The COVID19 outbreak has completely turned many of our traditional expectations for college and art education/engagement in general backwards and inside-out. While online and alternative classes are not a new concept, this situation has ignited a big discourse on social media and among other circles about art college and what options students have to make the best and most affordable decisions for their future. CLAW is no exception, and we wanted to throw in our collective agreement for anyone it may help.
We’ll start with a few words for students (scroll down if you want to skip to the other resources)

If you are able to delay a semester and think taking a break is best in light of the current situation, do it.

An email sent out to students from the administration at Savannah College of Art and Design has been making the rounds, and many have pointed out that the section urging students not to take a break is not only false (breaks from college happen more often than you think) but incredibly manipulative.
The email in question (highlighted for emphasis):

If faced with a message or situation like this one, consider what they are getting out of this vs. what you are getting. This will be very important in professional world too, think about the angles whenever something doesn’t smell right.

Many colleges are still finding their feet in the current situation, and there is concern that the online replacement classes do not reflect the value of what students are offered for the price of tuition. Much of the advantage of a traditional college (and the cost) is access to physical resources, such as studios, libraries, and computer labs, which are currently off-limits.

Consider taking general education classes at a public college before attending the art college of your choice.

Taking care of required general education classes (math, humanities, English, etc) at an accredited community or public college can save you big money.
It’s an option to consider for making the most of your education during this weird and uncertain time without breaking your stride. Completing these credit requirements early also clears the way to planning a college experience where you can devote your time to creative classes and taking full advantage of whatever career-specific resources and networking they can offer.
Whatever you do, make it work for you.

Still going to school this year? Our Scholarship is here for you!

If you are attending a program (including certificates) in WA, OR, or ID with a focus on comics, animation, cartooning, illustration or adjacent subjects, consider applying for our annual scholarship!
We are accepting applications through September 2020, more details here

You don’t need a degree for a creative career.

The strength of your work and accurately presenting/communicating your skills to clients or recruiters is ultimately more important than having a degree.
The one major advantage a four-year degree affords is making it easier to move and work abroad, and certain countries even require one for freelance work. If you don’t anticipate that being an issue and are confident in your ability to self-direct and provide your own structure, then it’s possible to build a creative career by focusing on and further developing your strengths.
There are many educational resources available (both paid and free) taught by current industry professionals, and opportunities to get feedback directly on your work and in terms relevant to giving you the best chance for success (some are listed below in the Resources section).
This is especially important in creative industries that are a team effort, such as comics and animation.

Now for the Fun Stuff: Some Resources!

We’ve collected some resources for things to learn, keeping those pencils sharp, and fun things to do!
This is by no means a complete list, just a good starting point that we hope you find helpful. Big thanks to everyone who submitted resources for this list, and to everyone taking the time and effort to share their knowledge!

Drawing Practice & Tutorials
Croquis Cafe (NSFW) Timed figure drawing session videos with a huge variety of poses and nude models.

Line of Action
A huge collection of references and practice tools for gesture drawing, figure drawing, animals, expressions, scenes/environments, all to build, maintain and inform your art!

Live Session Recordings by Shawna Holman
Modeling session (clothed and nude) recordings from professional art model Shawna Holman, available from $10-$30 each depending on the format (Zoom recordings, Youtube links, and raw video respectively).

HOW to THINK when you DRAW
300 free tutorials from The Etherington Brothers on drawing all kinds of things, from shorthand character drawing tips to animals, vehicles, food, furniture, architecture, scenery, environments, textures, and more!
Each tutorial is very succinct and applies to any kind of media or art style.

Online Classes & Workshops
Ctrl+Paint
A free learning resource for digital painting, with hundreds of online tutorials available to stream instantly, and organized like a school curriculum. They are supported by sales of more in-depth video classes for $10 each/$55 per bundle.

Comics Experience
A comprehensive online school and resource hub with courses taught by working professionals on writing and art for comics and animation. They also provide resources for publishing, mentorship, and services for assembling creative teams for comics.

Schoolism
Founded by artists from Imaginism Studio, this online school offers a wide variety of art courses and workshops through a flexible monthly or yearly subscription model, all taught by working professionals. Critiqued sessions for direct feedback are also available at a higher price point.

