any Cal State grads?

[saturniaus]

I went to Cal State Long Beach because I was told I could get real high-quality art education that's also affordable (financial aid helped a great deal. Why I practically got a free education!). Though I admit they were more oriented toward advertising and editorial it still was a great experience.

[Eshara]

I was just about to post asking about Cal states.

What major did you go towards?


In the future, I'm looking at going to Cal state Fullerton or Pomona. These 2 are the ones I'm seriously thinking of taking. The big maybes are Los angeles and long beach because of the distance (I live in the inland empire).

I'd like to know what are the top quality universities? As in; Great teachers who know their stuff & do a great job teaching their students. A school where the students are serious and its a stiff competition. I'd prefer a college thats more oriented towards the entertainment industry if possible.

I want to major in Fine Arts or Illustration (with 3D classes on the side.) I plan on being a Concept artist/3D modeler or someone that does Icons and such.

Can anyone share their experiences? I just want to hear people's experiences at these colleges most of all.

[saturniaus]

I got my BFA in Illustration from Long Beach. I guess if you want to go into 3D animation and such you wouldn't come here. I wonder if Fullerton still has that one animation program sponsored by Warner Bros. ( I remember they did once). I had planned on going into editorial/book illustration and so that's why I chose LB. They do have really great art program; the students are very dedicated and passionate about their work ( at least when I was there) the teachers were very helpful in my quest as artist; I can tell they are very dedicated to their work and in their students (I have run into few who will literally rip you apart not pretty) but I kinda have to say most of the teachers are more traditionalists and have backgrounds more in fine arts than anything, and the illustration department is mostly hardcore on editorial and advertising, but I have met few who have done storyboarding for film/tv and they've had good knowledge of the entertainment field. Not to say LB hasn't helped me in any way, I feel the skills I've learned there are valuable and can be transferred to other areas of art. (I decided to turn my attention to concept art and film/theater from this day on) I also think traditional art training is more important than knowing a 3D modeling program; I can always learn that anytime.
If you live in IE then Long Beach is a bit far if you're planning to commute. But I really liked LB and I felt I learned a lot more without running in debt which I probably would've done had I gone to a private art school. It's your choice where you want to go ultimately but I thought I'd share my opinion.
Good Luck!

[buck65]

From what I hear, Cal State LA's design program has been improving greatly during the past year or two. They're up to speed on the programs that are used in some of the industry shops (Max, Maya). They also have a broadcasting department with excellent equipment for sound editing. If you're really interested, you should stop by the school and ask to speak to Tony Longson in the art department. He's made quite the name for himself in Siggraph and has a good pulse for good storytelling.

Little things like this will ultimately help you become a well rounded artist in the long run. The bottom line is that you'll need to know the principles of design, color, and composition before you advance to any specialized education (like modelling or concept design). Having said that, I think you'd be well off going to Fullerton. They have a great art department that's well rounded, with many different choices in electives to practice using your art skills.

If you really want to get in the industry, choose a school that will help you spend as much time learning and honing your skills as possible. This will ulitmately help you land an internship which may lead you to a job. Good luck.

[Eshara]

Thank you, both of you.
This is good information. :)