I think the critique part is the stand-out for me. You learn so much faster when you have someone who's extrememely experienced looking over your work and providing notes. I graduated from VanArts in 2016, but this past year I was able to take a Character Design class with Warrior Art Camp. And it was a great reminder of that. I definitely felt my skills improve a lot, just from having that 1:1 time with the instructor. Every school is different in how much knowledge/experience their teachers have, but if you can find an art school that does boast some good instructors, imo I think it can make it worth it
Aaron Blaise is one of my favorite animators on RUclips, his channel is The Art of Aaron Blaise. He worked for Disney for 20 years, and he offers many courses on animation, creature design, storyboarding, etc. for a reasonable price. He often has sales on these courses and I’ve purchased many for just $5. Aaron also collaborates with other artists in the industry. Right now, I’m taking a character design course with artist David Colman. I think he offers an affordable option to people who can’t afford art school. I also enjoy watching his 2-4 hour livestreams as he draws or animates. Another artist that has valuable insight into art and art theory is Jeremy Vickery, his channel is Lighting Mentor. He’s also worked for Disney, as well as Pixar and other studios. He doesn’t have a lot of videos on his channel but he offers interactive workshops and one-on-one mentorship on his website.
I went to art school for animation 20 years ago. My school was a joke, I did everything wrong, barely cobbled together a portfolio to graduate, and I never worked in the industry. Now I’m a physicist and I don’t do anything with art professionally (though it is my hobby), but I still consider going to art school as one of the best things I’ve done. I feel like I just learned so much about how to drive myself to improve at anything, not just art, even if I didn’t do that at the time. Also 100% agree that the most valuable thing at art school is the other students.
@@AnotherPersonStoppingBy Absolutely! After art school, I worked several random low paying jobs in my 20s while i figured out what I wanted to do with my life. I was 28 when I decided to go back to school for math and science. My first spark of wanting to pursue that actually came from my art school science class. I never finished high school, so I had to start at a community college first to meet basic requirements, then transferred to a 4-year college from there, and finally grad school PhD program. Now, two cool things about going to art school before doing this: 1.) all of my general education and humanities credits from art school transferred over, so when I went to the 4-year, I was able to only take classes from my majors. Because of this, I was able to do 2 degrees at the same time: a BA in math and a BS in physics. This is also nice because general requirement classes tend to be much harsher on your GPA than in-major classes, and GPA is very important in science for getting into a good grad school. Having those removed by art school was a nice boon on the GPA. 2.) as a returning older student no longer dependent on parents and very poor from art school, I was able to get financial assistance for community college. Then transferring to a 4-year, I got into a program from the school where they covered all of my tuition and rent. So although art school was expensive, I got my BA and BS degrees for absolutely no cost (though living was super tight). I have found many people do not know this, but when you enter a PhD program for science, you actually get paid for that. Getting a science PhD is essentially a job and not really school, so once I made it to grad school, things were a lot easier financially.
@@Sumanye Wow, that sounds like it was quite the ride. Nice that you were able to earn two bachelor's degrees toward your new career -- and then get funded for a PhD too. Glad it all worked out for you.
I completely agree with all of this. I taught an intro to character design for Brainstorm and it was so much fun, but as opposed to being in person, it was very easy for people to not talk because it was online. It's hard to build that same community and support when you aren't in person. Not impossible, but it is tougher.
Building on the importance of critique; knowing how to present your art is huge! I didn't understand the importance of this skill when I was in art school.
I started art school this year, but in Finland the education is free until you're 18 and even then it doesn't cost that much. So it was a shock to hear how much it costs in the states
Currently going to art school and so far I've improved so much in so little time, I couldn't have done it without it, mainly because of the discipline, structure, friends, peers, and teachers. I was so unmotivated to improve my art skills before entering school and also extremely undisciplined. Due dates are a very strong motivator
I think it depends what school you go to, though I dropped out in like a year because they weren’t teaching me anything. They already expected me to know like mostly everything if you aren’t teaching me how to like draw and stuff like what’s the point. After I dropped out, I learned way more, just through RUclips and books. There are really bad schools just like there are good schools. It all depends if you’re lucky or not so if you are going to go to school, it’s best to research it before hand.
I’ve been studying graphical design and signmaking (cars, advertising, billboards, etc. Very underrated yet extremely needed job.) It’s something i will pursue if art won’t work out. This will be my plan B diploma basically. Currently on my summer break heading to my last year. I’m really considering going to my dream school and follow Concept Artist or something in that field. Thank you for this video. ALSO I HAVE THE SAME HOBIE FIGURE!!
I’m an incoming Sheridan anim 2028 student, and a lot of the points you made are exactly why I want to go to art school. I struggle with discipline and working from home, but being in an environment with other people who love the same thing makes me want to work harder and helps me to stay focused. I also love all types of art, but I don’t know what’s my absolute passion, so I’m excited to try it all and find out. I’m also an international student (US) so the tuition is a lot more than domestic at Sheridan, but it’s honestly nothing compared to American schools. USD is stronger than CAD, so my tuition at the end of the program would roughly be 90k, but most American art schools if they’re not community or have great scholarship programs are at least 160k. It’s a sad truth, but it did affect my final school decision. But it’s also not the school that makes the student, it’s the student who makes themselves, so any program can have tons of potential if the student is willing to put in the work : D
i think it varies so much on your art as well. im in art school but i study costume for stage and screen. i knew how to sew before uni but my technique is so much better, i know different methods for specifically theatre or for historical stuff, and the lecturers all have a great insight into industry and have all these amazing gems of information that in my 4 years of costume making prior, i had never heard of. thats just my two cents xx
I'm starting an animation BA in London this September and I'm really glad to hear you pretty much reassure me that I made the right choice😭 after my foundation course I realized how important structure, feedback and community really are to me as an artist and I can't wait to get more of that at art school.
