5 Reasons So Many Art Teachers Suck!!!

[kupotenshi]

I remember my illustration teachers at uni NEVER teaching us technique. They assigned acrylic painting illustration assignments, but never taught us how to paint with acrylics. Digital art assignments, but never did a digital painting demonstration themselves. The only successful students were the ones that basically taught themselves outside of class. The only teachers that really demonstrated How To Do The Thing were our life drawing teachers and fundamentals art teachers where you're learning the super basics like how to hold a charcoal stick and draw a still life.

[ericcastleman]

My older brother has a degree in art and he told me to not waste my time going to college because he felt he actually got worse. I tried learning through books and asking other artist for years for ways to get better and a lot of them couldn’t quite understand what I was asking. 6 months at SVS I became 10 times the artist I was prior which was 30 years of trying to find good teachers. My brother even asked me how the heck I got so good all of the sudden. SVS is legitimately a great resource.

[NadaSerafimovic]

Boy, you got me back into my uni days... I went out there ``naked`` straight to the street, and they were so proud of us while teaching nothing... Creepy! I was so alone after getting that degree...everyone getting jobs as graphic designers 9 to 5 rather than illustration jobs, and I realized hardly anyone knew how to do the job... Thank you so much for this video and all the videos 8 years ago!!! It really helped me as a support system and recovering from the illusion that having a degree is something!!!

[salmondjoy]

Will knows what he's talking about! He taught me at UVU and gave me the knowledge to actually get into the field! I now have an agent and have been illustrating for people who self publish for 10 years!

[scottshaffer]

I felt the same way your SVS students felt when I took your illustration class. I was luck I had friends that knew you and said I needed to take your course. I think you were the only person that talked about the business aspect of art. You helped us with business identity and it was life changing. As a current public school art teacher, I try my best to pass that on.

[ekimtiki]

I studied illustration in art school but never became a professional illustrator because there were no business practices classes. The internet that we know now didn't exist back then, so resources were scarce. I ended up working on mobile video game art as a career for 10+ years. Now i'm back wanting to take more classes. The learning never ends.

[nickbrummer]

This video is SO spot on! I'm an art teacher in a 3D program and I attended a fine art school. There are sooo many self serving instructors who are only there for a check and don't contribute to students' learning in any way. But, as you said, there are a lot of people that really push you and have that experience to pass on.

As you listed off the issues I could see the faces of all the "professors" that fit the bill...

You're also right about how difficult it is to both teach AND be a professional artist. It seems that no matter how hard you try you'll always be short in one aspect or another, professional work, teaching quality, meetings, service etc... You can only juggle so many things at once.

[EmiOokami]

I had three different art teachers in junior high. The "real" one was always in a bad mood and snapped at students for nothing. She wasn't working that much though. When she wasn't there, we got a substitute teacher, who was a college student. The best we had in these three years. When he had to go back to his own studies, we got an artist who was nice, but it was like she thought of stuff that was a bit advanced for us. And she ALWAY wanted us to have a meaning of what we did, like "What do you want to say with your art?"
I was one of those in my class that loved art and was good at it. I probably would get the highest grade if only I had a story behind art which I didn't have. X) Mom got angry with my teacher because her requirements destroyed the fun of being an artist.

[lpatrick]

I went to a very exclusive private art college in CA. We were required to take a basic first year curriculum, painting, drawing, sculpture. Our teacher almost never gave any feedback, suggestions on how to improve or what I wanted to learn. I learned more in 2 days with a substitute art instructor than in an entire semester. What a waste of money! I transferred to a state college because I could no longer afford tuition. I learned much more at the state college art program.
I also noticed a lack of what to do with my art to make a living - the "my art is precious-starving artist mentality".

[spcescience]

I'm currently in a drawing basics class at the local community college and I hate it so much. The professor is really strict, and I though the course would be fun but I come home crying every evening after class (the class is from 6:30 -9:29) because I just feel so overwhelmed by having a huge project almost every week with really only some in-class practice time for some of the assignments. I've always wanted to be good at making art, but I just don't think I have the right kind of brain for the art world. I've talked to some of the other students, some like her some don't. I really think the problem is more the quarter system my college uses rather than the professor though.

