The Official Artcenter Thread - like, omg!

[a la bapsi]

me too.
oh god i'm so nervous.
sorry to hear that, catb. ;o;
i hear ringling's great for 3d, calarts for 2d. really up to you. o_o i've no clue.

[Brashen]

Oh god....that sucks catb, my genitals just shriveled up.

[a la bapsi]

BRASHEN.
are we gonna see any of your work you sent in for the portfolio? [or are you waiting like i am for an acceptance before clicking the "post reply" button? ._.;]
i go to your sketchbook and i just see beautiful hand/feet paintings etc. *__*
conceptartplz.

[pipermints]

Is there anyone on here that is currently a transfer student that could give some thoughts and opinions? I'm currently going to a state university for a studio arts program where I'm nearing the end of my third year. The area I would like to focus on is the entertainment design and unfortunately no masters programs have the stuff I'm looking for. Most master's degrees are in illustration which is fine, but from what I understand entertainment design is like illustration and id combined.

Little did I know before going here that the program is sub par and many people that graduate do not get jobs. I only have a handful of credits before graduation, but I'm wondering if transfering to Art Center would be the way to go since the there are liberal arts requirements.


i went to usc for 1.5 years for fine arts and left. program was inadequate and i dont really think a lot of people were prepared afterwards unless they take a lot of other classes to make up for it. if you really want to do entertainment arts i don't know if it will be much use just finishing to get a degree there. i think you'd learn a lot the program is pretty rigorous here even if you don't have a lot of credits transfer over. i don't think it shortens your time at art center if you do because i think you just take more studio classes in place of it?

[eric_g77]

Yesssssssss!!!! I Got In!!!!!! Wooohoooooo!!!

[a la bapsi]

Congrats!
Portfolio?

[eric_g77]

Congrats!
Portfolio?

thanks!!! sorry, but i didnt have time to take pictures of my portfolio work. i pretty much finished everything during the last week of deadline and i wont be gettin it back till after april 1st. =(

SO EXICTED!!!

[Brashen]

a la bapsi your quite right haha I'm hoping i wont jinx myself. I'm shivering as I write this hahaha.

eric g77 congrats dude oh god that's one less chance to get in hahaha.

[Gygaxis]

Is there anyone on here that is currently a transfer student that could give some thoughts and opinions? I'm currently going to a state university for a studio arts program where I'm nearing the end of my third year. The area I would like to focus on is the entertainment design and unfortunately no masters programs have the stuff I'm looking for. Most master's degrees are in illustration which is fine, but from what I understand entertainment design is like illustration and id combined.

Little did I know before going here that the program is sub par and many people that graduate do not get jobs. I only have a handful of credits before graduation, but I'm wondering if transfering to Art Center would be the way to go since the there are liberal arts requirements.

How good is the Art Center at giving out scholarships? Since the tuition is quite a bit more expensive than the current school I go to that would be a big factor. If I were to put my portfolio up on my sketchbook, could someone give me some thoughts on that? Thanks.

Transfers: ACCD is pretty notorious for not giving a shit about studios you have taken anywhere else. You will be accepted at a higher term level, I know a couple people that have been in this situation but they are few and far between. I myself studied abroad for 2 years before coming to ACCD and had a grand total of 9 GE Credits transferred in.
Scholarships: ACCD Currently averages about 1/2-1/3rd the average scholarship:tuition ratio of NASAD member schools. The most recent claim I've heard from admin is something like 500ish students out of the 1400+ total off the top of my head I can think of maybe a handful out of the entertainment people I know that have received any kind of scholarship funding.

[eric_g77]

Transfers: ACCD is pretty notorious for not giving a shit about studios you have taken anywhere else. You will be accepted at a higher term level, I know a couple people that have been in this situation but they are few and far between. I myself studied abroad for 2 years before coming to ACCD and had a grand total of 9 GE Credits transferred in.
Scholarships: ACCD Currently averages about 1/2-1/3rd the average scholarship:tuition ratio of NASAD member schools. The most recent claim I've heard from admin is something like 500ish students out of the 1400+ total off the top of my head I can think of maybe a handful out of the entertainment people I know that have received any kind of scholarship funding.

do you have any idea how they decide who receive scholarship money tho? is it based on portfolio or income? or a combination of both? cuz as far as income is concerned for me, im pretty much at the bottom of the food chain, and im talking low, LOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.

[pipermints]

both but i think more on portfolio than income. forgot what percent is based on what.

[Justin.]

Entering scholarships are based more on merit, but need is still taken into account. Other scholarships are based on need, but if 2 people have the same need and one is alot better, he will get the scholarship (or more of it anyways). If you don't have need, you wont get scholarship. Some of the best people in our major didn't get scholarship.

[Pseudocognition]

I GOT INTO ENT!!!! AHHH!
Where are my classmates?! GROUP HUG!

[pipermints]

I GOT INTO ENT!!!! AHHH!
Where are my classmates?! GROUP HUG!


congrats!!

[eric_g77]

CONGRATs pseudocognition!

i went over to finiancial aid to turn in sum paperwork. the lady told me that entrance scholarship is 75% based on portfolio and 25% based on needs. they are doing scholarship review this week so we should be expecting some kinda of rewards letter in the next 2-3 weeks!

hope that info helped for ppl wondering about scholarships!

[catb]

OH heads up to any OTHER people who get rejected (please exist cause it's damn lonely being the only one so far, regardless of how sad the next rejected person will be, misery loves company dear) you can meet the admissions people and they will tell you what you screwed up in portfolio to fix it next time around.

My friend did that last year and found out the reason why she got rejected was solely because she took photos of some of her work instead of sending the originals.

I'd go ask too but I'm too scared they'll just laugh and be like you seriously thought you could get in with this? Anyway I'm over it.. mostly, and will probably go into animation instead since art center was my last effort into concept art as a major.

[a la bapsi]

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO IS SHOW THEM YOUR ILLUSTRATION PORTFOLIO BECAUSE IT'S AWESOME HNNNNNNGH

and well it never hurts to fix your ed portfolio up a hint before showing it to them. ;D





...just a hint.

....

[pipermints]

who ever said it was a one shot chance? ask, work on what they tell you to and improve and try again until you get what you want. my painting teacher at art center got rejected the first time he applied too but he worked his butt off and caught up. even if they might give you a harsh critique just take it and work with it.

[Brashen]

Congrats Pseud... well deserved indeed.

catb don't worry I'll be rejected as well and then we'll both wallow together.

[Mock]

Catb, don't give up. Take this year to work on it, and then come back with a badass portfolio next time. Don't go into something you don't want to just because you got rejected once.

And go! It's never easy to hear criticism, but learning to take it is a huuuuge step towards getting where you want to me. There's nobody better to tell you what to work on than the people who are going to be deciding your fate. =P

[a la bapsi]

Congrats Pseud... well deserved indeed.

catb don't worry I'll be rejected as well and then we'll both wallow together.

make that three of us. ;o;

man patience is not my strong suit. TELL ME SOMETHING, ART CENTER. ANYTHING. AUGH COLLEGE ANXIETY.

[eric_g77]

make that three of us. ;o;

man patience is not my strong suit. TELL ME SOMETHING, ART CENTER. ANYTHING. AUGH COLLEGE ANXIETY.

think POSITIVE!!!
i wonder whats taking so long for u guys tho? umm..?
do you guys live out of state?

[Brashen]

I live in a different country :P

[kryoth]

OH heads up to any OTHER people who get rejected (please exist cause it's damn lonely being the only one so far, regardless of how sad the next rejected person will be, misery loves company dear) you can meet the admissions people and they will tell you what you screwed up in portfolio to fix it next time around.

My friend did that last year and found out the reason why she got rejected was solely because she took photos of some of her work instead of sending the originals.

I'd go ask too but I'm too scared they'll just laugh and be like you seriously thought you could get in with this? Anyway I'm over it.. mostly, and will probably go into animation instead since art center was my last effort into concept art as a major.

I got rejected also, although that's probably not a huge surprise. Thanks for this info, I think I'm gonna try to get in touch with admissions to find out exactly what I missed. I was in touch with one of the counselors a few months back, she liked my stuff and gave a bunch of pointers (on which I improved), but she stopped responding for some reason and I never got feedback on the final portfolio. So I'm kinda bummed out a bit, but it's not a huge deal - I'm either gonna go to CCS or maybe apply again in a year, who knows.

[a la bapsi]

think POSITIVE!!!
i wonder whats taking so long for u guys tho? umm..?
do you guys live out of state?

i live a half hour away.

[a la bapsi]

accepted!

[eric_g77]

accepted!

congrats!!! now we can be art center buddies!!! HAHHAA

[Brashen]

Congrats foo hahaha god now it's only me. I'm screwed.

By the way sorry Kono about the rejection!!

[pipermints]

congrats again to you guys!

for the others don't get too discouraged!! just try again :) you can do it!

[eric_g77]

seems like all the ent. design applicants are gettin rejected. i kno the major is new n all, but is it that hard to get into?

[Justin.]

I know there are quite a few applicants who have gone to Art Center at Night, PCC, Saturday High, and the Concept Design Academy before applying, so they are more than likely dominating the ranks. Moving to LA for a year prior to applying is definitely a good idea. You will probably save money by the amount of scholarship you will get with a more geared portfolio. If any of you submitted an illustration portfolio (life drawings, paintings, sketches, etc) to the ent design program, you probably got rejected because ACCD looks for specialized portfolios for each major. (as is said earlier in the thread,) for entertainment the expectation is somewhere close to 40 pages of ideation process for a single story, spanning figures, props, vehicles, and environments.

Knowing the campus, the city, and taking cheaper classes to get your skills way up (provided you have the right amount of push) can really catapult you ahead. Pretty much every person in my term who went to ACAN or any of the other programs knows what to expect from ACCD in first term, so they go in pretty well first term. For most ID students, first term will kick your ass. I know you hear that alot, but if you don't have a good work ethic (like myself), you will end up doing around 2-3 nights per week where you won't get any sleep. You'll just work through til you have class at 8 AM.

[Brashen]

I haven't heard anything from them. Do they take longer with international applicants?

[Pseudocognition]

well its too bad that everyone that comes out of Artcenter has the same looking work.

http://www.terminally-incoherent.com/img/facepalm.jpeg

[a la bapsi]

I haven't heard anything from them. Do they take longer with international applicants?

your acceptance package is probably still on its way. :D

[Brashen]

Yeah right....it's more like Dear Mr Ralph....We are sorry to say but you suck balls and are not fit to join our cult thank you so much for applying tho and the 70 bucks muwahahahahaha.

Or I imagine something like that.

[a la bapsi]

...IN OPPOSITE LAND.

i haven't seen much of your stuff, what you have is full of sexy and ooh la la.
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii think you'll do fine. ;D

[Brashen]

Haha I sincerely hope you're right. Thanks bapsi coming from you I feel light headed.

[evildisco]

well its too bad that everyone that comes out of Artcenter has the same looking work.
You win at insight!



Idiot.

[Justin.]

well its too bad that everyone that comes out of Artcenter has the same looking work.

Oh yeah? who?

[Pseudocognition]

Haha drama for the fail.

[kryoth]

Haha drama for the fail.

Heh, I thought your facepalm pretty much put the topic to rest.

[Pseudocognition]

Heh, I thought your facepalm pretty much put the topic to rest.

And how I hoped it would!

By the by, does anyone know of an ENT '09 or ACCD Class of '09-'13 group on Facebook? If not, I'll make one later today.
:mod:

[Brashen]

......still no word...maybe i should send em an email.....At least i got my TOEFL score back.......all high......you guys I comprehend the English language woohooo!!

[a la bapsi]

send an e-mail AUUUUHH

man the suspense is killing me haha. GET ACCEPTED ALREADY

[Brashen]

Hahah Writing Up the email now......I'm freaking out here...i want to know...but I don't at the same time.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[artdude89]

Don't post much, but I applied to Ent. Design as well,(as a major change). Im in the same situation as you Brashen. Scott did say to email if you haven't received anything by the end of the week. Gotta do that soon. But good to know Im not the only one who hasnt heard back. Started to worry little there.

[Brashen]

Thanks artdude you took a load if my mind. Goodluck and lets see some of your work.

[Pseudocognition]

Baaahhh the suspense! How did it turn out, Brashen and artdude?

[Brashen]

Dunno yet they just sent an email saying that they will send email about receiving my application material....That was on saturday...I havent gotten anything else. I dont think they want me :(

[a la bapsi]

HNNGH don't say that D:

[artdude89]

Just got an email recently... and I got accepted haha.

Brashen, give it another week or two. My roommate waited about a month for his. Best of luck.

[eric_g77]

congrats artdude!

[a la bapsi]

so who's attending new student night on 4/8?
i'll be the weirdo in the blue hat/white ears.

[Brashen]

Congrats artdude!!.... Thanks for the support guys.

[Brashen]

I dont think my testicles can shrink further than the atoms they've become. No word yet.....:( hope you guys enjoy ED.

[eric_g77]

so who's attending new student night on 4/8?
i'll be the weirdo in the blue hat/white ears.

i will also be attending. i'll be the hottest guy in the room, easy to spot. :sungod:

[Reject-D]

HUZZAH ENT BUDDIES!!
sorry bout that..
i will be attending 4/8
o yea you will spot me right away! im the guy with the big fat skullcandy headphones and a green hat/beanie

if you see such a person ask him if hes Jordan and he will give you a hug.

[Pseudocognition]

Indeed, congrats artdude! Do you have a blog? Or facebook? I'm trying to familiarize myself with my classmates before I'm physically there to humiliate myself by screwing up names.

So yeah accd homeskillets, friend me all up ins Facebook. My name is Lindsey Laney. My pic is the back of my head in front of a computer. I won't facebook stalk you... much.

ETA: Darn it! New student night! I wish I could go. Unfortunately there are three thousand miles between here and AWESOME.

[a la bapsi]

HELL. TO THE YES GUISE.

you should add the mcbaps on facebook too.
it's Britney Win. my picture's of me going HNNNGH with a hood on.

so giddyyyy bapsi has art friends now. ;o;

[Pseudocognition]

wow are there any girls in ENT so far?

[artdude89]

thanks alot. looking forward to being in class with you guys. and ya, unfortunately Ent. Design isn't a big chick magnet major.

[eric_g77]

dammit, all you ENT.Design are taking over! where are the freaken illustration peeps!! =P

[a la bapsi]

here's an illu girl here. *__*b

eric. ARTDUDE. show us some art.

[Brashen]

WTF!!!!! Still no word....all those sleepless nights working at that damned portfolio and tot not even get a reply.....well that's a stupendous slap in the face.

[a la bapsi]

don't worry, brashen.
my boyfriend didn't get his acceptance package til the middle of freakin' april. and he lived only 30 minutes away from campus D:<

[Pseudocognition]

and ya, unfortunately Ent. Design isn't a big chick magnet major.

Darn. There are a handful in second term right now, though. Super nice peopleeee. I hope at least one comes out of the woodwork eventually, I need someone to PMS with. And to draw gorgeous men with.

You know, a gay guy would suffice. Have any gay guys gotten in...? >_>;

YO BRITNAYYYY. GRRRL POWRRRRRR *pms pms pms*

[artdude89]

theres one i know in 3rd or 4th term. But it shouldn't be too hard to find someone. lol

[Pseudocognition]

Ahh Scott just told a current student to tell me that there are a total of FOUR (4) ladeezzzz this term. Including myself... I hope. Haha.

ETA by "this term" I mean... our term. Hur hur hur.

[Reject-D]

wow.. on the whole gay guys thing.. come on.. >.<

[a la bapsi]

yeeeeah there's probably a good mix in that massive illu major i'm in. ._.

[Onyx Serpent]

Hiyas, I'm hopefully going to be applying for the fall semester in the next few weeks (yeah I'm late, eek D: )... Do any of you illu folks who got in have your portfolio posted somewhere so I could take a peek? I'm still a couple pieces short, and was kinda curious what went over portfolio-composition-wise well. :P

[eric_g77]

Hiyas, I'm hopefully going to be applying for the fall semester in the next few weeks (yeah I'm late, eek D: )... Do any of you illu folks who got in have your portfolio posted somewhere so I could take a peek? I'm still a couple pieces short, and was kinda curious what went over portfolio-composition-wise well. :P

onyx, i really suggest you apply for spring instead since its already too late to apply for fall scholarship now. (not enless you are super rich) spring scholarship deadline is oct. 1.

[pipermints]

im trying to figure out next term's classes and am unsure about what i should take. im probably going into entertainment arts track for illustration and deciding between taking sketching for illustration or sketching for entertainment. i feel like i'd enjoy the latter more but i keep hearing kato's class is a must-take? and any suggestions for teachers for expressive type, vis com fundamentals, digital illustration, or intro to modernism?

[Gygaxis]

im trying to figure out next term's classes and am unsure about what i should take. im probably going into entertainment arts track for illustration and deciding between taking sketching for illustration or sketching for entertainment. i feel like i'd enjoy the latter more but i keep hearing kato's class is a must-take? and any suggestions for teachers for expressive type, vis com fundamentals, digital illustration, or intro to modernism?


Kato is definitely an important class to take, and sketching for illustration and sketching for entertainment aren't really all that analogous anymore anyway, as Will's class is pretty much a layout class where as Kato will teach you a fair bit about painting as well as composition. Further, you're gonna end up with Will for a bunch of other classes, where Kato doesn't teach much else you'll have an easy time getting in Ent. Arts.

Digital Illustration: Dana Duncan was nice enough, it's just a class to teach you illustrator after all and you don't end up with a ton of work in there compared to other studios.

Vis Com Fundamentals is what used to be History of Viscom I think, and if so, John Braumfield is fucking amazing. He will teach you everything you could possibly want about looking at an image critically and contextualizing it as a creative director would have to. Guy is amazing.

Modernism: just avoid Eva Forgacs.

Expressive Type: Just avoid this class <.<

[pipermints]

Kato is definitely an important class to take, and sketching for illustration and sketching for entertainment aren't really all that analogous anymore anyway, as Will's class is pretty much a layout class where as Kato will teach you a fair bit about painting as well as composition. Further, you're gonna end up with Will for a bunch of other classes, where Kato doesn't teach much else you'll have an easy time getting in Ent. Arts.

Digital Illustration: Dana Duncan was nice enough, it's just a class to teach you illustrator after all and you don't end up with a ton of work in there compared to other studios.

Vis Com Fundamentals is what used to be History of Viscom I think, and if so, John Braumfield is fucking amazing. He will teach you everything you could possibly want about looking at an image critically and contextualizing it as a creative director would have to. Guy is amazing.

Modernism: just avoid Eva Forgacs.

Expressive Type: Just avoid this class <.<

thanks! so probably sketching for illustration? i've had dana before she's pretty cool. very fun and bubbly but kinda wished it was more challenging. what was wrong with expressive type? i looked at the gallery stuff and it looked kiind of fun but maybe that was just one project. i think bertling may be teaching viscom if you know anything about him.. i didn't see other teachers on the list unfortunately. :/

[Gygaxis]

ah, that's a different class, that's like actual viscom studio, yeah, Thomas Bertling is great, John Bruamfields _____ of VisCom is an academic class that is amazingly worth having. He also teaches the history of propaganda class.

As to Expressive Type, I just personally want nothing to do with type and with as full a curriculum you can build out of pertinent studios I'm trying to avoid it like the plague

[eric_g77]

did any new students receive anything for scholarship yet????? =(

[a la bapsi]

did any new students receive anything for scholarship yet????? =(

not yet. :C
i did get some info on transfer credit. everything i took at pierce while in high school transfers HOO RAH

[eric_g77]

not yet. :C
i did get some info on transfer credit. everything i took at pierce while in high school transfers HOO RAH

wait, did you go ASK them, or did they send u a letter regarding ur transfer credit?

[a la bapsi]

wait, did you go ASK them, or did they send u a letter regarding ur transfer credit?

they sent me a letter. ;o

[eric_g77]

they sent me a letter. ;o


WHAT?! argh, wth man. I BETTER get credit for my classes at pcc. =(
anyways, hope to see sum of u at student night tonite! ill be carrying a big camera around with me. so say hi! =D

[a la bapsi]

DIDN'T SEE ANY OF YOUR DORKS THERE.
>:[ lame-os

[eric_g77]

DIDN'T SEE ANY OF YOUR DORKS THERE.
>:[ lame-os

tonite was lame. wasted my 2 hours ><

[Reject-D]

i didnt see any of you guys either.. i was lookin.. but i got hooked up with some ent people.. so that was cool.

[a la bapsi]

haha.......i guess i'll see you all during orientation week. 8D;

[Pseudocognition]

:( yeah well I didn't see ANY of you... from all the way out here in CT. *reeeeach*

[GhostDoll]

Reading through this thread makes me remember so much..haha. Personally, I think Art Center's not that great with their mailing. I had a great deal of trouble trying to get my admission letter and stuff that followed.

Are you all starting fall term?


As to Expressive Type, I just personally want nothing to do with type and with as full a curriculum you can build out of pertinent studios I'm trying to avoid it like the plague


Expressive Type is a required class so I don't see the point in avoiding it? I thought it was pretty fun and I got quite a lot out of it. Of course, that's just me. A lot of people aren't very excited about it.

[a la bapsi]

yup, starting this fall.

Expressive Type is a required class so I don't see the point in avoiding it? I thought it was pretty fun and I got quite a lot out of it. Of course, that's just me. A lot of people aren't very excited about it.

haha i hear you find a lot of 5th and 6th term kids in those required classes like modernism. gotta take it now or later, why not get it over with while you're still bright eyed and bushy tailed?

[eric_g77]

wow....i just got my scholarship n finianical aid package. i didnt get scholarship. WHAT THE FUCK. im freaken dirt poor, how m i goin to pay for this?!?! =(

[Justin.]

think I already might have posted this, but if not-

ALL ENTERING ENTERTAINMENT, PRODUCT, OR TRANSPORTATION students should DEFINITELY look at this blog.
http://studio.angoulvant.net/

It is literally a flawless documentation of our first 2 terms (except everyone has different Design Process 2 classes). He has photos and descriptions of all the assignments, with B+(on the low low end) to A level work consistently. I wish I had this when I started.

[Ex3.beatnik]

Hey all quick question if no one minds. Right now I'm an illustration student enrolled at the academy up in SF (sometimes for better, sometimes for worse), and at this point am probably going to be sticking with it until I snag the BFA at the end, but was wondering how the masters programs down at art center were (I'm sure they're epic, but first hand tales, yodelings & rants tend to paint a more accurate picture in the end, as I'm fairly interested in the entertainment design bit which seems to be rolling in the industrial design along with the tradional ill. classes).

