messyfaerie In reply to soft-boil [2013-08-13 14:49:27 +0000 UTC]

First off, thank you for looking through my portfolio! 

To start, you're asking if Sheridan is focused more on technical and realistic work than interpretive Illustration- The answer to that is both a no and yes. 
-The program itself encourages students to develop their style as whatever they prefer- Scientific or Interpretive are both encouraged  (Indeed the program head IS a professional interpretive illustrator) but the entrance portfolio has very specific requirements that students must meet and so is asking for a different criteria than what you would put in a professional portfolio. 
-Therefore the entrance portfolio IS focused on technical and realistic skill over abstract design, although if you like to do the latter, you should include some of your most successful pieces in your personal work. The reason behind the portfolio focus is because the 1st year of the program is very much traditional skill development, so the school selects first year students who have demonstrated that they know basic technical skills. 

As for the interview, Sheridan does not have an in-person interview process like most art programs.  I just tried to make everything in my portfolio really clear for the judges to understand and follow, because I knew I wasn't going to be there in person to be able to explain my work. --- That being said, if you live in the area, During the fall open house session, the school offers free one-on-one interviews for prospective applicants wanting a critique on their portfolio. It is a few hours to wait in line, but I thought it was really helpful to have the insight and suggestions from the judges, seeing as they are the same judges that do the actual scoring as well.  

My portfolio was worked on over the course of the year before submission. I took the 1st year of the Visual Creative Art program at Sheridan (its like the  Art Fundamentals program in 1st year) and I knew that while I would get some good pieces from class assignments, that I also didn't want to rushrushrush and try and do my portfolio PLUS  homework at the last minute. I still ended up feeling very rushed and stressed out the last month, but I am so glad I started my portfolio well in advance. 
---Two of my paintings were from school assignments 6 weeks to 3 months prior, the other personal paintings were done  2/3 months - 1 year prior to submission. 
--- My sketchbook pieces ranged from 2 weeks to 1 year prior to submission
--- My portrait pieces were from around 4 months and 1 year mark
--- My technical pieces ranged between 1- 5 months prior to the due date
--- My figure drawings ranged from about 2 weeks to 4 months- the more you practice life drawing the better it gets, so the most recent are usually the most successful
--- My drawing test pieces were between 1 week and 6 months. They were all done in the last 6 weeks before submission, HOWEVER, I redid almost all of my drawing test pieces  3-4 times each piece, so I had actually started working on them at the beginning of September and kept reworking ideas and redoing things until the end. 
--- I took the last week before submission to review everything and assemble my portfolio just the way I wanted it. I had 1 piece I redid as I was unhappy with, and it was still the lowest scoring piece. 
--- I started planning the layout and design/ composition/ etc. of the portfolio itself at the 1 year advance point. I researched successful portfolios to see what type of work other people included, etc. and practically memorized the submission guideline provided by the school. From there I determined how many pieces, what kind of pieces, the subject matter, the medium used, etcetera. that I wanted to put into the portfolio. This helped me to visualise the finished piece AND it also helped me stay focused through the year, as I could add pieces and mark those off my list of work to finish. 

Whoa! Sorry this is so long-winded!  Hopefully I have fully answered your questions (if you made it through this novel)      You still have lots of time!  Good luck with your current studies, and I hope you will be successful when you apply for Illustration  

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soft-boil In reply to messyfaerie [2013-08-16 13:49:06 +0000 UTC]

Thank you so much for replying to my comment! You've given me some amazing input!

I assumed that there would be an interview like OCAD, where they go one-on-one. Did you try out for OCAD also? If so, which school in your opinion is more helpful and directive for illustration in terms of developing your own style, marketing skills, and working with customer's concepts, etc? I know Sheridan has a co-op program, so that's what really draws me.

When you say you took the 1st year of the Visual Creative Art program at Sheridan, do you mean directly after graduation or while you were in twelfth grade?

I'll be sure to go to the open house session! Hopefully as soon as I've put together a portfolio I'm proud of, I'll be signing up.

Based on your preparation time, I'm guessing I'm still quite early. Since they're looking for technical drawings, I guess I'll have to start practicing now. I read online that they base entrance upon a score out of 100. Some students with a 55 or so score was accepted into Sheridan, so I was wondering if there was a base score where everyone who scores lower is automatically rejected, or simply the judges pick a certain amount of students who scored the highest.

