That's actually the opposite of my experience. You're supposed to be there to learn right? So of course they don't like you drawing in your "personal style". Nothing stops you from drawing your way in your own free time while attending art school, but yes, they do expect you to stretch yourself and master realism and other styles.Alera wrote:Nuxill wrote: ^This is totally true! You only get out what you put in, and if you just go to art school to be able to say 'I went to art school' you're ripping yourself off. Art school just makes it a little easier to get the resources and critiques you need to improve.
Actually Art schools can often be your worst enemy as an artist. You are told what to draw, teachers pretend to encourage you to draw in your free time then critique and hate your personal art, especially if you're drawing in a style they dislike, such as manga for example. You get told you're drawing monkeys instead of humans and that you shouldn't waste your time on that because you'll never be good. Drawing digitally is an absolute NO,because you know, computers are magical and they do all the work for you and that isn't called drawing. So you better sit down, take a pencil and draw pure realism for the rest of your life.
You have to be prepared to go trough a lot of humiliation and people laughing at you and your art and all sort of depressing things like that if you want to go to an art school. Talking from personal experience here.
At my art school, after you finished all the basic skills classes you were encouraged to draw digitally with a tablet. A few advanced classes even forbid doing the assignments with anything BUT a tablet. But at the same time I had charcoal life drawing classes, etc.
The only art students I every saw get humiliated were the ones that refused criticism or insisted on drawing the same way after being repeatedly told not to. Again, if you just wanted to draw your way, art school probably wasn't a great choice.
The main benefit of art school is criticism and hands on correcting of your work - that and making connections and building a network of fellow artists. You can teach yourself all the art "skills" by yourself - it might take you longer, but it can be done. There are enough reference materials out there. But critiques of your work from Deviantart commenters or your friends aren't going to come anywhere close to studying in person with experienced artists looking over your shoulder and coaching you. I got taught how to animate and illustrate by current and former Disney artists, published comic book artists, etc. and got network connections from them on graduation. I got my first studio job in large part because of one of my instructors making introductions. THAT is the real value of art school, IMHO. It provides the "who you know" to your "what you know".
Still, it isn't for everyone. It certainly isn't necessary to "be an artist". Just wanted to counter-act the "art schools can be your worst enemy" bit, as I find it hyperbolic.
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, every page is a work of art. But that will never happen. LOL
by Nao Tsukiji
