>want to do illustration in an art academy
>have to show a portfolio of works I've done in past
>independent works, no class assignments
>At least 15 works
>I've been a neet for 2 years now and have done jack shit
>portfolio examination is 20 days from now
They're asking for drawing, sketches, videos, animations etc.
Is this doable in 20 days? I'm freaking out
>>2511891
If you bust your ass off maybe.
I have a folio thing coming up in October and am freaking the fuck out though.
>>2511891
It would be possible but difficult for someone who did art on a regular basis. If you have been NEET for 2 years though and not done anything then your work ethic will be shit and you aren't gonna be very fast at art either. So it will be next to impossible. It might be better to just wait a year and try for the next one. And in the mean time don't waste it away again doing jack shit, but spend that year working on art and a couple months of it working on your entrance portfolio. Presumably spending another year NEET is possible for you if you did 2 years already.
Try to find a life drawing session and go there. You can get probably a couple drawings for your portfolio there, like maybe a couple gestures and a longer pose.
Do some still lifes or self portraits at home.
That will give you a base of observational inclusions for your portfolio. Depending on the school they may want some things that are more creative too. Do a bit of research into what they recommend, or what previous people have done that have gotten accepted. Many people post their entrance portfolios online with their scores.
Is it doable? Yes. Should you do it? No. The big problem is that you're drawing everything in a small amount of time, so it doesn't allow you to explore or experiment, and there won't be any change in skill level. They might pick up on that.
Sry OP but it's not possible. If it's anything like my portfolio I had to do (15 drawings, statue busts, still life, model... All drawn and shaded as realistic as you can) there's just no way in hell.
For that everybody in my country goes to classes to painters. The dude I went to held classes for 30 years and knows exactly what school wanted what in the portfolio. I haven't drawn heads yet just still lives so I had to "cheat" with a giant grind and just draw box by box the whole head. My still lives took me a long ass time (i'm on the slower side because perfectionism). Atleast a few hours to put down the lines then atleast 12 for rendering. With heads it took me even longer.
Sry but imo there's no way you can do a whole portfolio in such a short amount of time with barely any draw xp in the past years and without an instructor.
Take the year off and go to a painter who offers instructions and tell him right away the school you want to get into and what you need in the portfolio. Then work together to get it ready by next year.
(you should be able to produce 20 top notch pieces in that time, but you must work hard).
Spoiler: I didn't managed to finish mine in time, I had 3 months
>>2511912
While your experience holds true for some schools, OP said he is trying for an illustration program. I don't know any illustration program that wants every piece to be rendered highly like that. What you are talking about is more for a classical academy type thing.
>>2511891
Really depends on how good you are and what they expect from you. Honestly, most schools have a very low bar and the works they accept are utterly shit, but then again, there are some that have higher standards.
Look at the works that get sent in, look at your work and decide if you want to bust your ass.
>>2511894
>>2511895
>>2511898
>>2511912
>>2511949
>>2511917
Thanks for the input. I have to try it anyways.
http://www.wdka.nl/bachelor-courses-and-majors/illustration/?lang=en
I'm good at pencil. I've done some analytical stuff. I also want to show some stuff I did for multimedia classes but masking it as an independent work would be tough. I don't want to get caught red-handed.
>>2511891
Brih
not possible
take 6 months to a year to build a portfolio and try again
>>2511917
That is true the school I applied at was classical painting. But in my country almost every collage demands a few high renders like that. Painting, sculpting, painting and sculpting restoration, arhitecture, graphic design etc.
Classical art requires a lot of them but the others want atleast 2-3 pieces like that.
But yh, we are not a good example our collages are complete shit (despite the high thresholds).
>>2512012
Out of curiosity, what country are you from? The only places I know of like that are in Russia. In North America and at least some parts of Europe those classical type places are fairly open to beginner students and don't have a strict entrance threshold (probably because most are unaccredited).
>>2512016
Croatia. Eastern europe shit like russia. The real problem is that they are extremely dated and aren't interested in changing that.
But last year everybody except the classic art and arhitecture scool removed portofolios all together because they carry too many points and a lot of people pay painters to make the portfolios for them.
The classical painting school is notorious for people buying portfolios and bribing the high command to get in regardless of skill lvl. I know a guy who got into classic painting and he BARELY drew stickfigures. He literally drew something maybe 2 times in his life and that was in kindergarten. (but if parenta are rich then no prob :^)
>>2512025
OP here for me they asked for a portfolio and 2 assignments on the spot that day. Hard to cheat that
>>2512030
The render is passable but are the proportions right? Was the shoe really that long?