I'm going to art school right now (in Italy, concept art for videogames) and I love it. The precious feedback and the art friends I'm making are priceless, and they truly help me motivate me to do better every day. I've paid my school from €3k to €4k a year depending if I was paying full price or if I won a scholarship, it's not *that* expensive but it's also not one of the best out there. If you can afford it, I truly recommend going to art school! Learning art is a lonely and isolating experience, and since we are our worst critiques having someone that gives you constructive feedback is life saving! While I'm having an overall great experience, unfortunately the topic I got into school for - character design - was one of the worst classes. My professor just DIDN'T want to be there and didn't feel like teaching, and it's a shame because he's a very big artist in the industry. Everyone was looking forward to that class but everyone was let down. You'll also need to take into account these type of situations when enrolling into art schools, so please do very deep research before!
as someone who is going to have to start looking into colleges next year, this video was incredibly insightful and helpful! I was always wondering if art school is really worth it nowadays, and this video really helped me as it dove deeper into what worth it can have for different people. I also really appreciated the resources at the end, as I may look into taking online courses!
Honestly, art school is the best❤ my fav part in the is video is giving feedback from other students and prof. That way you can developed you’re artistic skills and make a different in life! AWESOME SAUCE✨✨✨
I’m not in art school but I have an opportunity to have a class with one of an artist that has worked on big ips like Star Wars and Harry Potter. And one of the most favorite quote from him is “I’ll always be a student because the moment I stop learning is the day I die” he’s about 70 years old
The yt channel @Valhalla For Artists only has like two lectures or so on their channel, but I learned a LOT about color from them!! I really recommend checking them out, maybe even buy a class. Especially if you're looking to learn something about color scripts since there are basically no other art videos on yt about that.
ever since i watched ur vids from a year ago when i was 14, character design has been my goal for the future and im practicing to get better, so i thank u for that :)
I’m just about to start my third year of school as an illustration major. I’ve had a really good time, I’ve made some great work, I’ve met a lot of awesome people, I’ve really enjoyed my classes and professors. (I’ve also taken a terrible course that was a total waste of time and money) Art school has changed me for the better as a person and as an artist, so it’s definitely been worth it. But all four years of my tuition cost less than what a year would cost at some american art schools, so I think it would be pretty bold of me to say it would necessarily be worth it for someone else
I had been drawing by myself for a few years before I took up enough courage to get back into school… and the time that I was there I learned so much from a beginner art course. Like it was insane, also there isn’t anything inherently wrong with Art School or School in general despite someone’s financial situations and things of that nature… Hell I think of RUclips like RUclips Academy… I think in person learning has its benefits and cons such as learning things online. However in person instruction is definitely a huge disciplinary thing and effective in community building and having amazing art teachers rather than art teachers that can ruin your experiences with Art… but also detaching yourself from your art is huge in art school because you will want and need critique it’s how you will get better eventually! Anyway I love you art people keep drawing and Jackie thankyou for your videos you’ve helped me immensely!
I’m an older person who went back to art school and I think it’s worth it. I have met so many people and made connections with professionals in my field of illustration. My teachers are great and I have received good advice.
iv felt like i waited too long to get into an art school only because of how the industry is right now atm with layoffs, getting animation from other countries, A.I etc still wondering if its still worth putting in the effort to do character design i will say before 2020 i did have an amazing experience with dozens of art classes i took in a Community Junior College and i enjoyed having the in-person-routine structure that motivated me to put effort into my homework, it was baby's first college for me because i was getting out of the Homeschooling lifestyle
Great video! I did post secondary in Game Dev. I loved the art part of games. I loved the art classes, modelling, designin, etc... Back when I was there, video games in 2013 were pretty new and on the rise as an industry - so much fun. I personally needed extra accountability in my education cause at the time it was hard for me to get work done sometimes. (I have ADHD). You can technically learn on your own and get employment, however school is always a good idea if you can afford it. School gives you the connections/networking, fundamentals/compentencies, and the social experience. If you can afford it, go for it.
I just want to say if art school is not the right thing for you, that's perfectly fine, but you need to be ready to push yourself to learn alone, and look for opportunities alone. I'm self taught and very happy I took this path, but it's a lot harder to network and have that community support and feedback, you need to ask for that, so definitely put your art on multiple platforms, and tell people about the things you're a bit unsure about in your work, you will probably get unhelpful comments but also some good constructive criticism. That's also going to help you find your community, and you can get community feedback and support in many different ways, one way that surprised me is when I started drawing my own tattoos (I have 10 tattoos, drew 3 of them), the tattoo artists were all very nice and excited to tattoo someone's own art on themselves, but also gave me some fun feedback on how to improve and how they'd rework the piece. Example: I made a drawing for a big tattoo on my hip, and the artist showed me how he moved some of my art so it would fit better on my hip, and not warp weirdly as I moved. It looks great and more harmonious, it has a very satisfying flow and I love that tattoo. Which also helped me find a fun way to collaborate with other artists on a piece, and at the end I know I'll get an amazing permanent memory of it. So you can do it! Even if you're not going to art school, you're just going to have to find a different path.
I 100% agree that thorough critiques from peers/mentors were by far the most valuable thing i got from art school! Learning HOW to properly critique and receive it from others is also a really valuable skill that school provides. I wish there were better places online to go and get other artists' feedback without all the soft couching language that social media requires. Ppl worry about offending me but how am I supposed to know what looks wonky about a piece if no one ever tells me ಠ﹏ಠ
Ethan Becker is also an amazing teacher on RUclips, for illustration Sam Yang is also a great option, And im so glad i found you as well, Jackie Droujko
I'm in my last semester and I would say I learned a lot, but it was not worth it for the cost of tuition. I was pushed in a lot of different directions my first and second year because of required foundations courses. My first year (and mostly my second) had nothing to do with illustration, and I was spending all my creative energy in those classes. The most requested courses for animation and illustration were always full or waitlisted by the time I would enroll so I didn't get into them. I enjoyed the work I made in my classes, but it's not stuff that I can use in my prospective field. Also, the critique culture at my university is bad. People are too scared to give actual critiques so they just end up complimenting the artist. I partially blame myself for getting so distracted by other mediums that I neglected growing my illustration portfolio, but I've heard so many similar things about burnout from my peers in the university that it's definitely indicative of a larger issue. I'm taking a course based on preparing for working in the industry so I'm hoping it leads to something, and I have a portfolio review workshop next week.
