The DAcademy is coming, are you ready?


Several months ago, `Endling and I were sitting around thinking, “Wouldn't it be great to have a place on DA where people were focused on helping one another improve?” From that basic idea, came the DAcademy. (Endling gets credit for the name )

On Saturday, February 21st, the DAcademy will open its virtual doors to host a series of art lectures and Q&A sessions with various artists who are interested in sharing their knowledge. In between these scheduled events, the room will be home to general discussions about art and artists, and a source of valuable advice and critique for those who seek it.

So, why are we doing this?

There are hundreds of artists on DA who seek to improve their work, but lack the resources to attend pricy art schools or purchase instructional videos. There are also hundreds of artists on DA who have been to those expensive art schools, watched those videos, spent years sharpening their skills, and they have a lot of knowledge to share. We want to bring these two groups together to foster a community built on progress, improvement, and above all critique.

Yes, that's right. Critique. Somebody is going to tell you how you can improve your art.

One of the biggest challenges as an artist is to learn how to accept constructive criticism and apply it to their work. None of us are perfect, and we can all improve. We want to provide a place where people can learn how to improve, not where artists come to have others tell them their work is like sugar-coated puppies dancing on unicorns who are frolicking through meadows of supermagical fairy dust. There are plenty of places for that. Brown nosing is for sissies and bedwetters.

We are here to challenge you, teach you, and help you improve.

Here's how it works:

Lectures and Q&A sessions will be announced in *Arteche 's (this one right here) journal at least a week before they occur. Watch this journal for updates and announcements. If you can make it, you just pop into the chat at the time of the lecture, sit, and learn. At the end of each lecture, an assignment will be given pertaining to the subject of the lecture. It is your choice whether or not to do this assignment (of course, just knowing the information isn't as helpful as practicing how to apply it). If you do the assignment, you upload it, send a note to *Arteche , and you will be sent a note back with 3 - 4 names of fellow students who have uploaded their assignments.

Here's where critique comes in.

It is part of your assignment to go to those 3 - 4 people and leave a critique on their assignment. We expect these to be constructive and helpful. If all you can write is "you suck", then this isn't the place for you. It's your job to tell them what they could be doing better and give the advice. In return, you get 3 - 4 people assigned to critique your image. It takes less than 5 minutes to write a decent critique, and one piece of good advice is worth more than a hundred "omg I luv ur art".

You may wonder, "What if the person critiquing me isn't a good artist?" And we answer, "So what?"

Many art directors for major video game companies and publishing houses are not artists. They know nothing about composition or anatomy. However, they know what looks good. They know what works. You don't have to know every muscle in the arm to know when it looks too short.

Subjects will be varied, ranging from foundational topics like values and anatomy to specific topics like mechanical design and comic paneling.

Events are kicking off Saturday, February 21st, at noon PST time (That's 3PM EST). If you don't know what time that is for you, use this clock to see what time is. When that clock says noon, we're kicking off. Find an image that you feel represents you as an artist, your interests, or what you want to achieve with your art. The founders and staff will introduce themselves and their background, and we'd like you to come introduce yourself and show your art.

If you want to lecture on a specific topic which you feel you know well, have any suggestions for lecture topics, or have any questions, please feel free to note them to *Arteche. I will get back to you ASAP.

Until then, feel free to come in and get to know some people: DAcademy

We hope you guys are as excited as we are.