The nerd fest has begun. Over 100,000 fanboys and fangirls, some in elaborate getups, are descending on Comic-Con in San Diego to worship at the altars of character designers, digital animators, writers, and celebrities who get to wear kick-ass armor and save the world.
Are you reading this from your cubicle thinking, "Man, I need a new day job"? You may have missed your chance to sit in the famous classroom A113 at CalArts, but a host of new online academies have tapped the masters to teach you how to do what they do, without going to art school.
These universities don't grant degrees, but what they lack in ivy-covered towers and class rings, they more than make up for with tales of alumni who have gone on to work for Disney, Pixar, Blizzard, Marvel, and other world-dominating media companies. If you're already at Comic-Con, go visit their booths. If not, check out their sites from the list below.
Gnomon School of Visual Effects
Alex Alvarez, an engineer for graphics pioneer Alias/Wavefront and early user of 3-D programs, sensed that Hollywood was desperate for CG artists back in 1997. Seeing an opportunity, he launched the Gnomon School of Visual Effects. The school has since spawned a series of legendary training DVDs and its own studio that produces short films. Curriculum: The Gnomon School offers full-time programs that last from one to three years, as well as a variety of intensive programs and the ability to take classes a la carte. There is also the Gnomon Workshop, a legendary series of recorded lectures available for people who are studying at their own pace.
Faculty: You won't know their names, but they've designed the characters in Avatar, created immersive lands in the World of Warcraft, and added depth and texture to the Mighty Morphing Power Rangers.
Famous Alumni: Recent alumni have worked on Prometheus, the Avengers, Game of Thrones, and other cult faves doing everything from character design to post-production special effects.
Course to Take: Whether you want to get into pictures or just need a mascot for your startup, you'll learn the basics of creating compelling figures in the Character Design course.
Animation Mentors
Curriculum: This school offers an 18-month intensive program and a six-month master class focused on animals and creatures. All instruction is done virtually, using a combination of video chats and a software package called eCritique, which allows instructors to draw over their students work to show how it could be improved. That hands-on direction, done remotely over a network, is a direct descendent of how directors have operated at Disney for the last 50 years. In addition to online classes, Animation Mentors offers periodic studio tours, workshops, and other events to bring the student body closer together.
Faculty: Faculty, called mentors, aren't full-time staff with tenure and tweed jackets, but they moonlight from all the majors: Disney, Dreamworks, DoubleFine, and Pixar.
Famous Alumni: In 18 short months students have gone from noobs to the newest team members at the studios working on the Transformers franchise: Dreamworks, Disney, and Pixar.
Course to Take: At $499, the Intro to Maya workshop is a steal.
Schoolism
Don't want to spend more on art lessons than you would on a car? Take a couple courses at Schoolism and scratch your creative itch without too much sticker shock.
Curriculum: There is no formal curriculum here, just a series of classes. Courses will set you back $1,000 for full interaction or you can nab a syllabus and access to videos for $500. Students paying full price will be critiqued by instructors via video chat.
Faculty: Comic artists who have worked at Marvel, DC, Archie, Mad Magazine, and more.
Famous Alumni: N/A
Course to Take: The Art of Caricature with Mort Drucker, whose parodies were made famous by MAD magazine. Learn how to create the scathing send-up of your most vengeful dreams.