Thank you so, so much for all the input. This really helps! I really appreciate it. ^u^

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messyfaerie In reply to soft-boil [2013-08-19 04:19:36 +0000 UTC]

No problem 

I did not try out for OCAD. I set my eyes on Sheridan's Illustration program and through all the other research into other schools here and in other countries, I decided I still wanted to go to Sheridan because it offers some of the few art programs with a more "complete" focus. I have known people who have gone to OCAD, and while I think it offers some very good art programs, the focus at OCAD really seems mostly on just fine art.  I just feel that Sheridan offers what other places do not - skill development as an artist WITH education on marketing yourself as a business, with professional portfolio development and a work oppourtunity. At least, that is my understanding and the reputation of these programs. 

As for the VCA program, I am long past high school graduation- going back to school for Illustration is a career change for me And I dont believe you could take the VCA program while still in high school, as it is a full-time day program. If you lived in the area though you could probably register for some night/weekend classes at the school, some of those classes have the same instructors, and it could help give you an idea as for a full-time class setup. I did take a few night/ weekend art classes over the last 6 years (mostly for personal interest whenever I could spare the time), and I think they were really helpful. 

As for the scoring - every year the entrance scores are different. The last few years, the entrance scores have been overall lower (in the 50s-60s ranges) but I have known other previous graduates and heard from faculty that before that entrance minimums were usually higher (high 60s- 70s range) - and so IDEALLY that is the scoring you want to strive for. They decreased the amount of positions this year from 150 down to 108, and I was told they also hold an additional 20 students on a wait-list, in case of seats that open up, but its no guarantee a wait-listed student will get in. When there are a thousand+ other portfolios competing against yours, it leaves you now with just over a 10% selection rate. I think the most important thing you can do is follow all the portfolio instructions, and show the judges that while you might not be an expert at everything, that you are willing and able to put in great effort to become a professional artist.

I think your work is FANTASTIC. I still am just learning how to paint digitally and your work amazes me  I think it is a really good idea to start practicing some technical work now, so you can add some varied perspective and draft pieces into your final portfolio, but I am sure if you are already starting to plan for yourself now that you have a very good chance to get in ^^ Just hold on to that desire and I believe you will not have any problems  

Sorry again for these enormous replies <.<  I hope I was able to help you with all of my ramblings  

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soft-boil In reply to messyfaerie [2013-09-22 00:36:35 +0000 UTC]

First of all, thank you so much for replying to my comment! I've been very busy with schoolwork lately since it's the beginning of the school year, but I'm finally replying! Sorry for taking this long. :- (

And I don't mind the long replies at all. I'm really happy to get a new perspective and advice on Sheridan from an actual student at Sheridan! :- )

I just feel that Sheridan offers what other places do not - skill development as an artist WITH education on marketing yourself as a business, with professional portfolio development and a work oppourtunity.

--

I'm also attracted to the co-op offer at Sheridan. This is what makes the program stand out to be compared to others. I just wish that it would last a little longer than 14 months. :- 0 And if you don't mind me asking, are you residing in the dorms at Sheridan or are you just renting around Oakville? What I'm really most worried about are the costs. This is also why Sheridan appeals to me, because living in Oakville is a lot cheaper than downtown around OCAD.

As for the VCA program, I am long past high school graduation- going back to school for Illustration is a career change for me And I dont believe you could take the VCA program while still in high school, as it is a full-time day program. I did take a few night/ weekend art classes over the last 6 years (mostly for personal interest whenever I could spare the time), and I think they were really helpful.

--

That's some serious dedication, I really admire your passion. ; A; My folks keeps talking about backup plans and the option of doing art while studying something completely different, but I just want to be dedicated to the art field.

Hmm, I see. I was planning take some portfolio courses during the summer to get a better grasp of what I'm doing right and wrong. Thanks for the tips. :- )

They decreased the amount of positions this year from 150 down to 108, and I was told they also hold an additional 20 students on a wait-list, in case of seats that open up, but its no guarantee a wait-listed student will get in. When there are a thousand+ other portfolios competing against yours, it leaves you now with just over a 10% selection rate. I think the most important thing you can do is follow all the portfolio instructions, and show the judges that while you might not be an expert at everything, that you are willing and able to put in great effort to become a professional artist.

