Link for finding Art Schools /Your suggestions for schools

[baquitania]

Found this site recently and it's fairly user friendly, you can do searches by state of region, even outside the US...

Art Schools.com (http://www.artschools.com/)

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/14-Aug-2003/3278-ac.jpg

If you click that green oval at the bottom, you can fill out a small questionaire, and have 10 schools send YOU info... artschool spam? it's a good thing ;) here's a screen capture, sorry it's small...

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/14-Aug-2003/3278-recruit.jpg

hope this helps y'all... good hunting!

Bobby

[Taxguy]

Check out the following thread that will lead you to, what I consider, the top rated art schools:

http://www.visualnation.com/VN1/artschol.html

[Kasurin]

Thank you so much for that link! I opened another window to check out the schools. I'm interested in going to England for postgraduate schooling ( but just for a certifcate or at most a 1 year stint ) and went so far as to visit the British Council and get a list of schools and have even started to painstakingly check out each school on the long list, but your link will probably save me a LOAD of time.

Thank you! I'm really grateful!

[Taxguy]

For the most part, the above mention links are to very good art schools. However, the link noted left out a very good art school that you may want to consider: VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University). It is rated in the top 6 by US NEWS and number 4 in Graphic arts. Also, it is incredibly inexpensive even if you are from outside of virginia.

[AirBrushGoddess]

I work at an art school in Utah, anything you want to learn - they teach it! If you're looking to teach, they'll definitally take you into consideration.

http://www.OgdenBlue.com

[PrettyFawn]

I looked at the visual nation hyperlink and found two schools that I'd be interested in attending: either in Cincinnati, Ohio or Sarasota, Florida. I asked for catalogues from both of them. Thanks for the link!

[sebak2003]

I am studying by Internet: www.trainingforcomics.com, is really excellent!!!

[pauljeffer]

Moving to an online degree course instead of regular classes is more beneficial as per my personal experience. There is no need to commute to far off places. In home comforts only, you can attain the degree. More detailed info can be collated from http://www.thedegreeexperts.com/ (http://www.thedegreeexperts.com/) which provides list of courses along with the respective universities offering those courses.

[lina2006]

I have renewed my passion for oil painting and want to learn more. Is anyone currently enrolled in the Virtual Art Academy's online courses? Would you share your experience?
I am interested in the courses and would like to know how you stay focused. This board is such a wonderful place for inspiration. Thank you all for your input!

[Aurelia Sieberhagen]

Hi Lina,
I am busy with this course and am in my 2nd year now. I would definitely recommend this course very highly to anyone that love to paint and want to learn more about art. Before I start with this course, I was already painting for about 9 years and did not think there would be much to learn, but I was so wrong! I realise that I didn’t know much at all!! I enjoy it very much and already see huge improvement in my own work. You cannot go wrong by doing this course.
Hope to see you there soon!
Best wishes
Aurelia

[oils4me]

Hi Lina,

I'm pretty new at Virtual Art Academy, but I can tell you that in the short time that I've been enrolled, I've learned so much. Not only is the course carefully and thoroughly laid out, but the student forum is a wonderful place to share with fellow artists from all over the world who are very willing to share their knowledge. That alone is a wealth of information! Working at your own pace is for me another great feature, we all have lives and families, so not being pressured with time constraints is important to me. I highly recommend it, and hope to see you there. Linda Ellis

[Beth]

The VAA course is a wonderful program. You can move as quickly or as slowly as you like. The exercises lead you right to what you need to know, just by doing them, so basically you are using them to teach yourself. One of the best aspects is the constant reference to master painters, where you must discover how they built their compositions, and how they made them work. I can't say enough good things about this program in such a small space! :)

[Raven1]

I have been a member of VAA for over a year, with a longish break because of ill-health. I enjoy the material, the way it is set out, the encouragement to get on with painting that comes from working at the exercises and, as much as anything, the interaction in the on-line the Campus between students.

My unhesitating advice is to join, but have a look at the available material first to get an idea of how things work.

[mjlonline]

There are many replies here and rather than repeat what they say, I can state that I agree with them all. I am in my second year of VAA and think that the course is well worth the investment. Before I bought it, I was a little apprehensive as I was wondering about the quality, breadth and depth. I can without hesitation say that it has exceeded my expectations.
Michael

[steina]

I have no hesitation in recommending VAA to you and agree to all the above answers. There is an endless learning process and very well explained in all areas. You can only become a better artist by joining VAA. Best of luck... Steinunn.

