When choosing VanArts my decision was affected most strongly by the portfolios the students were able to produce. The portfolios looked passionate and demonstrated a strong understanding of the more technical abilities I was interested in. I already had a degree in traditional art from Trinity Western University which gave me a strong basis to work from. Coming into the program, I was confident in the characters or scenes I could produce without having to second guess myself.
The Experience
The school was very straight forward and didn’t spend too much time waffling about with introductory material. They gave us the necessary theory to start working in 3D as soon as possible. And I was impressed with how every one of my questions was answered to the best of their abilities. After VanArts, I am now quite confident, that through theory and practice I can adequately teach myself anything I need to know.
The program only works well if you have the strong teachers to make it work.
The program only works well if you have the strong teachers to make it work. The program itself changes every year, so it’s hard to say exactly what you can expect. The technical schools hire teachers based mostly on experience in the industry and their skills rather than their ability to teach. In my experience, there were some exceptions to this. Joe Crawford has an endless amount of technical knowledge that he is able to get across to his students. Charles Guan and Pierre Bourgeot are also superb artists who you can learn a lot from if you listen to their critique. Ultimately, a motivated student who seeks the council of these talented instructors can do very well for themselves.
The Program
The program is divided up into four semesters.
The first semester is meant to make sure everyone is on the same level. Students with no prior experience are mentored to make sure they don’t fall behind. Students with prior experience or giftedness are encouraged to put extra time into exploring what more they can do with the simple introductory projects.
The second semester focuses on modeling correctly and efficiently. Everything concerned with building simple shaders and texturing is also practiced to make sure we’re getting the best quality out of these essential basics. World and character building are introduced in this semester to get us used to the skills.
The third semester starts you working on individual skills and projects so that you can start planning out your demo reel and all that you need to do in making a good one. Teachers will give demos relating to class-wide problems or troubleshooting. Teachers also help push your strengths and realize your weaknesses.
The fourth semester is devoted to rendering and compiling your demo reel. Teachers will prepare you for job application and industry environments we can expect.
If you need instructors who know how to teach well in order to be motivated, then you’ll probably find yourself frustrated.
The Verdict
Your success all depends on your experience coming into the program and the way you learn. If you have a strong motivation for game production and can learn on your own, you’ll do well here. If you need instructors who know how to teach well in order to be motivated, then you’ll probably find yourself frustrated.
I now work for Red Eagle Games which is based in LA California. I telecommute from Tacoma providing them concept art and illustrations for their pre-financing period. Between projects, I take on other freelance illustration for various clients.
http://www.joshfulmore.com/
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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