The Official Artcenter Thread - like, omg!

[steve kim]

(NOTE EVERYTHING BELOW IS HORRIBLY HORRIBLY OUTDATED BUT THERE MIGHT BE SOME NUGGETS OF USEFULNESS...)

hi ya'll,

i noticed there's a few of threads here and there regarding artcenter, but not a central depository for information. hopefully we can get some meaningful dialogue going for people interested in going to artcenter and also those currently enrolled. i know there's a lot of artcenter folk that lurk on this forum but they are a sneaky bunch and hard to pick out :).

i'm personally not in any real position to give out advice (i'm a TERRIBLE student) but i have a habit of doing it anyway. i've worked as an orientation mentor and i genuinely enjoy cheerleading for artcenter. it's weird.

anyway, if anyone has questions please feel to ask and i'm hoping other artcenter folk will chime in with their wise words of advice.

also i'm thinking about compiling a list of artcenter people on conceptart. here's a tentative list (real name in parantheses). if it's linked it'll go to their homepage or relevant ca thread. good to know what the ca artcenter work looks like!


ca arcenter ppls

chumps (www.thegook.com) (steve kim)(im first because i'm SPEICAL)
i.was.ink (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=13910) (oskar)
groover mcnabb (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?p=116659#post116659) (attending spring 05)
april (http://www.aprilleeillustration.com/)
grand master khang (http://www.khangle.net/)
feng (http://www.artbyfeng.com)
gerardo garza (http://www.wickedcenter.net)
xhunterx
helium macaroni (michael maurino)
ron
j.mac
spider2544
voltmeter
seb (where's my webpage hidden?)
phuzion
redder (part of the artcenter resistance. he is your enemy!)

ok maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all too lazy k.


(just names i found in some threads, let me know if you don't want to be listed)

and some not necessarily ca peoples..
http://www.jeremysteiner.net
http://nathanielwest.net
http://www.jamesclyne.com
http://www.dusso.com
http://www.sydmead.com

obviously theres tons more out there. few more mentioned in this thread. do your homework


links

www.artcenter.edu - HOLY CRAP IT'S BEEN UPDATED. the old site was getting hecka long in the tooth. and that tiny little window.. god who thought up that crap :o.
www.artcenter.edu/adm/forms/get_info.html - fill this out to get the nifty catalog
www.artcenter.edu/campusweb - look through the class schedule, course descriptions, and datalog for info on classes and what sort of courses artcenter offers. it's a little redundant but good info is there.
www.artcenter.edu/atnight - lots kids start of here. you get 'real' instructors and coursework, and most of them transfer over for the day program. also cheaper than the day program strangely enoughl.

some other artcenter threads: (cause you're too lazy to search)
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=20133&highlight=artcenter
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=18683&highlight=artcenter
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8544&highlight=artcenter (OUTDATED but still some pertinent info)


random infos

ac's based on rolling admissions system. basically they add ppl till a term fills up. lotsa people apply very late and end up getting in.

ac's year round. meaning you can take all 8 terms in a row and finish in 2.666 years. course if you value your health and/or sanity you would want to take to take a few breaks inbetween terms. this creates some other side effects, like the fact that after first couple terms you won't be taking classes w/ the same people cause everyone takes their terms off at different times. depends.

no 'official' student life stuff. ac's a small school. there are some clubs like soccer and azn or blaq or whatever clubs. there's a god club.

no ac housing. their housing (student life) ppl are nice enough but expect to do some legwork to find a place. typically 500+ a month w/ a roomie. pasadena itself is not bad area, nearby cities are okay too. not enough gangbangers to suit a thug4life such as myself but such is life...

portfolio for illu is usually a max of 20 drawings. should be lots of life drawing, and some personal/creative/whatever work. if u live closeby, talk to a counselor and show them your stuff. ac counselors are nice (cept this one dude i talked to he fucked me over good). if u live faraway.. hmm, i'm sure u could email one and give them links to your work if you have it online. there's really no reason not to talk to an ac dood before you apply and stuff.

they give out tours every day cept friday maybe (not sure). good times to visit are um the illu scholarship presentations and final grad show day (i manage to miss both nearly every time though). dunno if they do tours on those days tho. it can get pretty hectic.

ac requries 45'ish liberal art units. if u gotta take them all at ac expect to take a 9th term or something. they will transfer if they meet the requirements... which are pretty specific. most of your studio classes however WILL NOT transfer. if you get lucky u'll get to waive some foundation classes. though if u are coming here and skipping foundation classes... er... alls im saying is that i know ppls who skipped foundation classes and i didn't think they were all that and a big of chips and prolly could used the classes.

ac is expensive. if you are poor, sucks to be you. ac financial aid ppl rock. get your fafsa filled out and they will take care of the rest pretty much. if u intend to apply for scholarship DO IT WHEN YOU APPLY it's a lot easier to get monies that way. working on campus ain't a bad deal either, depends on the job.

working and going to school at same time. people do it. some ppl successfully manage both. but there's only so much time in the day and if u barely have time for both something is going to give. u will have a better idea of what you are capable of after a term or two. when you get accepted i recommend robbing a liquor store. but not a swapmeet booth.. my parents work at one :/

is it worth the money? this comes up a lot. i say, if yer gonna decide on a bachelors in art then you are going to be paying big books no matter what. so in that case may as well get in the best schools. whether or not you should drop 100 big ones on the education itself... hmm hard to say. plenty of elite people never went to school and TECHNICALLY you can learn everything you need to on your own. you can be the john carmack of art (i <3 doom3). would it be the same as going to school? of course not. would it be good enough or even better? sure, why not. all i can say is that if you do make the decision to go to school and u'r not super duper rich then make the decision and forget about it thereafter. don't be all like "well this hour of life drawing class is costing me 500 dollars" cause it'll just mess with your head. course don't forget about it so much you forget to pay tuition. getting kicked out would suck :/

btw the more poor u are the likelier u will get more scholarship. i'd rather be rich though.

illustration vs product/trans for entertainment. since there is no entertainment major (there's no id major either it's just id is easier to type than trans/prod) u gotta pick either illu or prod/trans and take entertainment electives. how u get there is open to debate. id (industrial design) kiddies will tell u to do as they did, illu kiddies will prolly tell you the same. the reality is you probably need a good mixture of both. if you only took illu core classes you would be buttfucked if someone told to draw some shiny car robot thing w/ chrome eyeballs (cause chrome is so cool) with gnarly perspective. an id kid would be equally reamed if he had to.. um, paint a naked guy?

for me it's simple coz i LIKE the core illu classes. i like to draw, and paint, and design, and all that artsy stuff. however it became pretty obvious that'd i'd need to supplement my curriculum with certain id core classes and electives. if i had to draw the same thing over and over and over and over (cars and trans) i think i'd go nuts. i wouldn't be thrilled with designing mailboxes and alarm clocks either (product)

that said. i find id ppl draw better outta their heads than vanilla illustration.

course, u can do like craig mullins and do both (trans then illus).

to make it easier, what do u prefer to draw? hard things (planes, trains, automobiles) or soft, squishy things (characters, people, pikachu).

some people make the mistake of taking fine art, either as a major or minor. dunno what they were smoking.

i feel like im forgetting something really important but my brain is dying.

cheers,
steve
4th term illu who draws like negative 2nd term ;o

p.s. i'll be an orientation mentor again this upcoming semester (fall 04) so if u'r coming in this term give me a shout out and we'll raise the roof together :/

[Helium Macaroni]

Eeeheehee... Depository.

Hiya Steve,
It'd be nice to meet you sometime actually. I'll give myself a massive head wound so you'll recognize me at school next time.

Yeah it may be nice to actually have some sort of community at AC. It's a far cry from my last school which had quite a few extra-curricular groups and activities. The whole "all alone in the crowd" mentality that I find at AC sometimes is a bit discouraging. God, we need a club or something.

And you can stick Michael Maurino in some parentheses.. and then if you actually understand my nick, you get a free pencil :D

btw.. Phuzion is an AC guy too.

[SeraphSword]

Your nick is an anagram of your name. I'm on the other side of the country, so I'll just have to accept the pencil in spirit.

[Riftrider]

Well I'm not an Art Center student yet, but it is one of the school's I am currently considering heavily. It pretty much down to Art Center and Academy of Art Univ. in SF. does anyone have any suggestions on which one to choose, and if so y?

Riftrider (Keith Hall)

[jetpack42]

Originally posted by Helium Macaroni

btw.. Phuzion is an AC guy too.

no wonder he's the shit.

[Groover McNab]

hehe. thanks for putting me on the list, but I have to clear up that I won't be going til spring :D

great idea starting this thread though.

[seb]

chumps - hahaha. i used to give those new student tours too. i did a horrible job though cause i was nervous as hell, but it was good for the work study money and the free lunch as well as getting to go through registration early.

[Riftrider]

So can you guys give me the pro's and cons of Pasadena Art Center vs. Academy of Art Univ. in San Francisco? I'm seriously considering both schools due to the positive feedback I've had about them. Is there any other school I might look into (not that I need the added research). I'd perfer to stay in CA, but not if I can get a better education elsewhere. Im taking alot of foundation classes at a local JC that has a great art prog. and alot of my Gen Ed's. so hopefully those wont be an issue wherever I go. THanks 4 any help you can give.

Keith Hall

BTW I have some designs that I did for some of the equipment for a comic that the studio I worked did. Their pretty decent I think, but cartoony. I didn't know if it might be a good idea to include them in a portfolio for school admission. ne thoughts?

[Ben Mauro]

im seriously considering switching schools and going to art center, how is it there? what is the course load like in the illustration degree? are the teachers good?

[AFaeryChild]

I'm in the same boat. I want to transfer from USC - what was the first warning sign? let's just say a drawing class that focuses on the "philosophical" meaning behind a piece in rather sketchy (no pun intended), dogmatic ways was a pretty good indicator that I was (am) sunk if I stay there.

My primary interests are Illustration and Animation. A friend of mine (who is doing the same thing) has come to the conclusion that anyone who is anyone in illustration came out of AC. I'm thinking the new game plan will probably involve illustration at AC and animation courses with Genome in Hollywood.

I am a little concerned about the "cut throat" Art Center is reputed for. I mean, some of my best works was developed through academic discourse. That was the one positive thing about a couple of my art courses at SC - everyone was enthusiastic about learning from and getting ideas and helping everyone else. It wasn't as if discussing an idea sold it to someone else or made it any less. Hopefully that makes sense.

But any information on life as a student at AC would be more than a little welcome.
-A

[Groover McNab]

What I would recommend as a guy who still isn't quite a student is go to an open house or student show and look at all the work. Bottom line (at least for me) is the quality of the work, and if you want to immerse yourself in an environment that's going to push you, then it seems like a great place. I've visited about 3 times and I didn't see any weak pieces by any students.

[Calle_]

I would really love to see some of the artcenter dudes portfolios, a dream come true would ofcourse be to go to artcenter after highschool and some years of prep. ^^

Calle.

[Redder]

I was once an ArtCenter student but now I am apart of the underground resistance. Too long have they held my fellow Fine Arts brothers in oppression of the design!

Viva la resistance!

[Mazzic]

I just met with my admissions counselor and had a preliminary portfolio review. Everything was so streamlined, easy, and encouraging! I'd seriously recommend scheduling a tour - though it didn't take much to win me over! Hopefully I'll be seeing you AC peeps in January!

-Mazz

[Helium Macaroni]

It's streamlined until they start takin' kidneys!

Just kidding. The red tape is miles shorter than what I experienced at Pratt.

Hey Redder, when did you graduate? And I've always felt the same way about the AC fine art dept. You guys must go through hell considering how design oriented the curriculum is. I don't know exactly what kind of classes you take, but I always personally thought that anyone who wanted to be involved in fine art should move to NYC and attend a school like Pratt, which is much more fine art oriented, even the illustration department. I'd still be there if there was any hope of getting an entertainment design job.

[Redder]

Hey Redder, when did you graduate? And I've always felt the same way about the AC fine art dept. You guys must go through hell considering how design oriented the curriculum is. I don't know exactly what kind of classes you take, but I always personally thought that anyone who wanted to be involved in fine art should move to NYC and attend a school like Pratt, which is much more fine art oriented, even the illustration department. I'd still be there if there was any hope of getting an entertainment design job.

I left ArtCenter after three years because I felt the program was underdeveloped and had to many problems. Part of the problem was the focus on design orientation. I did think about going to NYC but I would have had to leave behind family and friends. Which is what I didn't want to do.

[AFaeryChild]

I just met with my admissions counselor and had a preliminary portfolio review. Everything was so streamlined, easy, and encouraging! I'd seriously recommend scheduling a tour - though it didn't take much to win me over! Hopefully I'll be seeing you AC peeps in January!

-Mazz

But you were sold long before you even set foot on that campus dude! Maybe the two of us should run away to SVA and slum around NYC - I mean, there is incentive there (ie, MoCCA and other stuff). But then, I'm biased as an east coast transplant in a SoCal University in which I may or may not be staying. :huh:

-A

[seb]

redder - were you in the master or the undergrad program for fine arts? i always heard that the masters program is one of the top in the country with a large waiting list. although its a strange addition to basically a trade school.

[Ben Mauro]

the school sounds great, i too was thinking about getting a degree in illustration at AC, then going to gnomon for the 3D experience afterward. hopefully i can get down and visit next summer. anyone know how difficult it is to get in?

[seb]

it is probably the easiest to get accepted to accd now than it has been in a long time.

[Jonny]

I'm interested in going to art center. As an illustration major, would I also be able to take industrial design classes and entertainment classes? Cuz I'm interested in all of those pretty much. btw, seb what was your major? You've got some nice work.

[seb]

i was product design, which left me weak in the painting/color side of things. i opted more for the path of least resistance rather than the more dangerous route of trying to plug all the gaps in my education.

you will be able to take classes from other majors, but it depends on whether you can get things waived or subsituted. its one of those things you figure out while you are going to school. i took about 4 studios a term and an academic every so often, but i worked in the library too so an additional studio class would probably have killed me. then again there are people that take 5 studios and 2 academics evry term and go straight through. its all a matter of discipline and drive.

[Redder]

redder - were you in the master or the undergrad program for fine arts? i always heard that the masters program is one of the top in the country with a large waiting list. although its a strange addition to basically a trade school.

I was in the undergrad program. The grad program is better because you design your own curriculum, which is good. I'm looking forward to going back to ArtCenter for the grad program. I also didn't know they had a waiting list but then again I went there a couple years ago.

[Jonny]

i was product design, which left me weak in the painting/color side of things. i opted more for the path of least resistance rather than the more dangerous route of trying to plug all the gaps in my education.

you will be able to take classes from other majors, but it depends on whether you can get things waived or subsituted. its one of those things you figure out while you are going to school. i took about 4 studios a term and an academic every so often, but i worked in the library too so an additional studio class would probably have killed me. then again there are people that take 5 studios and 2 academics evry term and go straight through. its all a matter of discipline and drive.

Hmmm thanks for the info. I'm kind of torn between doing product design or illustration because I know skills from both majors are necessary. Above all, art center's entertainment classes are what interest me. Would you say there are advantages to majoring in product design (as opposed to illustration)? Thanks for your help.

[Groover McNab]

I talked to Alex Alvarez while at the workshop and he recommends taking ID and not illustration as a major if you want to do concept design. Just thought I'd throw that out.

