Do you think a distance learning art & design/ illustration course is any good?

Sorry i didn't quite know how to phrase the question. I want to study illustration but i don't want to go back to university again- i'm 30 now and don't fancy being a mature student...i have already been to 2 universities...drama BA hons and PGCE ( i passed but i want to do something else) I feel that by signing up to a distance learning course i'll merely be buying a very expensive book to work from and because I'd be working from home I won't get the same opportunities to use art materials that I'd use in a universtiy. I found London Art college distance course which seemed good. Does anyone have any experience with art based distance learning and any advice for me please> Thanks so much Thanks for the three answers i recieved so far. I think we are on the same wave length. I am artistic and have a BTEC foundation diploma in art and design that i did over ten years ago ( how time flies!) The purpose of doing a course is to be able to put together a good portfolio, but i already have some excellent books about illustration and i think you're right, maybe i should work through it on my own, i just thought that when approaching prospecitve employers or trying to get freelance work a certificate / degree or whatever would be useful, but i suppose if they liked my work it wouldn't matter would it?? Thanks everyone!

Public Comments

  1. personally, i've encountered lots of very fine illustrators, comic artists, watercolourist, nude drawing artists, and just great great artists in general. What i'm trying to get at is - u r more or less born with this talent, and like being a tattoo artist, one can learn how to operate the software, but it just ends there. just practice the Illustration medium of your choice, get a good book from the library or bookstore, and start there. unless you enroll into the campus, just a heartfelt advice that a distanced one wont work out. if u r new to illustration, then it may just bore you after a while when u realise that only with practice makes perfect. from my opinion, noone can really learn how to draw from another...u need to discover this yourself. and u'd really have to be "into" it. or else it's just a waste of $$ u could use for better things. hope this helps in anyway.
  2. I have a degree in illustration and I don't know how the majority of seminars / tutorials / critiques, could have been translated in to a distance learning course. You might as well just get on with your own art work. You seem to have had a good education, maybe if you want to get practical experience with tuition in this area you could try evening classes. this would allow feedback from tutors and other students of all ages. There are always books to read and art exhibitions to see, you can do all these with out paying for a course where there is no physical interaction. Good luck.
  3. Distance learning is not your best option. Look for other live courses that are geared towards adults; with a little investigation you can find the right "fit," so you are comfortable in the right setting for you. and yes, practice does count a lot, however, you need classroom experience or private lessons. Drawing is absolutely learnable. There is only so much you can truly teach youself. So I disagree with Salut, and I think most people with art experience would also. Good luck!
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