-->Also while my brain is still with me for the moment, do any of you think it would be worth the transfer on down as it is just that much better, and if so, did they ever get any student housing, as I heard they had two campus sites and nothing for the students currently. (Which seems odd to me at least).

If anything, sorry for being a pain and possibly asking horridly redundant question(s).

(Thanks :) )

[pipermints]

how long have you been at SF?

[Ex3.beatnik]

been there for a year now, and am going into the sophomore year. Been good in all, but I can't help but sniff around.

[Justin.]

Personally, I would say it's worth the transfer down. However, something you might be interested in;

you will have to start from term 1, as it is an Industrial design degree, not a Fine Arts degree.

No, they don't have student housing. I don't mind... most of us view it as a test of those who want it badly enough. Art center has always been for the more 'adult' crowd, not really meant for those out of high school, although in recent years, most of the alums say that the students have gotten much less mature due to lower acceptance standards. While the Art center administration will starkly deny the slackening of their standards, it's pretty obvious if you have a frame of reference.

I would say, if concept design is what you want to do (moreso than illustration), then hell yeah, come on down. However, if you enjoy doing full paintings more than sketching stuff (working out the design of it, going through design process until you are able to come up with an original but evocative design), you might want to stay where you are. It's a program for people who REALLY love sketching and designing stuff, not so much for people who love ONLY painting stuff. Of course we learn to paint, but it's not as painting intensive as an illustration program.

[le_dominator]

For the cost of the tuition why wouldn't you just buy your own equipment and save yourself the 40 years of paying back that unholy amount of debt?

If you're around San Francisco, you can go over to TechShop to use their equipment. It's cheap as hell and some heavy stuff in there.

http://www.techshop.ws

The most thorough curriculum in book form on perspective drawing I've ever seen (includes plans, elevations, axonometrics, etc) is $25 used over here:

Basic Perspective Drawing: A Visual Guide (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0471472743/ref=s9_simx_gw_s0_p14_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1R1DJBZNHN478ER8ETTP&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846)

I don't know why it's called "Basic". Your head will explode with all the information in that book and the curriculum is orderly and cumulative.

After that, you can make any form you can think of in 3D when you know tools and materials.

The Scott Robertson DVDs are also worth every penny for fast, accurate, lovely rendering. You can get all three for all of $150 bucks.

A band saw, a joiner / planer, a drill press, each run about $400 for good ones. Add to that a dremel tool and an airbrush and you're still clocking in at less than $2500.

Or you could just get one of these bad sons a' bitches (http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00921754000P?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&cat=Bench+Power+Tools&subcat=Jointers%252C+Planers+%2526+Shapers&pid=00921754000&sid=IOx20060405x0000099) for around $2000.


And if you need parts for ANYTHING, there is the motherload at McMaster-Carr (http://www.mcmaster.com).

Getting into that much debt is a serious concern with massive repercussions. If you are self motivated and really want to prove how bad you want it, then look into assembling your own shop. It's a lot cheaper than you think.

Weigh the options out before you commit to that sort of debt. Hope my playing devil's advocate helped a bit.

[Jonas Heirwegh]

Ok, seriously. I assume you are talking about the trans and product major. There is alot more to it then just tools. I dont believe you can just become a transportation or product designer with self study.
For these majors I think you should really consider a school like art center, if you are motivated enough it should be possible to get scholarship. Most "easy" way to get scholarship is to take classes at pcc first, take Stan Kong his classes and work hard...

Yes the tuition is still high, but you can fairly say that those majors are worth it if you want it bad enough. Or you can come to europa and go to Pforzheim Transportation & Design program in Germany where education is still cheap ;)

The entertainment or illustration major is not worth the debt though.

[le_dominator]

Why would you not be able to study the design portion on your own and couple that knowledge with a degree in engineering from a state uni?

I'm not making any claims that self-learning design is an *easy* task because we all know nothing could be farther from the truth, however learning ideation, concept, and prototyping is quite a bit different than implementation and manufacturing (the domain of engineering).

As an aside, Cal State Long Beach also offers degrees in ID. Art Center's tuition is dangerous for a lot of people. If you can afford it, yes it is a good school. If you cannot, there are still multiple options for getting into ID (or any other creative field for that matter).

Another of those options is to go abroad! Really if you are considering going into that level of debt, you can pretty much do whatever you want. Again, these are all personal choices a person makes for themselves and I'm just playing devil's advocate.

[a la bapsi]

...Is digital illustration a required class for the illu major?

[pipermints]

...Is digital illustration a required class for the illu major?

i believe so at least for ent arts. a lot of freedom in the class as long as you use the tools in illustrator that they want you to. why?

[Justin.]

Why would you not be able to study the design portion on your own and couple that knowledge with a degree in engineering from a state uni?

It might have something to do with 70% of automotive designers coming from Art Center, or the fact that many of the best designers in LA -teach- at art center, or maybe the fact that, while you gain the necessary knowledge from engineering uni, you are still getting more information than you are going to use. Not to mention the utter lack of any competition whatsoever, as well as lack of any other points of view. Most students at design schools aren't on Car design news or Here or wherever, and I'd put 'students' in the top 3 reasons to go to a school like Art Center.

I have no problem with people being against Art Center, I'm just making counter-points for people to think about.

However, I still have to disagree with Epias on this point:
The entertainment...major is not worth the debt though.

[le_dominator]

Hey, I just want to be clear that I'm not against Art Center in terms of the people who teach there or the students in attendance. There are some great people over there. The only thing I'm against in any of these trade schools is their tuition costs. They are trade schools first and foremost and some administrations seem to have no problems about leaving people in dangerous financial straits.

I've had a few friends and acquaintances graduate from there with varying degrees of success ranging from doing pretty well as a motion designer to now being homeless after being incapable of getting work and paying back his massive debts. Just to reiterate, my criticism is of the administration, not the students or the teachers.

$200k+ debt (paid back to the bank with interest over 40 years) to work in a $70k a year job? That's med school debt (who make exponentially more money than a designer). If you went to uni for engineering it would be up to you to push the envelope. There would be obstacles to your creativity, lame bureaucratic hoop jumping, etc, but at the end of it you also have a versatile degree and a wider skillset. Would you be in a sexy, glossy environment? Nope. Would you be around cool people? Maybe one or two, but more likely than not you'd be around human calculators. ;) Would you be able to prototype, create, and lead teams of people to get a complicated project off the ground? Yes.

Engineering degrees aren't exactly a cakewalk with irrelevant mumbo jumbo. Those people are entrusted to make bridges, transport systems, electrical grids that power cities, etc etc. If you can manage to do that, then with a couple years of sleepless nights and some hardcore dedication you can learn the creative and go into ID.

$200k for a sexy, chic environment with lots of cool looking people, or $6k in an unglamorous university situation and long nights busting your ass like a mad scientist and shmoozing with other departments so you could get access to their resources? Teaches persistence, social skills, etc.

Anyway, I gotta get back to my finals but I'll check back here. You make good engaging points and I like to hash this stuff out :)

[Lianna]

I also like to point out that students heading into entertainment design should not expect to graduate in 8 terms. Yes, technically, it is a 4 year program but they do not tell you the little details, like how you're expected to complete 18 credits per term, every term if you want to graduate by then. That means you're taking 6 classes per term, each studio is 5 hrs long, academic 3 hrs, homework for each studio is usually range from 6 to 12, but can be as much as 20 hrs. Honestly, I think unless you're really amazing already, its a really tough load. Most of my friends who've taken classes elsewhere and have credits subbed are averaging 9 terms. Those graduated out of high school can expect to stay in art center for 10. So please be aware and calculate that into your college overall expense.. counselors will not bring this subject up, only your classmates will.. so yes, don't fall into this situation.. Tell your parents to expect a 5 year program. (It'll never hurt to say you can graduate early, but vise versa is a pain)

Still recommend this school, great environment, great teachers, just really painful financially.

Hope this helps.

[Justin.]

Small update;

6 of the 22 1st year students in Entertainment so far have gotten internships for the summer :D

[xshay12000x]

for international students out there,
do you need both SAT and TOEFL to apply for art center? or can u submib just one of them?

[painto-]

http://www.artcenter.edu/accd/admissions/undergraduate/international.jsp

Art Center welcomes international students and values cultural diversity in the classroom. All Art Center courses are conducted in English. Undergraduate applicants with a native language other than English must score at least 80 on the Internet Based TOEFL (iBT) to be considered for admission. In addition, the college may require the following minimum scores on each section of the test:
Writing: 19; Speaking: 23; Reading: 20; Listening: 18

[rouge]

I'm pretty curious what current students - if any - feel about the new president (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/07/art-center-college-of-design-picks-a-new-president-with-jobspecific-experience.html) coming in?

I remember reading a lot of dissatisfaction from the community last year about the previous administration. I know all schools have red-tape but was it really that bad?

The school is awesome and as someone who's thinking of going there in a year or so, I'm really interested to see what all these new changes mean to you guys.

[Justin.]

All of the following is mostly gossip I've gathered. I wasn't a part of the school until after everything went down, so it's all from other people's mouths.

The reason people were upset about the old pres, Koshalek, was because he supported building a new "Library" called the Design Research Center (aka DRC) being designed by Frank Gehry. They had already shelled out 300k to him to design it, and I heard the total budget estimates were somewhere in the 8 figure range. They claim that all of it was coming from endowments or something, but since around 2001 as I understand, tuition has gone up about 5% a year (essentially doubled in less than a decade), and enrollment has gone up. So the students are all wondering where the money is going to. As for the new president, I think we'll have to wait and see.

Oh yeah.. more facts about the old administration. Apparently Nate Young, who was VP if I remember- was essentially 'ousted' from his position for disagreeing about the DRC, as well as other people in the administration who may have been threatened with losing their jobs. The students were extremely upset over this, and one student (Nathan Cooke, from Product major I believe) made a big blogpost about it, and a petition with 1400 signatures. This made the board of trustees end Koshalek's contract.

It really seems like some TV show storyline, especially this part... a few days after the board announced they were ending his contract, they released a statement titled 'DRC plans are full-speed ahead'. apparently the board were the ones who approved it, Koshalek was just a proponent.

There is a video of Koshalek in a meeting with the student government saying that ACCD needs the DRC for prestige. So people will say 'oh, you're from that school that has that super expensive library! amazing! We'll hire you!' (which is kind of a dumb reason..)

There was also a counter-petition to the original 'Education first' that actually managed to generate like 400 signatures from alot of architects.. alot of them claiming that the students don't know what's for their own good.

As I understand it, some of my friends who had much closer proximity to all the events have quite different views on the events, but they won't divulge, and I don't blame them. I also don't really prefer to get caught up in politics like this, maybe once I'm an alumni and have the ability to support the school... but I have much better things to waste time on currently. Anyways, just thought I'd inform. With a little bit of research you can find most of the information, and probably much more accurately then the spew I just left you here.

Good luck, what major will you be in?

[nicehighs]

Hey, I'm sending my portfolio in for the fall semester majoring in illustration. If I get accepted how will I afford living in this area because art center obviously doesn't have dorms.

[Justin.]

Well, if your parents aren't paying for it, you will probably have to get loans for living expenses. I've only ever heard of a few people in illustration who are able to hold down a part-time job, and they aren't exactly the epitome of a serious art student.