[RoseYogi]

Hi Lina,

I can say in all honesty that the VAA course is the best thing I've found to learn art. I thought I understood art pretty well; but, until I read Barry's VAA lessons I had no idea how to look at what I was seeing, let alone how to recreate it.

1. The Full Course covers everything you need to learn, with gorgeous examples that inspire you to want to learn more. If you like the kind of painting Barry does, you will want to learn from him.
2. Barry offers learning plans to match your skills and goals. It's easy to stay focused. Pick the plan that fits you best and follow it.
3. The information is well organized in logical building blocks. Watch the introductory videos of each building block for a good overview.
4. Thanks to the clear building block structure, you can find anything you're looking for quickly, including your own notes of "aha!" insights (if you file them the same way).
5. Barry's glossary makes a wonderful index because each term tells you which lesson to look at for more information on that topic.
6. Barry clearly explains each technique on a single page, with examples of What to do, and What NOT to do--and he explains why.
7. You learn how to logically, and constructively, critique a painting. This alone is worth the price.
8. Because assignments often start with finding examples from Master Painters, you also learn to appreciate what they did that makes their paintings so good. Online access to master paintings is easy now. Thanks to VAA, I've discovered wonderful painters I never knew before. To be honest, this is so good I can distract myself for hours just looking at paintings online--this is where focus is needed!
9. The monthly online assignments keep you engaged with the material.
10. Barry and the online students are generous with their help answering questions and offering knowledgeable critiques.

What's not to like. Go for it!
Roxie

[Lucy123]

I have used the course to solidify the knowledge I had and as a reference to look and recheck over and over as I encounter new challenges in painting. The materials are well organized, very complete, presented logically , and were extremely helpful in my studio practice. I highly recommend. I bought the course several years ago and printed the materials , filed them in notebooks and consider them my reference library as I develop my work. there is a tremendous amount of information collected in one source.

[lina2006]

Thank you all for the positive comments! I think I know what I want to do now. I am new to this message board even though I signed up years ago. It's nice to see other newbies commenting too! I look forward to sharing my journey with everyone.

[wendyc1276]

I agree with the other posters on this course. It's very informative, and gets to the fundamentals and at the heart of making art, rather than a "how-to". The beauty is, I get really busy with work and as a graduate student, and have to put art aside for awhile. With this course, I can go as fast or slow as I want...also, it is nice to see the exercises completed by other students on the board, and the wonderful feedback. The courses, videos, and exercises are very organized, and dense with information.

I would really recommend this course if you are looking into getting into painting - If I had done this years ago, I would have saved a lot of time, money, and frustration.

[IllustrateDrawPaint]

Im from vancouver, spent a year going to Van Arts studying Animation, it was great, lots of fun i learned plenty, and will be taking everything i learned with me to use later. But Animation is not entirely my passion. Im hoping to Take Illustration, and Painting, perhaps some general arts to dabble in a few things just so maybe i could find something im really passionate about. I am definitly planning on relocating to Montreal in a year or two and was wondering if anyone could help point me in a good direction as far as schools go. Thanks!!!

[hnlartist]

I can recommend the Virtual Art Academy for sheer honesty and integrity. I signed up with great enthusiasm for their $499 course. I got into reading some of the PDF files and realized how intensive it was. I became concerned that with my hectic schedule at work I needed to pace myself and that I would not be able to take full advantage of the membership right away. Please understand, there was nothing wrong with their material, only my ability to utilize their program at this period of my life. They have a 30 money back guarantee which I took advantage of and they dutifully refunded my money. I plan to be a monthly member and take advantage of their full instruction when my work schedule slows down a bit. Having read horror stories about online instruction rip-offs I wanted to share the news that this firm is honest and true to their word. I recommend them highly.

[Felicity ffaith]

Hello :wave:

I'm just finishing off high school this year and have been thinking about taking an art course or attending an art school on line next year. I wonder if anyone can recommend the best online art school? I really like realism and impressionism and would like to learn more in depth about the skills and everything that makes a good painting or drawing.

It's rather confusing on the internet looking and wondering if they really are what they say so I thought I would ask if anyone on WC could recommend something.

I have heard Virtual Art Academy is really good and have looked over the site, but would like to know all the other options before I commit myself.