Professional Organizations

The Graphic Artists Guild
Founded by artists, for artists, the Graphic Artists Guild has been a force of advocacy since 1967. They continue to build and share resources for all manner of creative professions, from practical instruction to legal tools, establishing ethical guidelines for professionals, and promoting legislation to benefit creatives nationwide. Benefits to members include free attendance at all live webinars and replay of all archived webinars, current print edition of the Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines, substantial discounts on services, including art supplies, car rentals, and online portfolio sites, a member portfolio, and more!
Student memberships are also available, intended to help students graduate prepared for their new career.

Online Classes & Workshops
Ctrl+Paint
A free learning resource for digital painting, with hundreds of online tutorials available to stream instantly, and organized like a school curriculum. They are supported by sales of more in-depth video classes for $10 each/$55 per bundle.

Comics Experience
A comprehensive online school and resource hub with courses taught by working professionals on writing and art for comics and animation. They also provide resources for publishing, mentorship, and services for assembling creative teams for comics.

Schoolism
Founded by artists from Imaginism Studio, this online school offers a wide variety of art courses and workshops through a flexible monthly or yearly subscription model, all taught by working professionals. Critiqued sessions for direct feedback are also available at a higher price point.

Storyboarding
So You Want to Revise on Amphibia
An orientation on the inner workings of professional storyboard revision, written by storyboard artist Ariel V.H. for the revision crew of Amphibia!

Storyboarding Tips & Tricks by Jim Mortensen

Ash’s Storyboard Bite-Size Zine by Ash, currently a storyboard artist on Craig of the Creek.

Portfolio Advice
Laura Price has some excellent portfolio advice in the Art Advice/Tutorials section of her Youtube channel. While these are geared towards animation/visual development, there are many points that apply across the board for collecting and presenting your best work to art directors or potential clients/employers.

Fun Things To Do
Freelance Fandango
Now officially sponsored by the Graphic Artists Guild, Freelance Fandango meets every Monday at 11 am PST via Zoom! Founded by CLAW member James Stowe and hosted by fellow member Mark Monlux, Freelance Fandango welcomes all kinds of creatives to join in and share advice, do art show & tell, or just shoot the breeze.

Kanopy
Kanopy partners with many library systems nationwide to give account holders access to hundreds of movies, documentaries, television, video courses, and other media. Users get 10 credits per month to check out a title of their choice (movies are checked out for 3 days) and their collection includes a huge selection of independent, international, rare and influential films in dozens of genres.
Check your library’s website to see if they partner with Kanopy!

Hoopla
Hoopla is another service partnering with libraries nationwide, providing a vast collection of Ebooks, audiobooks, comics, music, movies and other digital media. Like Kanopy, users get 10 credits per month to check out media of their choice.
Check your library’s website to see if Hoopla partners with them!

The City of Tacoma believes in the arts. Through the Tacoma Artists Initiative Program they encourage artists to conceive and complete new artistic works that improves artists’ talents and enrich the city. If you’re an artist who lives in Tacoma you should check out the program and download an application at their website. 

I presented to the Tacoma Arts Commission a fairly interesting project proposal. I’d been involved in doing the art for a few Whiteboard videos. To improve my skill set I wanted to show that I could do a Whiteboard video from concept to completion with the only outside work being done for narration and music. I also wanted to make the video a public service announcement to artists about copyright. I’ve been an advocate for copyright for several years and teach the topic regularly. Since a public service announcement average length is 30 to 60 seconds I decided to do two videos. Each video would focus on just a few key bits of information that would help any creative to significantly understand copyright better. As part of the project I would post the progressive stages of the project online.

Several artists submit proposals to the Tacoma Arts Commission. I was extremely pleased when my proposal was accepted.

My first step was to then write the script for the two public service announcements. To make absolutely sure my message on point I my friend, Daniel Abraham, attorney at law, review my scripts. I want to thank him for his insight, which sharpened the message.

There was quite a bit of delay between the writing of the script and the drafting of the storyboard. Thankfully the Tacoma Arts Commission provides a two-year period of time for artists to complete their project. They understand that obstacles arise and the project sometimes is required to be placed on the back burner. For me the factors were an increased workload and a change of plan regarding tools and techniques to complete the project. Whenever a change of circumstance occurs, even a little, considering your options, and plotting a new course to your goal takes time. In this case the issues required resolution before the storyboards could be completed.

Back on track it didn’t take long to take the storyboard and create the final video. I want to thank Adam J. Manley for his narration, and Joe Izenman for his composition and performance of the music. With their talents, and Tacoma Artists Initiative Program’s support, I present to you my complete whiteboard video public service announcements about copyright: