Will's Going Into Graphic Design!

I'm pretty sure about this. I think I might end up at FIT soon, because it's a state school and it's close. For now I'm adjusting to using the G5 at home and working on my portfolio. This is my second finished piece, which I did for my girlfriend. The reference is black and white.

For those of you who have gone to school for this kind of thing, I'm definitely looking for advice.

Scarlett

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I'm a graphic design major now and in my school (Carnegie Mellon), you're actually admitted for design as a whole, so right now I'm doing Industrial Design and Graphic Design projects and incorporating both until I can declare my specific focus. Its fun, and I'm assuming that for a specifically Graphic Design course I don't have to tell you to work on your crafts, but make a very unique and well-rounded portfoio. I had design, comic illustration, and and still life/traditional works in my portfolio and I like to think that the variety helped.

If you're going for design though, it wouldn't hurt to try CU (haha good luck) and Pratt, though.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Damn. That's a nice drawing. Anyway, like Ultima said, variety does help a lot when it comes to your portfolio. People typically are looking for the well-rounded kind of students, and not just a static sort of person whose designs and mindset are fixed.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

j.edmund | portfolio

If you need something to get an idea of a portfolio. Thats mine there and it got me into either G. Design or Illustration at Pratt, SVA, Rochester Institute of Technology, Drexel University, and Carnegie Mellon where I'm currently attending. Really just put your heart, soul, blood, and tears into your work and you'll be fine. If you're an artist you're probably used to that by now.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Yeah, I've got lots of other stuff--oils, guache, pointilism, photo manipulation, advertisement, web design, etc--in addition to the digital and pencil portraits I love to do. But aside from myself, I haven't drawn enough men. And I definitely need to do a landscape or something.

Ultima, if by CU you mean Cooper Union, I actually got into that for engineering. XD It would be funny if I was reaccepted for art. I guess it wouldn't hurt to try, they have a table tennis team, too, after all. =D

Thanks for sharing the portfolio. I'd really appreciate your input if I put together something like that. It'll be soon, I wanna get in some applications to the state schools ASAP. I'll transfer later if need be, right now I'm concerned with cost, because my parents aren't exactly thrilled to be supporting a 20 year-old through a few more years of school. ;_;

I was speaking idiomatically.

Look, that Johanssen (sp) drawing was well done. Could you show the original reference for us to compare?

As for advice about building portfolios and financial aid, and omg I wonder what I should do, well yeah be versatile with your work. But most importantly make a point with your portfolio. (This would be something more oriented towards you getting a job, but when you want it make a point with your work. Let them know who you are through your work and don't create generic stuff.) Call up those university counselors and ask those questions. I'm not sure why engineering-related schools are being brought up over actual art schools with these programs.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Thanks Reference.

I'm actually curious what your background is, since you apparently just joined and don't seem to have put anything up.

I got up a basic portfolio page. It's only 9 images so far, I'll probably add a second page. A few of the images are placeholders until I dig up some more crap, and nothing links to anything at the moment. I certainly plan on including larger images with descriptions. The page is all I could manage with what I know, which is html tables and some java image flipping. XD What do you guys think of the presentation? I'm going to retool it a bit for lower resolutions (maybe with a splash page, I dunno), it's meant for 1280x1024 or higher right now.

Also tell me if it wigs out on you at all. It seems to work fine in Safari and Windows Firefox, but it keeps flipping out in Firefox on the mac.

Bill Fifer's Portfolio

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Will

Thanks Reference.

I'm actually curious what your background is, since you apparently just joined and don't seem to have put anything up.

I got up a basic portfolio page. It's only 9 images so far, I'll probably add a second page. A few of the images are placeholders until I dig up some more crap, and nothing links to anything at the moment. I certainly plan on including larger images with descriptions. The page is all I could manage with what I know, which is html tables and some java image flipping. XD What do you guys think of the presentation? I'm going to retool it a bit for lower resolutions (maybe with a splash page, I dunno), it's meant for 1280x1024 or higher right now.

Also tell me if it wigs out on you at all. It seems to work fine in Safari and Windows Firefox, but it keeps flipping out in Firefox on the mac.