Decided to watch this, going on my last semester in art school lol. 😅 I’d say it’s definitely worth it. Looking back on my art before art school to now, there’s some definite differences, all for the better.
Just commenting to say thanks for having an encouraging outlook on this topic! Also here to advocate for community colleges!! Often times, if you receive financial aid, it'll pay for the classes and supplies and more! I'm a community college student set to graduate in 2025 with both my AA and AA in Visual Arts. Totally worth it!! Highly recommend :)
What are your guys' thoughts on going to art school at non-art universities? Dedicated art universities here in the U.S. are insanely expensive so smaller fine art schools within mainstream universities are the choice for a lot of us, esp. since out-of-state tuition hikes causes many to become stuck in states that don't have any prestigious offerings. I've done my freshman year now like this. From my limited experience, I got bogged down by my university's extensive gen-ed requirements so that 80% of what I was doing wasn't related to IDA ("Illustration, Design and Animation", the major I chose), but I think that was to be expected. What I really didn't like, though, was how the IDA major required you to take many, many foundational art courses and a portfolio audition process before you could start any IDA courses, so you'd only be focusing on these 3 skillsets during the back half of a 4 year bachelor's. It didn't help that the art school was very much catered towards local craft and gallery exhibitions, so from an industry perspective it seemed stuck in tradition. These issues might've just been for this school, though, which is University of Arizona College of Fine Arts, btw.
as an autistic person i tried art school and loved what we were learning but it was just too much for me i had to travel into the city for my classes and got really overwhelmed and burnt out, so im so glad there are so many other pathways nowadays to learn everything you need, to be able to get into the industry (or whatever your professional art goal is) :))
I got an associates degree in music in 2012. Never landed me a gig or job. But it enabled me to play bass and drums on a professional level and read sheet music (whch i never use) I've made very little money playing music but I got heavily involved with a worship band seeing the church grew to over 3,000 members. And I'm friends with all the local bands. In today's economy you have to become a content creator to get your art noticed. Editing videos is tedious. Definitely requires a schedule. Same thing with recording songs. I just love to play and listen. Recording and editing are time consuming.
As someone who is about to enter the final year for bachelor degree in graphic tehnology, uni as uni is not important (mine specifically is shitty). But, what is important is the saying "Fake it till you make it". I wouldn't be here where I currently am (so many workshops, I even met some people in the industry) if I didn't applied for some event that was organized by students for students. So being a student you have some perks that you should use up to the max potential. Now I'm in one student association, where I'm working as graphic designer, in following months I'll be even teaching new people how to do it as well. Because I applied to be in that association, I know somewhat what to expect in future job as graphic designer.
Right now I am in a incredibly sticky situation regarding uni. UCAS (a middleman for uni applications) emailed me that I actually forgot to tell them that I wanted to go to the uni I wanted to go to and that i had two weeks to reply or they would automatically decline my application... In June. Now it's too late to apply to anything else (other than through clearing but it's not likely animation will be listed under that) and now I will have to get a minimum wage job and see how much I can learn by myself in one year. I am not terribly excited by this but what else can you really do when you fuck up so badly.. What have I learnt from this? CHECK YOUR DAMN EMAILS.
I'm in the final year in an art university. And I'm happy that I didn't give up on my study because of some negative opinions about art schools on youtube. Art school is not your real goal, but become an artist is. You can meet passional artists and learn some process in art school. Noone can help you become a talented person. You have to learn and work on that by yourself. Use the time in art school to master your skill, learn from experiences of others, get to know more about the world which you never seen in daily life. Don't be in art school just because of the degree, be there for your real passion.
I went to art school for 2D animation and now work as a motion designer who uses Blender everyday 😂. I would’ve never become a motion designer if I wasn’t curious about after effects and took CG courses in school aside from my major 2D classes. Would definitely recommend it for people who want to work in an industry that is quite in demand.
The people that really helped me get my art to the next level weren’t classically trained at all, they were tattoo artists. They’d help me with all different types of drawing fundamentals, and how to do it fast.
For me, art school was worth it as it gave me the connections I needed to start my career that I would not have made without it. It had nothing to do with learning.
Look for teachers, not classes. If you can afford school, The animation workshop is pretty affordable. Im European so it’s almost free for me. Steven Zapata is not only a working professional but has also worked as a teacher and now has a very integral course Form from imagination that I’m taking. Gottfried Bammes is the GOAT of anatomy books. Model time was super valuable to me. And feedback. Just the physical presence of a teacher.
I think if you can get it paid for, or money is not an issue, it’s a good route. But you don’t need it, you really just need a stellar portfolio which comes down to practice and dedication. Getting yourself in a crippling and suffocating 90k debt or more for a dream which isn’t guaranteed to work anyways, is insane for most people
Really insightful video Jackie, thank you! I’m curious about your opinion on taking on an art-related degree at a regular/general university or college that doesn’t necessarily specialize in art, but offers degrees for it?
@@RoseCalyxthis is what I did too!! For me, it was pretty good, but I’m also quite introverted so I didn’t make too many connections or really get into the critiques. I found that there’s a wide array of people and skill levels, but my degree wasn’t focused on something like just drawing or animation, I took what’s called New Media, so I learned about film, photography, coding, etc. as well and it was pretty cool! For me, the schooling was more introductory in a way, and you were expected to pick what you want to really learn and look into it more on your own, which was hard for me! Not sure about you and your upcoming experience, but I suggest really taking time to talk with your professors who teach the aspects you are really interested in!
