I graduate in February and throughout my whole high schools years I never took an art class. I’ve always liked art (especially painting) growing up but I only saw it as a hobby and never thought to join any of the art classes in my high school. I recently wanted to pursue an art school because I feel like its wasted potential. Do I still have a chance without taking any high school courses?
For most art schools, you will need to present a portfolio of your work. Do you have a mentor or someone you can talk to about this?
What will you be doing in February?…take some art classes…now. Talk to the art teachers at your high school. Why are you graduating in February? Also, perhaps a local community college has something to offer.
What do you hope to do with a degree from an art school?
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First, don’t graduate in February.
Second, art school is too specialized to be something you want to see if you have potential in.
Third, most colleges offer Art as courses or as a minor. Your state flagship likely has lots of introductory art courses and any LAC will, too.
Use 2nd semester to take classes in basic drawing, art history, graphic design. Add some French or German (assuming you’ve taken Spanish).
Where have you applied?
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There are tons of artists who never went to art school. But they are dedicated to their art. Some keep it as a hobby (a very worthwhile one) and others are able to turn it into a business.
My suggestion is to talk to the art teachers at your school and ask for their suggestions. Don’t graduate in February. If you are starting college then look toward signing up for a class in art.
Art schools are very expensive. Will you be accepted? Maybe. Never know. You won’t know until you create a portfolio of work. But it’s not a guarantee of anything–art schools take an already good artist and makes them even better. None guarantee a career. It is talent based as to who succeeds.
Look up National Portfolio Days, student art portfolios on youtube. Look at the various art schools and see the majors they offer–there may be something else other than drawing/painting that is more exciting to you. There is a wide range of careers in the art world.
Most of the students I knew (my D went to Ringling for computer animation) were/are living and breathing art 24/7. They really needed to. It wasn’t a hobby at art school–it was a life’s work and needed to be treated as such to get through. It’s not an occasional class–it’s all the time. You really need to LOVE it. Not saying you don’t or wouldn’t–but you don’t know yet and you need to take some classes and push yourself to find out BEFORE you pursue an art college.
And a good hobby will serve you in life in a big way. Never look down on a “hobbiest”. You may find that while you didn’t do art in HS or even college–it won’t matter in the long run. You’ll always be able to take courses and learn, improve, Your innate talents will always be there to be tapped when you are ready.
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This is a bit like asking “football looks cool, can I join a Div1 team even though I’ve never played football before?”
You could potentially get into art school if you take a gap year and take as many private lessons as possible.
But the most logical parh would be for you to go to college, take art electives, and if you do well make that your minor to whatever majoe you want.
Even the kid in Blue Period, who is shown as enormously gifted, needs to take classes.
OP-- here’s the good news about art-everyone loves creating. Here’s the bad news about art- in order to do it at a high level (regardless of your chosen medium) you really need training. The basics-color, composition, drafting. The history- why Impressionism was considered so shocking and radical. What impact did WWI have on the visual arts of the time and when did “modernism” as we know it take hold?
If you have some level of skill and want to explore and go deeper- fantastic! Stay in HS the extra semester and take whatever formal classes you can. That will help you flesh out your interests AND allow you to build a portfolio.
College (and a decent art school) will still be there a year from now. You can use your gap year to continue working on a portfolio, to take additional classes, and perhaps to have some art-adjacent work experience (assistant art teacher at a senior center? working in a gallery or museum gift shop?) The more art you see and touch and learn about, the better your training will be once you get to college (if in fact, that’s the path you want to pursue).
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No, unless you’re a phenom who’s been taking advanced art classes outside of school.
Go to a conventional college and take some art classes. Maybe major in some artistic discipline. Maybe get an MFA after you graduate. But don’t try to get into art school if you’ve just been dabbling. It’s not the only path to pursue an artistic career, and it sounds like it’s not the right path for you right now.