Apartment depends on what you want. Low-average is around 525-550, but if I were you I'd plan for 650 because unless you know where you are staying ahead of time you don't know what's going to happen. Also, you will want a car. I know some people who bike or take the shuttle though, but being dependent on people with cars can drive them nuts.

[nicehighs]

My parents are definitely not paying for it. You can take out loans to live off of? That's crazy going to have to look into that.

[eric_g77]

hey justin, got a quick question for you regarding student loans ( if u know it )
ill be starting in fall for illustration n i've about $25,000 covered so far w/ fafasa, scholarship n federal loans. so ill probalby need another $20,000 to cover the years tuition.

went to Finiancial aid office last week n they were exactly all that helpful, this dumb asian lady just told me to grab a bunch of brochures outside the office n start from there. i asked her what specific loans would she recommend for students n she told me she couldnt do that because its a voliation or whatevers.

anyways, i figured i would get alot more info n whatnot from current students attending art center. like specific loaning programs that u would recommend? THANKS DUDE!!!

[Justin.]

You would be best off researching it with your parents, that's what I did. I can only go so deep, having no credit. We worked it out so once I'm out my parents will switch the loan payment over to me. We did the PLUS loan from sallie mae.

It's weird because there's so many different ways the loans work. It's best to go through someone like your parents who have financial experience. It's true though, the people in the FAO can't really direct you to specific stuff because they could be accepting commissions under the table, it's not their fault.

Anyways, I don't really know much about the different kinds of loans really. Just research them yourself. Those brochures may have been a really good idea.

[eric_g77]

You would be best off researching it with your parents, that's what I did. I can only go so deep, having no credit. We worked it out so once I'm out my parents will switch the loan payment over to me. We did the PLUS loan from sallie mae.

It's weird because there's so many different ways the loans work. It's best to go through someone like your parents who have financial experience. It's true though, the people in the FAO can't really direct you to specific stuff because they could be accepting commissions under the table, it's not their fault.

Anyways, I don't really know much about the different kinds of loans really. Just research them yourself. Those brochures may have been a really good idea.

thanks for the help! so fuckeen excited to start art center!!! haha

[rouge]

All of the following is mostly gossip I've gathered. I wasn't a part of the school until after everything went down, so it's all from other people's mouths.

The reason people were upset about the old pres, Koshalek, was because he supported building a new "Library" called the Design Research Center (aka DRC) being designed by Frank Gehry. They had already shelled out 300k to him to design it, and I heard the total budget estimates were somewhere in the 8 figure range. They claim that all of it was coming from endowments or something, but since around 2001 as I understand, tuition has gone up about 5% a year (essentially doubled in less than a decade), and enrollment has gone up. So the students are all wondering where the money is going to. As for the new president, I think we'll have to wait and see.

Oh yeah.. more facts about the old administration. Apparently Nate Young, who was VP if I remember- was essentially 'ousted' from his position for disagreeing about the DRC, as well as other people in the administration who may have been threatened with losing their jobs. The students were extremely upset over this, and one student (Nathan Cooke, from Product major I believe) made a big blogpost about it, and a petition with 1400 signatures. This made the board of trustees end Koshalek's contract.

It really seems like some TV show storyline, especially this part... a few days after the board announced they were ending his contract, they released a statement titled 'DRC plans are full-speed ahead'. apparently the board were the ones who approved it, Koshalek was just a proponent.

There is a video of Koshalek in a meeting with the student government saying that ACCD needs the DRC for prestige. So people will say 'oh, you're from that school that has that super expensive library! amazing! We'll hire you!' (which is kind of a dumb reason..)

There was also a counter-petition to the original 'Education first' that actually managed to generate like 400 signatures from alot of architects.. alot of them claiming that the students don't know what's for their own good.

As I understand it, some of my friends who had much closer proximity to all the events have quite different views on the events, but they won't divulge, and I don't blame them. I also don't really prefer to get caught up in politics like this, maybe once I'm an alumni and have the ability to support the school... but I have much better things to waste time on currently. Anyways, just thought I'd inform. With a little bit of research you can find most of the information, and probably much more accurately then the spew I just left you here.

Good luck, what major will you be in?

Thanks Justin. Gave me a bit of insight.

I'm going into Graphic Design and have been looking at the school for a long time. How's your experience so far?

[Justin.]

Mine is amazing, but I can't really comment on GD at all, as the majors are 100% different. I think we only share a writing class in first term...

[pipermints]

Are there good study abroad programs at art center? I really want to study abroad sometime and just go somewhere and experience something different. I heard of a trip to Japan but it sounds more for graphic design? And the illustration trip to London is too pricey and short.. I would like to take a term off to study somewhere and have credits transfer but don't know how or where I could do that. Is it true there was a sister school in Europe? Why isn't there a more established/longer program at Art Center for it like at other schools?

[Gygaxis]

So I'm going into 6th term Entertainment Arts (The illu minor) I started in fall 05 and was gone between fall 06 through summer 08, returning fall 08 with a variety of crap happening in the interim (most applicable here would be the whole Entertainment Design program breaking off into it's own major)

I actually did a bit of gossip hunting on the whole old pres vs new president and for the most part what Justin went through was the extent of the story, the figure I heard for building it was in the $50m range, the school administration/board of trustee's claims that all the money coming for that was being independently fundraised for vs taking out of the endowment directly, however that costs time which could have been spent fundraising for our endowment and scholarship stuff which is a big portion of what was angering people, also due to some budget things very helpful teachers were getting frustrated being stuck as part time and class sessions getting canned. Examples of this are one of the better head and hand drawing teachers left and is now a teacher at Laguna College of Art and Design, the imaginatomy who is also one of the analytical figure teachers almost left because of cutting analytical figure sessions (Which almost killed the entire class) and the illustration section of Dynamic Sketching (pen and ink on site location drawing, huge portfolio builder and very very important class to take) was almost cut and tried to have illustration students just take the product version (product's viscom 4) which lead to some of the interdepartment pain in the ass crap that exists to this day. This was also timed with several popular teachers leaving due to work opportunities a perspective/entertainment teacher left to be a department chair elsewhere, one of the really popular digital landspace painting teachers has been around for 1-2 terms in the last 3 years (robh rupppel), a really strong figure drawing/character teacher (Danny Galiotte) left to work in animation again at Disney and the Entertainment Design program has been kind of built up around the students that have been graduating in the last few terms and that has lead to some lame guinnea pig situations. That all said not everything obviously is pinned on the former president but there was a strong feeling around campus that he was not using his time well and the goals he was pursuing on the behest of the board of trustees were not the goals we wanted to see. In defense of the new library/building idea it was not just to be a status symbol but also the hope was that it would result in increased fundraising potential for the school and a focal point to eventually get us more money which is important cause of things like a very very low alumni reinvestment from grads (the figure I recall is between 2-5% of graduates which is a pretty small figure for this type of school)

The new president sounds like he will work better, and the interim president was very helpful as well. From what I understand the new president is supposed to be focusing primarily on fundraising for scholarship fund his first year. So far we've boosted the scholarships given out this year by $1.2m which is helpful and a not inconsequential increase. We still aren't in line with the 27-36% average tuition -> scholarships that the college of art and design accreditation certified group of colleges has, we were as low as 11% which is really dismal. Also I believe tuition has actually be averaging +6% each term, and one of my teachers was an art center alum from the late 90s who was paying $8k/term vs the $14.5 this term.

Digital Illustration is a required illustration class, it's helpful if you're not terribly familiar with vector art and a bit of logo design stuff, but you can probably talk Amy into letting you sub a different class.

You can take out a variety of loans to meet up to your art center certified need amount. Ideally after your stafford loans/pell grants/calgrant/perkins loans/scholarships if your parents are cool with it, PLUS loans are you best option, they are a federal loan and should consolidate federally and also will fall under the new federal loan repayment options that can reduce payments best of financial need and after 10/25 years if you're still in repayment debt is cleared (10 years if you've been working in public service, 25 otherwise.) Otherwise you're going to be looking for a private loan which you will almost certainly need a cosigner to qualify for, elmresources or whatever the hell it's called compares some loans the federal financial aid site also has a more extensive comparison of lenders, and it's important to do a bit of homework to find out what you need most. For me, I need a cosigner release option (after 24-36 months consecutive on time payment your cosigner (ie: My parents) are released from their cosign obligation and loan goes fully to me) loan origination fees etc. And unfortunately the financial aid department is legally unable to suggest you a specific lender due to not wanting lenders to purchase favorable relationships with schools that offer poor value to the students.

Rent has been dropping in socal, the housing market in California still lags behind whats happening in the rest of the country but in my time at ACCD I've found some pretty tiny places up in like Eagle rock for as low as $400/mo for a room, fairly nice rooms for $650-750/mo and that will likely be dropping over the next year or two further it's starting to show signs already.



That all said, I'm stoked this is my first term in quite some time that I actually got all of the classes I wanted too with only about 15 emails and 3 phone calls to sort it out (yay being out of town.) So anyone in Advertising and Propaganda, Style, Digital Landscape Painting (Alex Schaeffer and Dominic Domingo's wed section), Intro to Matte Painting, and Historic Environments for Matte Painting. Think that's enough late night ranting, I need to get back to logo design for a friend.

[Sheff]

That teacher you're refering to who went to Laguna is a good friend of mine. One of the reasons he's there is because it's a lot closer to where he lives as opposed to Pasadena. The drive to Art Center was killing him.

[Gygaxis]

Sheff: Yeah, I know there are some other reasons too, and there were a lot of not president of the school's problems that bugged him, he was an amazing teacher and I consider him one of my mentors while he was around at Art Center.

[Riiroi]

think I already might have posted this, but if not-

ALL ENTERING ENTERTAINMENT, PRODUCT, OR TRANSPORTATION students should DEFINITELY look at this blog.
http://studio.angoulvant.net/

It is literally a flawless documentation of our first 2 terms (except everyone has different Design Process 2 classes). He has photos and descriptions of all the assignments, with B+(on the low low end) to A level work consistently. I wish I had this when I started.

Sorry but I have a few questions.

Do you guys at Ent.Des work with clay, fiberglass and saws as well?
Also, have you guys taken any character modules yet? I'd really like to see what kind of assignments you guys are given.

Thanks.

[Justin.]

Yep, in 1st term we learn to use the shop- the lathe, the bandsaw, the table saw, the radial arm saw, the drill press, disc sanders rotary sanders, vacuum former etc.. we also learn to use a bunch of the chemicals, we make a 2 part mold with RTV and plaster casts, as well as using metal glaze and body filler... the first year we have a few shop classes. In one of them you get to build a tank :D oh and yes, we do get to work with clay, though it's automotive clay, not sculpy. oh and yes, we learn to use fiberglass as well (it's free!!)

So far we haven't taken a specific character module, but we have done classes that require us to draw characters. I think their assignments are things like redesigning characters from a variety of properties (some live action, some animation, etc.)

hope that helps.

[Riiroi]

Thanks for the info! So do you guys still have shop classes in 2nd year? Also, is it possible to take modules from another Major during the 1st year?

[Gygaxis]

Taking courses from another major at any point is a giant pain in the ass it will require the signature of the other major's chair and them having room in the class, I haven't had to deal with it in a while but in 2nd term when I wasn't able to get into an early id class (viscom 1) because there were like 3-5 seats they would allow non id majors to have in the class I was only able to get in in 3rd term because we made them stat a wait list the 2nd or 3rd week of 2nd term which is like 15 weeks before that class starts.

[a la bapsi]

damn. that's intense.
i was hoping to be able to do something like that second or third term.
did you think it was worth it?