As an 19 year-old who live in Sudamérica that just study Graphic design and Media Design I can only say that the animation + illustration industry here is purely weak but extremely affordable if you are really good in something specialise. There are animation and art schools and everything but most of them only stays on the old stuff. Not getting the things of today like getting a strong and well design portafolio. It just stays in like, learning how to paint (or at least in my country, don’t roast me,)
In My opinion, probably only if you wanna work Legit in the industry, (cause apparently being good at drawing just isn't enough and ya need a diploma, at least i assume, i dunno XD) You can succeed on the Internet as an Artist on like Twitter, or RUclips, that's why i think Art School ain't that important. Also Tutorials exist XD (Tho not the best, but still helpful)
@@pikapika2681 Oh really! Guess i just assumed it worked the way it did in the old days, that's what it was like before. Honestly that's pretty nice to hear!
Honestly, I have always dreamed of going to art school but could never afford it. Let alone online courses, so definitely RUclips would be cheaper for me to learn. I know how to draw characters (mainly females) but backgrounds I cannot do at all.
I have learnt myself everything out of school and now I teach at art school. If school is free, it might be good, for social aspect, but they push you do lot of useless stuff that slows you down if you did it on your own. If its paid its deff not owrth, and some mastercalss courses are cheaper and higher quality. If school is good to boost your lacking discipline, you wont get far even with school anwyay. Instead of school I chose path of gnomon workshop online courses which were super cheap and got good job before I could even finish my portfolio. Also schools create bubbles where everyone claps and things its good, while industry average skills are much higher.
In my case, I did my degree remotely, so the community and feedback part was not very strong. I recommend contacting your classmates in the same study modality, especially to generate contacts and share employment opportunities. (Love from 🇦🇷)
Art school is only worth it, if there is a stable Visual art industry (Comics, Marketing that employs drawn Visual art) in a country you plan to work in. Because that visual art industry is largely destroyed by local TV + Movie industries with the help of American Hollywood. Video game concept art industry is continually destroyed by nepotism. The Studio time, structure and discipline, plus the critiques of competent professors are the important part of art school.
Omg blender is so confusing for me too. I had the opportunity to take an extra curricular class my freshman year of hs, but the teacher didn't teach a lot or very well. I think we had like 2 projects to do throughout the course and I basically played around with blender until the result was acceptable enough for my teacher lol
I want to buy your course in Domestika but I cant because theres a lot of vlogs, reddit and facebook group saying that Domestika is a scam. If you publish your course to other platform maybe I will buy.
Kind of a dumb question, but I’m new to this channel and really appreciate your hard work, but how do I get a scholarship as an animator in highschool???
Thank you so much for this video, i was just wondering, what would be the best beginner drawing tablet? i know art school provides you with a tablet on campus, unfortunately, i dont have the funds or circumstances to attend art school. What could I buy that would be a great beginner tablet
Sorry for asking something thats not really related to the video. But I need to know. Where did you find this beutyful Corset? I want something like this. 😍 Ok, now I´m back to watching the rest. 🙈
With my opinion no there are so many RUclips tutorials and who taught the first person how to draw think about it an alien who knows pick up a pencil and start to draw
Hey! I'm currently in school for computer science but animation is my dream (r its 2D animation) and I've been looking for good masters in animation degrees. So far I've only found Gobelins masters in animation (it requires 2 years in professional animation so idk about this one). I want to jump in immediately I'm done with my CS degree. If anyone has any recs I'd love that
Paying 60k a year just to network is actually really wild. You can literally learn so much with online learning and paying for a mentorship. A degree should never be required to draw something period, it makes absolutely no sense. Art more specifically drawing is more like a trade rather than a focused study, literally anyone can pick up a pencil and learn how to draw a box. There are so many books and videos on learning the basic fundamentals of art. Why do you need to go to collage to learn this when this knowledge is so easily accessible? If the only benefit to going to collage is networking then that isn't the best benefit imo.
I’m worried about watching this while in art school 🫢
😂
Was it worth it?
Same😅
REALLL
If you are in art school take advantage of the community making connections with people
I think the critique part is the stand-out for me. You learn so much faster when you have someone who's extrememely experienced looking over your work and providing notes. I graduated from VanArts in 2016, but this past year I was able to take a Character Design class with Warrior Art Camp. And it was a great reminder of that. I definitely felt my skills improve a lot, just from having that 1:1 time with the instructor. Every school is different in how much knowledge/experience their teachers have, but if you can find an art school that does boast some good instructors, imo I think it can make it worth it
so, um, are you by any chance single?
@@proboffensive wtf?
@@suu1998 don't interrupt romance 😤
Aaron Blaise is one of my favorite animators on RUclips, his channel is The Art of Aaron Blaise. He worked for Disney for 20 years, and he offers many courses on animation, creature design, storyboarding, etc. for a reasonable price. He often has sales on these courses and I’ve purchased many for just $5. Aaron also collaborates with other artists in the industry. Right now, I’m taking a character design course with artist David Colman. I think he offers an affordable option to people who can’t afford art school. I also enjoy watching his 2-4 hour livestreams as he draws or animates.
Another artist that has valuable insight into art and art theory is Jeremy Vickery, his channel is Lighting Mentor. He’s also worked for Disney, as well as Pixar and other studios. He doesn’t have a lot of videos on his channel but he offers interactive workshops and one-on-one mentorship on his website.
TL;DR it depends.
not me anxiously watching this 2 days before I start Art School for my BFA in Illustration
Literally me
do u mind if I ask where ur going?
@@isabellew.8650 not at all! I am attending RCAD to study Illustration!
