Grace H. (Colonial Forge HS, 2022)Art Center College of Design
ADMISSION RESULTS
School of Visual Arts (SVA) - Early Action, Animation, Silas H. Rhodes Scholarship $64,000.00
ArtCenter College of Design - Early Action, Animation
1. How do you feel about your college acceptance? It was exciting but mostly relieving! I had confidence that my portfolio was strong, the wait was just nerve-wracking and had me on edge. It was so relieving to receive the acceptance letters, and I could finally relax.
2. When did you start the portfolio class, and how did you prepare your portfolio? I think I started around late February to early March of 2021. I dissected the portfolio requirements from the list of schools I was applying to with teachers and we decided what kind of pieces/projects I should create over the next year. Over the course of 1-2 weeks, I would work on several pieces/projects, as I needed to prepare both traditional, digital, and sketchbook pieces for my portfolio. There would be progress checks to keep me on track, critique, and revise until the piece was completed.
3. Who is your favorite artist? How does he/she inspire you? It's so hard to choose, but I love Spencer Wan's animation style. The way he portrays weight and gravity is mesmerizing to watch and his adaptability to different art styles is super admirable from a student's perspective.
4. What is your favorite artwork that you made? Out of my traditional pieces, I like how my self-portrait collage turned out the best, I'm super proud of the forms that I made with my newsprint scraps, I think the illusion of contour and shading was really successful. I also think it portrays my personality well and is an overall solid piece. Out of my digital pieces, I like my final keyframe illustration the best, I'm fond of the composition and think the rendering and lighting were challenging but super successful. I'm also proud of the emotional weight and slight gruesome nature of the scene, and thinks it makes an impact on the viewer with or without the context of the story.
5. How NYSA helps you overcome your artistic challenges. NYSA taught me discipline and resilience, that I have to work and commit to achieve what I want, and taught me how to streamline my creative process for a faster timeline. Since I joined NYSA late and was absent for a month at Governor's school during the summer, I had much less time than other students, and had to learn to prioritize my portfolio work and really learn time management, which is an essential skill in college, especially for a major like animation. NYSA and the teachers there helped me get a taste of what to expect, and offered guidance and the pressure I needed to commit to finishing my pieces and making them the best that they could be.