O.C.A.D. Portfolio clinics

[The Peej]

So I've decided I'm going to do something with myself...

I'm planning on going to OCAD and taking some art related courses ( Duh! ) as soon as possible.... not having set foot in a school since I graduated in 99 I'm a bit on the clueless side...

I heard that lots of Triberz actually attended or do attend OCAD...

what does a loozah like me need to know...?



Are the Portfolio clininc's worth the 60 bucks? I REALLY have no clue what to put in a portfolio...



Do they have classes that start in the winter? or do I have to wait for spring? Is it "too expensive"?



Hook a brotha up!!!



thanks
Peej

 

[kuba]

Originally posted by The Peej
So I've decided I'm going to do something with myself...

better late then never

 

[dj Red Turtle]

pm Monika dj Kick.. she goes there...

 

[The Peej]

Re: Re: O.C.A.D. Portfolio clinics

Originally posted by qtip
better late then never

Yeah well... the honeymoon's ovah... I've got my "soul education"... now it's time to hit das bookenhausenz!!




That and the fact that I'm 20 punds larger then I was in highschool... therefore much less afraid of having my ass whooped on a daily basis...


Aaaah high school...how I loathed thee!

 

[ChROmE]

ya das is gut!

Peej en hausen good luck vith zee art.

 

[TaCk OnE?]

make sure you put polished work in there, as well as support pieces to show the process work of how and why you arrived at your end result.

make sure you've got some contrived bullshit story to tell them about why your is appropriate to whatever objective it is you were atempting to solve at the time with your work.

be as flakey as possible, and cite other artists work as precident, no matter how obscure.




I find ocad really flakey to be honest, if you know nothing about art, it's great cause they'll teach you, but if you feel confident in your abilities it's a little redundant and often leaves students short of their requried skill set when they graduate (certain disciplines anyhow)


good luck mate.

 

[windowlicker]

My portfolio on a whole is pretty assy- I created each page as sort of an artistic entity of itself so the whole thing is a really bizarre conglomerate. I've basically been told to tone it down a bit, keep the concept minimal and let my work be the primary focus.

I don't know if my advice can apply to you seeing as I studied architecture but maybe what my profs/friends have advised me can be of assistance to you.

The portfolio classes are most definately not worth it- just create a funky page template on photoshop or something, scan your shit, and lay it out in a way that is neat and simple yet eye catching. Also, intersperse portfolio items with retarded quotations relating to constructivism, existentialism, etc etc on pages of your funky template.

Creating a template of more linear proportions as opposed to standard paper sizes (legal, letter, etc) always makes an impression as well- a friend of mine used 6" x 14" sheets and clipped them together with sheets of plexiglas acting as 'book covers'.

 

[windowlicker]

Oh and put anything you want in your portfolio that you feel expresses you- even your conceptual sketches and shit

 

[j bunny 2000]

Make sure your presentation is neat and simple, yet expresses you. Don't try to get too artsy with the layout as it will take away from your work.


I like the idea of using non standard size sheets of paper.

 

[Sassy]

That is awesome news Peej

I unfortunately don't have any useful info to supply in regards to OCAD but I hope you get all the info you are looking for and more, good luck!

 

[Cheeka]

wow...thanks guys...

so for real... The portfolio clinic is ass?




I'm weary about having to bullshit my way in with quoting other artists and shit... Uuugh...



I should hope my shit speaks for itself...



So you guys think it's better if I just find out when courses start and apply then? Don't bother with the clinic?




If OCAD is flaky... then what's it's equivalent Non-Flaky counterpart? Is there another school in T.O. anyone has experience with that gave them a good working education not wrought with stuffy pompous bullshit?


Damn... this is tough...






George Brown's got a campus near my place and it'd be nice to take some dance or drama classes as well... but George Brown just seems like a ghetto choice as far as an art school goes...


I'll deal with stuck up failed conceptual painters for teachers if it means I can drop the schools name without people cringing.



hmmmmm...

 

[The Peej]

^oops...




hehehe...




hangin' out at the Lion's Den visiting little baby Braedyn...





sowy Chrissie!










Peej

 

[MoFo]

NO, they are NOT worth 60 bucks unless you have a really strong body of work that is one step away from getting a job.

Message me and I will give you some pointers. I can also look at your portfolio.

It all depends on what you're aiming for.
If you want, you should apply as a mature student. Then you can major right away and bypass all the foundation year.

If not, like Damon said, make sure your presentation is professional. Not to say that you have to spend $300 on a portfolio. I hauled my stuff in in a cardboard folder that you can buy at art stores for $3. Bring everything and anything. It cannot hurt you EXCEPT FOR:

Obvious rip-offs of comics. Anime drawings are alright but not if they're complete copies. Anyone artist can draw from a photograph.