[Riiroi]

Awww man... Just wondering, are you from Illustration Gygaxis?
Thanks for the info by the way!

[Justin.]

In 1st and second term, taking classes outside the major is next to impossible. not because of red tape, but seriously. In 1st term you will not be thinking of anything other than getting your next classes homework done. at one point you take 7 classes in 5 days (over the course of the term there are 9 different classes, some start and stop through-out the term). 2nd term is your chance to spend more time on each class, so again I'm not so sure you'd want to take another class outside of it.

3rd term I think there's more leeway, but that's when we get good classes (less than a month!! wahoo!)
Advanced Perspective (building off of viscom 1, doing things like many oddly rotated objects, keeping distances relative from different viewing angles in an environment etc)
Viscom 3 (Material indication and photoshop rendering with Scott, we do characters and vehicles and stuff and just learn how to paint materials nicely, quickly, and correctly)
Imaginatomy (Designing your own creature and then building the skeleton with sculpy)
Creative ID process (doing iterative process, making a model, then reworking your idea to match the necessities of the physical model)

I'm curious, is there something specific you want to do in the shop?

[Gygaxis]

Yes, I'm Illustration, Entertainment Arts minor, the new matte painting track in illustration is opening up some of the other areas that the ent arts program was weak in vs ent design, now the big difference in my opinion is that id work from ent design is still stronger where ent arts does better character work. Ent Arts also leans more towards feature animation vs big budget sfx movies and games like ent design. They are redoing the creative perspective class in ent arts to actually BE a perspective class too and try and be an analog to Thomas Bertling's advanced perspective (which I'm told is also a great class to learn how to cut the right corners and really speed up your perspective work while still being precise.)

[Riiroi]

@Gygaxis Wow that's awesome to hear. It's no wonder I see Vis. Comm listed in course catalog.
Thanks for the info.

@Justin Haha well I was just wanted to find out more about the various modules as I'll only be sending in my application 2 years from now and I can't seem to find anything in the online course catalog. Just wondering, is it any easier to take modules from another major as an Ent. Des student. I read your post about transfers a few pages back and it seems to me that it's possible to take another major let's say Illustration for 2.5 years and then transfer to Ent. Design and start from scratch. Am I right? Also I can't seem to find Imaginatomy in the Course of Study section of the catalog but only in the Course Description section. Likewise for Analytical Figure and Character Design. Why is this so?
I apologize if I'm asking too much and thanks for the earlier info.

[rossipoo]

I just wanted to say good luck to all the students about to start their classes at art center

Goodluck Ilus!
Goodluck Ent Des!
Good luck everyone!
Good luck bapsi :D

[eric_g77]

school starts in 2 weeks!!! so exicited!

i know this has probably been asked about a million times. but how many hours of hw should i be expecting? specificly illustration major? any time to fit in a girlfriend? lol

[Harkins]

school starts in 2 weeks!!! so exicited!

i know this has probably been asked about a million times. but how many hours of hw should i be expecting? specificly illustration major? any time to fit in a girlfriend? lol

I never went to artcenter, but I'm a firm believer that during college you should stay as single as possible.

[Gygaxis]

Expect to be doing 5-15 hours of homework a week per class usually you won't get over 10 but sometimes you will and plan accordingly.

I've also been in a relationship the entire time I've been at Art Center starting just as I came to school and it's never been responsible for screwing up my grades and has many times been very very valuable support when I'm freaking out with stress.

[eric_g77]

Expect to be doing 5-15 hours of homework a week per class usually you won't get over 10 but sometimes you will and plan accordingly.

I've also been in a relationship the entire time I've been at Art Center starting just as I came to school and it's never been responsible for screwing up my grades and has many times been very very valuable support when I'm freaking out with stress.


thanks dude. i've been worrying if i can squeeze out any time for my girlfriend since all i hear is how fucken intense the workload is all the time.

[a la bapsi]

Stupid fire. Orientation's postponed for a day because of it. :[

[eric_g77]

lol wtf, really? how did u hear about that? i didnt get ANYTHING!!!

[Justin.]

email+phonecall

[GhostDoll]

Orientation has been shortened to 2 days. It will be on Thursday and Friday due to bad air conditions from the fire.

[a la bapsi]

I wonder how that's gonna turn out.
I have waiver tests to take! D:

[pipermints]

thanks dude. i've been worrying if i can squeeze out any time for my girlfriend since all i hear is how fucken intense the workload is all the time.

i wouldnt worry too much there are plenty of people at art center that are in relationships and are doing okay. if you manage your time well you can always make some time for things you really want to as long as you don't let it interfere with your work. :) (or you can do hw with her) it's intense yes, but do-able.

[Gygaxis]

This fire is crappy >.< the quality of the air down here right now is abysmal (I just moved back to the northern part of Pasadena today and am not digging this ash crap.)

Another note on relationships at school, I know several people that have done just fine getting married and having kids while attending ACCD.

[eric_g77]

thanks peeps for all the tips!!! much appreciated

but yeah....this fire shit is really starting to piss me off. is orientation still on for tomrow or are they delaying it till thursday??????? they havnt sent me shit thru email yet. wtf!!!

[iamnotatypeofflower]

hey guys, really noob question here. Regarding the tuition fees for Art Center, i kinda checked out the site and everything, its 8 terms long, so that means its 4 semesters? so the tuition fees are pretty much annual?

[Justin.]

no... a term is a semester. 8 terms is 4 years if you take 2 terms per year. (there are maximum 3 terms per year for every major except entertainment design, which I'm going to guess is what you want).

The tuition they list (15k or something) is per term, aka twice per year.

[painto-]

no... a term is a semester. 8 terms is 4 years if you take 2 terms per year. (there are maximum 3 terms per year for every major except entertainment design, which I'm going to guess is what you want).

The tuition they list (15k or something) is per term, aka twice per year.

no...

at art center a term is NOT a semester

*se·mes·ter
* Pronunciation: \sə-ˈmes-tər\
* Function: noun
* Etymology: German, from Latin semestris half-yearly, from sex six + mensis month — more at six, moon

1 : either of the two usually 18-week periods of instruction into which an academic year is often divided
2 : a period of six months

[Gygaxis]

Randomly quoting dictionaries aside, art center is a semester based system with 14 week semesters usually called "terms" but also "Fall semester/spring semester/summer semester" an academic semester in us colleges is usually 14-15 weeks quarters are 10-11 and "terms" don't exist and are just a bs name art center uses.

[pipermints]

okaay well it's technically not a semester but its almost like a semester but a bit shorter if you just think of it as 3 squished into a year. either way it is 4 years if you take 2 each year.

[iamnotatypeofflower]

haha thanks guys. Just kinda needed to get that sorted out=)

[steve kim]

hey can someone post or pm me the fall 2009 workshop schedule. i live close to pas now and would like to do some fig drawing if the schedule ever allows.

steve

[Gygaxis]

Mon 2-7 Figure drawing in 102
Tue 2-7 Figure Drawing in 111
Wed 2-7 Figure Drawing in 110
Wed 2-5 Portrait Painting in 111
Thu 5-10 Costume/Figure Painting in 103
Fri 4-10 Figure Drawing in 110
Fri 4-10 Costume Painting in 11
Sat 10-3 Head Drawing in 103

[Gygaxis]

Question for Entertainment Design majors. I ended up staying Illustration/Ent Arts because I didn't trust the school to not try and screw up with transferring to Entertainment Design and I'm hoping to be able to just snag a few classes from Entertainment Design that I don't feel there's a solid Ill version of. So far I'm looking at Character 1 and 2, Viscom 4, and Vehicle and Prop, are there any other classes you consider super essential? Illustration's got an analogy for advanced perspective and for Arch 1/2 now, I've done Color Theory for Ent, and Dynamic Sketching with Norm, taking Digital Landscape at the moment and I'm trying to really get a clear picture of what studio classes I want to make sure I get in before I graduate. Soooo any opinions on classes that were just amazing or covered really essential topics in your minds?

[Justin.]

If you haven't taken viscom 1 and 2, I would consider them the ultimate must. I would say viscom 1 is the single most important class in the entire program, as almost everything aside from characters is pretty much directly related to it, and the fact it is essentially a 100% perfect method of drawing manmade objects. From what I have heard about Illustrations 'Perspective I' class, they are completely different in approach, application, and final result.

Apart from that, we are about to undertake a re-vamped Creative ID process class which is essentially concept production for movies (live action or animation). Characters, environments, props, vehicles- it's comprehensive, and you build a model of one of your concepts at the end. (You need 3d fundamentals 1 or an equivalent to work in the model shop though).

But then again I'm only 3rd term. If you have an academic slot open, take art of research (if you haven't). It's an amazing class. Try for Ron Pierce, as he will allow you to tailor your assignments to entertainment related fields. The only problem I see you possibly facing with classes other than viscom 1/2 is that I think the program is tightening up even more in terms of who can take what class. So far, all of our studio classes consist only of our term's class, I don't think anyone else is being admitted. (not trying to be a jerk or anything, I think they are just tying down the program now that it's official, they want to keep classes down. Last year Viscom 3 and 4 had over 50 people in 1 classroom. They also have less teachers, as I understand it last year they had 2 or 3 Viscom 3 teachers.)

[Gygaxis]

I've had VisCom 1, and yeah draw through > perspective, I've really got no solid idea what Creative Perspective for Entertainment, the Illustration department's new class is other than that it was intended to be similar to Adv. Perspective.

I've got access to the model shop but 0 interest in building models, maybe Imaginatomy's one but that's more maquette than model. I've done Art of Research too, though the instructor I took it with has since retired (I did the trans version with a Honda R&D vet and enjoyed it a lot)

40-50 is a pretty huge class, think Viscom 1 when I took several years ago was like 35 or so and that was with Scott, Neville, and Thomas all teaching it.

Now I'm primarily trying to hunt down classes that'll really help my design skills and am pretty comfortable with my foundation stuff so classes like Character 1 with Kevin and Hong and 2 wit Neville are really big draws for me cause the entertainment art's stuff is all a lot more focused on doing character designs for feature animation. Suppose I'll have to just talk with department chairs on most of this, I've got my 6th term review this term anyway at least.

[Riiroi]

I heard that Art Center is planning to build student housing. Anybody have any ideas how that is going? Have they started construction?

[Gygaxis]

Theoretically they have the right to develop student housing in old town pasadena near south campus, they haven't broken ground or even announced any official construction plans as far as I know. I wouldn't expect anything to come out of it in the next several years

[rossipoo]

They should start right now. at this very hour, minute, second, :D

[a la bapsi]

SECONDED.
bapsi needs a home. D:

[Alzuna]

Hmm, glad I saw this thread. I'm looking for places to go right now and this place looks promising fo sho.

[rossipoo]

SECONDED.
bapsi needs a home. D:

And ross needs to walk down the hall and knock on bapsi's door and give her some copic markers :)

[Platinumheart]

Hey guys I was just wondering if there was a place where a few people who were going into the entertainment design program had posted there portfolio, can anybody point me in the right direction?

[rossipoo]

@platinumheart Did you read the art center website? They list exactly what they want for the portfolio.

