Art Classes

[gothicMana9]

wow...3d designing?!....that's cool~..*i wanna learn it too<3* XD

[heyy13]

@ Applejuice ~ It's not allways a good idea to attend art classes. It depends alot on the teacher. The one art class i took during school my teacher said i was a no talent nobody who'd never get anywhere and i should give up forever because my art was worse then trash... (this was in primary school)

I never took another art class.

So i can't say that art class can't hurt, because i quit art for a number of years and havn't taken a formal class since.

That being said i intend to do fine arts at uni next year; my point being that if the teacher's asthetic and yours don't coaless then sometimes it can cause more harm then good to take classes with them.

[applejuice81]

GothicMana- 3D is awesome and fun. There is alot to learn and many programs to understand. I know one of the programs and getting ready to learn other. Also I have a website with my 3D art if you want to see it. Just click on my website or check out my gallery.


Heyy- I agree with you that its does depend on the teacher. Which is why i would just suggest it. They don't have to go or continue going if they don't like. Most of my classes were with assignments that I was able to use my creativity, except for drawing classes where you have a model.

I think your teacher was wrong in saying that. There was no need for that. I believe she should have either left you alone or helped you develop you talent/skill.

I hope you find that the art classes and teachers at uni are better then that one teacher. I think that uni teachers are more open b/c they see all types of artists and art. I know that in my 2D classes there were students that use stick figures b/c they could not draw a figure. I do hope you have better luck.

[Maeve]

Art classes are kind of a personal thing, like for music: some people are great without any kind of help from outside, and some people need to be taught things. I don't like general art classes like the ones you get in school, 'cause they try to teach everything to everyone, and therefore don't spend enough time on what you really need to learn. Plus, I think you can get pretty far in visual art just by using books and reference, and observing what's around you. And when you get to that level, you know what you need to perfect and just have to take classes on that specific subject (perspective, anatomy, etc.).

I don't really consider myself as an artist, though I love to draw and I'm trying to get better. I was 13 when I had my last art class and it was pretty lame. The teacher would just tell us what to draw, and then he would come to our desk and draw it for us... I prefer using books to learn what I need, but maybe that's just an habit from studying sciences too much. It works great for me, at least when I really take the time to draw and practise. Just remember to try other kind of books, not just the ones about arts. Biology/zoology books are really useful to learn anatomy (that or a good university class, but books are easier to get...).

[gothicMana9]

well...i agree with u..^.^ it varies rom a person to another, some c them importaant & some don't.

[futaba_tan]

I've only taken art classes in school and they haven't really benefitted me much. I usually just sign up for them to use as an easy free period.

I'd really like to do live sketching or whatever it is called where you have someone posing (nude) and everyone sketches what they see.

buuuuut... can't have that in high school...

[Miyani-chan]

The only time I have art class is in school. AND THAT WAS BY FORCE. I didn't really want to do art class though. Through the first year that I had it, it didn't really help me as much. I personally choose to self-teach myself doing art-related things. I think I use more tutorials than having teachers teach me.

[Berlin]

I never had any real art classes until high school, but I, personally, find them somewhat necessary to better yourself as an artist. I've only taken and intro class, two drawing courses, a painting class, ceramics, and my current AP Studio Art class, but I don't see how I could have gotten anywhere near as good as I am now. Not only was I taught to learn new mediums, but I also learned new techniques to what I had been doing for years.

I am a strong believer in color theory and knowing your terminology. And, frankly, that is best learned in a classroom environment over time.

You also have access to new mediums that normally you might pass over in an art shop. A classmate, if not the teacher, can even help you learn those mediums.

I also find the classroom itself to be important for learning with art. You have many different classmates and most if not all are also into art. Therefore, you typically have a positive environment where you can find new inspiration that you have never had before.

I'm not sure about one on one lessons, since I've never had them. But I don't think they are anywhere as good for you as a real class.

Sure, many things can throw this all off, but overall, I think that it is defiantly worth it. At least that is my thoughts on the matter.

[Venya]

I took one art class and had allot of fun doing it. But I was not allowed to take anymore until After high school. My school is a Butt like that. Never let you take the classes you want. So yeah even now I am learning and hoping to take more classes. I think though its more fun with friends then alone as well.

