i got rejected from college lmao (portfolio review Sheridan 2024)

[@bonniedarc6230]

Hey there! Your video was on my feed and it made me remember a time where my work was rejected. For context, I am a freelance visual development artist with a focus on character design. I went to Virginia Commonwealth School of The Arts and have a BFA in Communication Arts. Back in my senior year in high school, I took AP (Advance Placement) 2D Design Studio Arts. I took the AP exam which required me to submit my portfolio to The College Board. It was out of 6 points, with 3 to 6 points earning you early college credit. You wanna know what I scored? 2 out of 6. My work was not even considered “college ready.” I remember getting my score hit me like a brick and I did cry for a time, especially knowing that my peers succeeded. Also, my teacher made it mandatory that all AP art students must participate in not one but TWO state-wide art competitions in order to pass her class. I still remember having mild panic attacks before and during the competition. I submitted the two pieces and NEITHER made it to state. On the flip side though, one of the judges gave me some constructive criticism, saying it was more my public speaking skills (I was unable to explain what was my process and why I made the choices I did) than it was my art. With these things in mind, I was beginning to doubt myself and grow rather depressed about my artistic skill set. However, I remembered all the good things that happened in that timeframe. I had a piece of my work chosen to represent my school shown in the district administration building. I was recently inducted into the National Art Honors Society. I completed a community mural in my town. Regardless of those failures, I still submitted my portfolio and to some of the best art schools in the US and crossed my fingers. Funnily enough, I used my failure at one of the art competitions I participated in as my personal narrative essay and turned it into a dramatic but funny read with a life lesson learned. Months of anxiety later, I was accepted into VCUArts (my school of choice, but I still had to send ANOTHER portfolio to be accepted into my major of choice) and surprisingly Old Dominion University for Information Technology (my backup plan in case I don’t get into any art school). So now, I’m in art foundation program and unfortunately I’m not doing so well in most of my classes except for drawing. My portfolio for my major is absolutely lacking with most of my school work being extremely mediocre but surprisingly, my personal designs and drawings are really good, so I submit more of those to balance out the school work. To my surprise (and extreme happiness), I’m accepted into my major of choice, communication arts! What I am trying to say is that for every failure, there’s still a chance for success elsewhere. Art is, to an extent, heavily subjective. To the untrained eye or to another budding artist, your work might just be really good, but to an experienced hobbyist or professional, it could be really mediocre or just downright bad. Now this is the part where I have to be a bit more critical, so my apologies in advance if this sounds harsh. Firstly, it requires a certain amount of humility to admit your faults and takes a lot of guts to tell others where you went wrong. That alone is the sign of an artist who understands themselves and an artist who I believe has the potential to grow. With that in mind, you have the mindset of a great artist and I know you’ll improve exponentially. Unfortunately, I have to be in agreement with Sheridan on their assessment of your portfolio. I may not be an animation major, but I did take some storyboard classes and currently work alongside other animators. - Your figure drawings are amazing. Clearly you understand basic human anatomy and how it works. The poses are interesting and engaging. My only advice is to try and use real people around you as a reference. - The hand drawings are nice, though I do think the “after” one needs more work. Maybe a different angle? As for the other poses, I suggest pushing the shapes a bit more. - The character rotation or turnaround is severely lacking. As a character designer myself, I would have rejected this as a reference. Character rotations are a staple technique to learn how to do. This definitely does feel like something that was made on the fly and there’s nothing unique about the character, even if it is a simple design. I do agree with some of your tips though (except for not needing to know your character, you DO need to know your character personally) and I’m so glad you brought them up. - Your short animation was good, but it could be better. Again, I’m not an animator, but I can still see some problems. The animation starts and ends abruptly. I would’ve like to see the phone jump up from the ground first, maybe bounce around the space for a couple frames, then around then look around. There could be more expression with the animation. - The storyboard is awesome. It’s clear, concise, and gets straight to the point. The story beats are easy to understand visually. - The perspective drawings could use more work. If you want to get better at perspective, start with some simple isometric designs and move up from there. Also be mindful where characters and props are going to be placed. Have an intent on why that character or prop belongs in the drawing and, of course, make sure they are also in perspective as well. - Your personal artwork… Ok, I’m going to be brutally honest with you. 1. The fanart was definitely more of a detriment to your score. Art schools HATE seeing fanart in a potential student’s portfolio. It doesn’t matter how good it looks or if it showcases your best skills. If you’re already using someone else’s creation in your own artwork, it will absolutely hurt your portfolio more than it will help. This shows a lack of creativity on the student’s end. The portfolio is supposed to be the visual embodiment of who YOU are as an artist. That means original characters, backgrounds, etc. So, when it comes to fanart: avoid, avoid, AVOID at all costs. 2. As for your demo reel, OK, first of all I’m really digging that Street Fighter 6 OST, (you have great taste in music and games :D), but unfortunately, it’s copyrighted material. Be careful when using music from already established IPs. The best thing you can do is use royalty-free music. There’s a ton of it out there and most are free to use. Also, the music is very distracting. It’s too hyper for the reel. I’d suggest to pick music that more lo-fi, but again, remember to find royalty-free music. Again, I’m not an animation major, but this demo reel feels so jumbled and sloppy. You can tell that this was shoddily put together. Take your best work and put it at the forefront and at the end of your reel. The beginning and the end are the most important parts of a reel that they will remember. Think carefully about which pieces you think will impress, not particularly the ones you personally like. Overall, I hate to say it, but a portfolio like this won’t be acceptable, especially for a school like Sheridan. On a personal level, I love your portfolio. You clearly have a distinct style and work in many mediums which is a major plus, but on a professional level, however, this wouldn’t pass. Regardless, there is room to improve. Take online classes, watch KZbin videos, join art communities both online and offline, read some art books for inspiration and how to draw books, but most importantly, learn from your mistakes and try to never make them again. Try a different approach. From one artist to another, I may be some internet stranger just passing by, but always remember that I’m rooting for you. Why? Because I know how it feels to be rejected, but I still want you to succeed. You got this! (Oof… This was longer than I expected…(*'ω'*))