BRING:
Sketchbooks (MOST important)
3-D stuff
journals with lots of writing and notes
polished pieces

And just shoot the shit with the inteeviewers. It's usually a member of design, a member of art and a student alumni. I think I will be doing interviews next year.
Also, there is also something called an advanced standing which means you can apply to skip foundation. To obtain this status, your portfolio must show that you did all the requirements and expectations (or close to) of foundation year.
Which means they want to see that you understand design principles, 3-D concepts, creativity, looseness in creating art and of course, all the other techniques. If you want to specialize in advertising, well, a huge chunk of the advance standing portfolio should be advertising examples.
Writing a proposal letter is also good for that.

Good luck! And again, MSN me and we can chat.

 

[TaCk OnE?]

in any creative field it makes no difference where you went to school, it's maybe a slight help if you went to a renound art school like emily carr or the design center in pasadina ca.

generally go where you feel comfortable, and that matches what you need to know...george brown would be good if you wanted to learn photosop and illustrator and all kinds of technical stuff about web or print design, but would a bad choice if you wanted indeph art instruction.


we all know, artists are based 99.9% on what they produce, the talk is for other artists, and everything else is invalid.


unlike business or something, where you go to school means very little, what you get out of it means everything.

 

[MoFo]

Originally posted by Cheeka
wow...thanks guys...

so for real... The portfolio clinic is ass?




I'm weary about having to bullshit my way in with quoting other artists and shit... Uuugh...



I should hope my shit speaks for itself...



So you guys think it's better if I just find out when courses start and apply then? Don't bother with the clinic?




If OCAD is flaky... then what's it's equivalent Non-Flaky counterpart? Is there another school in T.O. anyone has experience with that gave them a good working education not wrought with stuffy pompous bullshit?

DO NOT LISTEN TO ANYONE ELSE unless they attend OCAD now or have in the past. Ask Shannon, me, Pablo, Claire, kick (Monica), why not, physix, windowlicker and others. The school has changed drastically in the last decade.

Ignorant people will say "what a fluffy little place." It's not. Most of the faculty are quite helpful and very knowledgable. It's like any other university except at OCAD, you can actually have chats with your profs and everyone knows your name. We have minimal amount of lectures and even those usually have under 100 people.

OCAD is not as flakey and fluffy as people say. Not to say there isn't a lot of bullshit but the art community isn't what everyone says it is. It's like cops and politicians talking about the rave and club scene. They DON'T KNOW unless they're involved. Anything else is just speculation and judgment.

YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO KNOW ANY ARTISTS. They encourage free-thinking and the faculty that interview you can be sometimes really radical. They will ask you what artists you like and what influences you. But they're not going to ask you, "So with Dadaism, what do you think of the socio-cultural conundrum in Duchamp's ready-mades?" Nahmean?

 

[MoFo]

In response to the whole counterpart thing, I have found that George Brown's program was pretty good in terms of the technical aspects. My thinking is that anyone can learn how to do something technically. It's the ideas that need to be purged out or created with proper training, reading and living. I've seen George Brown's assignments. They were pretty much the same as the ones at OCAD except much more specific. OCAD gives you more of a chance to break rules because the whole mentality is that if you know the rules, you should be able to break them and still get away with it.

Sheridan seems intensive. Everyone I know who went there isn't doing much though.

IAD seems like a total rip-off. They don't even have qualified staff there, I've been told. But I've never been there so I wouldn't know.

FORGET U of T's art program. I've seen it, I've been involved in it. AVOID it like the plague. Unless you want to go on to do nothing related to creating. It might be good for curating or art direction but even then you're stuck in classes and not interacting with the design/art community.

What are you two applying for? Design? Art?

 

[Metal Morphosis]

Originally posted by The Peej
^oops...
hehehe...
hangin' out at the Lion's Den visiting little baby Braedyn...
sowy Chrissie!
Peej

AWESOME news Peej.
You've got so much talent to share.

how's the baby???
(sorry for the hi jack but i can't wait until i meet him in a few weeks).

Lisa
xoxo

 

[Aleks]

lol@ the "flakey" comment.

so true, so true...



other than that, in my experience of the portfolio interviews, its good to be enthusiastic, make sure you know how to talk about your work in detail and having a relation between your work and an experience, influence, ideology...etc,

just have a lot to say basically, there's nothing worse then them asking you to explain a certain piece and you having to stop and think of some half-assed sheet.....

g'luck!

 

[why not]

OCAD is a lot of fun, but it is flakey.

not to say that you won't be learning the same stuff as you would at university in a general arts and sciences program.

however, like the university equivalent, and art degree won't help you get much of a job.
i guess now that it's a university, you would be eligible for more jobs than without, but outside of the fine arts world, OCAD isn't taken very seriously.
(assume you know that the fine arts world isn't a great place to look for paying work)

if your goal is to be professional artist (meaning waiter who has art shows sometimes), OCAD will help you to that goal, but you don't need it.

great way to put off starting real life though.


from what i can tell from your posts here, you could probably show up with nothing and tell them you're a performance artist and you'd get in fine.
you're smart, you're a smart ass, you have a good grasp of the ridiculous nature of popular culture - they'll love you.

good luck, if you get in you should start a petition to re-hire victor tinkle (ask the older students, they'll explain)


*cynical ex-artist and almost an OCAD graduate*

 

[MoFo]

There's also the grant possibilities.
There is a lot of money in the city for the arts. In fact, there's a surplus of money now for the province. So grants are being given out like crazy.

