Digital Art Tutorials
Digital art refers to a new skill that uses digital media or mass production methods in its innovative and presentation process. The effect of technology has changed activities such as drawing, painting and sculpture while new forms like virtual reality and digital installation art have become regular artistic practices. Training is essential for one to become a digital artist. This paper provides research on digital art tutorials regarding pricing and scope.
Digital art tutorials provide an individual with the necessary skills and expertise to approach digital art: from software to hardware, to workflow. Therefore, the process is comprehensive, thus attracting huge costs. Several institutions and sites provide courses and classes for digital art, but we must consider the pricing and scope.
Art education can be costly, and access to quality training often seems unattainable. Tuition fees vary among various colleges. Among national universities, the average tuition cost and fees for the previous school year (2019-2020) was $41,426 in private universities, $11,260 for state students residing in public schools and $27,120 for self-sponsored students at state colleges (U.S. News, 2020). Besides, the U.S. Department of Education estimated tuition cost of premier art schools to range between $33,000 – 39,000 annually. The estimated attendance costs for these programs (transportation, boarding, academic fees, and room) can cost as high as $40,000. Below is an analysis of the scope and price of digital art tutorials among various institutions
The Academy of Art University is among the leading private, accredited art institutions in North America. It offers unique classroom surroundings with professional tutors. Students have a wide range of options to consider, including studying on-campus, online, or virtual onsite via zoom. Undergraduate tuition for domestic students for fall 2020 to summer 2021 is $1,011 per unit with three units per class. Consider the table below for the estimated cost of attendance;
Fee
Cost in dollars ($)
Application
50
Registration
50 per semester
Enrolment
95, first term for domestic students only
Course fees
An average of 400 per semester
Student activity
30 per semester for onsite students only
Supplies/Materials
540 per semester
Total
$26,399 for the academic year 2020/2021for a full-time student
Undergraduate tuition for international students for academic year 2020/2021 is $1,059 per unit with three units per class. The table below provides an estimated cost of attendance for international students;
Fee
Cost in dollars ($)
Application
150
Registration
50 per semester
International students services
300 – onsite only
Course fees
An average of 400 per semester
Student activity
30 per semester for onsite students only
Tuition deposit
2,500 – added to tuition upon enrolment
Supplies/Materials
540 per semester
Total
$27,856 for the academic year 2020/2021for a full-time student
Cost comparison
The table below provides a cost comparison among art and design schools as provided by College Navigator.
Institution
2019-2020 academic year for full-time undergraduate students
2019-2020 academic year full-time graduate students
Academy of Art University
$23,112
$25,992
Savannah College of Art – Georgia
$37,575
$38,475
SF Art Institute
$45,664
$47850
California College of Arts in Oakland
$50,592
$53,250
School of Visual Arts in New York
$41,900
$46,940
Source: respective schools websites and College Navigator.10/15/19
The table below provides a tuition comparison of other art schools as provided by the United States education department. Note that the cost of attendance is approximately $41,875.
School
Estimated Tuition per Year
Pratt institute
$33,991
Ringling College of Art and Design
$33,946
California Institute of the Arts
$43,400
Art Center College of Design
$$39,672
Gnomon school of Visual Effects
$30,986
School of Art Institute – Chicago
$38,965
Source: U.S. Department of Education
The academy of information technology (AIT) provides a golden opportunity for students to learn digital painting from internationally acclaimed artists in the entertainment industries. It has campuses in both Melbourne and Sidney accompanied by an online learning system available to all students worldwide. AIT provides an opportunity for students to learn from a master (Gerhard Mozsi): a concept artist with a remarkable Blockbuster film portfolio. It also allows students to get recognized by industry by facilitating students’ participation in an exclusive industry showcase event with representatives from studios, agencies and films. However, a short course (one week intensive) costs $1,750.
Besides, several other sites are available online that sell digital art tutorials to prospective buyers. They include the Artstation and Cubebrush. The marketplace in Artstation hosts approximately 3559 training materials and tutorials from professional designers and artists. Students can subscribe to their favourite artists, watch videos, and enhance their techniques. Also, they can learn new skills in conceptual art, modelling, game development, and drawing. These learning materials and tutorials are available at the lowest prices ranging from $1 depending on the scope and complexity of the topic.
The market place in Cubebrush provides a program dubbed ‘Art School for Digital Artist’ at $880. Students can purchase and enrol to watch the pre-recorded videos at the comfort of their homes and access weekly live streams for questions and feedback. The program focuses on digital arts generally, giving the students the artistic base provided by top colleges globally, but without irrelevant content and in a digital format. However, the shortcoming to this program is the lack of personalized training approach since the tutors cannot critique the student’s work.
CGMA ( computer graphics master academy) provide affordable courses and programs for the quality of teaching. Prime studios do not use college degrees to measure skills for consideration within the art industry. CGMA competitively prices their courses that range from $499 – $998 while the tracks range from $6,000 to $10,000. Access to quality education with a flexible schedule is critical in modern society. CGMA offers its courses online with individual feedback from experts and industry veterans alongside live Q &A sessions. It also provides one-year prolonged access to course content and unique course completion certificates upon graduation (CGMA, 2020).