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I’m Halfway There… WOOHOO!
I am officially a Junior at Full Sail University…
Today marks the day that I have made it to the exact half way point of my 3 year Game Art Bachelor Degree. I am absolutely blown away at how much I have learned in the last year and a half. I knew when I started I would be learning some amazing things and would be able to do things that I never knew possible, but I am still amazed as to how much I have grown as a student and an Artist. I have had some amazing classes and some amazing teachers and met some really cool people.
My favorite part of Full Sail so far, is Networking! I have never been a big networker in my previous life because I felt I didn’t need to be. From day 1, here at Full Sail, they have preached to us about how important Networking is. Now, I thought this was just their standard information that they kind of just told everyone until I met Rob Coble. Rob came into my 2nd class and drilled it into our heads of how important this is. He told us stories of former Full Sail grads that got jobs not because of their grades, not because of their resume, not because of their demo reel, but because of the networking they did. Yes, of course all those other things are very important, but the key to all of it is Networking. I made it my mission to take what Rob said and become a great networker. Now don’t think I plan on doing nothing but networking and praying that I get a good job at the end of all this. I am working very hard to make sure EVERYTHING is in place, Grades, GPS Points, GPA, Giving 100% on everything I do, Winning Awards, Being Impressive, and Networking, so that way when this amazing journey ends, I will have that much more over my competition. I will be the best candidate for the position when the time comes.
The best part of Networking at Full Sail is the Events that they host. They bring in industry professionals to speak, do Q&A sessions, and demos, so that way we as students can hear what we will be doing very shortly. I love it when they are Full Sail Alumni too, because I know they sat in the same exact seats as me and went down this same road and had a great outcome. They come in as Rock Stars but are so humble and so willing to help out and share the knowledge of what they did to get to where they are. They also re-confirmed what Rob told us so long ago, Network! Not one person that has come to Full Sail said “I filled out an application, and they just called and I got the job” No! It has always been some sort of networking story of how they met someone along the way and they were able to help them get that job. The best part of networking is, I have made some good friends and it is awesome to see and hear what they are up to in the industry.
Report Card Time!
After 18 classes I have a 3.82 GPA. When I started I did want to try to maintain a 4.0 GPA but Geometry got me. Although I did not reach this goal I am extremely proud of myself for having such amazing grades. To go through Full Sail which is not an easy college to do great, and to get all A’s and one B is insane I think. Most of my grades are A+’s which means higher than 95% and I plan on keeping this up for the next year and a half. I want to be standing up on that stage at the end and them say my name as top of my class. I am also rocking the 100% Attendance record. Have not missed one day.
I want to also take a minute to thank everyone who has been following http://www.MyFullSailJourney.com I am humbled that so many people are interested in my dream that I am making a reality. Looking forward to keeping you guys up to date on all my exciting adventures.
After 1 year at Full Sail University
Had you asked me a year ago to do the things I have done in the past year or had you asked me where I would be in a year, I never would have imagined what I have done and how far I have come at Full Sail. I can not believe that I have completed a full year at Full Sail and when I think back to my very first day it is amazing how far I have come in such a short amount of time. I am 1/3rd of the way done with my Bachelor of Science in Game Art and at the pace it is going, I am sure the next two years will breeze by. I am so proud of myself for the grades I have gotten and the networking I have done. I am still rocking the straight A’s, which when I think of some of the classes I have had so far and the amount I had to do in 1 month per class, I am blown away at my own work ethic and determination to maximize my opportunity here. I am trying to have patience with myself as well. I have learned to not stress as much over grades. I have learned to just do my very best and work hard and the grades will reflect that. Also it is hard hearing about all the job postings at the places I want to work knowing I still have 2 years to go.
My favorite part of Full Sail so far, has been when they bring in people (Rock Stars) of the industry in to speak to us about what is going on in their position. Especially when they are Full Sail Alumni and even Hall of Famers. It feels good hearing and seeing someone who sat in the very chairs I am sitting in and taking the very courses I am in, telling me to keep at it and at the end, if you work your hardest, network, and get your name out there, “it is possible”. Of course they do not sugar coat it and they tell us it isn’t easy, but it is up to you to get it done. So that’s what I have been doing. Even with this very blog I have had industry professionals take notice. I am thankful for that.
I am looking forward to the classes I have coming up. The best part about my choice to go “extended” (one class a month), I get to make friends with people and they move forward into classes that I will soon be taking, so I get to hear all about what I have in store for me. It has helped prepare me for what to look forward to and especially the art classes, prepare for my projects. Also I am very happy that I can focus on one class at a time. I have fellow peers who I watch completely freak out because they are doing “accelerated” (two classes a month) and they have double the work load. I am thankful for that. I feel that extra time I have reflects in my work as well.
So, here is what I have been up to in the past few months.
I can not tell you how happy I was to get a 97.96 in College Mathematics! I was very nervous about Math as it has never been a strong class for me and I had not done algebra in soo long. But hard work, studying, and a lot of getting it wrong taught me to keep trying and you will get it.
Shading and Lighting I actually got a 95.05% because I was not credited for my extra credit I did in the class. This was a good class but not my forte so far. We learned how to light a scene to make it look realistic.
Then I had Methods of Design which was an AWESOME class. I got to make all kinds of stuff for this class. I found that I really enjoy working with my hands and creating tangible things. Things that can be touched and picked up. Using my art eye was so much fun to create and see things come to life. The best part of this class is that I kicked some serious butt and got my very first Course Directors Award which basically means I was the top in my class.
This may not look like a lot but let me tell you when I walked into class on the last day to pick up all my graded work, this meant the world to me. I was in shock. It is actually the second great thing that has happened to me in Full Sail. First being when My artwork was featured on the walls.