I went to art school for animation 20 years ago. My school was a joke, I did everything wrong, barely cobbled together a portfolio to graduate, and I never worked in the industry. Now I’m a physicist and I don’t do anything with art professionally (though it is my hobby), but I still consider going to art school as one of the best things I’ve done. I feel like I just learned so much about how to drive myself to improve at anything, not just art, even if I didn’t do that at the time. Also 100% agree that the most valuable thing at art school is the other students.
I'd love to hear the story of how you transitioned from art school to being a physicist.
@@AnotherPersonStoppingBy Absolutely! After art school, I worked several random low paying jobs in my 20s while i figured out what I wanted to do with my life. I was 28 when I decided to go back to school for math and science. My first spark of wanting to pursue that actually came from my art school science class. I never finished high school, so I had to start at a community college first to meet basic requirements, then transferred to a 4-year college from there, and finally grad school PhD program. Now, two cool things about going to art school before doing this:
1.) all of my general education and humanities credits from art school transferred over, so when I went to the 4-year, I was able to only take classes from my majors. Because of this, I was able to do 2 degrees at the same time: a BA in math and a BS in physics. This is also nice because general requirement classes tend to be much harsher on your GPA than in-major classes, and GPA is very important in science for getting into a good grad school. Having those removed by art school was a nice boon on the GPA.
2.) as a returning older student no longer dependent on parents and very poor from art school, I was able to get financial assistance for community college. Then transferring to a 4-year, I got into a program from the school where they covered all of my tuition and rent. So although art school was expensive, I got my BA and BS degrees for absolutely no cost (though living was super tight). I have found many people do not know this, but when you enter a PhD program for science, you actually get paid for that. Getting a science PhD is essentially a job and not really school, so once I made it to grad school, things were a lot easier financially.
@@Sumanye Wow, that sounds like it was quite the ride. Nice that you were able to earn two bachelor's degrees toward your new career -- and then get funded for a PhD too. Glad it all worked out for you.
7:50 feedback
The most real.
I completely agree with all of this. I taught an intro to character design for Brainstorm and it was so much fun, but as opposed to being in person, it was very easy for people to not talk because it was online. It's hard to build that same community and support when you aren't in person. Not impossible, but it is tougher.
Building on the importance of critique; knowing how to present your art is huge! I didn't understand the importance of this skill when I was in art school.
I started art school this year, but in Finland the education is free until you're 18 and even then it doesn't cost that much. So it was a shock to hear how much it costs in the states
Oh god I wish 🥲
Currently going to art school and so far I've improved so much in so little time, I couldn't have done it without it, mainly because of the discipline, structure, friends, peers, and teachers. I was so unmotivated to improve my art skills before entering school and also extremely undisciplined. Due dates are a very strong motivator
I think it depends what school you go to, though I dropped out in like a year because they weren’t teaching me anything. They already expected me to know like mostly everything if you aren’t teaching me how to like draw and stuff like what’s the point. After I dropped out, I learned way more, just through RUclips and books. There are really bad schools just like there are good schools. It all depends if you’re lucky or not so if you are going to go to school, it’s best to research it before hand.
Out of curiosity what school are u going to? Cus I'm so anxious to pick a bad art school.
Ok this is going to be a good one!
I’ve been studying graphical design and signmaking (cars, advertising, billboards, etc. Very underrated yet extremely needed job.)
It’s something i will pursue if art won’t work out. This will be my plan B diploma basically. Currently on my summer break heading to my last year. I’m really considering going to my dream school and follow Concept Artist or something in that field. Thank you for this video.
ALSO I HAVE THE SAME HOBIE FIGURE!!
I’m an incoming Sheridan anim 2028 student, and a lot of the points you made are exactly why I want to go to art school. I struggle with discipline and working from home, but being in an environment with other people who love the same thing makes me want to work harder and helps me to stay focused. I also love all types of art, but I don’t know what’s my absolute passion, so I’m excited to try it all and find out.
I’m also an international student (US) so the tuition is a lot more than domestic at Sheridan, but it’s honestly nothing compared to American schools. USD is stronger than CAD, so my tuition at the end of the program would roughly be 90k, but most American art schools if they’re not community or have great scholarship programs are at least 160k. It’s a sad truth, but it did affect my final school decision.
But it’s also not the school that makes the student, it’s the student who makes themselves, so any program can have tons of potential if the student is willing to put in the work : D
I know this is off topic, but your corset looks so AMAZINGGGG
i think it varies so much on your art as well. im in art school but i study costume for stage and screen. i knew how to sew before uni but my technique is so much better, i know different methods for specifically theatre or for historical stuff, and the lecturers all have a great insight into industry and have all these amazing gems of information that in my 4 years of costume making prior, i had never heard of. thats just my two cents xx
I'm starting an animation BA in London this September and I'm really glad to hear you pretty much reassure me that I made the right choice😭 after my foundation course I realized how important structure, feedback and community really are to me as an artist and I can't wait to get more of that at art school.
School is a great experience. If you can afford it, go. But it's not the end of the world if you can't. There are many ways to learn!
I'm going to art school right now (in Italy, concept art for videogames) and I love it. The precious feedback and the art friends I'm making are priceless, and they truly help me motivate me to do better every day. I've paid my school from €3k to €4k a year depending if I was paying full price or if I won a scholarship, it's not *that* expensive but it's also not one of the best out there. If you can afford it, I truly recommend going to art school! Learning art is a lonely and isolating experience, and since we are our worst critiques having someone that gives you constructive feedback is life saving!
While I'm having an overall great experience, unfortunately the topic I got into school for - character design - was one of the worst classes. My professor just DIDN'T want to be there and didn't feel like teaching, and it's a shame because he's a very big artist in the industry. Everyone was looking forward to that class but everyone was let down. You'll also need to take into account these type of situations when enrolling into art schools, so please do very deep research before!
as someone who is going to have to start looking into colleges next year, this video was incredibly insightful and helpful! I was always wondering if art school is really worth it nowadays, and this video really helped me as it dove deeper into what worth it can have for different people. I also really appreciated the resources at the end, as I may look into taking online courses!
