so..i want to get into animation or illustration..

[Vay]

the problem is that not many schools offer animation/illustartion as well as physics or some other science classes.

i don't want to end up brainless and all i can do is draw all day...so it is hard to find schools with specific art degrees as well as some other classes.

i am at the point of split passion, where i don't know what i want to do because i am not sure if the thing i want to do is what i want to do as my career.....but animation/illustration is for sure, but... i also like science and composing some music.

also i heard from my college advisor that science classes are required for certain colleges as well as, i think, a math class or some foreign language class...i want to know if this is true for most art schools.

so the problem is......i can go to a college that doesn't offer animation/illustration classes but offer some other art such as fine art of studio art as well as science classes. Or i can go to a school specifically for art and no science(i think, needs verification). DOes schools like ringling have science classes?

also if i major in fine art or studio art will i still be able to get a job as an illustrator or possssssibly part of a group that does animation such as the character designer or landscape/environment designer or architect???

[Meloncov]

Okay, first of all, this is a professional forum. Capital letters are not optional. It may sound petty, but the impression you make here can affect your career.



Professionally, do you want to do something that combines art and science (say, medical illustration), or do you just want to take classes in both because you can't decide what you want?

If it's the latter, you need to decide on one or the other as soon as possible. Either field requires full devotion. Of course, you shouldn't rush life changing decisions, and if you really can't decide, I'd recommend going to a cheap local college or university for a year while you figure things out, than transfer to another institution.

If it's the former, you should look at Rochester Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, and possibly the Brown/RISD dual degree program.


In answer to your question, most art schools have a handful of science classes, but they tend to be fairly elementary and you'll probably only get a chance to take a couple science classes.

The vast majority of studio art/fine art majors are not going to prepare you for a job in illustration particularly well (there are exceptions; the important thing is that the department teaches representative drawing and painting well), and none (as far as I know) will prepare you for animation.

[Vay]

if i go to schools that focus on traditional art, what careers can i get??
also aren't there different people with different jobs in an animation project?
or does only one person do everything?

[Bubs]

The vast majority of studio art/fine art majors are not going to prepare you for a job in illustration particularly well (there are exceptions; the important thing is that the department teaches representative drawing and painting well), and none (as far as I know) will prepare you for animation.

Really?

At my school I have an Animation Layout, Animation Basics, Storyboarding, History of Animation, Cartooning, Inbetweening and an Animation Background Painting course. Also I don't have to screw around with useless math, science or history classes.


Not callin' your bluff your anything, but there are definitely schools out there that will teach you exactly what you need to know if you look hard enough.

[Meloncov]

Really?

At my school I have an Animation Layout, Animation Basics, Storyboarding, History of Animation, Cartooning, Inbetweening and an Animation Background Painting course. Also I don't have to screw around with useless math, science or history classes.


Not callin' your bluff your anything, but there are definitely schools out there that will teach you exactly what you need to know if you look hard enough.

I guess I didn't make myself clear. I meant that, to my knowledge, majors titled simply Fine Art or Studio Art (such as those at most general universities) are not going to prepare you for animation. There are certainly majors in Animation within studio art programs, many of which are excellent preparation for jobs.

And if you're not doing any math, science, or history, it's not really a major, at least not in the sense widely accepted by the US educational system.

[Bubs]

I'm sure you already know this, but practically every employer doesn't really look at where you went or what kind of degree you achieved. It's more along the lines of "can you do this job? Do you understand what we do here? Great, you're hired"

I'll get a degree upon graduation, but the only time it will be of any use to me is if I work overseas or decide to teach at a university.

Mainly it's just a fancy piece of paper. Heck, Richard Williams (animation director of Who Framed Roger Rabbit?) offers a program where he teaches you everything you need to know about traditional animation, and his only criteria is that you don't attend another school at the time because he doesn't want said institution conflicting with his teachings.

[RyerOrdStar]

i don't want to end up brainless and all i can do is draw all day...so it is hard to find schools with specific art degrees as well as some other classes.

[/B]

You're really endearing yourself to the people here. Illustrators and animators are not brainless and they don't just draw all day, in fact they're some of the most intelligent people I've met.

In fact you're basically showing us how you'd fare in an illustration program anyways, if you think that you won't be brainless just because you take a physics class -- Nobody gets everything they need out of a class.

[Meloncov]

I'm sure you already know this, but practically every employer doesn't really look at where you went or what kind of degree you achieved. It's more along the lines of "can you do this job? Do you understand what we do here? Great, you're hired"

I'll get a degree upon graduation, but the only time it will be of any use to me is if I work overseas or decide to teach at a university.

A handful of places, mostly larger studios, do care, and as you mentioned, traveling overseas and teaching. Plus, it appeases parents, whose financial support is generally very useful, and if you're forced to (hopefully temporarily) take a non-art job, it can be useful. It's not terribly important, but all other things being equal, a degree is nice.

Plus, from the OP's post, I think it's pretty clear that he'd prefer a more rounded BFA program to a super-focused certificate program.