>>2512025
Interesting. I don't really get why someone like that would want to cheat their way into the classes. Seems like it would be a waste of everyone's time.
How long is the program? Is it government funded? Are the results of the program any good? I haven't heard of any notable artists coming from Croatia to be honest.
>>2512033
Goverment funded. We have no private schools for art here.
And no not really. The program is 4 years and the only real benefit is that you draw A LOT.
Basically just mileage and speed. What even my painter found interesting is the fact that the portfolio has to be so high skilled that you basically won't gain a lot of skill from the collage. Really just speed at drawing but you only draw still-lives and models. They teach all their fundamentals through that.
How they teach perspective: you see that apple? It's off, draw it higher. There's no solid theory.
And I don't know of any artists from croatia either :p the only poular artist from here that I know of is some guy who has a BDSM comic on dA. And he didn't even attend collage... (even Croteam, the creators of serious sam and the talos principle have outsourced foreign artists).
>>2512035
That's a bit disappointing, but seems to be the case for most ateliers and academies I've heard of. The problem is the teachers usually are not able to do anything beyond still lifes or nudes, so they can't teach the students to go beyond that. I think the only places that are successful with this type of training are maybe a couple places in Russia and China, but they also have way more students so having a couple successful students is not surprising.
>>2512038
Agreed. I'm really heartbroken there's no better art schools here like in america. Conceptual art and design is unheard of here
>>2512041
If it makes you feel better most concept art schools in the US are pretty bad too and are extremely expensive. There's a reason like half of the industry or more is self taught.
If you really want lessons in that type of thing though there are lots of online courses now and gumroad videos that will teach most of the things you could want to know.
>>2511973
just say you didn't read it properly, like they aren't the fucking FBI dude.
>>2511891
Give up you obviously don't have the drive to work in the field if you don't have anything to show
>>2512032
Can't remember but that shin is way too small. I did this in high school for class and so my name and number is written behind it. I wouldn't risk putting this in the portfolio
>>2512048
Yh I guess your right.
I'm self-teaching currently and just looking at FZD and sycra on youtube.
Would like to try one of those when I get better.
Gumroad your recommendation?
>>2512072
You can also buy (or find uh, free ways) some classes from places like CGMA or Gnomon.
Gumroad is good for learning specific things like a certain workflow or program. Want to learn Modo but don't know where to start? There's a ton of videos that show you the basics of it and how to use it in a concept art pipeline. There are lots of big name people that have put out a lot of high quality videos like Maciej Kuciara and John Park. There are literally hundreds of pros that have good videos out. Some are really cheap, others a bit more, but overall they are still all way cheaper than a college class.
>>2511973
judging from those 4 illustrations on that link it's not worth it OP
>>2512102
Really? I wasn't that impressed actually. I could do the last two
>>2512121
I think that was the point of that comment.
I agree, these look disappointing. Not bad, but if that's the best they have to showcase I probably wouldn't attend this place.
>>2512125
Check out the illustration portfolios on their archive. Some of these are really good. Don't know if these were actually entrance portfolios? What do you think?
http://alumni.wdka.nl/portfolios
>>2512140
They're alumni. So it's not entrance work.
>>2512079
not anon but coud you.. point me in the right direction for those free ways? I've been searching around for a month now and can't find anything free
>>2512140
I went to this school for illustration.
I dropped out after one year because it was a gigantic waste of time. There was one teacher who knew his shit but he stopped teaching the year after I quit.
If you value your time, forget about any state recognized Dutch art school.
>>2512155
I'm of the opinion that if you can you should buy things. If you are strapped for money then you can torrent on cgpeers but try to support people by purchasing things if you can.
>>2512163
Why though? Please elaborate? And how was the entrance exam?
>>2512173
Because they will not teach you any technical skills, at all, when it comes to drawing or painting, they just let you mess about with construction paper and tape, like it's a kindergarten for grownups. I am not joking if i tell you that a teacher blew a gasket in enthusiaism when I taped up various kotchen appliances wit painter's rape. (cont., phone is fucky)
>>2512184
*tape. What an apt typo.