[@JaeyaL]

Whoaaa :Ooo First of all, thank you so much for taking time to critique my work, that must have taken a long time. Second, thank you so much for so much for the feedback! You explained every point so concisely and I will definitely remember your words. I didn't actually put the music in the demo reel haha, I was indecisive. Your tip about character designs needing to be more thought-out really opened my eyes, I shouldn't have rushed my portfolio like I did. It all makes sense. I will definitely try to find veteran artists to guide me through my journey as well, whether via videos or a class. Third, it's great to hear you're in a foundation class, the rejections made you a stronger person I'm sure! It's always awesome to see a fellow artist succeed >:D Thank you so much for this comment!!💖 Nice to hear you like my music taste too hehe

[@avariciousperson]

Pls dont become dictator because of this

[@JaeyaL]

no promises :)

[@bonziforest52]

Oh shit. Lol​@@JaeyaL

[@esmeirosanchez3392]

noooo hahahaha

[@jeremiahsmith916]

I'd say you totally can try applying for illustration program. Is animation crucial for you? You seem to enjoy much more rendered, almost paintetly style, and animation pipeline could genuinely feel too restrictive to you. Also, when I applied to an art program myself i found a long article where a member of actual admission commitee of a big American art college (don't remember which one but it's like BIG) shared the criteria what they're looking at in portfolios. It was stressed in almost big black letters that fanarts are a mark of death. No matter how good the portfolio is, if it has fanart it will get rejected. It might of course be different for different colleges, but I kept that in mind and got admitted in the end, so really might be something to it. Meme art / obviously social media stuff would fit the same category. Yeah it shows skill and effort, but the committee wants to see your original ideas, including ones for story, music, etc; not contaminated by something else you saw. Also, your tech with the sponge is so good! Genius reference, the best things are always simple (*▽* )

[@JaeyaL]

I applied to the illustration program too actually, the score sheet came back even lower lol I honestly don't know if I want to be an animator or illustrator more :'D True, I shouldn't have added all those fanart. It makes sense that they want to see applicants' original works. Thank you for this comment! It's very educational and informative.

