Opinions on the effectivness of art ateliers?

[someguy216]

Drawing and painting, no matter what is going to be helpful to developing your art career, but mindless drawing doesn't come close to structured drawing. To what extent do you think atelier training compares to more concept art relevant courses? Do you think they are worth it? Remember I'm talking about concept art specifically, not game illustration or fine art.
If you haven't guessed by my many other posts, I'm trying to get a good idea on effective education, so any help/opinions will always be helpful.

[Axrel]

I'm currently studying at an atelier (http://georgetownatelier.com/) and my goal is to go into concept art and illustration. I chose to go there because the teacher is awesome, it's cheap, and I could commute from my parent's house so I wouldn't have to find an apartment.
Based off of my experience at the atelier so far, I think that this was a good choice for me because my teacher worked in the game industry before and he values illustration and concept art. He also is very flexible with how you use the time at the atelier, and will let students draw digitally, create imaginative work, and he will also critiques concept art if you show it to him. The thing I don't like about my atelier is that I can't do work with color yet, so all the work I do in the atelier right now is charcoal and graphite. I do colored digital pieces outside of the atelier though.
However, most ateliers are not like this (I know the Safehouse atelier used to be really good with concept art) and I know that most teachers will only let students create fine art. I do know a guy at a different atelier (http://www.aristidesatelier.com/) that's very strict, and he takes online courses for concept art on his free time. If you decide to go to an atelier, research thoroughly and see if any of the students who have been there before have gone into concept art. Otherwise, I think going to a concept art relevant course is better.

[someguy216]

I'm currently studying at an atelier (http://georgetownatelier.com/) and my goal is to go into concept art and illustration. I chose to go there because the teacher is awesome, it's cheap, and I could commute from my parent's house so I wouldn't have to find an apartment.
Based off of my experience at the atelier so far, I think that this was a good choice for me because my teacher worked in the game industry before and he values illustration and concept art. He also is very flexible with how you use the time at the atelier, and will let students draw digitally, create imaginative work, and he will also critiques concept art if you show it to him. The thing I don't like about my atelier is that I can't do work with color yet, so all the work I do in the atelier right now is charcoal and graphite. I do colored digital pieces outside of the atelier though.
However, most ateliers are not like this (I know the Safehouse atelier used to be really good with concept art) and I know that most teachers will only let students create fine art. I do know a guy at a different atelier (http://www.aristidesatelier.com/) that's very strict, and he takes online courses for concept art on his free time. If you decide to go to an atelier, research thoroughly and see if any of the students who have been there before have gone into concept art. Otherwise, I think going to a concept art relevant course is better.

Goddamit America! Ye in the UK they are very fine art focused, as in you do only life drawing and only strict observational drawing, no construction, no anatomy lessons other then learning from muscle memory. If there was something more concept art related in UK I'd leap on it. But thanks, pretty solid advice and unfortunately what I assumed.

[JosephCow]

I appreciate the response. This topic slipped my mind till I saw it today in my bookmarks. In the UK, there is a strong emphasis on fine art, therefore you only practice life drawing and rigorous observational drawing; no construction is taught, and there are no anatomy lectures other than learning through muscle memory. If there were more concept art-related opportunities in the UK, I would seize them.

 Drive Mad

Are you some kind of AI that is learning through imitation? I actually kind of found this old thread somewhat interesting though, so thanks for digging it up.

[Pubic Enemy]

Are you some kind of AI that is learning through imitation? I actually kind of found this old thread somewhat interesting though, so thanks for digging it up.

Same. And I think the new post in the Battle-Dragon Mechanic thread is the same kind of AI thing. The spam posts that this forum gets are really weird; they're getting more subtle.

[Tribulator]

In my experience, art ateliers can be super effective for honing your foundational skills. They give you a solid grounding in traditional techniques, which can be a great asset in concept art. It's all about building a strong base before you dive into the more specific stuff. But it really depends on your goals and learning style.