Bill Fifer's Portfolio

I'm using Firefox on the Mac right now and everything seems to be working as it should, I believe. I don't have a problem with your presentation; it seems good (with those descriptions it should be better. I mean, I've seen other artists' sites and they'll have, you know, even more simple layouts with thumbnails and a click for the large version kind of stuff. Not sure how important that is.

My background, well I've had several usernames on this site over plenty of years (dating back to 2001) but I've never really found it to be a "fruit-basket" that'll help people with art and their endeavors, truthfully, compared to things you may find from other peers or instructors work at school. I just "feel" that difference in the environment?

I began studying 3D animation at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, and after taking my CAPS and MAYA 1 class I found animating another person's character/creation to be boring. So I switched over to Visual Development in Illustration (storyboarding, layout design, concept art, you know that "field").

If you insist on seeing some of my work, sure I suppose I'll post 'em right here as attachments. They're all taken from photographs as pretty much all of them are from 9"x12" to 11"x17" (total size) mounted on blackboards.

The first one is a set of 2"x4" thumbnails of a Fairy-artist's room that I drew using blue col-erase pencils. Our instructor wanted us to design a fairy-artist's room so I put in brushes to represent some columns, berries to be the fairy's source of pigments, bottle caps and leaves for the floor decorations and flower lamps... yeah, stuff like that.

The second design is, well, an airplane diner (50's style). Pretty much the rougher versions in blue pencil and then a graphite pencil study. Airplane seats with seat-belts, airplane lamps, a concept logo on the floor, blah blah.

The third one is an editorial illustration done for my illustration 1 class. it's done in gouache and the subject is how some women will hunger to become beautiful, even if that means extracting blubber from animals. So I guess it's more of an animal rights thing. I had most fun with the whale's texture and female's hair (kinda reminds me of some weird 80s rock style).

The fourth one was pretty much my first gouache illustration for the Ill 1 class. We were just told to design a toy with at least 5 colors under either a warm or cool light, so i went with cool. I don't think the shadows are strong enough to make the light pop, at the very least the toy's cast shadow.

The fifth one is purely done in pen and ink. I hate micron pens, hi-tec pens are much better. Anyway, it's just a day in the life of a grandfather and child about to head to the beach. If it were a scan you could see the wash technique used on their goggles more clearly. I still have to edit the kid's hand sticking out; his index looks broken. And the grandpa's face is a little unclear.

I have more coming in another post due to attachments. Yeeaaah, see why a site with links is so much easier. -=\

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Okay, so here are some more, just to show something from figure drawing classes. The first drawing is a 5 minute drawing done with those super rich chunky charcoal sticks. I think they're 2 bucks each or so. I did that last week during my clothed figure drawing 2 class.

The second design goes back to gouache from the Ill 1 class. This one was pretty tricky. We were asked to design a painting based on a myth/fable. And I had a fable about an ant, a pigeon and a man. You have to select a passage and represent that in your drawing. The ant was going to drown in a stream and the pigeon saved it. Then a man had his pigeon trap set, the pigeon was caught in it and when the man came to grab the bird, the ant bit him on the leg freeing the pigeon. Sooooo much fun. :P

The third is well, just a chick who posed for the heads and hands class last semester. I still haven't gotten to editing the... "double-jointed" hand in the drawing. I have a better one of an old man (old people, so fun to draw u_u), but it's being held by my instructor since last semester and I haven't really gotten a hold of him to get that back.

The fourth drawing one is just a pair of hands I drew during a workshop. White pastel, black charcoal pencil on toned paper.

The last one is Muhammad Ali in gesso with gouache and colored pencils. Gesso is basically a technique where you apply thick white acrylic-based material on your board and then create different textures with a knife or spatula, etc. Then you have to let it dry for hours X_X. It was in class work, and we were all given a reference to use. I don't have it with me as it belongs to the instructor, but I think it's not an uncommon black and white image of him.

Umm... I have 2 more right next to me that I can upload, one sec, I guess.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

K last two I am posting here.

The first drawing is just a value scale experiment. We were to avoid the two extremes, black and white, and only work with the grays. The first is in pencil, you know just simple. The second is in pen, portraying textures. The last one is also in pen, portraying patterns. I guess the "tricky" part was to come up with patterns and textures, and be able to make the values as similar as possible to the pencil scale. Blah.

The second and last one is just a drawing I made of my cat in pastel, on a pastelbord.