Anyway! a different teacher had us take a huge sheet of paper (A2), and told us to go out and buy a specific nib for an inking pen and just fill said paper with dots as we saw fit. This is all for a course on -illustration-. Same teacher also to us to do a one minute animation,but did not teach or tell us anything about the basics of animating nor taught us animating programs such as flash. The only useful things I did there were printmaking class (which was only for one semester in the entire four years unless you chose it later on as your minor) and a lifedrawing class which was not standard in the curriculum and had to fight for in order to get in because of limited spaces. bodiljane.com was one of my classmates. Her art is awful and pretty much what four years of this school gets you (she is actually really succesful, makes mad dosh even though her work is utter shit)
>>2512194
>bodiljane.com
That style of naive simplistic editorial art is super in right now. Not a surprise that someone following trends is getting jobs.
Sounds like if you don't want to do that sort of art though then it's not a good school.
>>2512173
The entrance thing wasnt too bad, I was very anxious however and actually got my assignments stolen on the train just before the appointment so all i had left were my sketchbooks and some digital work on a usb stick. Explained what happened and showed those, and I still got in by the merit of those. They asked me about things I liked, and like what magazines I read, stuff like that. You have to show them you have broad interests and stories to tell, I guess. Still, if I am to advice you and you truly want to learn and become a proficient artist, I would tell you to stay far, far away from this school, or any state-funded art school in the Netherlands, really.
>>2512198
I get that, but it's just that she can't draw anything better than that, even if someone was to put a gun to her head.
>>2512163
>>2512203
>>2512194
>>2512184
I don't know if you're a troll or not but I loved the input. I'm more into analytical drawing but I can enjoy artsy-fartsy wankery and as the other guy said, simplistic editorial art is in right now (commercially).
Besides, it's better than being a no-good neet. I'm 22 right now. I've done nothing since I got out of high school. This has to be it.
>>2512165
If I had the money I'd drop bucketloads on CGMA.
I'd much rather prefer to take the course as a normal student and have all the benefits of joining the site. But 600$ is way over my head, if the whole collection as 600$ I couldn't afford it. Thx anyway
>>2512212
>22
>NEET for 2 years
>hasn't done anything since high school
There's a couple missing years in there unless you got held back a few grades.
>>2512212
I assure you I am not a troll. I became very jaded by art school however and wish to protect others from making the same mistake I made. I am and always have been passionate about art and improving my craft and so it was a hard pill to swallow that nearly killed me when I realized that our fair country's art education is a sham. But there is no use in telling someone something if they don't want to listen. Godspeed.
>>2512228
Do they tell if you're accepted in the entrance exam or later?
>>2512253
I got a letter some time after congratulating me on getting in. Mind, this is some years ago by now but I can imagine this hasn't changed. I'm going to sleep now, I can answer more questions tomorrow.
>>2511891
I don't understand people like OP. I don't understand why people don't do shit for years on end & then when they finally decide to do something they gotta rush themselves & everyone else.
Like OP here wants to get into school, which is a fine goal. Then rather than to apply for the next semester to give themselves some time to get ready they gotta rush like crazy hell, because it's last minute.
I mean it's going to be obvious that you rushed & it's not as is if the school is going to go out of business next year so why wait? Why not just pace yourself better?
I feel like people like this set themselves up for failure. Why not just go for computers & technology instead? You can teach yourself to code in that much time.
>>2512291
Some people are just really bad at planning or preparing for things. Either they are disorganized or maybe there is something else holding them back like mental health issues (depression for example).
There's also the chance that they were just coasting on their parents's support, but their parents got fed up and gave an ultimatum so now OP is scrambling with only a limited amount of time to work with.
>>2512291
I didn't expect them to ask for recent independent works as entrance portfolio. I honestly thought they would ask for a specific assignment to be done in a specific time.
>>2512592
Wdka drop-out again here. With the entrance exam, they want to see your thought and creative process. They don't care about how well you can copy your favorite animu waifus, but they want to get an idea of what drives you, what you find (visually) interesting and if and how you have something to say through your art. It's kinda a load of crock however. Also they do not care whether you are a skilled draftsman or not, mainly of you have an 'own' voice, the majority of my classmates were utter shit, only a handful could actually draw well. (One of the teachers chewed me out for drawing a still life from observation too true to nature (in a class that was called sulposedly about drawing, plain and simple. Pic related is by her and what all of her work looks like.) Really, I think you're making a bigger deal out of this than it is. Just show them you're beyond copying animu and pictures of celebs and you will probably get in.
They do not care about skill because they do not teach technique and draftsmanship.
>>2512750
wow.Thanks a ton for that.
>>2512750
Could someone please tell me what the fucking use a school like this would even be? Why anyone would spend money on such a thing. (assuming it costs money, but even the time wasted going there would be bad.)