[seb]

ID is good for teching you design process and trying to make you disciplined. there is a low tolerance for any sort of bs. although, you don't produce as much exciting to look at illustrations/color stuff. this forum is more on the illustration/figrative side of things to give you an idea. design work is often not as "pretty" or shown. but i don't really know. i was always one of those people caught in the middle, but regret not learning to paint and draw naked people.

[Helium Macaroni]

Yeah, finding a balance between the worlds of ID and illustration is rather hard. I'd love to get some sort of education where I can get all the figurative and narrational influence from illustration, but that hardcore design, and technical prowess you get from ID. Not to mention the top notch perspective training you get. I suppose I'll just hope Scott Robertson's holds the link between the worlds. Did you take his class while at AC seb? I'm going to take that and Advance Perspective next term in hopes of grounding me a bit more solidly.

[seb]

sadly i never took most of the technical skills classes scott teaches. i was 7th term by the time he began teaching again. the perspective stuff is great to know and to have a real process. i really admire people that can contruct their hard surfaces the way he teaches.

[Skank]

hmmm, i never lookin into this school before, looks pretty nice =)
the gallery is pretty impressive

im glad they accept people with GED's...i hate snobs..hehe

good thread :jump1:

[Helium Macaroni]

You hate snobs? uh oh......

[steve kim]

Well I'm not an Art Center student yet, but it is one of the school's I am currently considering heavily. It pretty much down to Art Center and Academy of Art Univ. in SF. does anyone have any suggestions on which one to choose, and if so y?


keith, these are probably the hardest questions to answer, because people who go to academy of art won't know diddly about artcenter, and vice versa. and generally people are biased towards the school they attend, i know i am. sometimes you'll have someone that attended both, like i know someone who went to risd then chose to go to artcenter. i also know of many calarts to artcenter transplants. i think helium said he came her from pratt. still, fairly useless information. sorry.

im seriously considering switching schools and going to art center, how is it there? what is the course load like in the illustration degree? are the teachers good?

less generic questions are generally easier to answer. course load is heavy. how heavy is dependant on how fast you want to graduate, and more importantly, how fast you want to get better. the teacher thing is pretty subjective. but artcenter is as popular as it is for a reason, and it ain't the coffee (unless u like starbucks).

once u become a student you can access course/instructor evaluations. basically every time you finish a class you have to fill out a survey for it and they add it all up. it's fairly recent, and a good indicator of how focussed artcenter is on instructor quality.

I'm thinking the new game plan will probably involve illustration at AC and animation courses with Genome in Hollywood.

I am a little concerned about the "cut throat" Art Center is reputed for. I mean, some of my best works was developed through academic discourse. That was the one positive thing about a couple of my art courses at SC - everyone was enthusiastic about learning from and getting ideas and helping everyone else. It wasn't as if discussing an idea sold it to someone else or made it any less. Hopefully that makes sense.

But any information on life as a student at AC would be more than a little welcome.
-A

artcenter + gnomon would be interesting. generally it's advised that you shouldn't work too many hours (or at all) while at artcenter. there is only so many days in a week y'know. that said, once you get in the groove it's certainly possible to do artcenter and 'something else' at the same time. i haven't figured it out but many students far more successful than myself have. incidentally there are a few ac instructors that teach at gnomon or sell their dvd's.

i'm not sure what you mean by "cut throat". you mean students trying to screw over each other? well, students are definitely competitive, you can't not be if you are serious and passionate about art. in general though, you don't go here just for the instructors. you'll learn as much if not more from other students.

as for student life, er, there ain't much. there are no dorms so you don't have the typical college atmosphere here. it will be dependant on the friends you make here and hang out with.

The red tape is miles shorter than what I experienced at Pratt.

could you expand on the 'red tape' thing? i'm not quite sure i understand.

I'm interested in going to art center. As an illustration major, would I also be able to take industrial design classes and entertainment classes? Cuz I'm interested in all of those pretty much.

ah, the age-old id versus illu question. :)

in the end, you have to go with your own personal interests. sure, you are interested in 'all of those pretty much', but what are you MORE interested in? do you prefer traditional drawing and painting and figure and such? or would you rather sketch out cars and environments and such. how important is storytelling/narrative to you?

many students are in the same boat (myself included).

in the later terms you can do pretty much whatever you want, but in the early terms you have to pay your dues with whatever your major has in mind. i wanted to pay mine with drawing and painting, color and value, story and narrative, and the inescapable figure. if you go wit product or trans, it's about drawing and building inorganic objects. which would you prefer day in and day out? it's up to you.

the only thing you need to graduate are your required classes, electives can come from any major. trans, product, film, whatever.

I talked to Alex Alvarez while at the workshop and he recommends taking ID and not illustration as a major if you want to do concept design. Just thought I'd throw that out.

isn't he the dude that runs gnomon? seeing how technical gnomon is, i guess that isn't much of a surprise. ironically i think he was graduated as illustration from ac :).

for pure concept design (of non-organic nature), i do feel that the id route would probably be the easiest way to go. but although concept design may seem like the holy grail for many, here at this CONCEPTART forum(:)), it isn't the only thing out there, and when/if you want to branch out the more well rounded your eductation is the better.

that said, you (rhetorically) really gotta do your homework as an illustrator to 'plug in the gaps' in your education, as seb put it. the gaps are many, and rather large if you want to be anything but the pure illustrator.

Yeah, finding a balance between the worlds of ID and illustration is rather hard. I'd love to get some sort of education where I can get all the figurative and narrational influence from illustration, but that hardcore design, and technical prowess you get from ID.

you can, you just gotta cook it up yourself!

and scott's class is great. you'll learn so much it isn't even funny. prepare to work though. your goal: upstage all the product/trans kiddies. i all but giggled when my homework turned out better than 'theirs'. let us know how advanced perspective works out. i'm interested in that class too.

You hate snobs? uh oh......

can i call you Easy Mac?

cheers,
steve

[Helium Macaroni]

Steve, you can call me anything you want big boy... especially Mike.

IF YOU COME TO ART CENTER YOU WILL MAKE NO FRIENDS
YOU WILL HAVE NO SOCIAL LIFE
YOU WILL GRADUATE WITH INSANE DEPT
AND YOU WILL CRY EVERYNIGHT BECAUSE OF THE THRASHING CRITS AND ISOLATION!!!

I am so very kidding. I find it funny how some people do indeed seem to nuke themselves into an odd funk of constant work. I find that I can even slack a good degree if I'm really not interested in a class and still get away with a decent grade. Comp and Painting was that way with me, I just didn't feel it until the end. The work though as you get to do a bit more of your own thing gets to be a fantastic little cycle rigor as you are constantly pushed to get better by your own self desire. It's fantastic really.

I have talked to a couple of Trans majors on the subject of "trans vs. illus" as a preferable way to production design. They seem to not really think Trans is an effective way to go unless you are REALLY into cars. I myself have no bloody desire to design cars, or make those models. If you enter into the trans dept, apparently there is no escape from being completely saturated by car talk, car development, and car fervor. Indeed you will most likely drag a significant amount of information from it, but Gary Meyer has advised me to simply take Scott's class and advanced perspective. And if anyone who is in illustration wants to do cars for a bit, take some guy whose name I forget. The trans classes are apparently extremely heavy and rigorous, and demand constant devotion and work, not that that's bad at all, but it could be potentially obnoxious if you are not reeeaaaally into drawing cars. I'm not so sure about product, but I'm relatively sure that you can achieve a balance by simply picking particular electives and talking to students and advisors. I know both sides that have been like.. "man I wish I would have taken Trans to get that design and perspective training" and people have been like "man I wish I had been in Illustration to get that figurative training." I'm under the assumption that by just finding your own unique route that the "goal" of making concept art is attainable by locating various sources for education, like the gnomon DVD's and outside people already in the industry. I'm learning quite a bit from this job I'm doing now. Also I'm getting real life experience that?s gunna look fantastic on the ol' resume. I got that entire opportunity from playing hockey with a guy that new the dude I'm working for. It's considerably about networking and getting out there to find your own route. Employers and people in the industry are really turned on by go-getters and people that are easy to talk to and outgoing. It gives them the opportunity for the artist to come to them, rather than sorting through portfolios. Half of what you need to exhibit in the professional world (at least from my limited experience) is the ability to be a talker, and a very outgoing person, not afraid to carry your portfolio around and sell yourself.

Steve, in regards to "red tape" I?ve heard people complain about the registration system at art center as being archaic. But it doesn't hold a candle to Pratt's ridiculous system of runaround and visiting offices several times in a day, located in various places around campus, just to get a class changed or fix a registration process.. and don't get me started about financial aid.

And now.. back to work!

[steve kim]

on a quick note, let us not forget the wonderful world of product. trans is DEFINITELY for a select few. i'd seriously shoot myself if i had to draw ONE thing for like 4 terms straight ;o.

product kids on the other hand have a bit more variety in their projects, and probably a more rounded education in terms of design and such. still, i'd rather draw naked girls and dragons and knights and stuff than clocks and um, trash cans.

cheers,
steve

[Jonny]

Wow thanks for all the replies. You've answered a lot of my questions.

Well I'm not an Art Center student yet, but it is one of the school's I am currently considering heavily. It pretty much down to Art Center and Academy of Art Univ. in SF. does anyone have any suggestions on which one to choose, and if so y?

Riftrider (Keith Hall)

Well, I've attended Academy of Art Univ. for the past two years as an Illustration major and I have to say there are pros and cons. First off, there are definitely some good teachers in the illustration and fine art dept. that will teach you how to draw and paint. There are also free workshops open to the students to draw from models and such. The cons are that the school let's anybody in so you'll have a lot of flaky students which can be discouraging at times. Another con is that the majors are very divided and there aren't really many entertainment oriented classes to collaborate with students from other majors. The only 'concept art' oriented classes I've found in the school are in the 2D animation department. I've begun putting together my application to art center this summer and I'm most likely going to apply for illustration. Art center just seems like a better school to me to break into the field of concept design.

[Redder]

AND YOU WILL CRY EVERYNIGHT BECAUSE OF THE THRASHING CRITS AND ISOLATION!!!

Thrashing crits?! I remember for a painting class we smuggled in some alcohol. The instructor didn't mind when hefound out. In fact he drank along with us.

[Helium Macaroni]

I smuggle in black tar heroin every morning. It's the only thing that keeps me awake.

[Redder]

Your mocking me, aren't you?

<turns to crowd of people>

He's mocking me!

I challenge you, Helium Macaroni!

[seb]

are you challenging him to teh thunderdome in his own dojo?

[Helium Macaroni]

*snort* *wakes up*

Oh god! What-now? What exactly are you challenging me to? Now I'm fairly interested. If it's a pie eating contest.. you are so on.






..pie or spam.

[Redder]

If it's a pie eating contest.. you are so on.

A pie eating contest it is. This will be the last thing you'll see!

http://www.lhacbsa.org/pbsr/PBSR2002/Thumbnails/100.jpg

[Helium Macaroni]

Whoa! The challange be brought! What about a spam pie eating contest?

[AFaeryChild]

Thanks for all the great information

And hell...this thread just got a bloody bit more interesting. Happy spamage you two.

[Redder]

Whoa! The challange be brought! What about a spam pie eating contest?

I'm afraid to ask this but what is with you and spam? Is it like a fetish thing? :blue:

[Ben Mauro]

it is probably the easiest to get accepted to accd now than it has been in a long time.


why do you say that?

[seb]

they have expanded enrollment... acceptance percentage is going up. some say that they are being less "picky," but that depends on who you talk to. but they have a master plan to increase enrollment, although they have not made a parking plan to match this increase.

[Helium Macaroni]

Yes there seems to be a bit more relaxed standard of acceptance, whether this is for ill or the best is a bit of a hot issue. There has been a general consensus, at least in gossip circles, that the collective level of work quality has gone down since the acceptance has been broadened. I have the tendency to agree with this, because I expected a bit more or a seasoned crowd when I entered AC, and to my dismay (to a degree) I entered with many people straight out of high school. I don't want to come across as elitist, or put forth that I'm any better than these people, but there seems to be a bit younger and inexperienced of a crowd currently enrolled than in times before. (maybe that's why I got in =) Maybe seb can either attest or disagree with this assertion. It would seem that in times past the age group was a little more average around 25 or so, while now, there are quite a few more younger and more armature artists present throwing that average off a bit. I'm not sure whether or not to argue if the current state is for the best or worst. It has been in my experience, such as my time at Pratt, that a fantastic way to increase the amount of funds available is to accept anyone and their mother. This happend by Pratt doubling it's class size the year I enrolled, and they were known to be in quite a bit of dept, and just on the verge of recovery. At AC, there are a number of new construction plans being formed and expansions taking place, thereby possibly requiring the need for additional funds, funds able to be created by accepting large amounts of new students. It's all up for debate I'm sure, maybe some current AC students and past ones could weigh in on this phenomenon.

[April]

I graduated from Art Center in '89 ILLUS.

I have no clue about what it's like there now. But I'm glad I went. I worked my butt off and it gave me a hint as to what it's like afterwords. I've been working my butt off ever since. I can't believe I have even LESS time than I did then. Life's like that. Enjoy it while you can!

:dead3:

I've been working on computer games (3D--not concept, and in-house full-time, not free-lance) for years and never went to Gnomon--mostly because it didn't exist way back then! I learned all my computer skills on the job.

There are quite a few Art Center Illus people in computer games. While there aren't any at my present company, my last company had anywhere from 2 to 5 artists.

I still free-lance illustrate pretty regularly, too. That's actually my first love.

[Skank]

I graduated from Art Center in '89 ILLUS.

I have no clue about what it's like there now. But I'm glad I went. I worked my butt off and it gave me a hint as to what it's like afterwords. I've been working my butt off ever since. I can't believe I have even LESS time than I did then. Life's like that. Enjoy it while you can!

:dead3:

I've been working on computer games (3D--not concept, and in-house full-time, not free-lance) for years and never went to Gnomon--mostly because it didn't exist way back then! I learned all my computer skills on the job.

There are quite a few Art Center Illus people in computer games. While there aren't any at my present company, my last company had anywhere from 2 to 5 artists.

I still free-lance illustrate pretty regularly, too. That's actually my first love.

oh wow =)
im a big fan of your work for AEG, the pieces youve done for L5R are some of my favorites, i play the dragon clan, you did a great job on Satsu!! :waves:

back to the topic at hand...
im giving artcenter a serious look now, their illustration dept looks very very strong, and thats what im interested in (game art, ccg's, rp's etc)

[April]

Hey, skank, glad you're an L5R fan/player. I love doing art for that game! :hearts:

Art Center is good for illustration--mostly because it isn't taught in any comprehensive way at most other schools. Long Beach has an Illustration program that's more reasonably priced (Art Center is expensive--if you can, try and get a scholarship and as much financial support up front as possible--don't wait to try for a scholarship once you're there since you can wait a long time. Although it's hard to get 'em going in...), but I'm not sure of the quality these days at Long Beach. Years ago it gave Art Center a run for it, but things have changed since then. Other local schools have some programs, but aren't quite as good.

But--Illustration is tough right now. Lots of changes happening, lots of markets disappearing... You know that card/rpg art barely pays the bills--and only if you're getting lots of WOTC work? Most guys are going into concepting, backgrounds, special effects, film/animation, video games, 2D/3D, etc., to make a decent living. As I said, I've been doing computer game art; particularly living in a relatively expensive area like SoCal, it's rough to just free-lance paper/table-top games.