[@jeremiahsmith916]

@@JaeyaL ohh sorry to hear about the illustration app result :c This is quite strange, this college must have some really narrow profile they're looking for, can't think of another explanation because to me your work looks definitely for much higher % rating. Glad if my words were useful in any way. I hope you will keep on pursuing an art degree. People with genuine love for their art and readiness for effort are what the industry really needs. Good luck!

[@chilljammer_]

Hobie fanart at 6:21 is so fucking sick. Sorry you got rejected, I hope you continue to make wonderful art! Thank you for making this video

[@JaeyaL]

Ayy thanks man, I'm very proud of that piece too. Shouldn't have submitted it to a college though, lol Thank you for the comment >:D

[@flame1470]

Bro I saw one where the girl got like a 98 or something crazy and at the end just casually said “well I hope this was educational.. i didn’t end up going because I couldn’t afford it” like ???????

[@flame1470]

It’s crazy

[@JaeyaL]

It's really expensive man, especially for people with weaker currencies I don't think I could've afforded it either if I got accepted. The educational system is genuinely messed up.

[@Bopsterjazz]

As an animation student in a college that doesn’t ask for portfolios first and just teaches you as you go, I’m sorry you had to go through that. I like your 3D stuff a lot!

[@JaeyaL]

Thank you for your comment :D Your college sounds awesome! I really like their approach to teaching, what college is it?

[@simplyjahz1313]

I love your artworks shown in this video, they're all amazing and better than anything i could do! I think it wasn't really the art that's the problem, more like the creativity :3 It kinda lacked creativity or expressiveness ig? Glad that you're humble and learned from your mistakes. Godbless in the future!

[@JaeyaL]

You're absolutely right, I gotta work on that department :'D Thank you for the advice!

[@shahmir2626]

idk what they want from you , your artwork is good enough to get accepted no doubt , thats why your going to this college to be better at art . the college education system always baffels me

[@JaeyaL]

The education system is legit messed up, they want almost-perfect students which defeats the purpose of learning in my opinion. But there's a lot of people applying so the applicants better than me earned their spot. Still makes me a lil sad though :'D Thank you for the comment, I really appreciate you saying my artwork is good enough to get accepted 🙏

[@gracevader]

@@JaeyaL even tho it was rushed at least u did your best better luck next time

[@halcyon.x]

Time to take over Poland In all seriousness though, it really sucks that you got rejected. Sheridan is super hard to get into though so don’t beat yourself up about it! Your portfolio is still really great, it just needs some refining. Try to keep it more professional and you can easily get into another good school. The school you go to doesn’t dictate how far you’ll go in life or what jobs you’ll get, just some differences in curriculum.

[@JaeyaL]

Thanks for the tip kinda stranger, I'll definitely do that ....the getting into another school part, that too

[@0lycm_]

you are doing great, keep it up!!!

[@FrenchEclairYall]

You did wonderful and I appreciate you sharing with us some advice! I'm actually surprised. Your portfolio seemed great to me. It seems as though schools want pre-packaged artists at a professional level before they even attempt to study it in college, which is crazy. I'm sure any other school would be more than happy to have you. Keep drawing! :)

[@JaeyaL]

Thank you for the kind words 💙 Schools have unbelievably high standards unfortunately and there's so many people applying. Ah well, the better applicants earned their spot. I'll just try harder next time. 💪

[@iq-ksa5725]

this story sounds familiar lol, all jokes aside you can try other colleges or other things and make art a side job. it's not over yet.