[Platinumheart]

Oh i know the requirements for the portfolio and all i was just curious to see what some peoples portfolios were that got accepted, like see how they had them set up, the quality of the work ect ect not really what i have to have i already know that, the only persons portfolio i had seen that applied to the entertainment design was http://shiramune.deviantart.com/ and his i believe is a little high brow,but i could be wrong,thats kinda why i wanted to see some other examples of accepted portfolios

[starshptroopr]

Hi all. Been following this thread for quite a while and I have a few questions about ACCD and its illustration program. Basically I am looking for a program that will give me, more than anything else, solid foundation skills in drawing and painting (traditional and digital).

If I knew that I could do it, I suppose I would be a fine artist--set up my gallery and get paid to paint whatever I want. But career wise that seems a bit risky. Illustration seems like a good way to get that kind of skill set while pursuing a more stable career (I DO want to be an illustrator, but if I had to pick a dream job...). I figure if I'm good enough, I can be an illustrator and sell paintings on the side.

Question #1: Is this even worth attempting? Or should I just concentrate on one or the other?

Question #2: I know ACCD is famous for ent. and ind. design, but how does its illustration program compare to other well known schools, like ringling? Is it a good fit for me? I prefer to stay in Cali but unfortunately my situation bars me from attending state universities.

Thanks in advance.

[a la bapsi]

Illustration's pretty rad here. Everyone's different, but I sat in my fair share of studio classes at other art colleges in socal[if you're looking at other schools around here too], and the ones at art center really clicked with me.
The illu major at ac has three tracks--one of them focusing on fine-art. Maybe it's the right one for you?

[nicehighs]

do you all normally have transfers from academy of art university? I'm taking online classes and it's pretty boring. :(

[a la bapsi]

to any of you thinking of or already taking rey bustos for any class here....or anywhere for that matter:

DO NOT BE LATE. EVER.

[a la bapsi]

i've seen more transfers to here from AI's around the country than AAU. O:

[nicehighs]

AI? a la bapsi, what is that?

[a la bapsi]

the art institutes O:

[HaroldB]

to any of you thinking of or already taking rey bustos for any class here....or anywhere for that matter:

DO NOT BE LATE. EVER.

rey bustos is a douche

[nicehighs]

lol, thanks bapsi o:

[a la bapsi]

rey bustos is a douche

with him denying me a big test i spent the entire night before studying[the reason why i came a few minutes late], i really want to think so.

i'm making a huge effort not to though. after all. i was tardy.

[starshptroopr]

sorry for the noob question, but what can a first term illustration student expect at Art Center in terms of the curriculum? For instance, what kind of concepts do they go over in a foundation class and can someone describe a typical homework assignment.

My homework at jc consists of... maybe 2 drawings a week, if that. this cannot be the case in art school.

[Gygaxis]

First term illustration: Expect to fill 2-3 sketchbooks + 1-3 large newsprint pads with figure drawings. The good figure drawing teachers will have you doing a couple hundred layin's and a ton of anatomy studies and you'll be in workshops for weeks getting them all done. Probably some painting too, not sure what classes actually comprise 1st term at this point though, pretty sure it's comp and drawing which is a figure class, comp and painting, head and hands, design 1 (have fun with abstract and exacting work and making a book if you've got claypool) and an academic.

[Brashen]

Ahh missed this thread......

[starshptroopr]

Thanks Gygaxis.

What about the more technical aspects of rendering, like value, line quality, basic perspective, etc, which I'm still trying to learn on my own. Do they teach that too or are these the kinds of things that incoming students are expected to know before they get there?

I get the sense that art center focuses on design and concept and ideating because its incoming students are already masters of rendering and observational drawing. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

[Gygaxis]

you're not expected to be a master of any of that coming in, you get good via doing it over and over and so you will be made to do it over and over. You either get Perspective as a studio first term or can try and sneak into a viscom1 class which will teach you more than just perspective class would but is a lot more work. Also for illustration Creative Perspective for Entertainment with Robert Hunt that is apparently pretty solid and just started up. Thomas Bertling and Gary Meyer are also amazing perspective instructors at ACCD. As to line quality, no one is going to teach you that, it just comes from practice and more practice, closest you likely ever get is Dynamic Sketching for Illustration with Norm Scheurman that will get you really comfortable drawing in pen but that's like a 4th+ term class and pretty demanding. If you expect to be doing a lot of designing and fairly fancy work early on, illustration is not the department for you, it's very foundation oriented for the first 3 terms or so then starts to open up.

[starshptroopr]

Oh awesome. That is exactly what I needed to know. Thanks for the information.

[a la bapsi]

i hear illustration majors can take viscom 1 instead of perspective.
is it true and have any of you illustration majors out there done it?
i understand i might have to fight for my spot in the class since all id majors have to take it for their first term.. but if i can i'll up and do it. D:

[pipermints]

i hear illustration majors can take viscom 1 instead of perspective.
is it true and have any of you illustration majors out there done it?
i understand i might have to fight for my spot in the class since all id majors have to take it for their first term.. but if i can i'll up and do it. D:

I've done it but I'm not sure if that's still allowed since they recently changed the requirements. You should check if that's still allowed but yeah I took it instead and it was easy for me to get in because it was summer. I'm pretty sure it's harder spring/fall but not too bad. I couldn't get into viscom 2 though. Personally i didn't enjoy viscom that much but I did learn a lot. It's a looot of work.

[rossipoo]

Platinumheart : sorry i did not see your reply, For the portfolio just think to yourself, If i were to make concepts for a story ina movie or game, how would you do it?(Visualize the world). Paul Kwon ( shiramune )'s portfolio... At first glance, yes its rendered decently.. but as i kept exploring, it just seems like he did what he was always used to, characters with similar faces, very plastic or rubber-like rendering with very subtle ambient front lighting, the armor and cloth look the same, I just don't see any form or structure in his portfolio, don't get me wrong, he has great concepts and a great artist, but i think its from lack of sketching and drawing in 3d. I also would like to see some environments ( which is an essential to your portfolio ), But i think he didn't do any, or didn't show any, because he probably rendered environments like he did with his characters, same technique, which.. isn't how environments look (my guess). I think if he studied and practiced more away from his style/technique, i think his art would look a lot better. I think an ideal portfolio would be Justin Oaksford's, he got a half ride. He goes by the name of 'Justin.' here on CA, his portfolio is somewhere in his sketchbook. 2 other people that posted their portfolios on the web are Danny Gardner and Robert simmons, It's on their blog, I'm sure their blog will pop up if you google it.

Hope that helps!
-Ross

[chil3]

new student night on dec 2nd, anyone (new students of course) going? any new illustration students in here?

[Gygaxis]

I don't know what's going on with new student night or any details regarding that, but for those of you incoming next term, welcome to Art Center, it's a roller coaster. Depending on what program you came in things are going to be a bit different, but for those of you coming in as Illustration majors, I'm the representative for illustration students for the Art Center Student Government. For entertainment designers on their way in, Rebecca Blake is your rep. If you are coming into one of the other majors or something, I don't remember the names of your reps offhand, but if you want to know I can pull that up for you. I hope your orientation goes well, and I believe there is a sunset social every term to get the incoming class together and do a bit of a meet and greet, I'll be there if there is one, look for the tallish guy with pink hair and say hi if you so me around.

[Alisa]

I'd love to apply here for illustration, but it seems like such a pain... most of my pieces are huge and I wouldn't be able to ship them. I'd have to create a series of new drawings specifically for Art Center that are 8.5 x 11... not that I don't mind doing it, it just seems odd that I can't send slides when the majority of schools accept digital slides as a portfolio.

[HappyFatThing]

I just read something interesting on the art center facebook group and it said that art centers entertainment design only accepts about 18 students for the fall semester.

[chil3]

I just read something interesting on the art center facebook group and it said that art centers entertainment design only accepts about 18 students for the fall semester.

yeah but what's more interesting is that 2 of those 18 spots are for students switching majors (hope to get one) so that leaves only 16 spots for new students.

p.s for those planning to apply to ent. design the scholarship deadline was moved from march 1st to february 1st (because schedule issues), so there is one month less to work on portfolios.

[a la bapsi]

I'd love to apply here for illustration, but it seems like such a pain... most of my pieces are huge and I wouldn't be able to ship them. I'd have to create a series of new drawings specifically for Art Center that are 8.5 x 11... not that I don't mind doing it, it just seems odd that I can't send slides when the majority of schools accept digital slides as a portfolio.

i suggest you ask a counselor if you can send prints of your work. I'm sure they'd understand if your pieces are large and hard to ship and stuff. O:

[gogidolim]

My question is... are there any new students who are older than 35? I am thinking about going back to Art Center in Fall 2010 or Spring 2011. I will be 35 by the year 2011.

[Gygaxis]

Gogidolim: I wouldn't worry about it too much, you'd be on the older end of the spectrum, but not alone there, the current VP of the student body is 35 now. I don't have a current figure for it, but circa 4 years ago the average age for incoming undergrads was 27-28 I think.

[Azheryn]

Hey all!

I've been reading over the posts in this thread for some time now and taking notes here and there...very useful information, for sure!

Anyway, I wanted to ask those of you who attended PCC and/or AC@N before applying/getting into Art Center, what classes did you take? Since I visited and reassessed what I want with college/my life, Art Center has become my top choice (not, however, without a good deal of thought and consideration--it is after all a rather huge-ish decision). I want to go into the Entertainment Design program but I know this will not happen coming straight out of high school--I am currently a senior in high school and haven't had any figure drawing courses whatsoever (there are none to be found in this small town I live in :| ) and was, as I expected, told that PCC and AC@N would be a good idea to help develop my skills and portfolio before trying to get into Art Center. Should I just load up on studio courses or should I bother taking Liberal Arts courses? Would the Lib Arts courses from PCC even transfer? (Probably something I'll end up asking admissions anyway) I also already have a few high AP scores, as well as three more AP tests I'll be taking this spring, and one US History course from a local community college (dual enrollment)--is there any chance these will transfer? (Also something I plan on talking to an admissions counselor about.)

Thanks!

[chil3]

Hey all!

I've been reading over the posts in this thread for some time now and taking notes here and there...very useful information, for sure!

Anyway, I wanted to ask those of you who attended PCC and/or AC@N before applying/getting into Art Center, what classes did you take? Since I visited and reassessed what I want with college/my life, Art Center has become my top choice (not, however, without a good deal of thought and consideration--it is after all a rather huge-ish decision). I want to go into the Entertainment Design program but I know this will not happen coming straight out of high school--I am currently a senior in high school and haven't had any figure drawing courses whatsoever (there are none to be found in this small town I live in :| ) and was, as I expected, told that PCC and AC@N would be a good idea to help develop my skills and portfolio before trying to get into Art Center. Should I just load up on studio courses or should I bother taking Liberal Arts courses? Would the Lib Arts courses from PCC even transfer? (Probably something I'll end up asking admissions anyway) I also already have a few high AP scores, as well as three more AP tests I'll be taking this spring, and one US History course from a local community college (dual enrollment)--is there any chance these will transfer? (Also something I plan on talking to an admissions counselor about.)

Thanks!

well i went to pcc and acan before entering the day program, at pcc i just took a bunch of art classes just for the sake of knowledge (from graphic design to product design) pretty much most of the classes, but the most important ones at pcc are the ones taught by art center alumni and teachers like: stang kong, albert yu, alen eye, rick osaka, plus figure drawing classes.
AP courses don't really matter, some of them will transfer but not all of them, also if you go to pcc DO NOT i repeat DO NOT TALK TO THEIR COUNSELORS nor FOLLOW THE PAPER THEY HAVE ABOUT TRANSFERABLE CLASSES AT THE ART DEPARMTENT OFFICE as they are USELESS.