Don't let me discourage you, though. I just want people to know what they're getting into. Doesn't mean you shouldn't get into it just because it may not make you rich, or may be a lot of work. Everything is a lot of work--you just have to pick work that you like!
:balloon:

[xHUNTERx]

wow, i havent been here for a while and someone finally started an AC thread. anyways someone mentioned about wanting to see some art center works. If you pay attention to what most people talk about around here you'll realize that some of the most famous artists for concept design comes from AC. Feng, Ryan Church, Craig Mullins, Kevin Chen, Harald Belker etc. infact, i heard that feng was so hot that he was pulled out by companies halfway during his education to start working. (which means he didnt graduate AC, but that's not the point, he's still one of the best in the market and even came back to teach).

anyways, i think i have some links from AC students and grads.

http://www.jeremysteiner.net/
http://nathanielwest.net/
http://www.khangle.net/
http://www.jamesclyne.com/index.html
http://www.dusso.com/
http://www.sydmead.com/v/01/home/

there're alot more that i cant think of now but if you go through the links in each page there're probably more resources.

[seb]

yannick dusso went to art center?

[Drunken Monkey]

Chumps, (or anyone) thanks for taking time on this..

I got a couple of questions:

Would accd allow someone to go ILLU but take common basic classes like Design 1 from PROD/TRANS departments?

I read somewhere around here that there is such as thing as taking a semester for liberal classes only to get the necessary credit, does this apply to the required classes like the ones in the pink column here (http://www.artcenter.edu/datalog/ProgramResults.jsp?cDepartment=2531&searchText=Transportation)? Basically, can one pospone all these liberal sciences till they take a liberal sciences term?

Has anyone who got in ever submitted anything they have done digitally? How did accd react? I know they want traditional, i am just curious if inluding digitall stuff would piss them off or not...

again, thanks for doing this

[Helium Macaroni]

Hey Monkey,

You've raised an interesting question... one which I will raise with my department chair when I see him. I'm rather interested in taking some core product/trans classes too. However I have talked to a couple of trans guys and they've said to stay the hell away from anything in the trans major. They say to take advanced perspective and Viscomm 2 with Scott Robertson, both of which I'm planning to take in the near future. I will however print out that page and show it to my dept. head and see what he says. I'll get back to you about it.

[xHUNTERx]

Monkey, one thing you could always do, is just go and sit in (sneak in) for the class you want, no one's gonna stop you from doing it, you just wont get credited for the class. I've heard of people doing this before, ofcourse your workload will increase but if you're really interested in the class this is one of the ways to go.

about the portfolio, i personally turned in all the works on paper media, I had a few pieces of digital work, just went ahead and printed them out on paper. I think this is the safest way to go. Admissions at art center passes the work around and each officer gives their own feedback (if i remembered it right they do this in a room), so i doubt they'll want to have anything to do with a CD, it's just too much hassle.

One more thing about portfolio, remember to have your works sprayed well, i didnt do a good job on spraying my works and they were all smeared when i got my portfolio back.

[Drunken Monkey]

Macaroni, thanks for doing that. Why such dislike for trans classes? I am curious because thats where i was aiming with ID classes, but not sure now.. will look into adv. perspective & viscom 2, thanks for the tip.

Hunter, appreciate your comment. Surprised they tolerate that.. but thats good news. Will spray all my charcoal.. good call. I was going to send printed yeah, was asking because councelor told me over email pretty coldly to leave my digitall stuff at home.. will be sending anyway.

thanks for comments guys

[Mazzic]

FYI James Gurney and Terese Nielsen graduated from Art Center...don't know if they mean much to anyone here though...

[April]

Michael Whelan also went for a year before started to get too many book cover jobs to stay. I think Paul Chadwick who did the Concrete comic books went to ACCD, too. Richard Hescox who has done tons of SF/F covers, also. Alan Gutierrez--also a cover SF/F guy. Glenn Villpu, well-known teacher and animator in So.Cal. Childrens book illustrator Michael Hague. Eh... lots of guys have gone... too many to mention, really.

[makotierra]

just thought I'd add some other links of art center graduates (these guys graduated last semester)


http://itchstudios.com/ugly_rabbit/
http://www.brendanmonroe.com/
http://www.ceballosart.com/

these guys are more editorial than entertainment.

[FIG]

My hero Micheal Bay went to Art Center and so did Craig Mullins. Its a damn fine school if you can afford it.

[Helium Macaroni]

Oddly enough.. I don't find AC much more expensive than any other private art school I've looked at. It's about the same as Pratt, and RISD I think. Not that I can afford it! I'm on loans.. but I think it's worth the money for the type of education here.

[steve kim]

Would accd allow someone to go ILLU but take common basic classes like Design 1 from PROD/TRANS departments?

i highly doubt it, moreover, why would you want to? if you want to take the foundation classes for prod/trans, then you really ought to be a prod/trans major. don't get me wrong, it's certainly possible to take them as electives, and i was thinking about taking some product foundation classes at one (delusional) point, like model construction and development of form. but once in, it will be hard getting the 'juicy' electives in your schedule let alone foundationy stuff like that.

btw, thanks for the alum namedropping, guys. keep 'em coming, i'll edit the first post w/ the links and stuff when i get the chance.

Oddly enough.. I don't find AC much more expensive than any other private art school I've looked at. It's about the same as Pratt, and RISD I think

yea, i think pretty much all the private artschools (calarts,ringling,risd,ac,pratt,sva) are priced around the same insanely level. maybe give or take a few grand.

course i wouldn't be surprised if ac has the fastest RISING tuition :hmm:

[Helium Macaroni]

Lol! Easy Mac..

Steve.. I think you should take the "Maybe" out of the thread name. Imo, we are TOTALLY the authority on AC :dork:

[Drunken Monkey]

Chumps, maybe you are right and i am delusional... but

the reason i am asking is because if someone is going for being well versed in drawing mechanical stuff in addition to standard illustration - all the model making and woodshop classes that are required in ID programs seem of little value.. ILLU program is so open with its 12-15 studio unit terms.. that you can fit the foundation from those courses as well.

by the way, what JUICY electives are you talking about?

[makotierra]

Well, there is a required Materials course for illustrators that will get you familiar with the tools and various processes for making things, but with the product/trans classes you just gotta do all of it super-accurately :p

I don't know if you can take the model-making stuff from the product/trans departments (glances at the Illustration Course of Study chart) but there are some model making illustration courses, but that's more sculptural I think than learning to make a perfect shelf or something, I dunno.

[akanekun]

Taking Model Construction 1 = Materials class for illustration. Difference is that in model 1 you make a toolbox and fiberglass speedform consistently with different (at least for this term, apparently) beginning projects. That and they emphasize craftsmanship, finish and deadlines a lot more than materials, I think. Not too much design or concept thinking in the model classes, they're more like partner classes to help you complete other projects for other classes; for example, in third term product design you have solidworks, product 2 and model 3 all linked together for one project.

Most of the design 1 classes are pretty much the same, just that prod/trans get it lighter cuz we didn't have to paint swatches.

Right now it seems like illustration has the most flexible track because you can pretty much take any ID class as an elective so long as you have the room in your schedule. That and Ken left dept. chair for trans so it's kinda hairy as to what a new chair might possibly do to that program... Hope this helps someone.

[R Brown]

Art center Product/Entertainment summer 96 grad here.


ACCD is bar none the best school I could have chosen for myself. We got to learn from masters such at Hogarth. Our teachers were all in the industry as well as being teachers. However, that was before some of the trade schools came about like Gnomon and Expressions. Things may be different now.

I second the opinion that ID is a better track for concept design. If you can get into the trans track, do it. Product was good but trans was harder. Get as many vis-com classes as possible. I often doubled up on vis-com and tried to drop fluff.

**
critical notes
**

Much of a good artist is how serious the artist treats the medium. Put a talented hard working person into just about any program and they will do good. Put a lazy person in any program and they will do bad.

If you are not already drawing/designing at least 4 - 12 hours every day, your not serious enough.

Networking...networking...networking... If the school does not have a good way of getting you into contact with people in the industry you wish to work in do not go there.

One of the best things about ACCD is meeting other people from ACCD. :D



Cheers, Hope that helps a bit.


Rob

[fae]

anyone going to be around art center t'morrow afternoon who won't be busy?? :^^;:

I'm going down there t'morrow and I didn't have enough time to book a tour...

[April]

We got to learn from masters such at Hogarth.

I had Hogarth--for anatomy or something like that. He was a crazy guy. Lots of people didn't really care for his teaching. But I liked (some of) his books and enjoyed his eccentricities.

[me: illus 89]

[Mazzic]

So I applied last week and got my acceptance letter today!!! I'll be entering as an Illustration student in September! Goodbye USC, hello Art Center!!

[Helium Macaroni]

Fresh meat... muahah!

[fae]

congrats -
i'll be applying sometime soon - and since i'm back on the east coast, i'll take a road trip down to visit Ringling and then make decisions.

[PaulGanguly]

Hello all, I'm still a newbie here, and I have to say that this thread in particular has been really informative, moreso than the school's website has been as far as FAQ go.

I found out, since my interest in concept art began some 4 or so years ago that my favorite artists all seem to have come out of AC. I found Yanick Dusseault's, Khang Le's, as well as Feng Zhu's websites in my own research, and upon stydying their work, found out only after I was already sold as a fan of their's that they had attended AC. Which as you can well imagine, made me want to attend AC all the more.

As far as my experience with art goes, I can only assume that I'm perhaps a bit more serious than some of the new students entering as freshmen out of high school because I've already been in college for a year, and have already re-re-evaluated what I want to do with my life, and come once again back to fine arts. Now I know that a BFA at AC may be a little more design oriented than other schools, but I ultimately want to pursue a master's degree in architecture, and as a result, a fine arts degree, rooted in design would be the way I wanted to go. I also know that should I choose not to be an architect, my opportunities coming out of AC would be greater than they would with a BFA from a state university where I'm from (Upstate NY), specifically in the entertainment field (concept art)

I do however have a couple more questions that haven't been brought up yet:

1.) What's the typical turnaround between applying and notification of acceptance?

2.) We've already established that Life Drawing is key to a strong portfolio. What other themes or media would help to really set yourself apart from the other applicants and more or less guarantee accceptance, if such a thing is even possible?

3.) Have any of you who attended/currently attend transfer from your previous school mid-year? meaning, for the spring semester at AC. What, if at all is the likelihood of acceptance for the January '05 semester, when one will apply in September?

4.) For those who have transferred mid year or otherwise, what is the likelihood of recieving advanced academic standing for similar curriculum already completed at another school? Does this depend at all on the applicant's portfolio?

5.) I'm into realism. Has the fine arts progam expressly forbade this archaic practice as so many other schools seem to have done? (sacrasm, obviously, but I think you get what I'm saying) If I'm into realism, is there a place for me in fine arts, or should I pursue Illustration outright?

Anyway, if any of you AC'er's could give a little insight it'd be much appreciated. If all goes according to my plan, I may get to meet some of you in January.

[April]

It's been way too long since I was there, but some things may still hold true.

When I was there it was actually common for students to have completed an entire college degree before going to Art Center.

Often very little other than the academic requirement courses were counted by ACCD. Maybe you could skip an Art History class or two if you already had a BFA in Art History, for instance! Almost no studio classes taken at other schools seemed to count... Most people had to do the entire course, no matter how much schooling they'd had before.

Fall terms seemed to be when most people wanted to apply and start. I'd heard it was easier to get in during the other terms.

Fine Arts is still Fine Arts. I think Illustration tends to cover more figurative and realistic stuff... but who knows? When I was there FA was a fairly small dept. I'm not sure I'd go to ACCD for FA when it's taught at so many other places, but it's up to you. It seemed to be a good dept with good students in it.

Me: ILLU 89

[J.Mac]

Sweetness! just found this thread, it is good stuff i have just read through it. Ok so i am going into the illsutration program 1st term and i am really looking forward to it. now i have a question about something i read... someone mentioned about depending on how fast you want to graduate and how much you want to improve... ok so my question is what would you experienced students and artist say is a better way to improve, with in the scope of Art Centers curriculum (sp?) 8 terms straight, taking your time or somehting else...? i just want to become the best i can and get as much as i can since this is all coming out of my own pocket, ya know.

Also i think we should make an Art Center group to share work, crit each other and talk about stuff that is going on... what do you guys/gals think?

-Jesse

[PaulGanguly]

Thanks for your feedback April Originallly posted by April
Almost no studio classes taken at other schools seemed to count... Most people had to do the entire course, no matter how much schooling they'd had before.

That part kind of scared me, however in my research, it doesn't appear to be too uncommon a practice among colleges, major notwithstanding. I know most schools in the northeast will transfer a maximum of 60 credits (4 terms +/-) so as to prevent students from more or less completling a major at a less prestigious school and then transferring to one with a well known name to finish their major and collect the diploma with the good name on it. The extreme of this seems to be the case at many art schools. If you're an AC art student for example, you're an AC student ONLY. Portfolio work should be the test, however I know there's now way to really test out of an art course. A studio course is more about growth than slaying one dragon of a final exam at the end of the semester, and ensuring your grade.

I've come to terms with the fact that the school I'm currently enrolled in doesn't really command any respect among art colleges, and so their coursework will be difficult to transfer anywhere within the state university of NY system, let alone a school on the west coast. Furthermore, the longer I stay there, the farther back I'm placing myself when the opportunity arises to transfer. I'll have to make up for 2 years of lost time, as opposed to 1, which isn't quite so insurmountable a task, within a reasonable period of 3 years.

As to your question of why AC for fine arts, when it's taught so many other places, there are really 2 answers.

The first is that I want to ultimately become an architect. In becoming an architect however, I would like also to have the ability to further my fine art skills as well. AC is a foremost a design school, which will aid trmendously in my pursuit of a career in architecture, but also allow me to further my overall skills in the fine arts. I see it as more or less a fine arts degree, with a 'built in' double major in design.

The second reason is simple but cheesy sounding. AC's undeniably one fo the best art schools in the country. When a student is surrounded by absolute equals, he has to challenge himself to stand out from the crowd all the more. There is no such drive at my current school, and there seems to be a relative lack of motivation at other nearby art schools here as well. There is no standard of excellence set by other students. There is only a general understanding that no one student has the right to harshly critique another's work on the basis that there is no set skill level of either realism or otherwise artistic ingenuity whereby to rank work of noticibly poorer quality, or that made with a poorer sense of craftsmanship, because there is no set standard of excellence.

I want to be at AC because I believe that I will be challenged to create something better everyday that I'm there.

I'm still going to apply, and trust that my past year of schooling has not been in vain. Anyway though, if any more recent students can tell me that this mood has changed from what April described, I'm going to take this as one stuation where I should hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

[fae]

Yeh i want to transfer spring semester too - and how late is too late to apply? do i mail in the portfolio with my application? and yeh, i want to try to transfer some core credits etc too. also yeh tips on WHAT would be good for the portfolio would be great.

[J.Mac]

yeah i have the same deal with my studio classes not transfering over... i have liberal arts tho...

Fae - Ok so fae i will tell you what i have in my portfolio... 4 finished figure drawings, 4 gestures, 4 still life drawings, 2 personal illustrations/coneptual art, 2 paintings and the on eof my complete sketchbooks that i did anatomical studies in. this work i included was the best i had ever done, and i don't mean the best work that i feel i like is the best, but instead show everything i have learned. for the personal illustrations they were what i liked and the sketchbook was to show that i work on my own time too.

if i had my portfolio with me i would post the images for you but since i just moved to CA wasn't able to bring it :(

how many figure drawing classes have you taken?


