Help Please

[Lee]

Hey Guys, Great artists in this forum you guys rock.

Well heres the deal, I am now 21 years old and just starting college. I pretty much have to pay for school myself, thanks to the lack of finacial support from the government. I live with just my mom who makes enough to provide for her children. I've been drawing since i could remember but have not had the proper "ground up" training i want. Well im currently starting community college this January i figure i ll get the core classes and shit out of the way. My ? is what to do from there i like this whole concept art feild, its what ive wanted to do for years. What calsses are good to propare u for this? And How hard will it be to gett my schooling paid for with scholarships? Should i look into student loans? These Art colleges are F-ing expesive. Well i thank you in advance for the help.

[AmadorL]

don't have much to offer but apply for grants, both pell an cal fill out the FAFSA and hopefully you will get you community paid for. Take as many life drawing classes as you can. I found out that they are the most important to lean to become a good artist. Well I hope this helps.


Amador

[el coro]

dude, i come from a poor single parent family in a texas town with one of the lowest per capita incomes in the country. i took out mad loans. i owe a lot of money. but don't worry, if you're serious about it , a good art school is very worth it. don't get me wrong, it is still kind of a gamble. you could go to a top notch school and graduate only to find yourself in massive debt and unable to find work, but i assure you , it really all boils down to passion. if you want something bad enough, and you're dedicated to you're decision, you'll do it. don't be intimidated or daunted for money issues, life is too short for that. look. draw every day for 6-12 hours (even weekends) and in a few years you'll be banging. i was self taught for quit a few years, and i went to academy of art college for 3 years to learn academic drawing, and it was the best thing i ever did. i think another misconception about artschool is that you have to have a degree to get a job, which is very untrue. i learned what i needed to learn and broke the fuck out. i didn't waste my time taking a bunch of liberal arts courses either. strictly drawing and painting baby... and i found a job within the first few months i dropped out. all im saying is that if you sincerely want to do this for a living, take the chance, but be serious as fuck about it... i hop this helps....-c36

[Lee]

Thanks Coro its good to know someone as great as you came up like that! U helped alot, i under stand its gunna be a strruggle but what isnt, right. thanks again PEACE

[MindCandyMan]

First off I want to say that I am really encouraged to hear you say that el coro. I just started drawing on september 15th of this year...I am 22...I decided I want to be a concept artist so I am doing it. I have been drawing like 3 - 6 hours a day every day...and it's awesome to hear you say that in 2-3 years I could be doing well. It's hard to see that far ahead...all I see is how much I suck right now.

Lee - I know this may sound weird but this is what I am doing... If you can find a really good school around your area...see if you can get a job there. I got a job at University of Pennsylvania...their art program normally costs 35,000 a year!!!! I could never afford that. But since I work there I get it for free. I can audit as many life/figure drawing classes as I want...it's gonna be awesome. Also since I am on campus all the time I am building relationships with the painting teachers and other individuals that are a constant resource...it takes initiative though...and they have to know that you are there to work. But see if that is something you can do if your back is up against the wall and you can't take loans out. El coro means it though...unless you are trully serious you will not rise to the top. Dedication is a MUST...you can see it in all of el coro's paintings...he has spent so many hours laboring to get where he is. And his stuff is freakin awesome. Jason Manley said it best when he said.......For five years your first priority needs to be art...later on that can change but not for the first 5 years...when other people are out you should be drawing...when your friends are going to the mall...you should be drawing......

Just the way it has to be if you want to get into such a crazy competitive field. Keep the faith man. I will see you at the top.

[Lee]

Thanks mindcandy ill look into that. I agree dedication is a must ive been drawing for like 6-10 hoursaday, reading mad books on antomy and color theory and seeing improvemnts but i think school will give me that push i need just to be around other artists will help alot. I just found these forums a couple of months back and they have helped so much. thanks for the help everyone.

[I.was.ink]

i agree with el coro. If u don't do this as a passion, then don't be an artist. I say, be broke for a couple of years, try your hardest to get better, and go to a damn good school. Then it'll all be worth it, if u want it that bad. Hopefully its smooth sailing from then on. That's my plan.