An update, finally!!!
Soooooo, It's been more than three months since my last update, good grief! I'm well and alive, the semester will be over in three weeks, which is something I'm looking forward to, even though I'm having a great time here. Gosh, so much has happened in three months, and I'm still as busy as heck, but I'll try to summarize what's been going on
( Read more... )
Glad you enjoyed my little journal there, I was wondering if anyone had read it at all (I've been somewhat neglecting in terms of regular updates). If you've read all of my journal, you probably noticed how I talk of the teachers here at Sheridan. Some are indeed awesome and will teach you tons of great stuff, but a few aren't as stellar. Just a reminder that no school is perfect, Sheridan has its forces and weaknesses, so do Calarts and Ringling, so in the end it's all up to the student to really make it worth the shot. Sheridan, however, has a big advantage over other schools when it comes to the tuition cost, even for international students. A disadvantage it has, I think, is that it has less exposure to the major animation studios like Pixar and Dreamworks, but we'll try to change that in the coming years, mwuahahah...
Anyway, looking at your portfolio, I must say I'm very surprised you didn't get in! O_O I mean, you can draw pretty dang well, actually better than some students who got into Sheridan, imo. I'm thinking one thing might have killed your chance though, did you submit those fanarts of Chrono Cross and BoF4 in your Sheridan portfolio? I remember when I made my portfolio in 2004, it was clearly specified that any portfolio containing anime-style or comic book artwork would be disqualified. Any fanart or copies of any sort are a big no-no as well. It's stupid but that's how it is. They actually don't mind if you draw anime style when you're in school, but it seems like they only want to see classical disney-esque or European stuff in your portfolio. That or classical fine arts. Besides, looking at your art of Kidd, I'm sure you could twist it a bit and get the disney style without a problem.
Aside from that, one thing they like to see at Sheridan is 3D structure in your drawings. So I'd say you could lay off a bit on the really detailed and smooth rendering, and instead try to show with lines how you construct the objects you're drawing. This is a bit of an extreme example, but on this drawing you can see how I tried to really show the different facets of each volume, and my lifedrawing teacher REALLY liked that. Especially in first year, they don't really care if you can make something polished and pretty, they're more interested in you showing them that you really understand the basic workings of perspective, anatomy and structural drawing. It's the foundations. An other pointer I could give on making your portfolio is, don't underestimate the presentation. The more clean and professional-looking it is, the better. It makes a big difference, I think. Oh and the sooner you send it in, the better.
I do have some American friends going to Sheridan with me, from Illinois, N-Y and California. Give me your e-mail and I'll hook you up with them if you want :). (my adress is happygui (at) hotmail (dot) com)
I'll try to update my site soon with works I've produced this year (I've been saying that for a while now ^^; ), including lifedrawings, but in the meantime here are a few I did during the second semester and this summer click here. The last drawing in there is a 2 minute gesture, those are pretty important to practice too, maybe even more so than longer poses. The feeling of movement and weight that can be caught in shorter poses is also a thing they're looking for at Sheridan (it's the basis of animation).
Anyway, I hope that answers your questions, hope to see you at Sheridan in 2006! Keep in touch if you want :)
Cheers,
-Gwee
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I was hoping you'd check that journal entry sometime soon, and you did. About exposure - Ringling didn't have as much exposure last year as they clame they usually do. Pixar came and did a presentation, but didn't hire anybody from the 04 class. Even the student who interned for them last year wasn't rehired this year. His name is Patrick Jensen and he ended up at Dreamworks.
About the fan art - I know its a major portfolio killer. The hands and the fan art weren't in my portfolio - and the fan art never will be. I don't have the confidence to do my own original characters so I draw other's instead. Eventually I'll make my own.
About 3d structure - all of my drawings had it, but once I start shading it disappears. I think the hands and maybe one or two self portraits will show enough pencil rendering ability - the other drawings I do for the portfolio won't even be shaded. I read in the Animation Workbook that "shading isn't drawing" and I am inclined to agree.
I've always wondered if it matters when it is sent in. I know that the colleges I worked with said it doesn't, yet they often start their portfolio reviews before the deadline is up. If they favor certain portfolios that got in earlier than the deadline, those coming after the deadline may suffer a little bias. I plan for mine to arrive 1 week before the deadline in Feb 06.
The 3d structure in your figure drawings is really cool - especially in that 2min gesture. I have tried to discuss such style with the figure instructors at Ringling but they don't like it (most also don't even do gestures - its ludicrous). The only person who liked that style was Glenn Villpu who taught here over the week of springbreak. Other students claimed they learned more from him in one week than in the whole first year with Ringling CORE instructors. I plan to study the Villpu method very hard, then start making portfolio level figure drawings based on that. It appears that at the end of your freshman year, you are further in your artistic development than you would be after 4 years at ringling (and $120,000+).
If you could put me in touch with your American friends that would be cool. I'd like to know what the steps are after Sheridan accepts you as a student long before I have to take them myself.
I'll definitely keep in touch - as I get each new portfolio piece ready you'll be the first to see it online. I've been studying perspective (Perspective for Artists by Rex Vicat Cole and Perspective for Comic Book Artists). I can't find any instructors here who really know perspective except Aaron Board, but he is leaving in about two weeks. I found an interesting site where they help students prepare a professional portfolio (28 week course and quite expensive). I'll compare what I make to the level the students are at on that website. I figure if I can get where they are, I am very likely to get accepted.
http://www.portfolioworkshop.com/index.html
Cheers,
-JP
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