quote: Original post by Niyana
I definitly agree with Dazyna! You do not need anything but a piece of paper, a pencil, and a lot of hard work put into practicing. You could spend years in school and not get as much practice as you could in a year without having to deal with other stuff in school like English and History. Trust me, a degree may be flashy, but nothing beats a good looking portfolio.

Of course, the university will tend to have more and better tools than you can afford or download as shareware. So if you want to be a game artist, as opposed to just an artist, formal education is likely to help you.



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"So if you want to be a game artist, as opposed to just an artist, formal education is likely to help you."

no its not. its a waste of time. you would get charged to use the school software and tools anyway.

what kind of artist do you wanna be anyway? 3d? concept?

Regardless of whether the education is self taught (and very hands on) or formal, I would like to see an enumeration of those skills and concepts that others think are valuable to being an artist. Let''s say a digital artist.

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what up.. just a little background of myself.. I am a junior in high school.. I go to a technical high school so we have a vocational center to.. In the vocational center I take Commerical Art and am pretty well skilled in hand drawings.. I want to do 3D animation and modeling.. but also have a desire to program.. so should I go to college for programming and do drawing on my own (since everyone is saying I dont need to go to school).. alright peace and thanks for replying!!

first, at least what i''d suggest, is to download GMAX. its a free 3d software and it has almost the same layout as 3DS MAX. so when and if you get 3DS MAX, if you learn GMAX, you''ll already know about 3/4 of what you need to know to use it.

Once again, back to my post An individualized major gives you a LOT of opportinity for independent study while also retrieving credit towards a B.A. And, you get to pick what classes you take, so no BS courses

I just got back from Atlanta visiting CNN (Long story, but I wound up getting a personal tour by a pulitzer prize winning senior producer ;p) I spent a lot of time at the Graphics Department, which was very cool. But, the most interesting person I met was an IU grad with a Theater Major and a Telecom Minor with a NICE cushy job that just graduated last year. This just goes to show that there is a lot more than just a major that gets you a job.

College is still very important. College is an opportunity for students to hone their skills in various areas that will inevitably help them out in later life. It allows you to explore interest and expand your horizons, as well as have access to expensive technology and experts in the field. And, finally, and possibly most importantly, College can help you get a job through placement programs, contacts (like the CNN Producer I mentioned earlier), and internships.

While college may not be NECESSARY - if your good enough without it, imagine how good you could be with it??

I agree that you don''t need to attend a special school to become an excellent artist, but going to school to learn art CAN help. Not all of us are child prodigies, studying theory and such can add to skills overall whether it be for canvas or CG. Plus the piece of paper you get CAN help. If you''re going to go into software engineering then I would strongly suggest that you attend a university. Many of the positions offered by major companies require that you have a Bachelors Degree.

quote: Original post by Dazyna
"So if you want to be a game artist, as opposed to just an artist, formal education is likely to help you."

no its not. its a waste of time. you would get charged to use the school software and tools anyway.

What are you talking about? Why is it a waste of time? Don''t make any claim without backing it up - that is a waste of time.



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I''ve taken college courses. I know what I''m talking about --

I''ve taken college courses too, and I disagree with you. I provided reasoning, you did not. Why not provide some backing for your answer, to help the original poster?

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