAIN problem, and I just don't know enough about these things, or about california and Art Center, to come up with a solution. I had pretty much given up hope on ever going to Art Center, but today I had dinner with my best friend's mother (who is like a mother to me) and her bf. I was just meeting this guy and he is a photographer from Guatemala. Now we're talking casually about what I want to do with school and whatnot, and when he hears what I want to do for a living, he pulls out all this Gnomon and Art Center information and shit. We just talked for like an hour and a half and I pretty much poured out that Art Center was where I really wanted to end up, but I'd most likely have to go to a school with housing. He pretty much said "fuck that" and convinced me to just go for what I want. I just really don't know how. I'm asking for any help and advice you guys can offer. Anything at all, I'd appreciate it. Maybe even some obvious information that I don't know. Thanks guys.

Gygaxis

October 12th, 2005, 10:02 PM

That's kind of like what my situation was like after high school, cept I stuck it through. I didn't know exactly what I was going to do, my grades were pretty shitty, and I really wanted to go to art center but didn't think there was a way in hell I could afford it. You will not be able to work while you're here, maybe some workstudy or something, but don't plan on more than a few hours a week for working part time. The illustration department's load alone is pretty hardcore, product or transportation design are even more hardcore, they're up to 21 credit hours a semester mandatory for at least the foundations stuff. And I know personally, I spend at least 2.5-5 hours out of class doing homework for every hour I spend in that class that's about 10-25 hours of homework per class per week. As far as housing, you'll pretty much need a car out here, there's plenty of places to live that are decent around, roommates, renting a room, small apartments ETC. And it's not to hard to find another Art Center student to live with. I came out here and house hunted from a hotel for a few days and found a place. Depending on where in the area you're going to live you can expect to pay $450-500 for a tiny room without great proximity. $600-750 gets you nicer rooms/splitting apartments. $800-1000 starts getting you single bedroom apartments. And at the moment gas is about $3/gallon. Seriously, the program is worth every penny though, and I'm gladdly going into larger debt than many third world countries to pay to go here.

BlackGuy

October 12th, 2005, 10:25 PM

oh god, I don't even drive!! I'm diabetic and because of that, my doctor has to approve me to get a license, which he will not do. I guess that's my own fault though because I don't keep my blood sugar in control as much as I should. So basically you HAVE to be pretty loaded to go there? God I don't want to stick my parents with my AiW bill, my ACCD bill, and my goddamn rent. I don't even know if that's an option, and even if it was I can't do that to them. This is looking more and more impossible.

mercan

October 12th, 2005, 10:49 PM

Hmm...Forgive my lack of sleep but I didn't exactly get about what you want advice.Do you want advice about how to get in to AC or why should you try to get here.

Anyway, I'll just pour out whatever comes to my mind, hope that helps.

I drifted around for a couple of years before starting AC too, and I sometimes regret it but I'm getting over it.Late or not I started and I have to focus and do my best.I've done lots of figure drawing, illustrations and storyboards for my portfolio.I think setting up an appointement with a councelor and showing your current portfolio is a good idea but I didn't done that.And of course color work is always a nice touch.As for housing, it's not hard to find a place here.Office of Student Life will help you a lot, and Hellium has a post up there about openings in his building (of course if you re going to apply soon that is).And I think finding a house for yourself and living on your own (or with roommate/s) is a whole great experience.

Of course I don't know about your future plans, but for me AC has proved to be the most right desicion I've ever made in my whole life.I feel like I'm getting back what I'm paying for.Besides education, life is pretty sweet too.

You should definitly must have a car here.I'm working on getting one and I'll probably have one in a couple of weeks.So far I've managed, thanks to my helpful friends but here life without a car sucks.

So yes, it costs a lot of money and workload can be really heavy sometimes but AC is a pretty great school.I strongly reccomend it.
And this is the end of my "Life at AC" novel.