Currently I am in the military and I hope to start school next year when i go to shore duty. My goal is to work in either the game or film industry and my interest is 3D animation but i guess i would kind of generalize that because Im not fully sure what aspect I want to be involved in yet I dont know if i want to be a lighting artist or an animator or whatever. But here lies my issue which is school. Being that im in the military i cant exactly run off and go to college wherever i want. one option i explored is RMCAD(Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design) because they offer their Bachelors degree in computer animation fully online. Although im not fully sure of the quality of the school or program because i heard rumors they were bought by full sail university. my other issue tho is I lack talent in traditional art as well and it made me wonder if I would be better off going to SDSU(San Diego State University) since thats where I currently live is San Diego and Major in something like Illustration to increase my traditional skills and just learn the 3D programs myself or something. Im not sure but im looking for any input that may be helpful
Could really use help deciding schools
Could you explain why Full Sail is a bad choice? I just started my Computer Animation BS degree at Full Sail. Is this a bad idea? I feel like I’m locked in either way, but I would like to know how bad my decision really was. I hope you find a program that fits your needs!
I cant say from personal experience obviously, just from what ive seen on reviews a lot of people said that full sail was a rip off, that it was expensive and not challenging enough or they had a bad experience. i think there were complaints that their credits dont transfer either because of their accredidation. but again these are just things ive read. everyone has complaints about every school
Maybe after the military service is over…
Move to California .You got Gnomon school ,Stephan silver’s figure drawing school ,Jeff Watts atelier painting ,these are from the top of my head .There are literally 10s if not 100s of courses in California that teach art classes at a reasonable low cost.
If you can ,work and save money the old fashion way while living within your means or use your military benefits (i think gnomon excepts grants).This economy is in the toilet and student debt is dreadful.They are literally sticking ppl in jail for being broke ,debt prison as it’s called.
http://www.wattsatelier.com/contact-us/
http://www.silverdrawingacademy.com/contact/
https://gno.empower-xl.com/community/index.cfm?action=main.location&loc=HOL
I’m currently saving money doing Genie pig studies in FL.Once I get around 25k .I’m moving to California and attending the schools I mentioned above.
But disclaimer,If you have the creds and the Cash to pay for a college program ,then Cal Arts is a good school.
Academy of Art or Savannah College of Art and Design are probably the best online art degree programs, and they’re still not great. The best online classes are non-degree; Gnomon online, ZBrush Workshops, CGSociety, Animation Mentor, to name a few.
CalArts is a great school if you know you want to be either a character animator or storyboard artist. If you’re interested in any other part of the pipeline, there are better options.
What would be the better options for concept art, viz dev and illustration for entertainment?
Art Center Design College is the biggest name, though even by private art school standards they’re super expensive.
Let me make two points clear: First, I never attended Full Sail nor did anyone that I know go there. Moreover, I do believe that you can get the necessary training that you would find elsewhere. HOWEVER, Full Sail has one big drawback: TIME
Most of the top schools work their kids like dogs. These kids can’t work any harder for the most part. Moreover, Full Sail is on a condensed schedule. You don’t spend four years in training like you would at most other traditional schools. This is important, however, because art and design takes TIME. There is only so much work that a student can produce in a given time frame and only so much that can be taught in a given time frame. Full Sail , in my opinion, really hurts itself and its student with its condensed scheduling.
Techokill asks “What are some other options besides being a character animator or concept artist?” Well, you have specialists in lighting, skinning, texturing and shading, modeling, particles and dynamic work such as hair , fur and special effects, and you have specialists in rigging among other areas of the animation pipeline. Moreover, there are those who specialize in entertainment and commercials vs game developers.
I would check out Lost Boys - School of VFX. We have a high placement rate and are industry recommended. Before deciding on a school I would advise connecting with the alumni and looking at their work and asking about the experience they had. Be careful with some of the larger schools as they tend to only show you the best students and do not allow access to all alumni to contact. Also do not be fooled by the big marketing that some of the larger schools have.
We had a student transfer from the Navy about 4 years ago and he is doing very well and is currently a lead at one of the local studios.
Wishing you the best in whatever you decide.
If you would like more information about Lost Boys feel free to contact me ria@lostboys-studios.com.
Ria