I think I've liked pastels more than gouache. You can "let loose" more. I'm going to start working with watercolors and acrylics this semester, so that should be fun, considering I like to cheat with layers on gouache and that's better with acrylics or acryla-goauche.

Anyway, you see what I mean about "making a point" in a portfolio? Like if I were to submit all this for a portfolio, I'd say about half of 'em don't say much about me. The pair of hands, Muhammad, the toy, the value scale, etc. Anyway, I hope something has helped.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

So...wow, you sould have put up your own thread. =p You're really good.

I loved gouache back when I took art senior year in high school. I haven't worked with it in a while. The self portrait and the woman on my Dell were done in gouache. Most of the variety in my work goes back to that class, which was a few years ago. Otherwise I generally do pencil drawings of women and photo manipulation or graphic design. I'm not exactly concerned with getting into schools, I think I at least demonstrate potential, considering I took one class at the end of high school. But I would really like to make a good impression, just because I feel I'm far behind.

I'm feeling really creative right now, do you think it would be better to work on some more stuff for a couple weeks or just apply with the type of stuff I've got, considering I'm looking to go into my first year? I would love to do something really out there, instead of practicing my technique which is what I generally feel I'm doing.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Well first, thanks for the complement. I try and yet even people like Barbara Bradley say there's a long way to go for everyone.

Anywho, it's September. So I assume the school semester has started already in most cases? I guess, if you still have time to apply for next semester or even next Summer/Fall, go ahead and work on stuff you like that feels more like you and apply when you feel you're ready, but don't wait for too long. Even though it's still early to submit the app, FAFSA (financial aid) is something you probably wanna get. If you're applying for this semester, go ahead and do both things at the same time; apply now and work on more stuff. Talk to one of the schools' advisers, I'm not too sure about their expectations. However, there's probably never a time when you can't practice technique.

One good way to "find yourself, your style" is to research on all those designers/illustrators that have successful careers by checking out books, websites, magazines, etc.

I have a list of artists that I really like and admire. They're not really digital designers, but if you want a good book with digital designs for a Sci-Fi story being brainstormed, DO check out The Skillful Huntsman. It's really good, and not that expensive. However, you'll see throughout your years as an aspiring artist that most art books are expensive (though worthwhile for your learning).

Um, I know of an Iain McCaig, who happens to be very very good with digital designs. He's worked with concept art on Star Wars, Peter Pan, and Harry Potter, among other things. My layout design instructor worked under his wing at Lucas Arts and was nuts about him. I think he also has DVDs on sale about his work process. Oh yeah, Syd Mead... He's like a godfather with digital/sci-fi/futuristic work. He also happens to be the guy who designed the concept art for Gundam. o_O

As for my choice of artists, well...

Gary Kelley (he did that pastel mural you see at Barnes and Noble... with all the authors) - He's like, at the top of a hill in the Illustration world.

Alberto Vargas - this guy has done amazing nude females using watercolor and pencil

Gris Grimly - Tim Burton-like designs, with watercolor

Dominique Louis - If you've seen Pixar "The Art of ..." books, he's the guy behind most of the awesome pastel layouts.

You know, there's Peter de Seve, J.C. Leyendecker, Hayao Miyasaki (did you know he's really famous for doing animation backgrounds in GOUACHE too? Yep, in gouache, not all digital), John Kricfalusi (ren & stimpy), etc... You may not like ANY of these guys' styles, at ALL. And that's ok. So just look into all that you can find; that's already a sum amount of influence that can strike your style up a bit.

So I'm just trying to help out with you on that last comment you made about practicing technique/style. Again, I'm not too sure about what you should do considering applying now or working more. I'm almost sure applying now won't hurt you at all. That's why, with that "confusion," I say for you to talk to those academic advisers over the phone asap.

Here at the Academy of Art, almost everyone is accepted, because it's believed that people can be taught how to draw with near complete control at least as long as they're willing to. And it's happened. People leave here working for big companies (with well placed effort).

Well again, I hope some of that helps, at least.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Thanks a lot, I really appreciate all the advice and information! I'm going to get moving on the applications now I guess, and hopefully do a couple smaller pieces at the same time. I'm applying for next semester, but fortunately state schools have a rolling application. So while earlier is better, I've got time.

I was speaking idiomatically.