[quizzler]

I'm in the midst of a career crisis as a long-since laid-off IT professional. Although I don't have a background in art, I've been playing around with creating digital art (portraits mostly) since about '89. For the last couple years I've been using Photoshop LE 5.0.

I'd like to find a way to get in somewhere as an entry-level graphic assistant while beginning formal art/design studies somewhere. Does anyone here have any tips?

[ June 11, 2002: Message edited by: quizzler ]

[zak]

i dont think this really applies to you, but you might want to read through those two threads, and you might pick up a few helpful points. i thought they were excellent. also try running a few searches in the open forums on this topic, ull get loads of info. theres been alot of stuff about that lately
clicky clicky 1
clicky clicky 2

[quizzler]

I examined both threads and I agree neither really applies. For one thing, I'm pushing 40. For another, I'm not a game designer.

Like DaVinci, I have competing talents. (Music, computer programming, digital figurative painting) That's where the similarity ends of course. At a pivital point in my life I decided to specialize in music. I ended up not finishing college, and later found myself working as a programmer analyst. All during this, though, art was like my island of sanity.

Now that the IT world is in full ice-age, I think I need to try my hand at doing SOME sort of commercial art for a living. I'd like to proceed by getting into a two-year or four-year degree program, and finding some sort of rudimentary graphics-related day-job. Beyond that, I'm not sure where to go next.

[Twice]

Well, school is the only way... I think. If you are not really gifted... it takes time to learn, and cooperation between designers needs to be learnd. There is no way to read a book and become a graphic designer. And knowing how to do some cool stuff in photoshop doesn't help either. I suggest school. Where to find good schools I'm not to sure about. Here in Norway there is only two places to studdy it, and they are both private.

[quizzler]

Ok. My understanding of what you're both saying is that I need to go to school.

I agree. My plan is to go to school. Are you also saying that once I'm in school, I won't be of any value in a studio until I graduate? (This conflicts with my music background, because I had a lot of fellow music students in that discipline who played gigs in nightclubs while still in college.)

Besides that I'm only hoping to find work as a graphics assistant while attending school, you know, typesetting bulletins and the like. Isn't that done?

[Twice]

that could be very possible..... but studdying takes a lot of time. I don't have time for much els than my studdying.

But I'm sure that it is very possible to make the ends meet. Kinda depends how devoted you are. But school is the way to go.

[Jesta78]

School, dedication, research and an awesome portfolio.

[HawkOne]

Hi there,

First of all you have my sympathies, the IT industry is a pretty cold place right now, I don't blame you for wanting out.

I also wanted to tell you something you hopefully already know, at your venerable age (I'm 30 myself) that scool and nice papers are all good stuff, BUT ... the proof is in the pudding, it is what you know and do that really matters, and if you have a portfolio consisting of good pieces already, you don't have to go back to school, we all learn all our lives of course, but if you are already good, then having a nice paper from an art school as proof might not be all that neccesary ... Plenty of artist are pumped out of those institutions who have no imagination OR great skills, all they have is that nice paper. People are people after all, actual skills and desires do not always go hand in hand.

Put your artwork online, or otherwise have some professional artists look at it, there are quite a few of those right here at Sijun, for all you know, you should be painting illustrations for the next edition of the fictional project The Illustrated Lord of The Rings series or something like that (that would be a big hit right now ). People have been contacted right here for jobs, you never know.

If you dare to ask for advice here, you must also be prepared for honest critisism, just make sure you take advice from people who either seem to know what they are talking about or have otherwise shown that their pudding is pretty much perfect.

You can also check for professional advice at Eatpoo forums andWetCanvas.com, in case Sijun is not enough ...

Best of luck, whatever you decide ...

[ June 12, 2002: Message edited by: HawkOne ]

[Ian Jones]

HawkOne: BLASPHEMY!

[Dr. Bang]

HawkOne, I love you.

[ June 12, 2002: Message edited by: Dr. Bang ]

[HawkOne]

Dr ... I hope you mean that in a brotherly sort of way ... and not in that other way ... (shudder)

[manofsuede]

yes i guess i'm not adding anything truly profound to what was said by hawkone, just embellishing. I am 19 and in school for graphic design, and everything i find is not necessarily because of schooling. What you are going to have to do is practice until you can no more, this is especially true with graphic design. Drawing for me comes naturally, but a thing like design takes much practice.

You may have already been doing this, but I would suggest finding a project, or making up your own to work on. Possibly a comic book or character/vehicle design, or find some friends that want portraits, and guess what.... do it for freeeeeee! Don't do it for the money, but for the sheer love of art, and then you will find that suddenly your portfolio has grown in size, and hey there's some pretty good stuff in there.

for an artist laziness equals death, unfortunately we're all half dead already.

[ValarianROOT]

Lots of good suggestions so far. One or two questions, are you sure you want to go into Graphic Design? By your first post I'm kinda confused:

quote

Quote:

Although I don't have a background in art, I've been playing around with creating digital art (portraits mostly) since about '89.

Do you want to paint or do magazine layout type work? If it is for graphic design work I agree that school is the ablsolute best way to start. There is so much on the technical side that GD uses its a must. As for working while in school, a lot of profs will allow your work at an actual design studio or what have you to count towards a grade. So it is possible to go to school and work, you just have to come to an agreement between the two.

Here is another link to a discussion I started that may have a few points you may want to consider. Its more related to illustration, but GD and Illustration seem to overlap more and more lately.

Click here to check it out.
JN

P.S. best of luck.
P.S.S. Check the library for "Design Workbooks" and the like to get an idea of what and who are "hot" nowadays.

[HawkOne]

Teheheh ...

1st commandment:

Thou shall only use one forum ... ???

[quizzler]

As an addendum to HawkOne's response, I've just posted two pics into "Gallery/Finished Work".