Thank you very much if you can help. :)

[Improv]

Some other lessons worth checking out:

http://artacademy.com/ (for Portrait Drawing)

For landscape painting try the video lessons by Johannes Vloothuis:

http://www.northlightshop.com/johannes-vloothuis-art-downloads-video-downloads

Johannes also has a forum here at Wet Canvas:

http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=522

Hope that helps.





Hello :wave:

I'm just finishing off high school this year and have been thinking about taking an art course or attending an art school on line next year. I wonder if anyone can recommend the best online art school? I really like realism and impressionism and would like to learn more in depth about the skills and everything that makes a good painting or drawing.

It's rather confusing on the internet looking and wondering if they really are what they say so I thought I would ask if anyone on WC could recommend something.

I have heard Virtual Art Academy is really good and have looked over the site, but would like to know all the other options before I commit myself.

Thank you very much if you can help. :)

[Felicity ffaith]

I really want to do this but I am only a high school graduate and would need a student allowance to study and be able to live. In NZ you have to be enrolled at a proper school or college to be able to get a student allowance. How can I get around this? Would I have time for a job while doing the course?

And how long dose it take to complete VAA?

[b123]

I really want to do this but I am only a high school graduate and would need a student allowance to study and be able to live. In NZ you have to be enrolled at a proper school or college to be able to get a student allowance. How can I get around this? Would I have time for a job while doing the course?

And how long does it take to complete VAA?

Hi Felicity,
The Virtual Art Academy program is self-study so you can work on the lessons and assignments at your own pace and to fit in with your own schedule. There are no deadlines or any set times when you have to work. Also you can go through the lessons as fast or as slow as you want. This means you could easily get a part time job and work on the lessons as much as you can in your free time.

At a fairly steady pace of one lesson per week there is about four years worth of material in the course, but you could do it faster - in about two or three years. The program comes in two parts: the lesson material which explains all the concepts and procedures for painting (about 50 course units in the nine Building Blocks, organized into about 200 lesson topics). And the set of assignments you work on to consolidate your learning (about 250 structured assignments). Some of the assignments you repeat many times (like the color studies), over the course of your study.

Please let me know if you have any more questions.
Kind regards,
Barry

[Petr_Kropotkin]

www.galeriesynesthesie.com/

[Arthur Oster]

I have some additional questions:

(a) How much time does one have to spend on the course (per week/month)?
(b) I am not so much interested in learning how to paint with acrylics or water color. Oil paint is my thing. Do I have to go through lessons with other materials?
(c) Do you get fees back? Is there a kind of critique? Is there any form of communication with the teacher(s)?

Looking forward hearing back.

Regards from the tropical island of Curacao, Dutch Caribbean.

Arthur

[b123]

Hi Arthur,
Here are the answers to your questions below:

(a) How much time does one have to spend on the course (per week/month)?
Answer: There are no restrictions since this is a self-study course. You can spend as much or as little time as you want each week working on the course materials. See Wendy's post (http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showpost.php?p=17089102&postcount=17) above.

(b) I am not so much interested in learning how to paint with acrylics or water color. Oil paint is my thing. Do I have to go through lessons with other materials?
Answer: No, you don't have to go through any lessons with other media. You can skip any parts that reference watercolor and acrylics. In any case, more than 95% of the course is independent of the media used. In my opinion specific media techniques play a relatively small role in the quality of a studen't painting. The key to making good paintings is to have a solid understanding of the underlying foundational principles that create great art. That is where most people are lacking in understanding. You can produce a masterpiece with a tin of house paint and a wooden stick if you fully understand these principles. Again, Wendy allude's to this in her post above (http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showpost.php?p=17089102&postcount=17).

(c) Do you get fees back?
Answer: Quite a few students after going through the full program and working hard at it, have seen big improvements in their work, and have been able to sell their paintings. Some have even turned professional and got into professional galleries. In that way they have recuperated the cost of the course many times over.

Is there a kind of critique? Is there any form of communication with the teacher(s)?
Answer: Yes and no. At the moment, individual coaching, usually for a critique of a painting, is available on a very limited basis at an hourly rate Please note that this is not included in the cost of the course, since the basic price of the self-study course is very low (each of the 55 courses in the program works out to less than $10 each if you buy the full program in one go). However I do from time to time offer personal one-on-one coaching on a limited basis. I am a full-time professional painter, not a full-time teacher, and I don't hire instructors because I can't control the quality that way. I also offer two few week-long workshops each year in Tuscany for those students who would like personal feedback and teaching.

I hope this helps to answer your questions. If not please don't hesitate to ask for more clarification.
Barry