Higher Education?
My last two years of high school were pretty good, mostly because I had A) a driver's license, B) a car, and C) a Crew to hang with. And by good I mostly mean that I had spent most of my school career in the sixth ring of Hell, and the last two years were like living in the third ring of Hell. To say I was excited about college would be an understatement. I KNEW that when I got to college my life would change. In college they respect talent and intelligence. I'd be popular and respected, and when it was all said and done I'd be a well trained world class artist who could pick and choose which comic book company I was gonna work for.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaa! I was such an idiot!
After one year at Southern Illinois University, I was broke, lonely, depressed, suicidal, bored, angry, and I had officially decided that I never wanted to live in an evenly vaguely urban area ever again ever. I had only a smattering of new friends (most of whom were actually friends with my cousin Rachel, I was just her occassional tag along), I hated my roommate (who, apparently, thought that I was a homicidal nutcase and was more than a little afraid to live with me), and I had spent way too much time taking crappy academic courses that I hated. I did get to take some art courses, which I loved, but otherwise, I got nothing out of the experience expect anguish. So I quit.
And honestly, it was the right play for me. Ever since then my Education has been trying to figure out how to make comics. And that has been a long education. I've used what I've gotten out of those old college art classes (as well as the handful of community college art classes I took later), but I learned just as much from "How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way". Hell, the critical reaming I got from this one comic pro at Wizard World Chicago back in '00 taught me as much as three or four art classes. For me, school has been my art board.
So, what's the moral? Am I saying that if you're wanting to go into comics that you should skip college? No, not neccessarily. If all you ever wanted to do with your life is make comics, and you don't care whether you live or die as long as you get to make comics, then yes, you should probably skip college. Buy some books on art, take some art AND writing classes at your local community college, study comics, movie, TV, and prose novels, and buy some books about comic book publishing. And practice constantly. And when I say practice, I don't mean that you sit around drawing pin ups of Superman all day. I mean, sit down and draw comic book stories. Learn things they don't teach in school, like panel to panel progression and shot selection.
Now, if you're not 100% sure that you wanna make comics, then I suggest picking a profession that will make you MONEY, go to college for that, and take art classes on the side. That way, you'll have a profession that will provide for your future, and you won't end up a starving artist while you're waiting for your big break into comics.
(Oh, and before I close, I would like to mention that there is ONE school that does specialize in teaching people how to make comics, and that's the Joe Kubert Art School. If you're really, really serious about making comics, and you'rve got plenty of money to burn, this "college" is definately worth checking out.)
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaa! I was such an idiot!
After one year at Southern Illinois University, I was broke, lonely, depressed, suicidal, bored, angry, and I had officially decided that I never wanted to live in an evenly vaguely urban area ever again ever. I had only a smattering of new friends (most of whom were actually friends with my cousin Rachel, I was just her occassional tag along), I hated my roommate (who, apparently, thought that I was a homicidal nutcase and was more than a little afraid to live with me), and I had spent way too much time taking crappy academic courses that I hated. I did get to take some art courses, which I loved, but otherwise, I got nothing out of the experience expect anguish. So I quit.
And honestly, it was the right play for me. Ever since then my Education has been trying to figure out how to make comics. And that has been a long education. I've used what I've gotten out of those old college art classes (as well as the handful of community college art classes I took later), but I learned just as much from "How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way". Hell, the critical reaming I got from this one comic pro at Wizard World Chicago back in '00 taught me as much as three or four art classes. For me, school has been my art board.
So, what's the moral? Am I saying that if you're wanting to go into comics that you should skip college? No, not neccessarily. If all you ever wanted to do with your life is make comics, and you don't care whether you live or die as long as you get to make comics, then yes, you should probably skip college. Buy some books on art, take some art AND writing classes at your local community college, study comics, movie, TV, and prose novels, and buy some books about comic book publishing. And practice constantly. And when I say practice, I don't mean that you sit around drawing pin ups of Superman all day. I mean, sit down and draw comic book stories. Learn things they don't teach in school, like panel to panel progression and shot selection.
Now, if you're not 100% sure that you wanna make comics, then I suggest picking a profession that will make you MONEY, go to college for that, and take art classes on the side. That way, you'll have a profession that will provide for your future, and you won't end up a starving artist while you're waiting for your big break into comics.
(Oh, and before I close, I would like to mention that there is ONE school that does specialize in teaching people how to make comics, and that's the Joe Kubert Art School. If you're really, really serious about making comics, and you'rve got plenty of money to burn, this "college" is definately worth checking out.)
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