Art school and college options

Even though students at Hunterdon County Polytech are being trained on industry software, work for clients, and learn about careers they can have as artists, the majority chose to attend further training after graduating from high school. 85% of my Commercial Arts/Advertising Design and 3D Computer Animation students attend college. Starting in September, each Tuesday, we discuss college. Students research colleges options (2 year, 4 year, tech schools, art schools, community college, liberal arts schools), they research majors that would include their interests in the arts, they attend National Portfolio Day, they prepare a portfolio, fill out applications, write college essays, and apply for scholarships. I strongly believe, that to succeed in this field takes hard work. Students committed to becoming artists/designers/animators can benefit greatly from attending college to master their technical skills and network with professionals. Just a few of the art colleges that my alumni have attended are the School of Visual Arts, Savannah College of Art and Design, Pratt, Parsons, University of the Arts, Art Institute of Philadelphia, Fashion Institute of Technology, Columbus College of Art & Design, San Francisco Academy of Art University, and The Kubert School. My students have received up to $48,000 scholarships for their portfolios. They go on to reach their dreams of working for Disney, becoming graphic designers, illustrating as freelancers, and sculpting three dimensionally on the computer.

Autodesk Maya

3D Computer Animation students at Hunterdon County Polytech have access to Autodesk Maya, the top animation and 3D visualization software used in the industry. Films, video games, commercials, and special effects are just some of things that can be created with Maya. My advanced high school students worked together as a team to create a project about outer space. Above is a still from this project that involved modeling, lighting, texturing, rigging, rendering, and animating. Team artwork above by: John Ambrosino, Anthony DaSilva, and Brian Petrilak.