Honestly, art school is the best❤ my fav part in the is video is giving feedback from other students and prof. That way you can developed you’re artistic skills and make a different in life! AWESOME SAUCE✨✨✨
I’m not in art school but I have an opportunity to have a class with one of an artist that has worked on big ips like Star Wars and Harry Potter. And one of the most favorite quote from him is “I’ll always be a student because the moment I stop learning is the day I die” he’s about 70 years old
The yt channel @Valhalla For Artists only has like two lectures or so on their channel, but I learned a LOT about color from them!! I really recommend checking them out, maybe even buy a class. Especially if you're looking to learn something about color scripts since there are basically no other art videos on yt about that.
ever since i watched ur vids from a year ago when i was 14, character design has been my goal for the future and im practicing to get better, so i thank u for that :)
I’m just about to start my third year of school as an illustration major. I’ve had a really good time, I’ve made some great work, I’ve met a lot of awesome people, I’ve really enjoyed my classes and professors. (I’ve also taken a terrible course that was a total waste of time and money) Art school has changed me for the better as a person and as an artist, so it’s definitely been worth it. But all four years of my tuition cost less than what a year would cost at some american art schools, so I think it would be pretty bold of me to say it would necessarily be worth it for someone else
I love your videos Jackie. Good common sense that makes good sense (ok, that came out weird). You rock!
I had been drawing by myself for a few years before I took up enough courage to get back into school… and the time that I was there I learned so much from a beginner art course. Like it was insane, also there isn’t anything inherently wrong with Art School or School in general despite someone’s financial situations and things of that nature… Hell I think of RUclips like RUclips Academy… I think in person learning has its benefits and cons such as learning things online. However in person instruction is definitely a huge disciplinary thing and effective in community building and having amazing art teachers rather than art teachers that can ruin your experiences with Art… but also detaching yourself from your art is huge in art school because you will want and need critique it’s how you will get better eventually! Anyway I love you art people keep drawing and Jackie thankyou for your videos you’ve helped me immensely!
I’m an older person who went back to art school and I think it’s worth it. I have met so many people and made connections with professionals in my field of illustration. My teachers are great and I have received good advice.
In my country art school is free or even you are the one getting some money. So I would say depends where you live, for me It helped me out a lot c:
Where are you from?
@@mati22. Eu i'm not going to say country tho sorry
If that was the case here in the US I'd have chosen art school in heartbeat...
@@mati22. Eu but i'm not going to tell you which country sorry
But those art school grads career options are pay shit in their country compared to usa.
I love the mural behind you, it's so cool 🥰
iv felt like i waited too long to get into an art school only because of how the industry is right now atm with layoffs, getting animation from other countries, A.I etc
still wondering if its still worth putting in the effort to do character design
i will say before 2020 i did have an amazing experience with dozens of art classes i took in a Community Junior College and i enjoyed having the in-person-routine structure that motivated me to put effort into my homework, it was baby's first college for me because i was getting out of the Homeschooling lifestyle
This video came at the perfect time in my life
Great video! I did post secondary in Game Dev. I loved the art part of games. I loved the art classes, modelling, designin, etc... Back when I was there, video games in 2013 were pretty new and on the rise as an industry - so much fun. I personally needed extra accountability in my education cause at the time it was hard for me to get work done sometimes. (I have ADHD). You can technically learn on your own and get employment, however school is always a good idea if you can afford it. School gives you the connections/networking, fundamentals/compentencies, and the social experience. If you can afford it, go for it.
I just want to say if art school is not the right thing for you, that's perfectly fine, but you need to be ready to push yourself to learn alone, and look for opportunities alone.
I'm self taught and very happy I took this path, but it's a lot harder to network and have that community support and feedback, you need to ask for that, so definitely put your art on multiple platforms, and tell people about the things you're a bit unsure about in your work, you will probably get unhelpful comments but also some good constructive criticism.
That's also going to help you find your community, and you can get community feedback and support in many different ways, one way that surprised me is when I started drawing my own tattoos (I have 10 tattoos, drew 3 of them), the tattoo artists were all very nice and excited to tattoo someone's own art on themselves, but also gave me some fun feedback on how to improve and how they'd rework the piece.
Example: I made a drawing for a big tattoo on my hip, and the artist showed me how he moved some of my art so it would fit better on my hip, and not warp weirdly as I moved. It looks great and more harmonious, it has a very satisfying flow and I love that tattoo.
Which also helped me find a fun way to collaborate with other artists on a piece, and at the end I know I'll get an amazing permanent memory of it.
So you can do it! Even if you're not going to art school, you're just going to have to find a different path.
I 100% agree that thorough critiques from peers/mentors were by far the most valuable thing i got from art school! Learning HOW to properly critique and receive it from others is also a really valuable skill that school provides.
I wish there were better places online to go and get other artists' feedback without all the soft couching language that social media requires. Ppl worry about offending me but how am I supposed to know what looks wonky about a piece if no one ever tells me ಠ﹏ಠ
Ethan Becker is also an amazing teacher on RUclips, for illustration Sam Yang is also a great option, And im so glad i found you as well, Jackie Droujko
I'm in my last semester and I would say I learned a lot, but it was not worth it for the cost of tuition. I was pushed in a lot of different directions my first and second year because of required foundations courses. My first year (and mostly my second) had nothing to do with illustration, and I was spending all my creative energy in those classes. The most requested courses for animation and illustration were always full or waitlisted by the time I would enroll so I didn't get into them. I enjoyed the work I made in my classes, but it's not stuff that I can use in my prospective field. Also, the critique culture at my university is bad. People are too scared to give actual critiques so they just end up complimenting the artist. I partially blame myself for getting so distracted by other mediums that I neglected growing my illustration portfolio, but I've heard so many similar things about burnout from my peers in the university that it's definitely indicative of a larger issue. I'm taking a course based on preparing for working in the industry so I'm hoping it leads to something, and I have a portfolio review workshop next week.