If you want to work as a commercial artists you'd be hard pressed finding an industry where technical ability is not key to you finding work. I don't think I'd be wasting my time going to a artsy fartsy school that's more concerned with how you feel about the plight of white men in the modern 21st century world than giving you a sound technical education in art.
>>2512947
For the same reason people take fields like women's studies.
1. They're ignorant and don't understand what these degrees can't get them
3. They don't give a shit about getting an applicable degree and want the degree to chill, hopefully because they have another degree/skill to back it up
4. They're hoping to teach in those fields
>>2512947
I've been to one of those, it's basically a group therapy "finding yourself" kind of thing.
>>2512750
How much of the tuition fee did you end up paying? You were doing 4 years but you quit after the first_?
>>2511891
its not doable, but you can steal someones work on tumblr ( of your level) and flip the images horizontally so they dont pop up on reverse G search.
>>2512991
It's not like you pay for all 4 years at once. If you want you can take a single semester and just pay for that.
Fuck, I don't even know what to decide anymore. Congratulations cuckchan
>>2513003
But you invested time, even if only a semester, which worth something.
If OP wants to go to school for art because he/she wants their future job to be an art job they'd be better served finding classes (in school or online) that are geared toward getting those sorts of jobs. Or at the very least a school that teaches skills related to that, like fundamentals, anatomy, color, observation painting where it actually matters how well you paint the subject, etc.
Speaking as someone who went to college for art and graduated from a middle of the road school, most art schools are total shit. There is no point taking on tens of thousands of dollars in debt (which can translate to a 500+ dollar a month bill for decades) for sub par teaching.
Be an adult, do you research, look at what other artists online have said about schools. See what the professors at the school have for a portfolio. Be willing to live out of state in order to get into a good program that'll be worth your money. If you someday want to be Jason Chan but are going to school learning how to be Jackson Pollack then you're an idiot.
You're just going to end up getting out of college and having to grind out all the studies and work like everyone else, 4 years of schooling and time wasted.
Fellow Dutchman here, yet again. OP, if you really are serious about becoming a technically proficient and skilled artist, look into Wackers Academie in Amsterdam or Klassieke Academie in Groningen. These are more like an atelier education-wise and focus on building fundamental drawing and painting skills. However, both are private institutions which means the tuition is almost double what you will pay for a state-recognized art school, and you will not be eligible for stufi and OV. Your degree will likewise not be an official HBO bachelor, but who cares about that piece of paper if you can actually draw and paint like a motherfucker.
Then there is also "Classic Art Academy' in Maarssen which is also private and where they seem to use the 19th centuries methods (like coyping Bargue plates in the first year), but I'm personally not really sold on them yet. Seems kinda amateuristic to me. They hold an "open dag" on the 28th of May, maybe you should go there.
Much wisdom to you, friend. I really would advise against wasting your time on our state-funded art schools.
>>2513084
So much this. This is actually how I feel after going through the disappointment of art school.
>>2512991
Over here, tuition fees aren't as ridiculous as they are in America, but I predict we're starting to head that way slowly. One year is roughly 1800 euros if you're under thirty (I think) and you automatically get student loans/financing and free use of public transit, which will add up to your debt as well. Until a year or two ago, there was a basic loan that every student received (90 euros a month if still living with your parent(s), and 240 euros a month if you live on your own) and if you managed to earn a degree within four years, the basic loan turned into a grant and you would only owe the guv'mint what you loaned on top of that basic loan. If you're entering higher education this year, you have to pay it all back even if you earn a degree within four years. It's not quite on the scale of crushing student loans like in the US but I think that tuition fees will only keep rising the next few years.
I never attened school and I will not (because money).
But if the Art school or college doesn't teach you the fundamentals, I heard this a lot. Then...
What the hell they teach you?
I think I've made my decision. I'll try to build a not-so-terrible portfolio in the next 19 days . Their standars are apparently modernist shit so I'll probably get in which means I get to save face in front of my family and show that I've done something for once. After they accept me, I say I'm not interested anymore for this year but want in on the next which means I can get a job in the meantime to save up for the fees and produce a new decent portfolio (if they ask) and build up work ethic. If they reject me I'll have an excuse to use for my family instead of saying I'm backing out. In which case I try again or go for something else.
>>2512957
>For the same reason people take fields like fine art.
Fixed that for you.
>>2513229
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Sfr0sW3hLU
This is what you learn in art school