[Sev en Ester]

I have ^^ Still do. I'm Still in highschool so I have those, but I mean outside of school. My mom always had me go to the art place when I was in my younger teens and before that. If I didn't go, then I wouldn't know how to use oils, hardly know how to use charcoal or hard/soft pastel. I'm probably going to sign up for some more classes because being there makes me feel in the mood to work and I get things done. I'm proabbaly going to do my whole portfolio there

Plus, I learned about a lot of tools in those classes long before I would if I waited through highschool. I got familiar with them and are able to use them properly now while a lot of kids who never took out of school classes don't have a clue what to do with them.

You get to learn a lot of techniques or simple ways of doing things ^^

Art classes rock. And you're never too old. I was stuck in a class with 12 and 13 year olds, but the one person older than me was a 90 year old woman who came to the U.S. from Germany when she was young. She had a lot of interesting things to tell us about paper cutting.

[Toxic]

Does Art 1 count as a class? Because it is required for me to pass lol
But I have learned quite a few things in there...like certain tools and their uses. Specially paint types, pencil types, ect.
It is very helpful altogether c:

[Berlin]

XD Yeah. I would consider that an art class. It's the basics. The basics are needed before you can move on.

[dreamer676]

Personally, I think it all depends on the person. Some people develop in a structured environment when others can't. I have only really done classes at college. They were helpful, in that the teacher forced me out of my comfort zone of pencil drawing and gave me the oppertunity to do life drawing classes for free. Later on if I don't go to uni to continue learning then prehaps I'll take some workshops, but right now I'm o.k with teaching myself.

Sometimes you can get online free classes anyway. Though, of course sometimes you need a teacher to ask about stuff, so yeah.

[Iregyura]

I'm not self-identified as an artist, but I take art classes. I only consider myself, "One that draws, or actually attempts too." Many of my attempts at realistic human beings fail. And animals. Watercolor, don't even think about it. Sometimes I laugh at the outcome of my drawings.

[tavis harts]

I'm mostly self taught. Towards my final years in college I took one or two art classes. They didn't do much to teach me anymore about art at that point but they were fun.

Overall art classes can be good. It really depends on the type of person you are. If you are the type that likes to try to drive yourself up a wall by drawing something hard as hell or trying something you've never done before you really don't need art classes (If you are welcome to my camp. ). If you are the type of person that likes drawing one thing and fears drawing things you haven't before because you might "suck" then you need art classes.

Art classes really are good for giving you a kick in the pants. Nothing like the phrase "you do it or you fail" to finally make you go outside your box.

Lots of the time the teacher will force you to draw things that you really would never have bothered with before. This is actually good because it forces you to try to think of different techniques as well as study things you would have overlooked.

For example: during my time in the art class we had to draw a cloth that was tossed on top of a bunch of random objects. This was good for learning folds.

Another assignment was to draw your own foot. (I decided that wasn't hard enough so I drew someone else drawing their own foot in realism style... Besides, the concept of drawing someone drawing their own foot while drawing the viewers eye to the foot just struck me as funny)

Most of the time people don't bother with exercises, doodles and concepts like these and they really are good to do.

Also it's good to have someone to critique your art honestly. I have a few friends I can poke easily to force them to critique my stuff for me but for others it might not be the case.







With that said tho some art teachers suck ass. I can't even lie about that you really have to be careful who you are taught by.

For example: I have a friend who actually took art as their major. He was placed with the moronic teacher from hell.

First of all she hated illustration, she believed that if the art told a story in any way shape or form that it wasn't "good" and anyone who drew like that wasn't worthy of graduating. So basically you had to draw abstract conceptual crap all the time. While it can be good to draw this from time to time learning the basics of illustration is a must for practically any field in art. Especially if you want a steady JOB.

Second she hated watercolor with a venomous passion. So much so that she refused to call watercolor a form of painting (never mind it's the act of putting pigment on a canvas). Instead she refereed to it as a craft and tried to shoo everyone who liked to work with it into the textile, beading and wire craft rooms. O.o Yeah..... watercolor and jewelry making... because that naturally goes hand in hand. *headdesk*

After all the stories I heard about his teacher I was actually glad I never went there for an art degree and had instead used theater to see how the art I learned applied to illustration and propaganda.


I'm ranting... and I'm sorry for that.

I guess in summary. Depending on who you are art classes can be really good. Just do your homework and read reviews from others about these classes before you spend your money on some of them.