Decided to watch this, going on my last semester in art school lol. 😅
I’d say it’s definitely worth it. Looking back on my art before art school to now, there’s some definite differences, all for the better.
Just commenting to say thanks for having an encouraging outlook on this topic! Also here to advocate for community colleges!! Often times, if you receive financial aid, it'll pay for the classes and supplies and more! I'm a community college student set to graduate in 2025 with both my AA and AA in Visual Arts. Totally worth it!! Highly recommend :)
excited to watch because it’s still in my brain I want to go to art school…but i don’t have schmoney..
What are your guys' thoughts on going to art school at non-art universities? Dedicated art universities here in the U.S. are insanely expensive so smaller fine art schools within mainstream universities are the choice for a lot of us, esp. since out-of-state tuition hikes causes many to become stuck in states that don't have any prestigious offerings. I've done my freshman year now like this. From my limited experience, I got bogged down by my university's extensive gen-ed requirements so that 80% of what I was doing wasn't related to IDA ("Illustration, Design and Animation", the major I chose), but I think that was to be expected. What I really didn't like, though, was how the IDA major required you to take many, many foundational art courses and a portfolio audition process before you could start any IDA courses, so you'd only be focusing on these 3 skillsets during the back half of a 4 year bachelor's. It didn't help that the art school was very much catered towards local craft and gallery exhibitions, so from an industry perspective it seemed stuck in tradition. These issues might've just been for this school, though, which is University of Arizona College of Fine Arts, btw.
as an autistic person i tried art school and loved what we were learning but it was just too much for me i had to travel into the city for my classes and got really overwhelmed and burnt out, so im so glad there are so many other pathways nowadays to learn everything you need, to be able to get into the industry (or whatever your professional art goal is) :))
I got an associates degree in music in 2012. Never landed me a gig or job. But it enabled me to play bass and drums on a professional level and read sheet music (whch i never use) I've made very little money playing music but I got heavily involved with a worship band seeing the church grew to over 3,000 members. And I'm friends with all the local bands. In today's economy you have to become a content creator to get your art noticed. Editing videos is tedious. Definitely requires a schedule. Same thing with recording songs. I just love to play and listen. Recording and editing are time consuming.
As someone who is about to enter the final year for bachelor degree in graphic tehnology, uni as uni is not important (mine specifically is shitty). But, what is important is the saying "Fake it till you make it". I wouldn't be here where I currently am (so many workshops, I even met some people in the industry) if I didn't applied for some event that was organized by students for students. So being a student you have some perks that you should use up to the max potential. Now I'm in one student association, where I'm working as graphic designer, in following months I'll be even teaching new people how to do it as well. Because I applied to be in that association, I know somewhat what to expect in future job as graphic designer.
Right now I am in a incredibly sticky situation regarding uni. UCAS (a middleman for uni applications) emailed me that I actually forgot to tell them that I wanted to go to the uni I wanted to go to and that i had two weeks to reply or they would automatically decline my application... In June. Now it's too late to apply to anything else (other than through clearing but it's not likely animation will be listed under that) and now I will have to get a minimum wage job and see how much I can learn by myself in one year. I am not terribly excited by this but what else can you really do when you fuck up so badly..
What have I learnt from this? CHECK YOUR DAMN EMAILS.
I'm in the final year in an art university. And I'm happy that I didn't give up on my study because of some negative opinions about art schools on youtube. Art school is not your real goal, but become an artist is. You can meet passional artists and learn some process in art school. Noone can help you become a talented person. You have to learn and work on that by yourself. Use the time in art school to master your skill, learn from experiences of others, get to know more about the world which you never seen in daily life. Don't be in art school just because of the degree, be there for your real passion.
I went to art school for 2D animation and now work as a motion designer who uses Blender everyday 😂.
I would’ve never become a motion designer if I wasn’t curious about after effects and took CG courses in school aside from my major 2D classes. Would definitely recommend it for people who want to work in an industry that is quite in demand.
I would also recommend Grant Abbitt as another Blender resource. His RUclips channel is great and he has affordable pay classes that go more in depth.
The people that really helped me get my art to the next level weren’t classically trained at all, they were tattoo artists. They’d help me with all different types of drawing fundamentals, and how to do it fast.
For me, art school was worth it as it gave me the connections I needed to start my career that I would not have made without it. It had nothing to do with learning.
Look for teachers, not classes.
If you can afford school, The animation workshop is pretty affordable. Im European so it’s almost free for me. Steven Zapata is not only a working professional but has also worked as a teacher and now has a very integral course Form from imagination that I’m taking. Gottfried Bammes is the GOAT of anatomy books. Model time was super valuable to me. And feedback. Just the physical presence of a teacher.
I think if you can get it paid for, or money is not an issue, it’s a good route. But you don’t need it, you really just need a stellar portfolio which comes down to practice and dedication. Getting yourself in a crippling and suffocating 90k debt or more for a dream which isn’t guaranteed to work anyways, is insane for most people
There’s never any graduation anniversary’s gatherings for Art students… most people just disappear 🫠
thank you for this video!!!
So, is it worth it? (ADHD answer)
Tldr: IT DEPENDS
just watch the video, it's not that long.
@@a.m_blueberries 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Really insightful video Jackie, thank you! I’m curious about your opinion on taking on an art-related degree at a regular/general university or college that doesn’t necessarily specialize in art, but offers degrees for it?
