Where is a strong illustration program?

College Majors Visual Arts and Film Majors
1

<p>I am looking for the opinions or experiences of any art students, teachers, or parents regarding any colleges within U.S. with a strong illustration department. If you know any other sites with some helpful answers, please post them here. </p>

<p>My interests are to major in illustration, either at an art college or any 4-year school, as long as their illustration department is considered competitive and rigorous. My dream is to illustrate books, drawing with an edge for storytelling. Currently I am a community college student in California who has a 3.8 GPA and completed about 60 units, art and non-art courses. I am, at this point, a traditional fine artist. I am aware that I need a portfolio to transfer as an art major.</p>

<p>My only concerns for narrowing my choices are:</p>

<p>1) Does the college offer financial aid/scholarship? Funny way of asking but it would be nice if the college does offer such as half or merit scholarships, and/or if they are generous to transfer at least a freshman year of CC credit/courses. College is a hard choice for my family: we have financial difficulties, so aid is/will be my top factor.</p>

<p>2) Are newly graduates of the college able find a job within six months? Location is an obvious factor, (I heard good things about New York). Even so, this is my main reason for asking a competitive program. Also, I prefer a college that offers student internships. I heard something promising about Art Center College of Design, but I really don't know.</p>

<p>So far I heard that UCLA, Cal Poly, San Francisco Art Institute, CCA, Ringling, Otis, SVA, RISD, Pratt, and Bard have strong art departments.</p>

2

<p>when we visited SVA with my S, I was very very impressed with the illustration department, not so much with fine art.</p>

3

<p>I second SVA as a good choice for illustration and for internship and job opportunities. RISD does give financial aid based on need and has a very strong illustration department. </p>

<p>Bard is known more for Fine Art. </p>

<p>It might be hard to get that much aid San Francisco Art Institute, CCA, Otis and Pratt but it doesn’t hurt to try. I don’t now much about their illustration programs. Don’t know much about Ringling. The other two schools are in-state for you, correct? Those will be your financial safeties. Are there any other California schools to consider?</p>

4

<p>Ringling is pretty much known for animation, if you wanted to get into that end of it. D is a illustration major, and has done several children’s books. She got merit aid from MCAD (where she is now), KCAI and New Hampshire Institute of Art. She chose MCAD because of the high possibility of internships in culture-laden Minneapolis.</p>

5

<p>Art Center is very strong in illustration. I don’t know about their Merit/Financial Aid. If you gather any information I would be interested to hear more. There has been very little discussion about actual experience with them on CC. I think they tend to attract older students and students like you who transfer in from other schools. What I do know is they don’t have dorms or a dining hall, are very rigorous, have ties to the entertainment and automotive/product design industry and they encourage you to do continuous semesters (no break in the summer.)</p>

6

<p>You might want to check out the College of Creative Studies at UC Santa Barbara.</p>

7

<p>I appreciate the information so far. Thank you all for your suggestions. But I still feel insecure:</p>

<p>While I want to apply to a good school with a strong illustration program, I know that a strong graduating portfolio leads to a promising career in illustration. I am sincerely aggravated that almost every renown illustrator has graduated from an art college. I figure that going to art school has better connections with art industries, or at least an aspirational message guiding their students throughout the program. I think this moment of my “preparing to transfer” has become a somewhat existential crisis for me. Then again, I feel I only should focus on the cost of the school since large $$$ ails my confidence in my choices. Yet I also feel that if the environment is right, I shouldn’t worry about that: I just believe an art school has the right environment and focus.</p>