---

Woah, I see! I guess I gotta step up my game then. ; A; Alright, I'll jump back into the research then. Also, does this only apply to Illustration? I'm really still trying to make my decision between Animation or Illustration. The animation classes I've been taking in 11th grade this year have been really awesome, so I find it hard to make up my mind. I'm not sure if this is correct, but I read somewhere that I cannot apply to the Illustration program and the Animation program at Sheridan at the same time. Might you know anything about this?

I think your work is FANTASTIC. I still am just learning how to paint digitally and your work amazes me   I think it is a really good idea to start practicing some technical work now, so you can add some varied perspective and draft pieces into your final portfolio, but I am sure if you are already starting to plan for yourself now that you have a very good chance to get in

---

Thank you so much! That really means a lot to me, especially hearing that from you. ; u; I'll try my best! If I really do make it, it'll be awesome if I see you there. ^^

Once again, I really appreciate the time you take to reply to my questions. I'll dig deeper into the internet to try and find whatever more I can about this. :- )

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messyfaerie In reply to soft-boil [2013-09-23 01:24:44 +0000 UTC]

Hey No problem! I have been (and still am) crazy busy with school as well!  

Hm, I dont really know about the costs for dorms or renting- being an older student, I own my own house (which is plenty expensive also) - it would probably be a good idea to search on kijiji and check on google maps to locate rental apartments to compare company prices of apartments. I think the school should also have information on what the dorms cost, but I have heard that dorms are awarded on a kind of lottery system- if you are coming from out of province you might have better chances of getting accepted to the dorms. If I remember correctly some people have paid between $400- $500/ month for a room in one of the off-campus apartments in the area, but I dont know for sure. 

As for the Animation program, it has not reduced its acceptance capacity this year, but they also only keep a 20 person waiting list. You can apply to both the Illustration and Animation programs at the same time- I have seen many students do that - but the only thing is that you really should not recycle your portfolio work between the two programs (so for your 15-25 piece Illustration portfolio + Illustration drawing test, make one portfolio, and for your 5-10 piece Animation portfolio + Animation drawing test, make a completely separate portfolio)  It might seem easier because it is half the work, but I really believe that you need to complete two separate portfolios and tests in order to have the best chance to get accepted to both programs (otherwise the second program which you used your copies and recycled pieces is not as strong a presentation)  - As for the animation program vs. Illustration - that is up to personal interests really I like to remember it as animation and illustration are both used to tell a story, the difference is that with animation you would use a thousand pictures, and with illustration you would only use one. 

Good luck! Remember to breathe  I still have to remind myself of that at times  

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messyfaerie In reply to BryanNavasero [2013-07-23 00:48:58 +0000 UTC]

thereee iss noooo timeeee > i know i need to, though. Eventually, I will get around to scanning everything

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BryanNavasero In reply to messyfaerie [2013-07-23 11:27:03 +0000 UTC]

are we still doing the art swap?

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messyfaerie In reply to BryanNavasero [2013-07-23 13:06:38 +0000 UTC]

i think so. Start painting I'll get my inks out *thumbs up* 

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BryanNavasero In reply to messyfaerie [2013-07-23 16:45:06 +0000 UTC]

rofl ill start when i move... theres no space in my basement D;

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messyfaerie In reply to Jonna84 [2013-04-03 16:39:21 +0000 UTC]

Thank you! I am looking forward to it
Was the shirt a souvenir? Or did they try to recruit you? ^^

and I cannot see why anyone would want to leave The Hague to study elsewhere (particularly this area of Ontario), it is a very beautiful city

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Jonna84 In reply to messyfaerie [2013-04-03 16:57:42 +0000 UTC]

Hidden by Owner

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messyfaerie In reply to Jonna84 [2013-04-03 17:17:47 +0000 UTC]

Hidden by Owner

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Jonna84 In reply to messyfaerie [2013-04-03 20:01:51 +0000 UTC]

Yeah, Europe is old.

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messyfaerie In reply to KingMobX [2013-04-03 16:04:47 +0000 UTC]

Thank you^^ I am earnestly studying anatomy now, hopefully this time next year will see further improvement

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messyfaerie In reply to jaspergasper [2013-04-01 17:23:11 +0000 UTC]

thank you

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messyfaerie In reply to Zaegandun [2013-03-31 00:55:58 +0000 UTC]

Thank you very much

btw, I love your rat cards!

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Zaegandun In reply to messyfaerie [2013-03-31 00:59:00 +0000 UTC]

thanks i'm pretty proud of them.

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