[@JaeyaL]

Yessir, it ain't over yet. But damn I really fcked up lol.

[@iq-ksa5725]

@@JaeyaL it’s not over yet… not by a loong shot- an Australian

[@uhhyatko]

Great works, sad that you didn't get in, I hope that you got in some other program of interest tho! From a third party viewpoint(eh idk if that gonna say anything but i got into ocad u graphic design with mostly illustrational artworks(but chose a different place because i realised that i don't want to do just graphic design for 4 years), have few senior high school art courses and a couple mentored online courses. I mean no harm or offense, just personal opinion on why you was rejected) main things that i think you should consider improving is fundamentals. I love how you try out different stuff, but really it is a good idea to slow your horses down and just give yourself some time and practice of basic stuff like cleaner shading techniques(you absolutely can continue with messier style but it is just a good idea to also learn something cleaner, something that will show your understanding of forms and edges, as messy things tend to look very amateur unless you are already a master), form, composition, perspective. I find that a lot of stuff prior to your personal art category is very inconsistent. Character turning while keeping the same big forms well fails to do the same with smaller parts(eyes, where ears start, such things, it is especially noticeable in fox reference ). Char rotation felt very underwelming compared to your normal art , i believe that's why you got points off :( But basically yeah, keep going, being an artist is a tough ride(being a human is already pretty hard and we add a pretty weird field of work...double the trouble lol). But hey don't let it all demmotivate you, just keep improving and being a cool person!

[@JaeyaL]

You're absolutely right. I'm lacking in fundamentals and I'm definitely going to try to improve on the basics and slowly work my way up. Thank you so much, we shall all keep being cool people 😎

[@shaun7589]

Honestly the industry is so bad rn... Feel bad for the people who are still going to spend tens of thousands to go to school and not get work after. It was a fun program and worth it at the time but damn so many people who graduated and eventually got work are laid off now :/ better off doing your own thing

[@JaeyaL]

True It's better to find an affordable uni/college if you really want that 'college experience'

[@somebodythatyouusetoknow]

Welcome back Sorry you got rejected

[@JaeyaL]

Nice to be back man Nah don't worry 'bout it

[@thebrotatochip5469]

What's your ultimate goal? Mentioned at end, but it was never stated.

[@JaeyaL]

Open to interpretation, maybe I'll just do what a fellow art school reject did......Trying harder, of course. Seriously though, I applied to college because I want to move out of my country and student visa is my best bet. The ultimate goal is to escape impending war.

[@makeitalive5602]

you know what time is it. :)

[@hidinginmyhobbithole]

Welcome back, thank you for the great channel references and sorry that you got rejected. Lastly, pls don't let this turn you into a dictator

[@JaeyaL]

We'll see about that...

[@hidinginmyhobbithole]

@@JaeyaL that...doesn't sound too good

[@Vyndian.]

you deserve more recognization

[@nikolinatrogrlic]

I'm in the middle of making a portfolio atm but I'm having so much trouble looking for softwares to work with i was wondering what software you highly recommend to use when making a portfolio? Also love your portfolio it looks amazing and keep up the good work on the art💪

[@JaeyaL]

I used Krita for all of the digital work, it's a free drawing program and has animation features too. But you could also try out Blender's 'Grease Pencil' feature. I tried it after I finished my portfolio and I gotta say Blender has really useful tools, like a smoothing pencil and sculpting features to kinda 'fine-tune' your line-art. I will say Blender is a little harder to get into and probably needs better specs than Krita. You do need to download the FFmpeg program to be able export your animation on both of them though. Honestly there are a lot of programs out there that cater to different preferences, but those are my personal recommendations. I wish you the best on your portfolio and thank you for the motivation🙏

[@nikolinatrogrlic]

@JaeyaL Thank you for your recommendations I appreciate it and your welcome anytime 💪

[@Kotosslop]

conquer Europe

[@JaeyaL]

Yessir 👊

[@gracevader]

ill learn from this