-Jesse

[gasmask]

For those of you who want the tech skills like feng but the paint.figurative skills as well, major in product design and minor in illustration, a good example of this is ari bilow who graduated not to long ago, look him up, hes amazing.

[gasmask]

p.s. i can understand going to schools to be pushed hard, but it isnt really necissary to go to a school that expensive to become an awesome artist, their are plenty of self taught people around. ALthough art center would be my dream school for the enviroment, all u are paying for really is someone to push u to get good in a certain amount of time and tips and tricks which can all be learned through the net these days. some good examples of self taught people would be hawkprey, spinefinger, one of the guys that did matte paintings for lord of the rings, i robot eminem, etc. list goes on, his name is dylan something., but u get the idea.

[fae]

Ok so here's the thing:

gasmask: that's one thing i've been rolling through my head for forever now --- is it really worth going into crazy debt for? I know the name helps, but I mean take all that away, the education and what i can get - is it worth the money and all the other stuff tied to it?

oh and also - what about majoring in illustration and minoring in product design? Oh, and having talked to someone at the school - he said they do this merged major thing--- or do they have separate major/minor, or double major, etc?

j.mac: thx for sharing! here's my problem: I haven't taken too many art classes yet, so I have a few good still life's I can use that I did this part year, then I took a 3d Design class. I'm HOPING to take Drawing II this semester (if I can get into it - that's another story) but I can't guarantee I will - if I do, then I'm pretty sure I'll get some figure drawings to add to my portfolio. So pretty much, I feel very narrow in what I have so far, and I need to hurry and get things together so I can apply and do all that stuff. Also, how did you present your stuff? Do I have to mat or frame anything or whatever? Sorry - new to this =P

I need to visit Ringling ASAP.

[makotierra]

Fine arts-wise, I think Art Center is more about concept and "rethinking art." If you want to go into architecture, maybe think about Environmental Design as your major, but I'd ask a counselor.

Art Center has constantly rolling admission, so there's no deadline. If you applied to close to the semester you wanted to get in to, they'd probably just bump you to the next semester, which is my best guess.

[April]

Yeah... afaik, you can apply any time and you'll start the next session/semester. Fall is traditionally the busiest, so sometimes it's better trying to get in winter/spring or summer.

Take your time, get a portfolio together. Try taking some basic classes at a local college with a decent art dept--to get some Life Drawing, for instance, if you're thinking of Illustration.

[fae]

my goal is to get into drawing II this semester so I can get some lifedrawing done - sadly, I don't know what the possibility of getting in is, right now... much begging with the art people at the school will soon follow...

i have some stilllifes that are fairly strong from last year that I can use...

[Katsushiro]

Well, I've been trying to figure this out for a while now and have yet to come to any good conclusion. I'm dying to attend AC, but I can't for the life of me figure out how to afford to live there. Housing in that area is as much per month for a 1 bedroom apt, as a 3 bedroom house where I live now....I can't afford either one. Any advice? Are there housing grant or anything available?

-David

[makotierra]

it depends on where you live. in pasadena is expensive, but if you get farther away, it's not as bad. or you can rent out a room in someone's house or take on roomates. paying for tuition is what you really want to worry about ;)

[Katsushiro]

I've heard of full rides being given out to some students...does that happen often, anyone know? I'm sure I can get at least a few scholarships and make up the rest in government aid...but I won't know for sure till I hear from AC.

[Mazzic]

What can I expect in terms of schedule? What times are most classes? Morning? Night? Both? I'll be a 1st year Illustration student...

Thanks!

[Helium Macaroni]

Katsushiro - You've heard of full rides being given? I'd certainly like to see the info on that! Scholarships seem to be few and far between at AC, and are most often given according to need, or so I've heard recently. However the hipocracy oozes around scholarship time, as the most mundane hack crap will get preference over very solid work. But I'm not bitter...

About housing, I live in a 1 bedroom for $925/month, in Eagle Rock which is 15 minutes away. Its a great place and its super close. Call AC and get the housing list from the enrollment office. Also, look on Occidental College's website, thats where I found my appartment, and it wasnt listed on the AC list.

Mazzic - You will get any number of times depending on where they would like to stick you, and whether or not you have advanced standing. My first term I had no classes before 1pm, one class every day.. it was nice. Your schedule is not static, and will most likely be changed by you according to what you want to take at what time, and if you like the particular teacher. Class times however range from 8am-1pm (morning) 2pm-7pm (afternoon) and 7pm-10.. I think (evening).

[xHUNTERx]

hey is anyone looking for housing? i really want to find a couple of guys and rent a bigger house to live in. having other people living with you helps you gain more inputs and you can learn from others too.

[Katsushiro]

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

way too much to think about

[fae]

Katsushiro: I wanna know the same there - Heck i'm just trying to scrape together stuff for a 'folio... and I don't think there's any way I can make a folio for prod design so I'll shoot for illustration - is it hard to change majors after being admitted? Or should I major in illustration and minor in prod design? I still have to look at it again, but it said something about having stuff in your portfolio based on what you're going for, so something about some full fleshed out and researched design for prod design... sounds complex, especially since I really don't know anything much about it.

Of course I'm askin in a somewhat biased thread, but what do you think of RSAD vs. AC?

$925!?!?... oh man... =(

HUNTER: man i thought that'd be a great idea - rent a place w/ lotsa people... thing is when i first head out there i won't know anyone, plus, for stuff like proposals from people like you - sucks that i'm a girl eh? haha j/k but ya know... =\

[xHUNTERx]

fae, from what i heard you can just add your minor by simply filling out a form at the school before the semester starts. I'm thinking about adding product design to my major too. So im gonna try this next week when i get to pasadena, i'll tell you what happens then.

[fae]

Ok cool, let me know ---
but what about changing majors? I'm still debating between Illustration as my major and ID (product design, essentially) - thing is, I practically know for sure there's NO way I can get in for ID portfolio-wise.

Ok - another question -
Should I go ahead and finish a degree here and THEN look at it? Or is it worth going in now? Which way will benefit me more? And do I have a chance to get in being so fresh to all this - I mean I've only taken two art classes at my University, over the course of a year. The rest were core classes.

[Helium Macaroni]

I think any one may be hard pressed to actually manage 2 major, or anything like a major and a minor. In fact I'm relatively sure you can?t minor in anything at AC. Plus, given the workload and class requirements for the Illustration major, you will have no time for other rigorous ventures such as core product/trans classes. If you pack your schedule, you will have a significant amount of work to do your first term, especially if you are entering with no previous credit. I find it rather pointless to hem and haw over minors or duel majors; if you want to take a class at art center the procedure is relatively simple. If it's in your department, simply get the chairperson to sign an add slip. If the class you want is outside, talk to the dept chair of that dept or the teacher of the class to get a signature. Relatively nothing is out of grasp at AC, and the Illustration major is the most versatile one. Going the track of entertainment, which I'm assuming most here want to do, is most attainable and practical through the illustration major. Through that you can cross disciplines and take other particular classes as electives, say Scott Robertson?s Viscomm 2 class, which is essentially what he teaches on those Gnomon DVDs.

Concerning previous classes, take core liberal arts classes. Really the Studio classes at AC are worth it, and you'll get a pretty good approach and most likely a better approach than any previous studio classes you've taken before. What will do you good and lighten your load, is if you take care of your liberal arts core completely or for the most part before you attend AC. I attended Pratt before this and it completely eliminated my cored liberal arts requirements, along with my first term of studio classes. That?s another story though.

[J.Mac]

ok so i have 12 credits of liberal arts that has transfered over will that help me out? also does anyone have certain teachers they recommend for 1st term students, i want to be pushed! since this all out of my pocket i want to get every cent worth of instruction. i know it might be hard to say who i should get and who is better than another instructor right now b/c the instructors change sometimes each term. if there is is a list of your favorite teachers that you really like could you guys and gals share with your reasons why? if you don't mind...

-Jesse

[Helium Macaroni]

ah-hah.. Gerardo, I remember seeing you're stuff at last year's Super Thursday... I think. I remember seeing that curved island. Nice stuff, glad to see you're working. Gives us currently enrolled chumps hope.

(no pun intended, chumps :P )

[Helium Macaroni]

That?s fantastic wikdotsys. Yeah quite a few of my friends from my last school aren?t exactly in their chosen career field. I was lucky however and met a guy through a chance encounter and now I work just about full time for him, and he works subcontracting for Disney and has worked on the last 6 Spielberg films. Actually.. I know about NDA's too. At the moment I'm doing quite a bit of production design including sets, props and spaceships for an upcoming TV series... which I don?t know if I can talk about without risking the state of my testicles. What I enjoy mostly about the job market here is that whole "networking" thing. I'd rather do that than cold call and portfolio drop off. I came to LA however explicitly just for the opportunity to network while I was in school. I just got lucky and am working as much as I'm doing school.

[Helium Macaroni]

I hope.... unless ofcourse that track is blown up by a 1930's film villan with a black handle bar mustache!

[xHUNTERx]

hey i heard about a guy named kain at AC? do you guys know him? if so i would like to see some of his works.

[Helium Macaroni]

Khang Le? I know OF him.. its so funny how some AC people become like.. legends. It's so terribly dorky :P

His site:

http://www.khangle.net/

[xHUNTERx]

hmm... so after reading the posts it seems like product design as the major is better than illustration if you want to do entertainment design. If that's true i might have to consider changing major later on. The thing is i like figure drawing though, lol.

also, i know that portfolio for applying product design needs to have a few ID concepts and stuff. is it possible that i take a few classes from product design during my first term then use the work i get from that class to reapply into product?

[J.Mac]

"The best thing to do is to Product and enroll in illustration classes, and going to free figure drawing workshops that are held daily." - wikdotsys

wikdotsys and xHUNTERx ok so i am reading and thinking about what you two are talking about... i am like most people who are attending art center that are on this board. i am intending to focus on entertainment design too. i am 1st term in the fall and enrolled in the illustration program, what should i do? or better yet if you were in my place what would you do? any help would be appreciated, and thanks :)

-Jesse

[fae]

Ok...
Here are a list of courses i've taken at my University - the art classes, as I hear and understand, probably won't transfer.

Calculus I and II
English 1101 and 1102
Political Science (Government)
Global Economics
Introducing to Information Systems (CSIS)

Art:
Drawing I
3D Design

This semester I'm taking:

Art: Drawing II
Philosophy
Sociology
Chinese I
Intro to World Civilizations (History)


Do you think I'll be able to transfer a # of the liberal arts courses? I purposely looked at Art center liberal arts requirements when I registered for courses this semester... they're also core for my university, mainly.

Also... how good are most entering students? I want to know if I even have a chance... =\

[I.was.ink]

J.MAc: what wikdotsys says about working hard for the first four terms is a great idea and then take all the electives you want in other majors strating 5th and later. If you later(one or two semesters later) find out that you like product better than illus. then you can switch over to product, but you'll have to make up some product classes cuz you were previously in illus. The problem I have with product is that you can draw the technical stuff very damn well and can actually build these things in the shop. But the thing I dont like about that major is that you dont learn how to paint(you might be given one or two classes, im not sure) or draw the figure(unless you go to workshops and draw from them. It's up to you what you want to concentrate on, but if I was you, I'd give the illus department a try for at least a term. There are sooooo many good drawing and painting skills that you get taught. The reason why I'm staying in the illus major is cuz I like painting more, than entertainment. I love them both, but the way I see it, is that I'll first learn to paint and draw well enough to defend myself amongst the big guys(Hopefully I'm good enough), then I'll take a couple of product/ent classes and get the best of both worlds. (sorry if my response sounded like one big long sentence :blahblah: )

fae: the liberal art courses that ACCD lists are transferable.
-Now about how good everyone is......well....its kinda iffy really. There's really two groups of people that come in. Theres those that have heard of art center and think its a cool art school and have drawn a little bit in high school, and want to draw cool monsters and stuff so they go to Art Center. When they get there its a whole different ballpark, cuz its not as easy as you think, the workload is damn heavy, and their immaturity gets in the way and they slack off the whole time, complain, or just quit.
-the other group of people, have visited ACCD and know of a lot of the pros come from their, and are very serious about art. They dont complain(you'll see A LOT of this from the first group, or at least I did when coming in), they work their butt off, and are always striving to improve.

So as you can see...theres a huge variety of peeps that come in to accd. If , you havent drawn much before accd, but are willing to work hard then you'll make it. I suggest making friends with the peeps that are on the same boat as you, and fast! This way you'll learn from each other and improve as a whole.

I hope I've helped and if anyone has questions, let me know, ill help ya out! :D

-Iwasink

[fae]

thx much everyone, I.was.Ink, etc.

Sorry for the pounding of questions : i'm just really trying to make decisions here etc...

I'm worried I won't have a good nuff or 'full' nuff portfolio - as in, it's quite limited I guess. I managed to get into Drawing II this sem. w/ an override, which will end with some figure drawing, so I can add a bit of that in my folio - I have some decentish still lifes... etc.

Man... I would love to meet and get to know some of you guys from off here if I do go... =P

[I.was.ink]

Ill be at school next term so if you see me around let me know and I'll help you out with your schedule( or whatever) and give you pointers on anything. If anyone has any other questions and thinks I can help them out, you guys can reach me through aim at:AmIAnArtist

cya fellas later

-Oskar

[makotierra]

adding on to what Wikdotsys said, if you work hard at illustration and just work hard at plain ol' getting better at designing and drawing, you'll have the ability to go into entertainment. A lot of what you learn at a school comes from your own observation and studies, not just what the teachers teach you. product...illustration...it all boils down to how well you design and how well you can get your ideas across :^^:

[fae]

thx you all - you all rock...

Um... what if I can't paint worth... junk... right now? I mean i haven't taken any classes or done much on my own since supplies cost money + a place to do it etc... I dunno you get my point... my drawing isn't great but it's def. my stronger point...

edit:
i.was.ink - i added you to my AIM list, if that was ok

um... what happens? I send in an application, then a portfolio later? I'm sure i can find this in their info etc... but yeh... is the portfolio slides or actual pieces? And how late can I turn in the portfolio if say... I were tryin to get in for spring?

[Helium Macaroni]

What AC wants to see most is figure drawing. They want to see it all, but mostly figure drawing. Give them a good rounded portfolio if you can, but make sure there is figure drawing!! Apparently, it's quite a bit easier to get in to AC lately due to the fact that they are building a huge addition to the campus and want all the money they can get. I've seen some trash artists get into AC, and it boggles my mind. I'm not calling anyone in here trash! I'm just stating that the collective level of work seems to be lower than previous times at AC.

Ink is right about the talent of the people at AC. There's different kinds. There a good amount of crap artists, a good amount of middle talent artists, and a good amount of super-stars. Its rounded.

And for Gods sake. DON'T DO PRODUCT IF YOU WANT TO BE A CONCEPT ARTIST! Period. Do you want to make mailboxes on the vaccuform machine? If you don't, then choose illustration. Do you want to make speed forms out of plaster? If you don't, then choose illustration. You can always add product/trans electives later, like Scott Robertsons class, or other viscomms. But for the love of God, don't chose product or trans because of thier ability to make well drawn boxes. You can learn that crap from sitting in on a class, taking an elective, or watching a Feng DVD. What you want from Illustration is the entertainment track, which can always be spiced up by taking electives. Plus, talk to other people in different majors. Get thier help. Talk to teachers you don't have and get training. Most all teachers are willing to help. What you need most for entertainment is foundation courses. If you want to draw vehicles for entertainment class, don't take 4 terms of bloody car creation classes, take Scott's class and learn that way. If you want to learn to do environments, take Landscape painting class, and learn perspective back and forth for interiors. You can do anything with foundation studies. But Product and Trans are SO specialized, unless you want to design fire extinguishers or cars, explicitly for 4-8 terms, don't bother with either of them. If you want to experiment, you can always track down a teacher to get them to sign you into a class.