This is what I chose so I'd love to hear her thoughts (haven't started yet but very soon)
@@RoseCalyxthis is what I did too!! For me, it was pretty good, but I’m also quite introverted so I didn’t make too many connections or really get into the critiques. I found that there’s a wide array of people and skill levels, but my degree wasn’t focused on something like just drawing or animation, I took what’s called New Media, so I learned about film, photography, coding, etc. as well and it was pretty cool! For me, the schooling was more introductory in a way, and you were expected to pick what you want to really learn and look into it more on your own, which was hard for me! Not sure about you and your upcoming experience, but I suggest really taking time to talk with your professors who teach the aspects you are really interested in!
As an 19 year-old who live in Sudamérica that just study Graphic design and Media Design I can only say that the animation + illustration industry here is purely weak but extremely affordable if you are really good in something specialise. There are animation and art schools and everything but most of them only stays on the old stuff. Not getting the things of today like getting a strong and well design portafolio. It just stays in like, learning how to paint (or at least in my country, don’t roast me,)
In My opinion, probably only if you wanna work Legit in the industry, (cause apparently being good at drawing just isn't enough and ya need a diploma, at least i assume, i dunno XD)
You can succeed on the Internet as an Artist on like Twitter, or RUclips, that's why i think Art School ain't that important.
Also Tutorials exist XD (Tho not the best, but still helpful)
most art jobs now dont need a degree and only look at how good you can draw
@@pikapika2681 Oh really! Guess i just assumed it worked the way it did in the old days, that's what it was like before. Honestly that's pretty nice to hear!
@@Fatih_M177 yeah, my uncle told me about it last year since he works in the industry lol
Honestly, I have always dreamed of going to art school but could never afford it. Let alone online courses, so definitely RUclips would be cheaper for me to learn.
I know how to draw characters (mainly females) but backgrounds I cannot do at all.
I want to learn animation and go to animation school but its soo expensive😕
I have learnt myself everything out of school and now I teach at art school. If school is free, it might be good, for social aspect, but they push you do lot of useless stuff that slows you down if you did it on your own. If its paid its deff not owrth, and some mastercalss courses are cheaper and higher quality. If school is good to boost your lacking discipline, you wont get far even with school anwyay. Instead of school I chose path of gnomon workshop online courses which were super cheap and got good job before I could even finish my portfolio. Also schools create bubbles where everyone claps and things its good, while industry average skills are much higher.
Marco Bucci is an amazing creator that efficiently teaches about color theory, anatomy, and composition. Highly recommend to check him out!
another outside thing in general is looking at the job market. Your degree aint sh*t if the job market sucks😭
In my case, I did my degree remotely, so the community and feedback part was not very strong. I recommend contacting your classmates in the same study modality, especially to generate contacts and share employment opportunities. (Love from 🇦🇷)
Art school is only worth it, if there is a stable Visual art industry (Comics, Marketing that employs drawn Visual art) in a country you plan to work in. Because that visual art industry is largely destroyed by local TV + Movie industries with the help of American Hollywood. Video game concept art industry is continually destroyed by nepotism. The Studio time, structure and discipline, plus the critiques of competent professors are the important part of art school.
i love seeing this kind of videos, bc i'll still go anyway cuz it's almost free in my country lol
Thumbnail gives me movie poster vibes 😂
Omg blender is so confusing for me too. I had the opportunity to take an extra curricular class my freshman year of hs, but the teacher didn't teach a lot or very well. I think we had like 2 projects to do throughout the course and I basically played around with blender until the result was acceptable enough for my teacher lol
NMA as well is a good platform for those who need a structured learning environment.
I want to buy your course in Domestika but I cant because theres a lot of vlogs, reddit and facebook group saying that Domestika is a scam. If you publish your course to other platform maybe I will buy.
I'm in a free art school with an animation program, we got clipstudio paint for free aswell as all Adobe and TV paint programs i love my school
Kind of a dumb question, but I’m new to this channel and really appreciate your hard work, but how do I get a scholarship as an animator in highschool???
in all honesty, art school is great, to learn basics, meet people and learn. But just not Worth the price.
i don´t know if u guys know TRENT, he's so good. I recommend it!
Thank you so much for this video, i was just wondering, what would be the best beginner drawing tablet? i know art school provides you with a tablet on campus, unfortunately, i dont have the funds or circumstances to attend art school. What could I buy that would be a great beginner tablet
I would like to know as well!
Sorry for asking something thats not really related to the video. But I need to know. Where did you find this beutyful Corset? I want something like this. 😍
Ok, now I´m back to watching the rest. 🙈
Why do you want to learn Blender?
Even if you finished college or art school you can still take more art courses right?
Very Nice 🧡💚
With my opinion no there are so many RUclips tutorials and who taught the first person how to draw think about it an alien who knows pick up a pencil and start to draw
Im in art school, and honestly unless its some place like gobelins then probably no lol
Short answer, No. Never was. I'm an OG that been there, believe it
Hey! I'm currently in school for computer science but animation is my dream (r its 2D animation) and I've been looking for good masters in animation degrees. So far I've only found Gobelins masters in animation (it requires 2 years in professional animation so idk about this one). I want to jump in immediately I'm done with my CS degree. If anyone has any recs I'd love that
I teach at Lipscomb University and we have a new online Master's degree in animation.
Where you editing the video becous i like the alphabet fond
Paying 60k a year just to network is actually really wild. You can literally learn so much with online learning and paying for a mentorship. A degree should never be required to draw something period, it makes absolutely no sense. Art more specifically drawing is more like a trade rather than a focused study, literally anyone can pick up a pencil and learn how to draw a box. There are so many books and videos on learning the basic fundamentals of art. Why do you need to go to collage to learn this when this knowledge is so easily accessible? If the only benefit to going to collage is networking then that isn't the best benefit imo.
13:17
THE PUN
Did anyone hear the pun!
Love Ethiopia 🎉🎉🎉
Im was never part of the community… maybe soon
1 minute early
Just going bc my parents want me to smh