should i persue art as a career?

Question

I like to draw, but i dont practice it full time so im not as good as i would like to be. I was thinking about a career in character design, do you have to be like a master artist to do it. And is it normal to be so critical about your own work?

Answer 1

I have wondered about this same question, not only with art but with drama and music. If you have a chance at it maybe you should. Admittedly it would probably be a harder professoin to get into, but you'll never know if you don't try will you? I would say pray about it. See what God wants you to do.

Answer 2

Yes it is normal to be critical. But that is not called being critical. Thats called being a perfectionist. Some people might ask you to take up a degree in art college, which I wont suggest at all. You can begin practicing and then alongside join some Art School, not a masters degree but one that exposes you to tha artists of the same line. People who are deep into the business. Show them your creations. Join associations ans be a part of exhibitions. Doing all this will tell you how good or bad you are....and so you can take it up as a full time career.

IDoing a degree course will serve you no purpose. This is because you are yet to realise your potential. And mid-way you might feel its not your cup of tea and give it up and give up ur degree also. Realise your potential and then start off as a professional.

Character Designing or Cartoonist or 3D animation is also an upcoming field.

Answer 3

My mom is an artist and in charge of the art department at a small college. I work at a fine art academy, and I sometimes do student advising for them. The most lucrative fields for artists right now seem to be the gaming industry, animation, graphic design and web design. Anecdotally, our students have gone on to work at Valve Software, Pop Cap Games, Microsoft, and Pixar. Animation these days will require you to be proficient in not just drawing but 3-D modeling. It might be a good idea to see what types of degrees/certifications are needed for those things. You might also consider a degree in Industrial Design. Everything that is man-made has been designed by someone, and there is a nice market out there for people who can design beautiful, functional objects. Might not be as satisfying to you as painting, say, but it's still a great job for your creative brain. Art Therapists do make a living (I've met several), so if you are interested in that area, it's worth job shadowing someone and asking them the hard questions about income, training, and job availability. You're right when you say that unfortunately, art teachers are laid off before, say, English, math and science teachers. You would need a teaching degree on top of your undergraduate degree to teach in K-12 public schools, or an MFA to teach at the college level. College/university teaching jobs are few and far between. Think hard about what it means to live on a low salary, doing what you love. Yes, you will be fulfilled, but you will make sacrifices. They are called sacrifices because you're trading off something big. Anecdotal sacrifices I and others have made: putting off dental work because you can't afford it, not being able to scrape money together for a down payment on a home, selling a beloved motorcycle to make ends meet, piling on credit card debt because of a medical emergency, living with roommates well into your 40's and feeling like you'll never have your own space. A big one for me is not being able to afford to take myself on a vacation or buy nice clothes, while my friends go abroad once a year and shop at Nordstrom and J Crew. I am not bringing up all these things to dissuade you from choosing a career in art. I say them to emphasize that choosing a career is about all aspects of where you want to be 5, 15, 25, 35 years from now. It pays (literally) to decide what you want now, and what you want when you're older. Good luck, and no matter what anyone tells you, the world needs and loves artists.

Answer 4

If you would like to do Character Design, your best bet would be a degree that focused on 'Illustration." Illustrators typically train in Design and then specialize in Illustration in either a 2 or 4 year degree. Illustrators are often contracted to do character design, spot graphics, illustrations, even key-frames for animations.

There are several different paths to an Education in Visual Arts.

I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)
This is a four-year Bachelor degree from an accredited University. In this type of degree, one usually spends the first two years developing traditional 2D skills: Drawing, Figure Drawing, 2D Design Principles, Color Theory etc. as well as Art History and other courses on Art Discourse. In the Jr. and Sr. years, students typically choose an area of emphasis. Im my case Painting. Others include Ceramics, Fiber Arts, Sculpture, Multimedia Etc. This type of degree allows you to do many things such as practice professionally, work for a museum, teach at a university etc.

There are also Associate programs in specialized areas such as: Design, Production, Animation, Web Design, Multimedia, etc. These degrees are easier to attain, but may limit one's upward mobility.

Answer 5

I'm the wrong guy to ask about success, i can see you and raise you a nickel, on the art and wanting though. put all your hopes in to the fact that 92% of all who are artist came from unsupportive underachievers who have not the finances to weather the storm of engagement, how to get from a sketch pad to a fulfilled desire in art is up to the money and schools and then you have it just forget about art until you have the colleges and the financing and the ways to get strong in your critical emotions is to don't claim to be there as an artist just say it's not a Major and it not interesting and people will help maybe to inspire but if you claim you are material for the art world they'll tear you to shreds

Answer 6

You don't have to be a master artist or extremely skillful.
What you DO need is originality and a style of your own so people will recognise a piece of work as yours,
That is if you get a 'name'. Not easy though.
I recently went to a small gallery and saw some wonderful original paintings by several relatively unknown artists selling for about £100. There was on rather amateurish pencil sketch by Tracy Emin [she of the unmade bed]
selling for £1,200.
The NAME seems to be the thing.
Be controversial and get known,

Answer 7

You need to know what kind of drawing you are good at. If you are into fine arts study at an academy. If it's more technical try a draftsman's course or architechture. If by 'character design you mean characters for computer games, you still need to study art and computer aided design.

Answer 8

Have you though of taking graphic design or studying in order to work in commercial design, fashion design or cartoons? There are many opportunities there. If you are Canadian, you might want look at the Emily Carr Institute in Vancouver, or the Alberta College of Art and Design, A.C.A.D.

Answer 9

You should go to an art college and get a degree, then maybe you could go somewhere with it. Otherwise, like all artists, you won't be recognized until you die.

Answer 10

It is even very important to be as critical as possible about what you make - that's the only way you'll make yourself capable of judging your work propperly. If you really think about being an artist, you must devote much of your time and yourself to it.