If anyone wishes to get more beligerent answers from me...

AIM - MaphistoButercup

[fae]

gotcha gotcha - that makes me feel better - i'll def. go for illustration then. woo... ONE THING cleared up haha.

thx again bigtime, and I added you to my aimlist if that's a'right w/ you. gotta run to class - be back t'nite.

[seb]

hahaha whats wrong with product or trans for that matter? its just a different approach with a different type of history at art center. in the end, it probably boils down to whether you want to do things that are figrative and painted or things that require more perspective and hard shape development. its really a lose/lose situation(unless you go through both programs) since most illustrators are lacking in perspective/design skills and most id people are lacking in figrative/painting skills. both skill sets are important, but it depends on what you want to be doing when you are no longer in school. thats not to say that an illustration major cant graduate with exceptional perspective skills and that an id major cant be able to draw figures from life like no ones business. ive known examples of both.

Helium- i saw in another thread you know hugo. i met him a few weeks back and saw some of his work. he's a cool guy.

[seb]

hahaha whats wrong with product or trans for that matter? its just a different approach with a different type of history at art center. in the end, it probably boils down to whether you want to do things that are figrative and painted or things that require more perspective and hard shape development. its really a lose/lose situation(unless you go through both programs) since most illustrators are lacking in perspective/design skills and most id people are lacking in figrative/painting skills. both skill sets are important, but it depends on what you want to be doing when you are no longer in school. thats not to say that an illustration major cant graduate with exceptional perspective skills and that an id major cant be able to draw figures from life like no ones business. ive known examples of both.

Helium- i saw in another thread you know hugo. i met him a few weeks back and saw some of his work. small world.

[Helium Macaroni]

Seb, I totally agree.. they really need an entertainment major which you learn figurative, form illustration (vehicles, props, cars, etc), interior environments, and external ones. At the moment you kinda have to pick and choose what works best, there's no prescribed route, other than "take the core entertainment classes" which David told me, which you really don't learn a lot of foundation stuff in.

Yeah, hugo and I went to Pratt together, I really didn't know him while I was there, he graduated a year after I came in, but he was always kind of a "legend!" Speaking of legend.... hehe I saw a kid the other day carrying around print outs of your work to either learn from or steal from. Congradulations, you're an inspiration :^^:

[seb]

thats so embarassing. i need to go back and steal that godawful portfolio i let norm have or at least replace it with stuff thats not so bad.

if only they would create an entertainment major, but thats not going to happen anytime soon if ever. it would destroy the illustration department and suck quite a few people out of id. it would probably be one of the biggest majors at accd if that happened. personally it seems "what people want" is changing with the art of star wars books. episode one made everyone crazy about markers and spaceships and art noveau costumes and episode two made everyone go towards impressionistic color work. oh well. things will have to balance out one of these days.

geez im still embarassed thinking of people making photocopies of my work.

[Helium Macaroni]

Thanks Gerardo.... Oh! THAT Mike.. I'm a Mike too :P

Yeah dude, I saw them in a kid named Ryan's folder. I was like.. "That's one of them kids on Studio 222" Then I remembered I had seen some of that stuff on here... THEN went back to Studio 222 and found out your name, saw the same work and I realized the work was by you.. seb.. or Mike..

wow, that didn't sound creepy at all...

Anyway, rockin' stuff.

[I.was.ink]

Hey Seb. When are you going to update your site? :O

[steve kim]

rofl the product vs illustration debate is funny. sounds like the perfect THUNDERDOME. ;P

[Helium Macaroni]

I'm in a rivalry... with Steve! He and I are going to fight... with knives!

[seb]

i think the real rivalry at art center is between the students and the morons that won't build any more parking spots.

[steve kim]

i updated the first post w/ what i hope is some helpful infos. mainly for the newbies. let me know if i am missing big chunks of usefulness.

Paulganguly~~!!

i really meant to reply sooner but reading your posts makes me confused. you are interested in concept art yet you want to take fine art and then architecture after that? ac's fine art (ahem, 'fine art media') is pretty wonky... like it's all installation and weird fine artsy stuff. if yer into that more power to you but everything u've said sorta goes against that.

whats your ultimate goal? again, why the architecture and fine art?

re: illustration vs id.

earlier seb called it a lose/lose situation. well, if you play your cards right it's quite win/win. in the end i dunno how much diff there would be between an illu who beefs up his id side, or an id kid who works on his figure/illu stuff. i guess it just depends on what kind of stuff u like to draw more. like easy mac over here.. he's got a thing for spaceships and stuff... but then again he's an illu .. hmm okay i have no point.

cheers!
steve

[steve kim]

i think the real rivalry at art center is between the students and the morons that won't build any more parking spots.

haha. i'm such a 20min parking . even tho i feel bad sometimes coz it hink about some poor guy w/ all this stuff he has to unload...

btw, GREAT NEWS. somehow my car registration info dissapeared from my records/registration stuff! bahahahaha hopefully that means less chance for tickets~~~

[Helium Macaroni]

I'm a ! I'm a !!

[Helium Macaroni]

welp, Steve wants more insightful mind-probing posts from me so here goes.

I agree with him on the whole "choose your favorite but work on the opposing disciplines." If you're ID, work on the side at figurative. If you are Illus, learn ID stuff on the side. That's what I do. I'm Illus, but I'll be taking such classes as Viscomm 2 from Scott Robertson who if you don't know is a fantastic ID guy. I also like to learn it on my own time besides taking classes, plus it's just kind of a knack.

INSIGHTFUL STEVE?! You be the judge! :P

[xHUNTERx]

fall term's starting pretty soon. I just want to know who here is going to be at the orientation, it's better to have a few buddies before school starts. my aim is chukaryooori8686. Name's alex.

[steve kim]

i'll be there! cept to work as an orientation mentor (its so fucking glamorous) and to snag free shirts. fall is the term for new shirt designs, YAYAYAYAYA

[Lauren Short]

ok guys i figre i'd post this here since i don't have every AC person's im and you guys are away every now and then, i figued it'd get more attention here :blahblah:



so anyways here is my question:

are there any worthwhile liberal arts classes at AC(illustration major)? i want to know because i am taking liberal arts courses at Pasadena City College to fill the gap, but i'm thinking i'd rather spend my time in art classes and wait for liberal arts stuff in AC.. basically if there is something cool, like history of illustration, i would like to take it at AC but a class like english comp i will get rid of by taking the corresponding course at PCC... basically in short i'd like to know what are good liberal arts courses so i can fill in the crappy ones with credit from classes at PCC (i don't want to waste time & money when i could be investing it into art classes)

all in all i'd like to take art classes as much as possible before going to AC and learn more while at AC. I don't want to take BS liberal arts classes at AC because i know it'd be a waste of money but i don't want to miss out on any potentially helpful liberal arts classes at AC. i hope you guys get what i'm trying to communicate :bashful: :blahblah:

yea so any tips or suggestions or lists of good classes would be helpful, thanks guys :rendered:

[J.Mac]

Hey i will be at Orientation i am not an international student if that matters to anyone...
______
name: Jesse
term: foundation (illustration- entertainment design)

feel free to send me private message or IM on aim. i am also in pasadena right now so if anyone wants to meet or go draw that would be cool if you are in the area too.

-Jesse

[Helium Macaroni]

Jmac, and any other prospective students or residents of Socal...

Visit the Southern California thead in the local groups section. We're having a meetup on Sept 11 in Huntington Beach, a bunch of AC people are going to be there, (or at least I'm working on that!) People will be carpooling I'm sure, so I'm sure I or others will be willing to give people a lift. I've already promised injection that I would shlep him around :)

I may be around at orientation to rummage through the lost and found. But I'm MaphistoButercup on AIM if any prospective students want to chat a bit before the term kicks off. I'm sure at one point or another we'll all be seeing eachother in the cafeteria.

[Groover McNab]

Does anyone have any advice on which teachers to try to get for incoming students?

[seb]

if you want to get a taste of the real art center experience, take eckles for devform.

[Groover McNab]

Care to elaborate? :teeth:

Or should I just wait and see?

[Helium Macaroni]

seb.. whats devform?

[steve kim]

injection:

here's a list wikdotsys posted on the 2nd page, dunno if you got it:

Academic classes I recommend;

Films of Hitchcock
Films of Stanley Kubrick
History of Art I, II, III
Language of the Moving Image I
Philosophy ( or Intro to Philosophy )
Environmental Issues
Anatomy + Pyschology of Perception
Brain and Conciousness
Evolutionary Psychology

classes like history of illu you HAVE to take at artcenter. some of the art history cores are sorta hard to get out of. if you can, though, try to get as much liberal art credit in as possible. it will drag you down if you have a lot of liberal art stuff hanging on your back.

are there l.a. classes worth taking? sure. wikdotsys mentioned a few. i PERSONALLY haven't experienced any myself but i'm sure they will come.

you can do studio stuff at pcc but it just won't count in artcenter. remember the more liberal arts requirements u have to fulfill in art center the fewer studio classes u can take. that said it's generally nutso to take 6 studio per term (max), it's a lot more palatable to do something like 5 studio 1 aca. or even less.

btw you shouldn't approach liberal arts as being 'a waste of time and money'. true, you're not going to ac for that stuff.. but a lot of times i find acd students who are stellar at drawing and painting.. but lacking that certain something that i'm almost positive a more rounded education would provide. course, if you are already a worldy individual this hardly bears any relevance to you :).

as for classes to take first term... it's a crapshoot. u'll have a better idea of what to take for ur 2nd term classes. that said, don't sweat it TOO much. try to get in what you can, sure. but let the onus be on you and the effort you put in, and not your classes and instructors.

you should be familiar with the class adding routine though. coz it's hecka nutty during registration and the first couple days of class. in fact best bet is to know the classes u want the day you get your schedule and turn it in the same day... (that is if the class u want aint full and u dont need a signature.. which is unlikely given the size of fall term)

i'll look over the sched on campusweb and see if i can't recommend anything.. when i get a chance.

TOODLES

[steve kim]

seb.. whats devform?

development of form. 1st term class for product trans. eckles is that weird guy on the bike and speedos i believe.

i always wondered if any of those classes (devform, model construction, etc) were worth taking as non id majors...

SEB COME SAVE US

[seb]

development of form is the class that part of first term bootcamp for product designers. it's not really about what you are drawing in the class, but it teaches a lot about producing a lot of work, extremely fast and in a coherent fashion. i'm not too serious about suggesting that you take the class, but its great for a taste of the "old" artcenter in these days of new "diet," low carbs, sugarfree artcenter. oh yea. and maybe one person gets an 'a' in the class... if they earned it. a lot of viscomm classes used to be like that, but a lot of the former teachers retired or died off.

classes i enjoyed -

viscomm 5(trans) - ian cartibiano
packaging - dan hoy
archetype press - ?
color theory - richard keyes
any class by shozi(sp?) wang, academic classes focusing on modernism/architecture
viscomm 2(older) - eckles
viscomm 4(older) - pietruska
perspective - gary meyer <- this is probably the most under-appreciated class at art center.
there also was a good class on semiotics i took.

also if you want to be way old school, take letterform too. im not sure if its required from all majors besides graphics.

[opnitm]

Hi guys,

I'm 7th term trans/entertainments at Art Center. Just wanted to add my 2 cents.

Some of the best classes at art center in my opinion are.....

vis com 1 with Harry Bradley.... he'll make you cry with his comments... he's truly old school Art Center

Perspective with Gary Myers.... he's simply the best.

vis com 2 with scott robertson or geoff valasco, eckles no longer teaches vis com. Scott teaches how to draw stuff in perspective and marker work, but you can get that in Gary's class if you pay attention. Geoff will teach you design and proportion along with the whole i.d. chalk and marker stuff. Geoff is from BMW.

Trans 2 with ricky hsu. He is badass. He is like a popular science/mechanic reference book. He knows everything. Teaches everything from traditional marker sketches to photoshop sketches.

Vis com 4 with norm shureman. Helps you develop a efficient sketching and ideating technique.

Vis com 5 with ian cartibiano. He renders like no other in photoshop. Really nice guy that really encourages entertainment design. He and Ryan church were classmates so if your lucky, you my get a church demo.

Sketching for illustration with bob kato. This man is like the gatekeeper. If you seen the ryan church dvds, you'll see where church got his method from. Bob is an amazing teacher, probably the best class i've taken at Art Center.... and Im Trans.

Analytical Figure Drawing with Danny Galieote. He's awesome teacher and really nice guy. He's a master in the making.

Landscape painting with mike hernandez... awesome class....

Background painting with dominique domingo ....

Visual Development with either of the Dreamworks guys.

Those are classes that I can remember off the top of my head... I'll post more when I think of any.

[seb]

haha. i can't believe you put down bradley. what an abrassive guy. now david solon was true old school art center. i believe he had been teaching there since the 50's; i was in the second to last viscomm 1 class he taught. he had this way of saying mean, but constructive stuff during crits but making you laugh with him. the best line was "i want you to put this over your bed and when you look at it every night, say 'i will not do another piece of crap for mister solon's class.'" roland yound is another one of those awesome teachers that defined art center.

[steve kim]

wow, thanks for the info guys!

just a small q. since i've taken viscom 1 (sorta) and 2, i figured 3 was naturally the next step? cause it's about rendering and materials and stuff... but you guys didn't mention it in your list of recommendations. what are your thoughts on it?

[puffin]

Thank you Chumps for maintaining this behemoth and everyone who contributed to this thread, you guys kick ass. I was just accepted to AC (Illus) and this has been an invaluable resource for me. I'm starting in the Fall04 term and I have a few questions about AC. First, is there any reasonable way to get to AC besides having a car? I've studied th ARTS bus line (50 I believe) and it looks like it would be a stretch. Do any of you ride a bus? moped? bike? Second, what is the best way to get the instructors that you guys recommend, ie. Scott Robertson for Vis Comm? Should I be doing that at orientation? Also, does anyone have a recommendation about neighborhoods to live in? I'm going to try for a student roommate for this term before my fiance comes down in January. Again thanks for the great insight into AC and I can't wait to get down there and immerse myself in the amazing artistic community!

[Helium Macaroni]

Hey Puffin,

I've seen people bike to AC, but it must be a tumor on their existence, because AC resides on the side of a rather steep hill. So either way there is a hefty truck up or down depending where you live in the neighborhood. Plus, I would imagine anywhere close enough to actually bike would be a ridiculous amount of money, seeing that the surrounding area is quite affluent. Really there is no way to avoid getting a car to come to school, let along existing in LA without one. Everything revolves around driving. Plus you're going to have a crap load of art materials during various terms to be schlepping back and forth, a bike or a bus will not accommodate that purpose.