[Elizabeth-mfdn]

My Syracuse University professors were all amazing and worked in their fields, at the top of their fields BUT I was so new to illustration and drawing that i was constantly overwhelmed and 4 years didn’t feel like enough time to absorb and apply it all. Sometimes I wish I could do some classes there just for fun, not a grad degree, just some independent studies or something again. I truly miss being in that environment, the feelings of curiosity, excitement, and connection with other dorks like me was so amazing!

[Paradigm_pixel]

I pushed myself hard in art school. I did a few murals, animation/illustration commissions, and 3 internships.
I’m one of the few who made it into the industry.
I learned more from Udemy and YouTube than I ever did in any of my classes.
I use to listen your stuff on a playlist and I would listen to it while I was drawing.
“Create products not projects” is something I still tell myself daily and I picked it up from you on YouTube.

[clc]

For as long as I’ve known about your school I have recommended your program to all my advanced students. One thing I tell them is to get a certification in something that pays a good salary, then I tell them to work on their portfolio while they take college classes for a business degree. I don’t tell them to go to art school because in this day and age art instruction is relatively free if you know where to look. And then your school is cheaper than having coffee at Starbucks on a daily basis and it provides more information and feedback than any college course would. I am one of those High School teachers who tells her students not to go to college right out of high school. Unless you want to become a doctor or a lawyer or something that requires some major intense studying.

[williammclean]

That's why a lot of professional artists say you shouldn't go to art school. Because most art jobs you don't really need a degree. You just need to know how to draw and have a good portfolio. For game development and concept art, they literally don't care about your school. As long as you can draw the things that they ask you to, they don't care.

[KarenPageReviews]

Every art teacher should see this video, regardless of instructional level!

[ColleenBlackArt]

This is phenomenal advice to every teacher that really cares. I started teaching after school art programs after 30 years professional work, and LOVE it! But I'm learning more all the time and this just proves to me that it's totally possible to juggle a professional job as well as teach awesomely, with heart and soul that can reach that perfect spark in each and every student. :) Thank you!

[goldfishzzz]

Thank you for this video. I've been feeling this way about a certain art school in New York that I'm currently attending. Thankfully I am going there for free, however the education hasn't been the best and I have been having to learn outside of my class. But with your explanations now I know why and I'm really grateful for you sharing this to art students.

[Window]

I love my former college art professor, but I recall having issues with my color palette once and not knowing how to fix it. Even though I had chosen bright colors, they seemed to cancel each other out and just…not look very good. I remember complaining to her about it and asking if she had tips for fixing it…but she said it looked fine. Now I know that I should have knocked back one of the colors in saturation and/or value and let the other color dominate the composition. It took me about five years to finally diagnose the issue myself.

She also said she couldn’t teach us painting…in an advanced painting class. I felt something was off about that but again didn’t know what the alternatives were. We were shown various techniques and of course taught the elements of design, but never a solid process or how to apply them in a meaningful way. Honestly, I feel like every art teacher I’ve ever had has failed me, with the exception of SVS.

[singedarabesque]

I had Perry YEARS ago. He’s amazing. I second your comment!

[sarah-vandam]

I graduated from BYU summer of 2021. Here are my thoughts:

• My biggest frustration was less with my illustration professors and more with how unfocused I felt. Of the 46 classes I took at BYU, 19 were centered specifically around illustration, and only about 8 left a really meaningful impact (thanks especially to David Dibble for 3 of those). In my first 2 years, only about 1 in 4 classes I took involved making art.
• I was not one of the star students. In fact, at one point, one of the professors told me “You’re good, but some of the other students are REALLY good, ” and I was like “I know, I know…” My BFA show was right behind Rachel Allen Everett’s, who blew me sky-high out of the water. Love her work. I cringe looking at my own stuff now (One of my BFA pieces was used on the last “How to fix your art, ” haha). I am FAR from giving up on becoming an incredible illustrator, but there’s still part of me that wants to analyze why I wasn’t one of the top illustration students at BYU. Should I just chalk it up to poor mental health (I really was seriously depressed and burned out more than half the time), my own controllable lack of motivation and hard work, the fact that I didn’t enter BYU with the same skill set as other students, or the BYU education system? I know it’s not good to dwell on this.
• Fun fact: It was my first semester when you came and presented at BYU. I loved it! You were one of two presenters in that lecture class that I thought were really cool and can still remember. I was walking to class that day, and ran into Bob Barrett. We got talking for a bit, and then he said, “I have to go pick up Will Terry, ” and I said “Oh, cool. Who’s that?…”