Yes to Class at The Antioch Fine Arts Foundation, Thursday, Mar. 29th   6:30 to 9pm

Yes to Class at BeckerArt Gallery in McHenry, Saturday, Mar. 31st   9am to 11:30

It was very interesting watching high school kids last week walk around in groups looking over 50 career tables. 
I thought I would get a lot more kids than I did come over to ask questions about an art career but many of the kids seemed hesitant to come by themselves and most hung out in groups and would only come to the table with friends.

I thought a great deal about what I would tell these students about an art career, what I came up with was this... I told them that the most important thing about becoming a good artist and working in the artist illustration field was that they should work hard on learning to draw and create from their imagination along with going to an art school geared towards the art you are looking to go into.

I told them that a 4-year college is good for getting a degree in the arts when the job you are getting requires it. For many art jobs, however, that sheet of paper won't do you any good if you can't produce a great portfolio or body of work, especially if you are looking to become an illustrator or storyboard artist.

Drawing and sketching are good for any art profession you go into. At the Rhode Island School of Design, one of the better art schools still around, they have every student no matter what you will be going into, take a fundamentals class that includes learning to draw. Photographers, Fashion Designers, Graphic Artists every student in the school no matter what they will be going into needs to first learn to draw and create. 

So what is the most important thing about becoming an artist....learn to draw!

David