I've been to a lot of workshops and seminars to deal with this sort of stuff. If I'm good enough, I should have no problems finding work in the curatorial realm, community development and self-directed projects where the government can give you a fair amount of cash to do whatever with it. As long as you produce something.

And a professional artist in Toronto has a going rate of about $30 an hour minimum. If you're doing something as a working artist, you have to keep that figure accordingly. Like an artist's union.

Also, art collectives are hot but I would consider relocating if you're thinking of being some sort of art star. It's all about connections in this damn city. Like any city, really.

*going to a kinda/sorta anti-OCAD party tonight.

 

[MoFo]

Originally posted by why not

good luck, if you get in you should start a petition to re-hire victor tinkle (ask the older students, they'll explain)

He was there last year. Admin hated him but he was the talk of the school. I did a project on him and I know his wife since she was in charge of foundation.
That guy was a nutball but supposedly an inspiration to so many people.

His house is AMAZING, btw.. I will try to find pics..

 

[why not]

Originally posted by MoFo
There's also the grant possibilities.
There is a lot of money in the city for the arts. In fact, there's a surplus of money now for the province. So grants are being given out like crazy.

I've been to a lot of workshops and seminars to deal with this sort of stuff. If I'm good enough, I should have no problems finding work in curatorial realm, community development and self-directed projects where the government can give you a fair amount of cash to do whatever with it. As long as you produce something.

And a professional artist in Toronto has a going rate of about $30 an hour minimum. If you're doing something as a working artist, you have to keep that figure accordingly. Like an artist's union.

we'll see what you say in a few years

our teachers generation did allright living off of grants, but they still didn't make much. not sure what you're talking about with the $30 an hour - i guess on grant applications you can use that rate to estimate how much you should get on top of materials.

being a professional artist is a bit like being a professional musician - about as good as being a professional lotto player.


*sorry i'm being a dick, but as far as i know, this is the truth*

*being a commercial artist (read: painter) can be semi-lucrative if you have the right contacts*

 

[why not]

Originally posted by MoFo
He was there last year. Admin hated him but he was the talk of the school. I did a project on him and I know his wife since she was in charge of foundation.
That guy was a nutball but supposedly an inspiration to so many people.

His house is AMAZING, btw.. I will try to find pics..

he's back?

maybe i'll come back then, he was the best teacher there by far.

of course, i'm an anarchist post-dadaist, so what do i know

seriously though, if you get a chance, take a class with him.
you won't get any assignments, you don't have to go to class, but if you pay attention you'll learn a hell of a lot about art.

not about art in the history way (although he knows that shit), and not about technique (although he knows that shit too), but about why those things are vastly over-rated.
some people hate him, others think he's a joke, but i think he's the closest thing to yoda i've ever met.

 

[MoFo]

Originally posted by why not
we'll see what you say in a few years

our teachers generation did allright living off of grants, but they still didn't make much. not sure what you're talking about with the $30 an hour - i guess on grant applications you can use that rate to estimate how much you should get on top of materials.

being a professional artist is a bit like being a professional musician - about as good as being a professional lotto player.


*sorry i'm being a dick, but as far as i know, this is the truth*

*being a commercial artist (read: painter) can be semi-lucrative if you have the right contacts*

Oh, I totally agree. It's not like it's a for sure thing. I come from the frame of mind that I can do anything I want if I really try. If I fail, it means that I didn't try hard enough. That the system didn't fail me, but I brought it onto myself.
It's the same as people who make music. Will you make it? Well, if you're good to more than a handful of people, then yeah! Nothing is set in stone.

The $30 an hour thing is a happy medium that professional artists in Toronto keep for being a facilitator of an arts project. Any lower and your peers will freak out because it will tell donors that you are WILLING to work for less. And they will pay others less. It's just a standard to keep so that artists get paid for their hard word.

And as a painter in this city? GOOD FUCKING LUCK.

And even now, I'm already finding lots of job openings that I am totally qualified for because of classes I took at OCAD and personal career choices so it's looking bright. I just have to know who to talk to when I get out. PK Ripper (and my past peers)sends me facilitation job postings so I know what they're expecting. They're hiring more frequently than I thought.

I think a dream of mine would be to open my own gallery.

 

[MoFo]

Originally posted by why not
he's back?

maybe i'll come back then, he was the best teacher there by far.

of course, i'm an anarchist post-dadaist, so what do i know

Oh no, he's done. He wants to do his own thing now. Yeah, I am sorry I never got to take one of his classes. But I actually am enjoying having REALLY shitty, bitter profs that I can interact with on a daily basis because I'm learning so much about what NOT to do.

I don't mind if they're a complete asshole as long as I get to be around them enough to figure out how to learn something from it. I had a prof who only gave good marks to pretty girls with the biggest boobs so I never got to talk to him so I learned NOTHING.

But my slimy teacher now who has taken a liking to me, I'm learning a helluva lot about art and the art scene from him. It's great! Make every dollar count, I say.