In regards to getting classes you want, all you have to do in some cases is get your dept. chair to sign a paper for you dropping, adding, postponing, or waiving a class. That however is if it's in your department and not full. If it's not in your department then you have to speak to the head of that department for permission. If it's full, you may have to talk to the teacher to extend the cap. You might also be able to do that by talking to the chairs. When I wanted to get into Scott's class, I was met with a bit of friction. First off the person who was settling some schedule problems for me gasped in horror when I mentioned I wanted Viscomm 2. Later, I came back and talked to a different chair and he said to talk to the head of Product Design. That chair then told me that the class was full and that I would have to find Scott himself to acquire permission. So.. being the obsessive freak that I am, I tracked Scott down at ComiCon in San Diego for him to sign my sheet. You may have to jump through some hoops, but you can usually get who you want and when.

In terms of neighborhoods.. I live in Eagle Rock. Smack dab in the middle of Glendale and Pasadena. It's about 15 minutes to school, and it's a nice area. Other places to consider are both Glendale and Pasadena, La Canada is nice also. Get a large detailed map of LA and take a look at the surrounding areas. A good one will show the smaller neighborhoods. Also get the housing list by calling the student life office, or some other office I can't remember. That will tell you apartments advertised through school. And also, take a look at the Occidental College website and find their housing section. That's how I found my apartment, which is of course as I said in Eagle Rock. Good idea getting a roommate period, some places can be rather expensive, but having a roommate will help drive down that cost, and having one that is a student will make for some good commonalities.

Good luck and I hope to see all you prospective students in the halls come September.

-Mike

[puffin]

Thank you Mike for the detailed reply, thats just the kind of information I was looking for! :D You're comment about schlepping art supplies brought up another question, are there storage facilities at AC or will I be dragging my wet canvases home each night? Also, are there workspaces where I can finish up a project on campus without having to paint in my garage? Again, thanks for helping to shape the first term protoplasm. :P

Travis

[opnitm]

vis com 3 is marker and chalk. Its taught by the eccentric Eric Robision. He use to work at disney imagineering. You learn how to basically render all diferent types of materials the i.d. way in this class. Everything here basically builds upon everything else you learned in the first 2 vis com class. hope that helps

[seb]

eccentric is a good choice of words to describe him.

[Groover McNab]

Hey thanks a lot for the info guys.

[Helium Macaroni]

The way to describe Robison as is follows..

He always sounds like he is constantly pitching something to a producer, no matter what he's talking about. "Hey, that's a good idea, but I got a better one, howabout in order to fight Jesus the government has to bring back Allah, Buddha, and all those other guys to fight him!"

I swear to god that was almost a direct excerpt from him talking to a student in the Drawing for Entertainment class. I love the guy, he cracks me up..

[Groover McNab]

Hey, that's a good idea, but I got a better one, howabout in order to fight Jesus the government has to bring back Allah, Buddha, and all those other guys to fight him!

Hahaha. I would soooo see that movie.

[Helium Macaroni]

opnitm,

Were you Trans at AC or Illus? I'm guessing by your site that you were trans. Think there would be any friction with an Illustration major attempting to take some of the trans/product classes you listed? I'm reeaaaly into perspective and environments plus props and vehicles. And as one knows they don't teach that in the Illustration dept really. I have indeed taken Gary Meyers Perspective class and he continues to be one of my best friends at AC :) Also I'll be taking Scott Robertson's Viscomm class next term. Just wondering where an Illustration major should start in experimenting with the ID classes. I think Gary may even have told me about that Trans 2 class.

Anyways, thanks!
-Mike

[Mazzic]

This thread has helped a lot, thanks guys!

I'll be seeing many of you soon at orientation - Fall '04 Illustration admittee.

[opnitm]

Helium,

I don't think there would any problem at all. Just a warning, the workload in I.D classes are 2x to 3x that of an illustration class. Especially the more advanced classes like vis com 5 and trans 2. Those classes rely upon the foundation already established by the classes that preceed them.

[Mazzic]

Okay, registration/orientation is coming up. I realize it's pretty much a crap-shoot for us incoming 1st termers, but I was wondering what teachers you guys would recommend (or avoid) for the following 1st terms Illustration classes:

Design 1
Perspective (Gary Myers, right?)
Principals of Drawing
Head Drawing

Thanks in advance!

[I.was.ink]

-Head drawing: Kyle Kane(He's a tought grader, but a very good teacher. He works you hard, but you learn a ton)
-Avoid Richard Houston for Principles of Drawing. He's a nice guy and all, but I dont like the way he teaches.
-Get Gary for perspective
-If you want to make things tough on you for design take claypool. But since its kinda lame gouache swatches, I'd take someone else. Ive heard about him, but Ive never had him. Maybe someone else that has had him can give u a better opinion about him. :rendered:

-ink

[I.was.ink]

What supplies should I bring to the first day of my intro to illustration class with Jeff Smith?

-Iwasink

[Mazzic]

Would you recommend Greek/Roman Mythology? I'm looking for another LAS class other than Intro to Modernism...

[steve kim]

well got back from the orientation meeting today... man lots of you fall kiddies. any new fall students w/ a last name that falls between "chen" and "dickenson" for illustration? if so AYE YAM YOUR LEADER. PLEASE BRING FRUITCAKE OR SIMILAR ITEM.

[puffin]

Just got back from Orientation today and even the financial aid lectures can't stifle my enthuseasm, :} I was bummed that I didn't get Steve for a mentor though. It seems like everyone in my group wants to get into entertainment design, my self included ;) Just wanted to thank all those involved with helping the new students, whether at orientation or in this thread. It makes the already daunting Art Center experience a little less ominous. Seriously, much love <3 , can't wait to learn from all the amazing students and teachers there.

[steve kim]

I was bummed that I didn't get Steve for a mentor though.

DAMN STRAIGHT.

curiously enough one of my peeps was xHUNTERx. i sorta made fun of his nick in front of the other kids... it was funny. well maybe not for him :).

[steve kim]

oh and i just re-found this pretty nice thread regarding the industry and schooling and such.

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=28912&page=1&pp=60

most of you have probably read it, but for those who don't frequent the lounge often.. (like me :))

oh and you might want to watch out for mike's hardcore ac cheerleading :).

cheers,
steve

[Helium Macaroni]

What the... I'LL KILL YOU STEVE KIM!!

[xHUNTERx]

lol yea i was in steves group and he was making fun of my name and stuff, whatever it's all good. the orientation wasnt all that fun though, basicly just sitting around all day listening to lectures about how the school works.

[poly_cube]

Awesome thread here- I plan on going to the art center (Assuming I get accepted) in spring and just for a side note: Christ helium macaroni your apt is 960 bucks?! Was the paint they used solid gold or did it have diamond shavings? nah I kid but that’s mighty expensive at least for my peasant taste.

My biggest question for you guys is loans- is there any loan company’s/banks you would recommend with the lowest % ? also whats the black-market price for a kidney? Hell we all have two of them so why not spread the luv.

just a question for you xHunterx how did your apartment full of AC students go? since I’m pondering on doing the same thing if I get accepted for spring.

[steve kim]

poly> people seem to like sallie mae. i have some loans from them and it's been rather problem free so far.

and whats with these ugly new 'post reply' buttons. you'd think a forum w/ the greatest artists in their field could come up with a half decent lookin' site :/

[puffin]

Have any of you Illustrators had Limrite for Head Drawing? I've heard that you need to crank out 500 heads to be considered for an A. How high a quality are the heads expected to be? Sketches? Fully shaded?...I'm scared... :nohope:

[Katsushiro]

bah! I do that before breakfast.

[|NTeRN]

hey guys,
im considerd transfering over to AC but i was curious about the price. how much is it per term? i saw 11,000 but that seems really high.. maybe i read the wrong thing but can any of you lead my in the right direction?

[steve kim]

hey guys,
im considerd transfering over to AC but i was curious about the price. how much is it per term? i saw 11,000 but that seems really high.. maybe i read the wrong thing but can any of you lead my in the right direction?

lol :) no the artcenter website isn't lying to you..

[April]

Heh. It was around 4k a term when I went, and I thought THAT was high. But as it kept increasing each term, I'm not surprised that it's gone up a lot.

Just get a scholarship before you get in and maybe have poor parents or establish your independence or something so you can get lots of student loans and aid... :dur:

[xHUNTERx]

first day of class today, not bad i'd say. I transferred into Gary's perspective class as all of you recommended. Now i have pretty much all the good teachers i just need one more elective for this term. any recommendations?

[J.Mac]

xHUNTERx - i am curious how you were able to transfer in to his class when all of them have negative space... i am trying to get into another class that has negative space, the enrollment services said it was full but i sat in the class anyways i am going to see if the teacher can do anything about this.

way to many 1st termers! :dead:

-Jesse

[xHUNTERx]

yea i believe that class was -1, but i talked to gary before he started class and he told me to sit in first and wait to see if there's spots later on. afterwards he just added me cause there were enough seats in the class for me to be in it.

[J.Mac]

oh i see yeah i am going to have to do that with Nellive and Cabe to they just wrote my name down so maybe they will just add me... cause a couple people didn't show in both classes. hmm i hope that works for me

-Jesse

[Helium Macaroni]

Welp.. Here's a bit of a warning to any incoming or potential art center students. TAKE ID CLASSES! I was in Scott Robertson's class today and it was really cool. We discussed the fact that most entertainment people in the field are ID majors, and illustrators have severe deficiencies in basic design, drawing from imagination, and making up workable environments and object/vehicles, etc. Speaking from the perspective of an Illustrator I would have to agree. To really get what you need to get from AC and be a successful concept artist, you really must get a good dose of ID style training. The biggest problem however that I see with AC is it's inability to tailor ID to anything but products or cars, and I would not be able to tolerate doing 4 or more terms of solely cars, products, or speed forms. My boss and I have also had the discussion that there are a billion character designers out there, but hardly anyone who can do environments, whether they be interior or exterior, that isn't ID. I will be shortly talking to my department head in an effort to ram through my agenda and waive any of the superfluous training that the Illustration major has to offer that does not specifically relate to entertainment foundation or entertainment in general. I'll let everyone know how that goes.

seb/Mike : I'm sorry I ever doubted the product/trans track to entertainment >:|

[April]

Every since Syd Mead there have been illustration students who wanted more of what ID and Trans offered. It seemed stupid that such classes weren't available to us when I was at ACCD (over 10 years ago). It seems things haven't changed much...
:nohope:

[steve kim]

well wait a minute there mikey...

i think the traditional illu education isn't all that bad, it just requires certain supplemental classes... like vitamins.

EVEN if u'r just into entertainment?

why? well, this is purely my opinion but for me, if you are purely focussing on the id side of things... i think that ones images, whether it is env or interior but mostly character and 'mood' related sort of suffer from an 'over-slick' look. yes the perspective is correct, yes it looks 'cool', but there is that certain something that makes it look like everything else.

i think that illustration and all the life drawing and painting that entails and whatever brings a certain... level of sensitivity to your work. is it paramount in entertainment or concept art? not really. but if concept art is where it all begins, and we want to be entertained with media that not only looks nice, but also MOVES us on an emotional level, then concept art requires that same level of sophistication.

for what it's worth i feel a lot of illustration suffers from the same thing. cool hipness abounds at the expense of maybe real sincerity

[Groover McNab]

That was some seriously good stuff right there, Steve. Well said!

[saraesc]

to those of you who are current students, i was wondering how much AC actually gave you in scholarships. did they cover 40% of your tuition or was it more like 2%? and i'm not talking loans you have to pay back either, just the good stuff.

[steve kim]

i applied when i got in and they gave me 30% ish. mostly coz i'm poor :). course (AND LET THIS BE A LESSON TO YOU ALL) i don't have it anymore cause i fucked up my gpa. :/

<-- jackass

btw, the new catalogs are out. sorta dissapointed w/ the design and type. looks sorta cheap, decidedly otis-like. oh well u can't win 'em all

[jellybean]

Everything with the loan: 84% tuition paid
Just the school scholarship? 22% per term
With other grants: 43% each term

I still want a Cal Grant. Work study isn't credited to tuition so in the end I pay $3000 something.

I've paid less for art supplies than I expected. The catalog said something like $1760, eek. Do you know how much sushi I can get with that?!

Hmm, better stop procrastinating today.

[poly_cube]

are there any classes for making maquette in the art center? Since that's something I would defiantly like to dabble in. and if so what’s that like?

also, how much is the scholarship at AC? (naturally there's a range but i'm curious what’s the typical amount)

[Shoji]

also, how much is the scholarship at AC? (naturally there's a range but i'm curious what’s the typical amount)

hi

i don't know much but i know a bit.



ac scholarships:

range is about 1k-6k per term with the potential superstars on full rides (assuming the money is avail)

how much you get is going to be based on your fafsa/efc, your grades/teacher recs, and your work.

i'd guesstimate that most people who haven't facked up their grades by slacking, show dedication, growth and creative potential in their work, and have little to no EFC (expected family contribution) will get anywhere from 3-6k a term.

i'd say the ave for those "in need" is about 2-3k a term.

it's not very likely that full ride corporate scholarships are given out. when they are it's usually only in the fall term and in one of the major funded departments (i.d.). i think art center got rid of their own full ride scholarship a few years back but who knows. also, the corp. scholarships are given to one student and until that student graduates it's not available to any other student.

if you're applying and need financial aid (which most will, myself included) then consider several things:

-if you're 24+ in age by JAN1 of the year you apply then you are considered an independent and only need to report your income, not your parents income.

-if you have a collegiate degree already then you're eliminated from cal grants.

-stafford loans are your friends that you should get to know very well.

-private loans are your acquaintances that you'll must likely not be able to avoid.

-visit the financial aid office in the annex building (2 story portable next to the faculty parking) for info, info, info, info. lots of flyers and knowing individuals who can answer your questions.

-scholarships, as i understand it, are given as the funds are available at the beginning of that term. you will have a greater chance at getting scholarship on your entrance portfolio than you will once you're in school (and yes you can apply for scholarship each consecutive term once you've started. just keep in mind you're competing with a LOT of people). if someone snags a fat scholarship with his/her entrance portfolio, there is left money to be given out for the remaining scholarships.

- - -

(much like steve i can't help but throwing in my 2 cents of advice)

keep in mind this also. you want to know a good deal about a school (namely accd) before you apply. it's like a job. you should do research on the company and position before you go in for an interview. understand how they work so you can cater to their specific needs.

same applies for accd. if you know what they're looking for or know what 'works' then you stand a better chance. there are a few schools that have figured this out and will do a better job at preparing you for school and scholarships than others.

it may be beneficial to prepare your portfolio at one of these schools before you enter.

oh, and don't spend too long working on your portfolio. you can fuss with that shit for years and get to the same level as if you spent 14 weeks at art center. the learning curve is steep and slippery so sometimes it's best to just jump in.

the attitude i keep when people bring up the topic of "debt this debt that" is simply: "i know i'm going to be successful so i'm not worried about my debt."

believe in yourself and amazing stuff happens.

lastly, from kurt vonnegut's pseudo speech (really mary schmich's but w/e)

"Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's."

to that i'd add that the outcome of those choices is also half chance based mostly on timing.

sometimes a person will turn in a specific-type of portfolio that goes against the grain of what the norm is, and it happens to be just what the committee is looking for at the time. bada bing bada boom, phatty scholarship.


...

hm..

what do i know.

i should get back to drawing..

hope this was somewhat helpful. in the next 8 terms if any revelations come along about the process i'll fill the curious in.

cheers,

craig

[poly_cube]

Thanks for the input Shoji,

I agree with what you have to say man and you know my philosophy on the ac is: if it helps you prepare for a job in the field (and maintain it) then who cares if your going to spend the rest of your life paying it back. I think most of us would regret it more if we didn’t go vs if we did go.

if you see me at AC i'll be wearing this T-shirt haha
http://www.splitreason.com/Product_Images/broke_black_medium.gif

[xHUNTERx]

Yea I agree with steve there about his comment for switching to ID for entertainment. I mean, yea sure there're alot of great concept artists that recently came out of the ID major, but there're also alot of great concept artists that didn't. To me, i feel like drawing people is alot more interesting than drawing products. Even though being very technical and percise is very important when it comes to entertainment, I don't think these factors are enough to make me switch over to ID.

I guess it really depends on you though, if you seriously want to be very technical and want the ability to draw like a machine, you'll probably want to switch to product then.

[Kimmy1971]

Can anyone here maybe help me out? I'm trying to find a life drawing class in Pasadena so I can get back in the practice of drawing on a regular basis.

Doesn't need to be for credit or anything. I've lived here 2 months so I'm not entirely sure where to look. Any input would be much appreciated.

Thanks a bunch :)
Kim

[poly_cube]

Hey kimmy

I remember there was a figure drawing school (inside a small office building) really close to the Disney animation department in Pasadena.
http://bhas.beverlyhills.k12.ca.us/ (this is the cheapest place I found for figure drawing workshop

when I was taking Kevin chen figure drawing here is all the workshop he listed (it is old so I’m not sure if the links are still good etc.)

on a side not I was accepted. and there was much rejoicing...yay

http://www.caffeineartist.com/drawings/yay.jpg


FIGURE DRAWING WORKSHOPS updated 10/5/03


MON ~ FRI 7 ~ 10PM (call to check on time & price)
LOS FELIZ WORKSHOP – around $10, Located at 4451 Kingswell (cross
street
havenhurst) in the back house at the end of driveway. Contact Ben
Freeman
for more info 818-761-2544 ext.345


TUES 7 ~ 10 PM
FINE ARTIST FACTORY – Long pose. $120 for 10 weeks.
http://www.fineartistsfactory.com/fineartists_fiqureschedule.html


WED 9:30 ~ 12:30 PM
FINE ARTIST FACTORY – Long pose. $120 for 10 weeks.
http://www.fineartistsfactory.com/fineartists_fiqureschedule.html


THURS 7 ~ 10 PM
THE DRAWING CLUB - $20 per session. Contact Bob Kato at 626-303-2556
for
more info. 3235 San Fernando Road, #2C Los Angeles
www.thedrawingclub.com


THURS 7 ~ 10 PM
FINE ARTIST FACTORY – Long pose. $120 for 10 weeks.
http://www.fineartistsfactory.com/fineartists_fiqureschedule.html


SAT. 9:30 ~ 12:30 PM
FINE ARTIST FACTORY – Long pose. $120 for 10 weeks.
http://www.fineartistsfactory.com/fineartists_fiqureschedule.html



SAT. 5 ~ 9 PM
ACADEMY OF FIGURATIVE ART – Short pose workshop. Around $150 for 10
weeks,
Call 818-793-5063 for details. 16926 Saticoy Street • Van Nuys, CA
91406
http://www.laafigart.com/


SAT. 9:30 ~ 12:30 PM
PASADENA CENTER FOR FINE ARTS - $120 for 11 weeks or $15 per class.
http://www.pasfinearts.com/pcfaClass_adultSpring.htm


SUN. 10 ~ 6PM
CALARTS – $ 6, in Valencia, exit Mcbean Pkwy from 5 Fwy North. Located
in
the Character Animation Department.


SUN. 10 ~ 1 PM
ACADEMY OF FIGURATIVE ART – Long pose workshop. Around $135 for 10
weeks.
Call 818-793-5063 for info. 16926 Saticoy Street • Van Nuys, CA 91406
http://www.laafigart.com/

[Kimmy1971]

Excellent! Thanks so much for all the great info, and for posting so quickly. This is exactly what I was looking for.

Cheers! :)

[I.was.ink]

Kimmy: Actually there's uninstructed workshops at Art Center every single day and they're all free.

[steve kim]

shhhh that is secret!!

hoho

[saraesc]

so one of the percieved downsides of art center is the lack of student life.

which sucks cause i think i learn as much if not more from my fellow students than i do from professors. i wish yall had dorms so i could just run next door and get inspiration from someone else and in general just people to bounce ideas off.
so i was wondering if there were any apartments that art center students tend to flock to. and while i'm on the subject i'd like to take the time to ask if there are any art center girl students who need roomates come spring. p.m. me if you like

thanks
-sara

[Helium Macaroni]

Well... the thing about the no dorms thing is that traditionally AC has been populated by older-than-most-college-student students. The average age of attendees was 25 not long ago, and most people of that age group don't desire dorms, and since there were very few out-of-high school students, there was really no need to foster that type of atmosphere. It has its ups and downs. Its downs being the lack of community indeed, I had a much tighter group of friends and a stronger sense of camaraderie back at Pratt, where there were dorms. However the ups are that the typical post high school college experience that tends to include lack of focus and other relatively juvenile behavior is non-existent. No offense to any of the youngins at AC but if the school did have such an environment, I believe it would be detrimental. However, that's just the ratings of a crotchety 24 year old. There are plans, in the new expansion plans, for the construction of dorms, so regardless of any apprehension any of us may have about the effects of dorm life, it's coming nonetheless.

I do however wholeheartedly agree and lament about the lack of community. One of the other reasons there is a lack of community is that the course load is rather intense and the curriculum is quite rigorous. Any first termers will soon discover that. I had grand ideas of a comic-book club where once a month a compendium of student sequential work could be published, however I have no time for such an endeavor. One way to foster community is to involve yourself in this one, the SoCal local group is off to a start and we are going to be organizing get-togethers and sketch nights.

[makotierra]

btw, the new catalogs are out. sorta dissapointed w/ the design and type. looks sorta cheap, decidedly otis-like. oh well u can't win 'em all

...but at least the website doesn't look that bad anymore ;)

I remember when I was looking at schools last year, the quality of some art colleges websites really made me surprised that the school was a art/design school!


Helium Macaroni: Good job at laying down the pros/cons of the lack of dorms. By the time their built, I think we'll all be long-gone outtathaschool, so it probably won't affect us.

[saraesc]

i'm almost committed to art center for 3 years
but i live in texas and havent had a chance to get a feel for the school
i know all the good points cause AC wont shutup about them but i would like to hear all the complaints even the minor ones.
at this point things like lack of parking wouldnt make a difference but say if certain departments were super competitive to the point where the enviroment was constantly hostile and stressful - well i'd probably still go.
either way feel free to get out your frustrations. dont worry youre not a traitor.

[AndrewMT]

I'm trying to figure out the costs of AC compared to the school I'm going to now. A semester at AC is roughly $12,000, so how many semesters does the average student take? Is it three terms per semester?

Please reply quickly. I'm thinking about leaving the school I'm in now and I am nearing the final tuition refund date.

[makotierra]

well, i figure most people take 8 semesters ('semester' and 'term' are used interchangably) Although a lot of people take an academic semester too, so if you take one of those, it's 9 semesters, but those are sometimes cheaper.

[xHUNTERx]

people ususally take 2, since we dont get any major breaks the term off serves as a break (the summer one for most people). Unless you really want to finish fast you can do 3 terms a year then finish in less than 3 years. but that'll probably really stress you out.

[jellybean]

the complaints even the minor ones.
I think one of the new student reps from environmental design complained that the class is competitive and tense but it was because they showed each other their grades. A rep/the student ended up discussing it with the instructor so that the teacher would explain grades and keep scores private. The ultimate outcome is that student government is now incorporating parties after the department meeting so students from the same major but different terms could have a mixer.

Right now ACGS is working on finding out about the scale of damage from gallery handling of student work. There's a student crit workshop coming up in the future. Another upcoming change is two day advisement so students have a variety of 8th term students and counselors to talk to (to figure out or pursue what they're interested in and fulfill grad requirements) instead of just the department chair or asking for syllabi from the liberal arts department.

[bigmonkeynuts]

interesting thread, makes me wish i had an art centrer up here in Canada :(

BTW, I'm pretty sure DUSSO graduated from the college I'm attending... Sheridan College up here in Oakville, Ontario, from the illustration program. Which really goes to show that it is NOT the school you go to that determines your future, cause there sure aren't a lot of DUSSO's coming from the Illustration program here.

[saraesc]

hey thanks jellybean for the good info. and while i'm at it, thanks shoji for the scholarship post that was really helpful and suprisingly comforting.

i'm actually looking forward to a more competitive atmosphere. it's a far cry from my state school education where there were only about 3 other kids in each class who were even interested in what they were doing. hopefully i will get alot better just by seeing all the amazing work being produced.

some of you have posted saying that art center is increasing thier enrollment and therefore the quality of students is going down. (probably the reason i got in) i have a fear that this may be the worst time to be going to this school that has always had stellar students.
anyone have insight on this phenomenon?

[carpal]

It is a phenomena indeed.

I went to Sheridan College last year and they were upping their enrollment almost double for all the programs.

I am now at Ringling and they let in a HELL of a lot more students this year.

I don't know what is going on with the art schools but it kind of sucks. Not only because there are people who really shouldn't be there dragging down the rest, but: Every person they accept is another person out in the workforce. Our industries can't handle the influx of graduates every year from all the schools NOW. The industries are going to be flooded.

It is up to you to stay at the top and work hard.

anyone else have any comments on this?

[I.was.ink]

Well, the quality of students is going down, but dont think its in the crapper or anything, cuz its still really good. The bad thing is that theres more immature students at accd, but soon enough they can't take it and they leave. All you have to do is seperate yourself from those that dont help you out and hang out with those that want to work hard and are up for the long haul. Ive seen some students come in the same term that I did, and now I look for them and they're gone. The good thing is that the teachers are still pretty hardcore, and so you're really not losing much, its all up to each individual student to work hard and get ahead.

The harsh reality of accd is that if you aren't ready for it, you wont make it, or you still may not be ready for it, but you accept the challenge and surpass the intimidation and you come out a success.

When will you be coming to accd saraesc?

[|NTeRN]

hey guys, i should be taking a tour there within the next couple of weeks? when i find the date i'll let you know so i can meet up with ya. ;)

[saraesc]

that's sound advice i.was.ink. thanks for assuaging my fears - i'll try to stay out of the bad crowd.

i should be attending come january (financial aide permitting) but if the scholarship gods arent smiling down upon me i may defer until summer just to save up some money.

theres no real difference which semester you start, right?

[Groover McNab]

woohoo! Just found out I got accepted today! Should be starting January. Pretty much in the same boat as you saraesc, hopefully I won't have to defer. :(

[|NTeRN]

when does the janurary semester start? caus ei plan on going to the sf workshop but i dont want to miss the opening days of school. this is all relevant if i get accepted of course :dad:

[Groover McNab]

Hey |ntern if you haven't turned in your application yet, I'd recommend waiting until the next semester. The submission deadline to be eligible for financial aid in the spring semester just passed last week. Dunno what your situation is, but I just assume everyone who is going wants to see if they can get some aid. It's a pretty pricey school.

[saraesc]

but I just assume everyone who is going wants to see if they can get some aid. It's a pretty pricey school.

AMEN!



speaking of groover mcnab, have you received anything on your financial aid status or do you know when they send out award letters? i'm getting ancy over here.

[Groover McNab]

wikdotsys - well that's a great endorsement :teeth:

saraesc - I was told sometime in November.

[xHUNTERx]

yea I agree with what I Was Ink said, there're some people in my term that are just really clueless and I can already tell that those people probably won't last very long. The bottom line is that if you're not willing to work your ass off, or give up everything else you have besides art, then you probably shouldn't come to this school. After all, the school isnt gonna make you better, it's yourself that's gonna make you better.

[steve kim]

yea... careful when you are looking down on certain people... wait a few terms and likely they will own nuggets left and right.

i have a lot more appreciation for ALL folken... cause in the end, i realize everyone is better than me or is going to be :)

[Helium Macaroni]

Uhh giving up everything besides art is a very bad idea. As an artist, you need inspiration, motivation, time off also. Infact, working you're ass off is ok, but "Giving up everything" as a sacrifice to simply get better is not going to effect you positively. You need to see movies, have a hobby, play a video game once and a while. If you dont, you get dry, and you fry yourself. Pacing is the key, not burnout. Plus, you need to have a social life, because half of the business is working with a team, making contacts, etc. I still go off on weekends and knock back a few drinks, go karaokeing... rollerblade :) I also slack on occasion, if you manage well, and learn your optimal work environments and scheduales you can make it all work fine. Art indeed is a major part of our lives, but it shouldn't marginalize other healthy parts of our personalities and lives.

btw.. anyone here should visit the Sothern California local group thread!! We're having a partay at Trevors place, pm him or maybe stop by tomorrow and say "hi" He posted his address somewhere in the thread towards the end, so find it, mapquest it.. and join the fun!

[steve kim]

I still go off on weekends and knock back a few drinks, go karaokeing... rollerblade :)

don't forget the laser tag...

[poly_cube]

I don’t think you need to worry about the market place being flooded with mediocre artist. Apparently its already in the works. I recently read an article while at borders in CG World magazine, that basically tons of students are graduating but can’t find any work. Simply because they lack the necessary skills to do the job right.

I remember when Mark Goerner was subbing for feng’s class at Gnomon he was basically saying the same thing here. “people slacking off generally drop out / kids that can’t take the work load and just drop out.” So I imagine its nothing new. With the exception of the kids that drive Ferrari’s to art center and always wanking about paint on their new pressed shirts.

hey wikdotsys what was your comment about "learn maya"? as an illustrator are you required to do some 3D work?


btw any art students going to go to the SF workshop?

[poly_cube]

I hear that a lot- that’s why I pretty much took the game environment/character modeling class at gnomon. When we took a field trip to rockstar games (since bobby worked there), they had 2 or 3 full time concept artist vs like a whole team of modelers enviro/character/ lighter etc.

Hah I always thought EA’s weapon of choice was 3D studio.

[xHUNTERx]

Yea i guess im sounding a bit extreme, but the idea is not to expect a normal college life as opposing to places like UCs and stuff since there'll be alot more work and less play. And back to Steve's comment, i'm referencing to people that are slacking off instead of people that arent skilled. I'm aware that after a few terms the skill level will eventually balance out as students work harder to push themselves. Infact, i've already noticed a number of people in my classes have already improved alot in the just past few weeks.

I'm actually pretty happy to hear that an all-around concept artist is in demand now, modeling stuff used to be my priority before i changed to concept :)

[Ben Mauro]

hey guys, im going to be applying to artcenter later in the year for the illustration degree, how hard would you say it is it to get in? do/did you like it there? i agree about the 3-d thing, the school im going to right now though is mainly 3-d and im having to 'fill in the gaps' for all the traditional stuff, there are a lot of gaps. anything would be helpful, thanks.

-ben

[Helium Macaroni]

Hey ben,

I very much like Art Center, as do many of the students. Many pro's and cons can be found throughout this thread, as well as what people think about thier experience. Recently, it has become less hard it seems to get into ACCD (for better or for worse) due to heavy expansion programs that the school is engaging in. Therefore, they are taking in more students for more money. In the long run, it will be debatable how this will effect the collective work quality, however the faculty and programs still remain very strong. The new department chair for Illustration is also fantastic. She's very open and wants to make the program as productive as she can for everyone. One of the strongest things I have to emphasize is to try to balance out figurative/traditional studies and foundation work with Industrial Design classes, such as Scott Robertson's Viscom 2 class and Norm Sherman's Viscom 4. Art Center is very design oriented, which many other schools in the nation are not, so that can be a plus. Also, being in Los Angeles, the epicenter of the entertainment industry is a valuable asset, as I and others have found out. Making connections and networking while attending school is very benificial. I very much enjoy my time, as stressful as it is sometimes and even though I have some gripes. But I'd still defend it as being the formost place to try to break into the industry.

Anyways, I read in your other thread that you were going to try to visit California and check out schools, so good luck and hope to see you around.

[Ben Mauro]

thanks, yea ill be down for thanksgiving to check out schools (if its open) if not im going to go down to one of the ateliers in the area during the summer before i start classes. cant wait.

[Jia]

Hi guys, im first term illustration and had a few questions about paint.
my parents are coming from asia and im gonna get them to bring me paint which is a lot cheaper back home. u know how it is with accd students always trying to save a buck.
off the top of your heads could u guys come up with a quick list of colours that im going to need for term 2 painting classes?
i appreciate it and thanx in advance :}

[steve kim]

tell them to get the biggest tubes

earth/limited pallette:

titanium white
ivory black
burnt sienna
yellow ochre
venetian red
burnt umber
raw umber
naples yellow

brighter colors:

cad yellow
cad red
(french) ultramarine blue
cobalt blue
permanent alizarin crimson
olive green
sap green

obviously you don't need all of those colors, not even close, but if you are going to buy bulk... cause each teacher has certain colors he likes to use. oh and i'm sure i'm forgetting a lot... (i'm not much of a painter)

oh and even if you can get a good deal, you might not want to get the real cad or cobalt paints. they are like super expensive. so you might want the hue's instead. like more or less looks like cad red but not real cad pigment, usually some synthetic. diff ppl have diff opinions on that though...

i personally don't use enough paint (not thick enough) when i paint and if it's super expensive stuff i'll be even more stingy w/ the paint, which is a bad habit to get into and one i still have trouble getting over. so i always go with the cheapest stuff. one day when i'm a millionaire maybe i can get the good stuff...

[Jia]

thanks steve,
should i buy good windsor newtons or cheap stuff like winton?
also whos a good teacher for figure painting?

[I.was.ink]

Make sure you get David Luce for head painting. He rocks!

Dont forget

sap green (try and get the pure color if its no too pricey, cuz it makes a really big difference if you get the cheap stuff. The color isnt as intense if you get the cheap one.)
alizarin crimson
indian yellow(its almost the same as naples, but I prefer indian)
cerulean blue( its really expensive, so if your folks can get it cheap then go for it)

I know I like using good paint so I'd get the good paint. Also, there's better brands other than Windsor. Although I forget right now which ones... sorry.

- ink

[poly_cube]

I think going for the good brand of paint is always the best choice. It’s only a few bucks more and the results are going to be better (paint wise). I been using Utrecht paints for a while and I enjoy it, but if anyone has any other brands to keep an eye out for share!

When should the noobs for spring start to see the class schedules and such?

[makotierra]

people entering the school for the first semester don't see their schedules until orientation.

[fallingh2o]

[FONT=Arial]yes, yes, yes! im joining the art center clan! :cheerleader:

glad to have found this thread! its been hella helpful...(at least for advice on AC)...

anyways, go art center!! woohoo! :teeth:

ok, so im an ad major starting in the spring. does ANYONE know anything about this major at ACCD? i cant find ANYTHING on the forums about adv. here.

can u guys give me advice or...anything? or du know of anyone in the ad prog? thanx!

[steve kim]

hm, how do i put this nicely..

if you are ad, what are you doing in this forum?

[fallingh2o]

oh, im sorry. i could not find any forums on ad (art) schools on the net...adv design is not a very popular major. perhaps you may know of any other forums? this site was the closest thing i found to getting some kinda info on AC and adv. guess i was wrong...

[Ron]

Just ran across this thread. Since I go to Art Center, thought I'd put my 2¢ in!
I am in the Product Design program with emphasis on Entertainment.

Love the school. I'm going to chime in on some stuff already noted throughout. There are 3 semesters a year, and you can go straight through, but I'd definitely suggest taking a semester off once in a while. I went through 3 semesters before taking my first break. I was super burned out at the end of 3 semesters. I'm getting ready to go back in January for my 4th semester—can't wait to get back there (so taking the term off helped!).

As far as scholarships, I think it probably is better to try and get it before starting school. I got a small one (nothing to sneeze at, but I need more!) and have reapplied for more every term. Haven't gotten any additional yet.

As for future semesters, I may cut down to 4 classes per semester, especially with studio intense classes. It will take a little longer to finish, but it's worth the money if you can really take the time to do the best while there. It seems at times that there is more work than you can handle. Of course it also depends on the person and how good you are at time management! But that gets better as you go (sink or swim!).

That's all for now.

[steve kim]

oh, im sorry. i could not find any forums on ad (art) schools on the net...adv design is not a very popular major. perhaps you may know of any other forums? this site was the closest thing i found to getting some kinda info on AC and adv. guess i was wrong...

lol, sorry for being an ass. was just taken aback when you mentioned being an ad major. not like lotta people post ad layouts and such on this site yknow :)

[jellybean]

When should the noobs for spring start to see the class schedules and such?

The Spring courses should be listed on Campusweb by this Friday.
https://secure.artcenter.edu/cgi-bin/web.asp?web=CLASS.SCHED.SEARCH

Notice: Datalog's course descriptions are more concise and up to date than Campusweb. Check it.

[jellybean]

Maybe this is old news to you guys but this is the first I've heard of it --
"Car Design Program Planned for California's Art Center"
http://wardsauto.com/ar/auto_cardesign_graduate_program/

Looking ahead, which classes would you recommend just to build on model shop skills? Development of Form, Environmental Design, Model Construction??

[Jia]

hi guys...
i just got my class schedule and need some advice on the instructors
digital design - Shepard,L (ill prob try to waive this class)
Analysis of form - Strickland M
Head Paitning - Luce D
Des2 - Nguyen J
Comp & Painting - Schaefer A

i would prob like to try n get the best instructors for analysis of form, head painting and comp and painting..the other classes dont seem as crucial to me
would appreciate some advice from the later termers : ))
thanx

[steve kim]

are you 2nd term? or did waive all the 1st term classes..

definitely madden for analysis, your other instructors luce and schaefer are good. lucked out there.

ross for des2 if u dont want as much work. nguyen and claypool assign more work afaik and do a lot of work on computer, which means u need a decent comp + printer. ross is all acrylic.

[Jia]

thanx for the advice
im first term right now, second term in spring.
didnt get to or want to transfer any studio classes
but dying to transfer more academics : ))
im trying to waive digital design any ideas on what to substitute it with?
i wanted to try to get into viscomm2 but doesnt seem likely since im illustration...thanx in advance

[steve kim]

doesn't matter if u are illu and u want in viscom2. u just need to add it, and get the purple sheet from scott if it's full... if u cant get purple sheet and its full wait a week or two and usually people will drop and make space

[Helium Macaroni]

Anyone who wants to get into Viscomm 2, be prepared to fight tooth and nail for it. Everyone and thier mother wants in. I went to comic-con, tracked down scott, and had him sign my sheet for me..

..then I appologized to him for being so creepy.

[Dionysusnyc]

I'm starting at Art Center (Trans/Ent) in January, coming out of Pratt with a BID. I've got some general questions if some current students wouldn't mind answering them.

1. Who's the most popular private lender (ie:citibank, salli mae, etc.)?
2. Where are the best placs to live. I'm not worried about the
neighborhood, just cost effectiveness($500-650) and proximity to school?
3. Do you know anyone on the trans track that isn't a gearhead?
4. Who are the best Ent/Illus instructors, what do they teach?
5. How much money do you spend annually if enrolled all three terms, are
the projections in the award letter accurate?
6. From what I saw when visiting, it seems that the social scene is dead, at
least on campus, are there any groups that meet to relax and pool ideas?
7. Any red tape or potential hang-ups to be on the look out for?

[poly_cube]

Well I got my scholarship mulah which I guess isn’t too bad. All together with fasa its 12k for 2 terms. However, I signed up for federal work-study but now I’m having second thoughts, anyone have any insites on this? (Perhaps a job you can do on campus and do homework at the same time?)

also if anyone is looking for a roomate for spring send me a line since i'm thinking of renting a large pad (or move in with someone) either or.

[Jia]

i got screwed out of luce's class!! they changed my schedule at the last minute
is cabe for head drawign any good?
also i got strickland for analysis i heard he can be tough
also does nguyen for design 2 give a lot of work?
in response to the other guys thread....there is no such thign as a social life once u ocme to art center
theres no such thing as weekends either i like to say...only two extra days for homework
but its great if u like what u do : ))

[fallingh2o]

this has nothing to do w the posts prior to this, but i had to let out some...anger~!!!

so i went to financial aid this morning, and some lady named irene was helping me. she was SOOO not friendly and did NOT want to answer my questions, and when she did, she reponded like i was SO STUPID AND RETARDED!! is she always this rude? or was she PMSing (or menopausing)!!! >:{

i have a question, who do yall recommend for private lenders?

[poly_cube]

Hey Jia

How did you go about to change your schedual? Or rather how did you get ahold of it? Since I talked to Gloria and she basically said first term students couldn’t get their schedual until the first day of school.

[saraesc]

Jia will be a second termer by spring. he/shes a first termer right now

[Helium Macaroni]

I'm starting at Art Center (Trans/Ent) in January, coming out of Pratt with a BID.

AAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Pratt.. aaahahahaha. Ahah.. hah.. ooooh boy..

Yup, welcome to the club..

..of those of us who said after graduation from Pratt.. "Welp, that was pointless, I guess I'm off to Art Center for a real education."


By the way, if any of you AC kids are interested, a few other AC kids and I are having a meet with the So Cal local artists group of CA.org to have a shindig.

The guy hosting it is Trevor.. his place is here..

82 Obispo Ave Long Beach, CA
http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?country=US&countryid=US&addtohistory=&searchtype=address&cat=&address=782%20Obispo%20Ave&city=Long%20Beach&state=CA&zipcode=90804%2d5035&search=search&searchtab=address

his phone # - 562 621 9269

come and bring some homework, there will be drawing and drinking. I really hope some of you show up.

[jellybean]

How did you go about to change your schedual? Or rather how did you get ahold of it? Since I talked to Gloria and she basically said first term students couldn?t get their schedual until the first day of school.

(I remember you! I was sitting at that table too.) Entering students don't receive their schedule until about noon on Day 3 of orientation. I tried something similar as you in August where I spoke to a counselor but nothing could be done without my printout. Know what changes you want to make [see Steve's post on adding classes] so you'll be prepared to do add/drops right away while your department chairs are around at the 1st termers' meeting.

[I.was.ink]

Jia

Get out of Cabe's class fast. People hate him and Ive heard he can be a real jerk. DO NOT TAKE HIM!

You have to take Luce for head painting, do not take anyone else...you'll regret not taking it with him if you take someone else.

I've heard nguyen does give a lot of work. The design 2 class isnt all that great anyways, but if you wanna go for the easy route, take cole case.

[Jia]

thank guys
i managed to heckle fred into letting my sign into luce's super duper overloaded class and he said even if i cant get in cuz its too full hell split the class into two sections so i can get in yay
but my schedule on campusweb still shows cabe though...scary.
i think im gonna try to get out of nguyens class..ifi can my schedule will be perfect...having a design 2 class with a lotta work feels like having a job that u hate
the work sucks but u gotta do it and u then have less time to concentrate on the important classes
i had robbins for design 1 and though hes no claypool its still a ngihtmare
so u guys coming in for spring
DONT TAKE ROBBINS OR CLAYPOOL FOR DESIGN 1

[Dangerousllama]

first off: great thread you guys have going here... lots of info

I was wondering if you would recommend going to AC right out of high school, or would be better to take some years at another college? right now im a senior in HS and just starting to send out apps for college. i plan on majoring in illustration and would like to do entertainment related work.

some of my work is on my site if you would like to see... my school doesnt have much of an art program so pretty much all of my work is done on my own time... (really frustrated with what my school has to offer :\ )

anyway, thank you for your time :)

[WIll]

Awesome thread guys/gals :teeth:

I took a tour today and was wowed by the work I saw and the school environment. I already have an Assoc. degree in Animation from 7 years ago (from Art Institute of Colorado), unfortunately I wasn't in SoCal when I got my animation degree. If I had been, I wouldn't have been working in the Information Tech. industry since I graduated, and falling prey to the dot-com bubble bursting, which sucked mondo-ass.

But now I'm here in SoCal, and loving it.

Here's my dilemma. I've just got a job offer today for a job that is loosely related to Graphics (salaried, 8 hours a day 5 days a week), and need to know if AC is somewhat flexible with their class scheduling? Or if there are other people who are currently enrolled at AC that can share some knowledge in this regard.

Short of selling a screenplay for a ton of money or winning the lotto, I don't think its possible for me, at the moment, to give it up to just go back to school. Right now, I will be working on my portfolio so that I can enroll by the Summer Semester at the earliest, but I gotta figure out how to find a happy medium between working fulltime and school.

[Jia]

its impossible..art center is like a possesive girlfriend it demands all of your time and energy and patience
but unlike the former its worth it..
u can take night classes tho

[jellybean]

I've just got a job offer today for a job that is loosely related to Graphics (salaried, 8 hours a day 5 days a week), and need to know if AC is somewhat flexible with their class scheduling?

Art Center Lite is a one-time only thing where you can take a term with only 6-9 units (2-3 classes)...

Keep working on that scholarship.

This term I only went on campus twice a week but that meant an online class and a 12.5 hour day. If you're going to try working while going to school you could try having a class every day so you can be doing all your work on campus then commuting to work afterwards but its probably not recommended.

[jellybean]

my schedule on campusweb still shows cabe though...scary.

Add/drop for students advancing to 2nd term won't be processed until Friday of week 12 (December 3). According to Enrollment Services, even if we turned in the form early, we don't have priority over other terms [not even if you're in student government]. Good luck!

[jellybean]

I signed up for federal work-study but now I?m having second thoughts, anyone have any insites on this? (Perhaps a job you can do on campus and do homework at the same time?)

I have two work study jobs but I still haven't earned my allotment for the term because I'm only working 8 hours a week. If I did that the whole term, maybe... Considering the socializing going on with some illu girls in the prop room, I'd recommend that. I've seen the library assistants at the checkout counter have some free time to draw in a sketchbook and read...

[WIll]

Thanks for the replies Jia and jellybean. Our Student Guide for the day, Ari (sp?), mentioned night workshops to me after our tour. He said that they're not 'official' classes as there's no enrollment, but I can still get course credit depending on the class I take.

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

For Non-union workers, you get minimum wage, but you get paid $54 regardless if you work 8 hours or 3 minutes. A lot of studio sets go into overtime (and double-overtime), 10-12 hours of sitting is about average. If you manage to get into the Studio Actors Guild (union), your pay doubles, plus you get pay increases for changing wardrobe, using props, being around people that smoke for a scene (no joke, its labeled "+smoke" and is another $15-$30). And more importantly, all of your food is catered. I repeat, You do not bring your own food to set, Studios are required to feed everyone that works on set.

I was doing this until I got my job offer today, but may go back to it when I go back to school and cannot continue working my regular job.