<p>I've always like drawing, but I was never able to take art classes in school because of schedule problems.
Would it be difficult to get accepted into a decent art school without taking any art classes?
I will be able to put some stuff together for a portfolio, but I was wondering if grades in art classes and art teachers' recommendations are required to apply for an art school.
Also, I'm a junior, and is it too late now to start preparing my portfolio? I do have some drawings, but I don't think they're very quality and I'm just thinking of starting over.
Thanks! :)</p>
<p>I don’t think not taking art classes will hurt your chances that much if you have a strong portfolio. And it’s definitely not too late to to start a portfolio. I’m a senior right now and this is my first year of taking art classes and I just really working on my portfolio. Granted, I am a little behind, as I didn’t really decide to pursue art/design till just this last summer. </p>
<p>Most schools, to my understanding, don’t require recommendations from art teachers specifically, except for USC, who requires two, unless I misread. Frankly, I think it’s kind of ridiculous, as not that many people have two art teachers (I certainly don’t) but whatever. </p>
<p>Especially when it gets closer to college app time, go and talk to your school’s art teacher. I’m sure they’d be willing to look over your portfolio and give you suggestions. Go attend National Portfolio Day, if there’s one near where you live.</p>
<p>Also, it might be worth your time to attend some sort of precollege program during the summer. I attended CMU’s program and it helped me get back into art and I got a few pieces that I can put in my portfolio as well. Not sure if every school/program does it, but I got evaluations from the program and when I apply, they’ll be added into my file, which is definitely a bonus, imo.</p>
<p>From what I’ve heard, Academy of Art in SanFran has open admission (meaning they accept pretty much everyone, portfolio or no) and that they’re a pretty decent school. I’m not sure how affordable it is for you, though. And I’ve never heard of a program where they need art teachers’ recommendations. What is it you want to do with your art studies?</p>
<p>Ok, listen up. You don’t need to take art courses, per se, to get into a good art school.This is particularly true if your interest is in design and NOT a fine art oriented major. However, having a strong portfolio will aid you tremendously in getting into the better art schools. Thus, how do you get a good porfolio without taking art classes? Here are some solutions:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>draw, draw, and draw some more whenever you have free time. This will help you tremendously.</p></li>
<li><p>If you can, get an art tutor to help you with designing a portfolio.</p></li>
<li><p>Take some art classes at a local college especially those classes that focus on fundamental drawings. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>If you don’t have a strong portfolio, getting into a top art school will be tough if not impossible. As noted above some schools have open enrollment such as Academy of Art in San Franscisco among others. However, having a strong porfolio will open a LOT more doors and can even give you the possibility of a scholarship.</p>
<p>As an aside, all art schools have different strengths and programs. You really need to research them to see what might be best for you. I might develop a book about this in the future.</p>
<p>My daughter decided to go to art school during the summer between junior and senior year in high school. Her intended major was glass. She had experience making glass art, but she did not have what she needed for admission to art school: a drawing portfolio, and she had never studied drawing. She spent the next 6 months using every spare moment working on drawing skills. She took a Saturday class at a local art school and practiced all the time. She did not have a portfolio together in time to take to National Portfolio Day, but she did have help from the art teacher at her school, who gave her advice and offered direction as to which drawings would be best to use for her portfolio. By February, when the applications were due, she had enough drawings to make a portfolio and was accepted to her first choice school (and several others.) All of them gave her portfolio scholarships. Pretty good for someone who had never drawn until the summer before senior year.</p>
<p>The larger point is that your acceptance is based mostly on your portfolio. And if you work hard, sky’s the limit.</p>
<p>I was deferred from the 3 schools I applied to because I took 1 art class junior year and 2 art classes in senior year. I didn’t decide I wanted to pursue art until the end of junior year. I had a strong portfolio too. Experience means everything to colleges. Art or not.</p>
<p>Someone made a good point above. If you work HARD on your portfolio, you should definitely go to one of the national portfolio days and meet with admission’s reps from colleges that you might want to attend. They will give you very specfic advice as to what they are looking for. From my experience, each college looks for slightly different things although they all want drawings from observation. For example, Syracuse wants lots of color pieces using different media. Carnegie Melon wants some time in motion pieces. Attending National Portfolio day will be very instructive for you.In fact, I have heard colleges accepting people on the spot if they have a very strong portfolio.</p>
<p>Moreover, always, always follow the advice and requirements posted on the college web site. Thus, if they want you submit drawings on media discs, do that. If they want drawings from observation, your portfolio should be mostly that and NOT photographs even if you want to major in photography.</p>
<p>I have also found that schools wants LOTS of different subjects. Don’t just do one thing such as portraits because you are good at it. Very your work and subject matter and even the media used.</p>
<p>Finally, when you do submit your portfolio or photos of your portfolio, make sure that your presentation is professionally done. If you have to use a professional photographer who specialized in portfolio photography, do so. Having a clear , organized portfolio presentation is just as important as the portfolio itself.</p>
<p>My d was undergrad studio art/art history major and has an MFA in Painting and Drawing. If you cannot fit any studio classes in your schedule, you can take a summer art program such as Carnegie Mellon or Skidmore which will help you prepare a portfolio and help you see what life is like at art school and what is expected of you. Also, you can see if you can take any community college or adult education classes. For Life Drawing with nude models, our school district offers in adult education and so all the seniors preparing portfolios did take that class, one night a week for 8-10 weeks or so.</p>
<p>iiiiiiii I unwittingly gave you wrong information; I’m sorry. Actually, most programs require recommendation letters (duh, Jade!)</p>
<p>MY daughter is a sophomore and has same issues with schedule, she even offered to take extra credits in order to take more art classes but was turned down. She takes classes outside of school and volunteers at our city art gallery, attended the NYS visusal arts program at Fredonia last summer. High GPA, not too many EC’s, does the stage design and costumes for the drama dept., she trys to get involved in the school paper etc but well, it is pretty cliquey…</p>
<p>She wishes she could go to college now, and I wish she could too. HS is just not challenging her in the ways she would like…I hope to God she finds a place where she finally ‘fits’, and can get a degree that she can have a satisfying career in.</p>
<p>bacteria1221: I second what glassharmonica said about taking art classes outside of school and working very hard. My oldest daughter (age 24) is a very successful professional painter. When she was 15-16, she took 3-4 drawing and sculpture courses every weekend, including one on Sundays at the Art Student League in NYC (and a 4-hour bus ride away). Forget taking classes at school–the art teacher at my daughter’s school didn’t like her so my daughter stopped taking her classes.</p>
<p>upstate13: I think there are a number of artsy-oriented teens who don’t like high school. My oldest, painter daughter graduated one year early from high school and was very glad she did, because as soon as she got to art school (she went to Florence Italy) she felt immediately that she was in the right place. My youngest daughter (musician) is graduating from high school one year early as well and is really looking forward to starting conservatory.</p>
<p>I agree with woodwinds- this has been the experience of all 4 of my kids. Hard to find like-minded friends in high school, but in college they find their “tribe”.</p>