Do you need to be able to draw realistic drawings in order to get into animation at an art college?
I’d like to get into animation and go to Minneapolis College of Art and Design, but I am not incredible at drawing realistic drawings. I have been told I am excellent at drawing cartoons/semi-realistic pictures, but as far as the ultra-real drawings/paintings that some people are great at, I just can’t do them as well. I am good at photography, digital art, and filmmaking as well. Will I have much trouble getting into MCAD?
Hello Kevin,
I came out of an Animation program at a university in California. If you want to draw, do animation, or 3D animation or modeling, then Draw! Remember the point of an art school is to TEACH you. It’s great that you are talented with photography and a few programs. Take those skills with you. If you want to be an artist, you need to be able to "express" your thoughts with a pencil! Draw draw draw. You will of course draw from life, and push your skills towards realism, but animation especially is about SIMPLIFYING life and ABBREVIATING, and SPEED. If you like to draw, if you want to be an artist, than great, go apply at your school and get ready to DRAW. They won’t expect you to be able to draw photo realistic drawings, they just expect you to want to learn!
Art is all about imagination. You do your thing and hope others like it.
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Usually Colleges try to cover more disciplines than the final subject you want to study.
In my college, I had to go through the whole set of ancient painting practices and photography just to finish in one particular Design field.
If you have a "proven eye" for a certain design area, it might be that you can adapt to other fields. I think you don’t need to draw ultra real, but it might be possible, that you have to prove that you are aware of things.
I would check MCAD what the requirements are to be admitted, if it is possible, go to the place and check for their seasonal exhibits, (maybe also online) some places have also portfolio advisors.
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there are different drawing methods. Now if you want to get into art like that I’m gonna have to say you probably would need to be able to draw the same character more then once looking the same if you are doing any art program thing(If you know what I mean.) Maybe you could show one of your best drawing you love and see what people think. Now don’t get me the wrong way. I am not saying you MIST draw real people but You would need to know techniques and if you go to art school it would take time to draw realistic but I go to art school and it does pay off =)
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Hello Kevin,
I came out of an Animation program at a university in California. If you want to draw, do animation, or 3D animation or modeling, then Draw! Remember the point of an art school is to TEACH you. It’s great that you are talented with photography and a few programs. Take those skills with you. If you want to be an artist, you need to be able to "express" your thoughts with a pencil! Draw draw draw. You will of course draw from life, and push your skills towards realism, but animation especially is about SIMPLIFYING life and ABBREVIATING, and SPEED. If you like to draw, if you want to be an artist, than great, go apply at your school and get ready to DRAW. They won’t expect you to be able to draw photo realistic drawings, they just expect you to want to learn!
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Honestly, you’d be better off asking the college people. Don’t be afraid to call them up and ask them for a sample of the test that is needed to get into the school. They will send it to you and then you can know for sure.
If there is no test, then ask them directly if you need to have realistic images in your portfolio. If the receptionist can’t help you then ask them to refer you to someone in the college who can give you a straight answer.
I studied animation in my college as well as design, illustration, and video. My college art school entrance test was 6 images. One or two of them required knowledge of more realistic drawing skills, but not all of them. So definitely you should ask them first because you never know.
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