[HappyFatThing]

does acad require an essay?

[chil3]

does acad require an essay?

did you mean ACAN, if it is then no you don't need an essay, just show a portfolio (it doesn't have to be as complex as the one for the day program) and fill out the application on the back of the ACAN handbook and pick the class of classes you want to take, btw the portfolio is if you want the scholarship for ACAN (it's easy to get) but if you have the money then just fill out the application and your in, is that easy.

[HappyFatThing]

i meant art center, (Art Center College of Design) accd my bad. Not acan or acad. <_<.

[a la bapsi]

for the day program, yes.
two essays if you're going for one of the undergrads.
for art center's ACAN program, like chil3 said, you don't have to do one.

[chil3]

artcenter orientation week is here, any new students going? we should get together at campus an meet fellow CA people, just say how your are going to be dress on tuesday.

[a la bapsi]

derp. might be a bit too early for you guys to say atm, but if any illu students need loomis's head/hand drawing book and/or bridgman's head drawing books send me a pm.

[Rahovart]

ANyone else applying to Entertainment Design ? I wanted to know the deadline for application and portfolio submission. Ive been trying to contact admissions but Ive had no luck. Thanks

[Gygaxis]

Art center programs operate on rolling admissions meaning they accept programs til program is full. That said, I strongly suspect that entertainment design is full for the term, as the term has already started, and likely isn't enrolling again until fall, as I don't think Ent Design has an incoming class in the summer as they don't offer most of their classes during the summer, not positive though.

[zeeble]

ANyone else applying to Entertainment Design ? I wanted to know the deadline for application and portfolio submission. Ive been trying to contact admissions but Ive had no luck. Thanks

The deadline was moved to February 1, someone stated it earlier in this thread..I'm not sure who, but that was how I found out about it. Good luck!

[chil3]

The deadline was moved to February 1, someone stated it earlier in this thread..I'm not sure who, but that was how I found out about it. Good luck!

that was me, but yeah the usual deadline is march 1st but because of schedule issues, ent design program moved its deadline to feb 1.

[steve kim]

quick someone post me spring workshop schedule!

[rossipoo]

Good luck to everyone applying! :)

[demosthenes]

I decided to wait until next spring to apply for to the Entertainment Design and Illustration programs. Is anyone else with me in that situation? I'd love to find a friend who will also be working on their portfolio this year with whom we can swap critiques, comfort, advice, etc!

[chil3]

I decided to wait until next spring to apply for to the Entertainment Design and Illustration programs. Is anyone else with me in that situation? I'd love to find a friend who will also be working on their portfolio this year with whom we can swap critiques, comfort, advice, etc!

i believe you have to chose one either ent. design or illustration, if you pick illustration you can take the ent. arts track.

[Gygaxis]

Heads up on Ent Design. Scott Robertson is stepping down as chair for the program, a search committee will be hunting for a new chair to replace him. I'm not sure on this, but I assume Thomas Bertling will be acting chair in his absence as he has been fulfilling those duties for sometime.

Also, the director of the illustration department, Amy Masgai just left the school for a new position and will be replaced.

If you're debating illustration's track - entertainment arts vs entertainment design the main differences between them are Ent Arts focuses on vis dev for feature animation, you get some practice boarding, and a lot of figure work and background painting. You're trained a bit more on composing and illustration and making production artwork that will be seen in the final project your team is working on. Entertainment design is more focused on live action or game concept work, you will be in more of a pre-production role and exchange the majority of your composition, and almost all of your figure training in exchange for industrial design training.

[Gygaxis]

So to be the bearer of utterly shit news here in case anyone isn't connected enough to the ACCD community on facebook

Norm Schureman shot and killed (http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/mar/21/suspect-held-after-fatal-shooting-in-westlake/)

No word on memorial service or anything of that nature yet

[rossipoo]

Congratulations to everyone that has gotten accepted!
:heart:

[Rahovart]

Entertainment Design Spring 2010 :D Anyone else?

[Brashen]

Yeah got accepted into Ent design spring as well....bit dissapointed that it wasnt in fall but I'm thankful I got in. So here's to the people that got in I'll be seeing you in the states soon if all goes accordingly.

[chil3]

Yeah got accepted into Ent design spring as well....bit dissapointed that it wasnt in fall but I'm thankful I got in. So here's to the people that got in I'll be seeing you in the states soon if all goes accordingly.

spring? are you sure? ent. design starts on fall, not spring.

[rossipoo]

They made it both spring and Fall this year, Because
they've chosen their 18, Then they had an extra 18 on the waiting list, so they thought, hell why not just make another wave of students and put them for spring?
So, now its fall and spring..


Yum..fall

[chil3]

They made it both spring and Fall this year, Because
they've chosen their 18, Then they had an extra 18 on the waiting list, so they thought, hell why not just make another wave of students and put them for spring?
So, now its fall and spring..


Yum..fall
what? fuck i was thinking on transferring, oh well i can't now cuz i will lose the scholarship.

[Brashen]

Yeah I had to defer my acceptance for a year and I got bumped to the spring instead...sniffs. Also couldn't get my updated portfolio through the door. Rossipoo You have to shoot videos for meeee pweezzz!!

[WhaleEatHuman]

do you think its better to go to pcc first?

[Sheff]

do you think its better to go to pcc first?

Sure. Get any GE's out of the way that you can so you can focus on just your studio classes. It doesn't have to be PCC, but it is close.

If I recall, you could also take some classes at CalTech too if you were going to ACCD, but I never did.

[chil3]

do you think its better to go to pcc first?

absolutely, specially take all classes with: stan kong, rick osaka and albert yu, they are all accd alumni and teachers and will get you on the right direction.

[WhaleEatHuman]

how is the illustration department in Art Center? I know its supposed to be decent but in comparison to schools like SVA and RISD?

[chil3]

how is the illustration department in Art Center? I know its supposed to be decent but in comparison to schools like SVA and RISD?

it is one of the best out there, the teachers are great top-notch, it is better if you check it out yourself, talk to the counselors and the chair and check the curriculum.

[Kume]

art center illustration fall 2010 anyone?

[RoboBobo]

I'll be attending Art Center for entertainment design this Fall. I was wondering(for those who went there or know) what kind of projects they have in store for us?

[opchia]

Is there anyone out there who got accepted into Ent. Design and is straight out of high school??

[flimi]

of entertainment design classes of 10/11, there's a bunch of them.

[starshptroopr]

got accepted for fall 2010 illustration. this 35k tuition price tag suddenly got a lot more real.

don't know if i'm gonna go. really torn between art center, which seems like such a good school, or trying to learn as much as I can on my own and go the cheaper route with a local art school. :/

not that i'm expecting any, but does anyone know when they get back to you on scholarships and stuff like that?

[chil3]

got accepted for fall 2010 illustration. this 35k tuition price tag suddenly got a lot more real.

don't know if i'm gonna go. really torn between art center, which seems like such a good school, or trying to learn as much as I can on my own and go the cheaper route with a local art school. :/

not that i'm expecting any, but does anyone know when they get back to you on scholarships and stuff like that?
i think is like a month or two after you receive your acceptance letter.

[starshptroopr]

chil3, you're going for spring entertainment design right?

[Odayga]

Art Center's offering me tons of Financial Aid and Scholarships. I'm planning on getting my MFA there in Fine Art after I'm done with BFA @ UC Irvine. Really stoked :)

[chil3]

chil3, you're going for spring entertainment design right?

no i'm in the illustration dept. since spring 2010 and then i'm taking the entertainment arts track after third term.

[marisahhh]

i want to apply for Fall 2011 to the Illustration (Illustration design) department, ive been wanting to goto ACCD for the past.. 4years but ive been putting it off and kind of scared of not being able to get in.

at one time i remember it used to say that a 3.0 is required to apply, but ive noticed it now says that 3.0 is the reccomended GPA

my teachers and peers tell me my work is strong enough to get in (i still dont think it is but im working on it) but i used to do terrible in all my academic classes (ive been doing better). i have A's and B's in all my art classes though. and so, i have a 2.8GPA right now.

i was wondering what your guys' experiences or friends' experiences were on grades when you/they applied and how harsh ACCD is about it on applications.

[rossipoo]

i want to apply for Fall 2011 to the Illustration (Illustration design) department, ive been wanting to goto ACCD for the past.. 4years but ive been putting it off and kind of scared of not being able to get in.

at one time i remember it used to say that a 3.0 is required to apply, but ive noticed it now says that 3.0 is the reccomended GPA

my teachers and peers tell me my work is strong enough to get in (i still dont think it is but im working on it) but i used to do terrible in all my academic classes (ive been doing better). i have A's and B's in all my art classes though. and so, i have a 2.8GPA right now.

i was wondering what your guys' experiences or friends' experiences were on grades when you/they applied and how harsh ACCD is about it on applications.


It's like 90% of your portfolio don't trip, Grades are a plus,

[tandy1000]

Hey guys, I have a question for all the entertainment design majors. If you excluded all the non entertainment classes like general education, how many terms does the 8 terms actually come out to? Is there a full course list for the entire 8 terms of entertainment design on the web?

[silly lily]

There isn't much info on the website so I'm gonna ask here instead (though I kinda got some ideas) :
1. Is there a study abroad program offered?
2. Can you double major or minor something?
3. How hard is it to get a reasonably priced housing around the campus? (I'm from east coast)
I'm torn between illustration and GD major (transfer student). Help please~

[chil3]

There isn't much info on the website so I'm gonna ask here instead (though I kinda got some ideas) :
1. Is there a study abroad program offered?
2. Can you double major or minor something?
3. How hard is it to get a reasonably priced housing around the campus? (I'm from east coast)
I'm torn between illustration and GD major (transfer student). Help please~

1. yes there is, they have different programs available.
2. yes, in fact some of the majors are referred as bachelors in arts and science, as well as different tracks offered for each major.
3. no campus housing, you have to look for something around the area.

[pipermints]

"There isn't much info on the website so I'm gonna ask here instead (though I kinda got some ideas) :
1. Is there a study abroad program offered?
2. Can you double major or minor something?
3. How hard is it to get a reasonably priced housing around the campus? (I'm from east coast)
I'm torn between illustration and GD major (transfer student). Help please~"
_________________________________
Actually...
1. No there isn't really a study abroad program.. They may have some for other majors such as product/ad but not for illustration. I've asked Ann (chair of illustration) and there isn't a study abroad program for us. She says she is possibly setting one up for London in the future but it is all very tentative.
2. No you can't double major. You can't be a graphics/illustration you have to choose one. Yes we sort of have minors. In each major there are several emphasis/focuses. A specific track in a major, but it is within the major. For example, illustration tracks are: motion, fine arts, entertainment arts, illust. design but you can't minor outside of that. That does not limit you from learning other things though. If you are interested in something else too you should try taking electives in it. You can mold the schedule a bit to conform to what you wanna do so just don't constrict yourself just because you are in a particular major. it's your money you should learn what you want to learn!
3. housing is a bit pricy around the area but shouldnt be too hard to find.. look on craigslist and postings around school.

It's kind of important to be sure about which major you want to do. I mean you could change after a while but it's a hassle and more costly. You can sometimes tell by the kind of work you like to do (post your stuff!) or what you like to look at, what/who inspires you, what you get really excited about, what kind of job you want etc etc.

[silly lily]

Thanks chil3 and pipermints. I'm gonna consider applying for illustration. What I wanna do is like design and commercial work, and emphasis on illustration design and motion looks like the way to go. But can I focus on more than one emphasis? Thanks again

[pipermints]

Thanks chil3 and pipermints. I'm gonna consider applying for illustration. What I wanna do is like design and commercial work, and emphasis on illustration design and motion looks like the way to go. But can I focus on more than one emphasis? Thanks again

Design is a really broad term.. haha did you mean graphic design? Illustration design is more editorial (magazine, comics) kind of stuff I think. If you looked at the gallery and that work interests you then by all means. Definitely look at the type of work. No you can't do more than one emphasis but like I said try taking electives and classes that you want. You don't have to choose an emphasis til 3rd termish so i wouldnt worry about that yet. you should bring your work to a counselor/teacher and talk to them about it if you aren't sure about major

[yaybrain]

i was told by a former Art Center Illustration student to take some liberal arts and writing classes at the local community college while i'm still in high school, allowing me to focus more on the actual drawing/painting. what classes should i take exactly?

(sorry if this has been discussed before it's a big thread & idk how i'd search for this specific topic)

[chil3]

i was told by a former Art Center Illustration student to take some liberal arts and writing classes at the local community college while i'm still in high school, allowing me to focus more on the actual drawing/painting. what classes should i take exactly?

(sorry if this has been discussed before it's a big thread & idk how i'd search for this specific topic)

doesn't really matter, you still need to take the writing test if you go to art center to see which writing studio class you need: regular or intensive, the only way to waive writing studio class is if you have a bachelor and take a university writing class.

[ceeche]

Hey does anyone know if entertainment design for fall 2011 is still open?? I know it's early but I don't know how fast those spots fill up but I imagine tons of applicants to be extremely prepared.. I haven't completed my portfolio so I'm getting nervous. Due to my time difference, I can't make a call over to ACCD myself so I'm hoping someone here can let me know.

[chil3]

Hey does anyone know if entertainment design for fall 2011 is still open?? I know it's early but I don't know how fast those spots fill up but I imagine tons of applicants to be extremely prepared.. I haven't completed my portfolio so I'm getting nervous. Due to my time difference, I can't make a call over to ACCD myself so I'm hoping someone here can let me know.

don't worry it is open, like you said it is still really early.

[ceeche]

Alright thanks man. Ok and I know this might seem like a silly question but Ent D is also on the rolling app system right?? They said the "priority deadline is Feb 1 - Feb 15," but why the window? Does that mean apps will only be accepted, or considered, during that time period...so I have until February to complete my portfolio, or should I be looking to complete and submit by winter break? Thanks so much for the replies.

[chil3]

Alright thanks man. Ok and I know this might seem like a silly question but Ent D is also on the rolling app system right?? They said the "priority deadline is Feb 1 - Feb 15," but why the window? Does that mean apps will only be accepted, or considered, during that time period...so I have until February to complete my portfolio, or should I be looking to complete and submit by winter break? Thanks so much for the replies.

the early the better, i received my acceptance letter 3 or 2 weeks before the deadline to turn in my portfolio and i send it to them a week before i got accepted.

[mbaki]

Laptop Question.

I plan on attending Art Center’s Entertainment Design Program in the near future and want to know what laptops most students use for digital art (digital painting, 3d programs) etc.

I am considering either the
Dell Studio XPS 16 15.6-Inch Laptop

http://www.amazon.com/Dell-Studio-15-6-Inch-Obsidian-Laptop/dp/B002PY7OTE/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1284860596&sr=1-2

Or the ASUS Republic of Gamers G51JX-X3 15.6-Inch Gaming Laptop

http://www.amazon.com/Republic-Gamers-G51JX-X3-15-6-Inch-Gaming/dp/B00361G0ZO/ref=pd_cp_pc_0

Each of the laptops have a fundamental flaw, the Dell apparently heats up and get Very warm or even hot, the Asus has a very short battery life (about 1 h 15 min) or (2 h 17 min) with a bigger battery.

The laptop will be a desktop replacement and also I will take on classes like Digital landscape which is why heat or short battery life may be a problem when digitally painting (using a lot more CPU power).

Some one also suggested to me that I get an Apple MacBook Pro but I am not a mac fan. I prefer to stick to PC.

Any advice welcomed thanks.

[chil3]

Laptop Question.

I plan on attending Art Center’s Entertainment Design Program in the near future and want to know what laptops most students use for digital art (digital painting, 3d programs) etc.

I am considering either the
Dell Studio XPS 16 15.6-Inch Laptop

http://www.amazon.com/Dell-Studio-15-6-Inch-Obsidian-Laptop/dp/B002PY7OTE/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1284860596&sr=1-2

Or the ASUS Republic of Gamers G51JX-X3 15.6-Inch Gaming Laptop

http://www.amazon.com/Republic-Gamers-G51JX-X3-15-6-Inch-Gaming/dp/B00361G0ZO/ref=pd_cp_pc_0

Each of the laptops have a fundamental flaw, the Dell apparently heats up and get Very warm or even hot, the Asus has a very short battery life (about 1 h 15 min) or (2 h 17 min) with a bigger battery.

The laptop will be a desktop replacement and also I will take on classes like Digital landscape which is why heat or short battery life may be a problem when digitally painting (using a lot more CPU power).

Some one also suggested to me that I get an Apple MacBook Pro but I am not a mac fan. I prefer to stick to PC.

Any advice welcomed thanks.
any computer as long as it has a good processor and ram (hard drive) to handle jobs.
processors:
any duocore and up intel just release the new "I core multiprocessor series" (I5 is the lowest one, I3 midrange and I7 is the best one) but they are all really good.
some laptops have the trio core from amd and some have the quadcore (best processor out there, new macbooks have it)
as for hard drive the more capacity the better, try to get from 350 and up 400gb would be perfect.
hope this helps.

[Baze]

Laptop Question.

I plan on attending Art Center’s Entertainment Design Program in the near future and want to know what laptops most students use for digital art (digital painting, 3d programs) etc.

I am considering either the
Dell Studio XPS 16 15.6-Inch Laptop

http://www.amazon.com/Dell-Studio-15-6-Inch-Obsidian-Laptop/dp/B002PY7OTE/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1284860596&sr=1-2

Or the ASUS Republic of Gamers G51JX-X3 15.6-Inch Gaming Laptop

http://www.amazon.com/Republic-Gamers-G51JX-X3-15-6-Inch-Gaming/dp/B00361G0ZO/ref=pd_cp_pc_0

Each of the laptops have a fundamental flaw, the Dell apparently heats up and get Very warm or even hot, the Asus has a very short battery life (about 1 h 15 min) or (2 h 17 min) with a bigger battery.

The laptop will be a desktop replacement and also I will take on classes like Digital landscape which is why heat or short battery life may be a problem when digitally painting (using a lot more CPU power).

Some one also suggested to me that I get an Apple MacBook Pro but I am not a mac fan. I prefer to stick to PC.

Any advice welcomed thanks.

Getting to know macs will help you out a lot, especially at Art Center. I recommend using their macs at the school being as they most often have everything you need program wise and their PCs are infected with some pretty nasty viruses. Macs are no where near as susceptible to viruses as PCs and I suffered when my desktop died in the middle of term. Numerous ACCD students have had problems with their PCs and extgernal hard drives dying from the viruses there. If you do choose to go with a PC, do your best to keep anitvirus software up to date and to scan any flash drive or external hard drive you connect at the school.

For anyone thinking of applying to the school, apply as early as possible and make sure you are completely committed to the school and the work you do. Time management is key and if you fall behind you and your work will suffer. This is a significant amount of money! The crits can be hard to take and the level of student work is high, do not get discouraged easily! There is so much to learn at this school and most of the instructors are top notch. Good luck to everyone who applies!

[uzuin]

Oh geebus... I was looking into Ent Design and started reading up stuff about it online.

Is is too late for me? I haven't even thought of a story or anything...

Also, what format do I submit the portfolio in? Like a book? Print out the pages? I see pictures online but don't understand how it's actually put together in a tangible form..

PANIC

[uzuin]

Also, is adapting an already made story as the basis for your portfolio frowned upon? Like Alice in Wonderland, Wizard of Oz, etc. Is it fine as long as your designs are good?

[Squidge]

Also, is adapting an already made story as the basis for your portfolio frowned upon? Like Alice in Wonderland, Wizard of Oz, etc. Is it fine as long as your designs are good?


I'm also interested in knowing the answer to this question. I am confident in my world inventing - story creating capabilities but it would be nice to know what's preferred.

Also I've seen a lot of robots/science fiction/space stuff in the entertainment design examples, but I'm not interested in that, and am more interested in fantastical stories and environments/etc geared more towards child audiences. This being the case - is the ED track well suited for that?

[chil3]

Also, is adapting an already made story as the basis for your portfolio frowned upon? Like Alice in Wonderland, Wizard of Oz, etc. Is it fine as long as your designs are good?

I'm also interested in knowing the answer to this question. I am confident in my world inventing - story creating capabilities but it would be nice to know what's preferred.

Also I've seen a lot of robots/science fiction/space stuff in the entertainment design examples, but I'm not interested in that, and am more interested in fantastical stories and environments/etc geared more towards child audiences. This being the case - is the ED track well suited for that?

first, yes a lot of people just take an already existing story and reinvented.
second, yes ent. design track is well suited for that, as it is more story based than ent. design which is more ID based and more conceptual.

[rossipoo]

I'm also interested in knowing the answer to this question. I am confident in my world inventing - story creating capabilities but it would be nice to know what's preferred.

Also I've seen a lot of robots/science fiction/space stuff in the entertainment design examples, but I'm not interested in that, and am more interested in fantastical stories and environments/etc geared more towards child audiences. This being the case - is the ED track well suited for that?


They really just want to see your designs, don't worry about the story.It can be your own story or a one that already exists, But don't torture them by writing a 10 page story, you're not getting in at how good you write. a Brief description would suffice. They want to see how you design, (your design process) Try to design the whole world, what will we see? Characters, environments, some sort of transportations, and props, they want to see how you designed your subject from start to finish,

Foundation classes at Entertainment Design art center includes a lot of ID classes, such as figuring out how things work in the real world, lots of perspective, craftsmanship and..such and not much illustration courses, later on around 3rd term and so on, things get more 'entertainmenty', We take quite many classes with Transportation design and product design students,

Which seperates itself from the Illustration Entertainment Arts track, If you're totally into Nothing industrial, Illustration entertainment Arts is probably for you, but lots of people while they're here tend to change their views as they learn more about art and design,and might want to learn about the industrial side of things, But Entertainment Design, will still be good for what you're looking for, but you have to take a bit if industrial classes to get there. When entering illustration major, all illustration people takes the same foundation classes regardless what track i think, heads and hands, etc etc, i'm not familiar with, then a few terms later, they choose a track, in your case, the Entertainment Arts track. Just make sure you realize that Entertainment arts is NOT the same as Entertainment Design, ENtertainment Design is it's own major.

And for someone that asked if its too late, i believe the Entertainment Design 2011 Entry Deadline for SCHOLARSHIP is around feb-march for FALL entry, which it was like that for me, I think they might change it, im not sure. but that is if you wanted to get a scholarship for Entertainment Design, But i advise you to get it in by then, You will still have a few months to turn it in after that date since school starts in the FALL, but due to limited entry, people that turn it in after that date will probably have to wait another year,

Hope that clears some things up.

[uzuin]

What about the physical form the portfolio should be in?