This was another great part of this class, a 99.64!! WOW! I am so proud of myself as this was a difficult class especially when I had a week-long vacation to Vegas, Grand Canyon, Sedona AZ, and Ft. Lauderdale FL. But I did get some work done while in Ft. Lauderdale. It was actually a great break to have from art.
Here are a few of my projects I made
This is my re-make of Kazimir Malevich’s Suprematist Composition (blue rectangle over the red beam) which was painted in 1916 and sold for 60 million dollars. The assignment was to choose a piece of art that we hated and reimagined it the way we would have done it.
The Original
5 Sided Tetrahedra
noun, plural tet·ra·he·drons, tet·ra·he·dra [te-truh–hee-druh].
Geometry . a solid contained by four plane faces; a triangular pyramid.
My next project was we had to create something out of cardboard that showed a good use of Positive Space and also Negative space. I choose to make a 5 sides Tetrahedra. This is actually 5 pyramids that are all interlocked with each other. This was gonna be a serious endeavor that I did not realize would be so challenging yet so fun.
Pre-Production
Going Full Size
Painting and Construction
Final
This was such a fun project to do. I decided after I started construction to go with a 3 sided Tetrahedra that way it showed more negative space. With a 5 sided Tetrahedra it would have not given me any negative space at all to show and that probably would have effected my grade. I did also start to make one out of paper to get how the construction worked before going full size. But WOW! I think it turned out amazing and it was all made with just cardboard.
This was two projects in one, I had to do an abstract along with a sculpture out of green foam. First we had to pick a household item, I choose an XBOX 360 Live Camera. We then had to sketch out close ups to try to make it an abstract look. Then once we came up with those we picked one that we liked and did it in full size and color. I choose to do mine in colored pencils which I am finding I really enjoy working with. Once we completed that we then had to carve out the item in Green Foam. This is the green foam that fake flowers are shoved into to keep them upright. What a fun project and I was a little apprehensive to work in this medium because I did not know how it would react. I found out it was very east to work with if you just used your hands and fingers. No tools, tools simple break it apart, when using your hands you can slowly mold it to what ever shape you like. Here is some of the pictures of my work.
Sketchbook Pro all done on my computer and Wacom Tablet
Final
Green Foam
Final Project
My final project we had to read Grimm’s Fairy Tales The Golden Goose and then create a scenery from the story. I didn’t get much pictures of production as this was made the final day and I was up pretty late working on getting everything finalized for turn in. But here is the final results. I feel it turned out real good. My finger is still sore from using a dull exact knife to cut out all the pieces.
So as you can see I have been very busy over the past few months. Currently I am in Geometry and Measurements… grrrr! Not feeling this math class either but I will put my rhino horn to the grind stone and get it done and hopefully get out of there with another A for the collection. Thanks so much for baring with me over the past few months and not posting here, but as you may or may not know, you can always follow me on my Facebook page as that is also where I post lots of my school fun.
www.facebook.com/MyFullSailJourney
AAAAAAAAAA! Killing it at Full Sail University Game Art Program
Working hard ALWAYS pays off!
I am very excited to report that I have straight A’s right now. I did slip below my 4.0 GPA I was trying so hard to maintain, but not by very much at all. My goal is to maintain these straight A grades for the remainder of my time at Full Sail. This has been such an amazing ride so far and it is actually flying by. I have been through 9 classes, some easy, most difficult. I have strived to put forth my very best effort and I know that at the end of all this it will pay off.
Game Industry… You better be ready for 2016… I am coming strong!
My Final Project for MCR (Model Creation) and Final Grade! Woohoo! Guess what it is?
I am very excited to say I got a very good grade in MCR. I received a 97% on my Final Project which was a huge deal and as you can see it was worth 60% of my final grade. MCR was probably my hardest class I have had since being at Full Sail. We were Deep into Maya 2014 and modeling tons of props to create an entire scene. I, of course, choose one of the hardest scenes to challenge myself. I worked very hard for a week and a half and this was the results.
Please click on the image to blow it up and get all the full detail of my work.
Original Reference Image
I would really love to hear what you think of this? As you can see I tried to get as much detail out of all the props. The couches were my biggest challenge and I was running out of time towards the end. So those I do know they needed more work. But I would love to hear some constructive critique so I can improve. Thanks!
Here are my props that I created for this scene
I did have a LOT of fun in this class but I am happy that it is over. It was a lot of work, a lot of stress, and a lot of my free time taken up, but I feel I handled it well and I am very proud of my final project and my Final Grade. Another A+ in the books. I feel I learned a ton about Maya and I feel I have wrangled her under control. But now in Shading and Lighting she isn’t cooperating to well. But I will not give up, she will be wrapped around my finger very soon.
I’m like butter…. I’m on a Roll ! !
Got my final grades for Art History, yep you guessed it, another A+! I really enjoyed this class and this was an example of wishing we had a little more time to focus on learning about the past great artists. It felt like we were a shell skipping across the water just barely scratching the surface. Each skip representing a different time period of art. I defiantly plan on doing my own research and continuing to go to museums and get inspiration from other artists. Other then the 77% I got in this class I am very happy with my grades and still proud of myself for rocking that 4.0 GPA!
When they see me they say, “AAAAAAAAAAA!”
I Just Can NOT Stop 🙂
A+ After A+ After A+!
I am soo proud of myself for making such great grades in college. This just proves to me that I can do ANYTHING I set my mind to. I just got my final grade in English Composition and my final project grade. I got a 100% on my final project Comic Strip that I worked so hard on. I ended up with a 97.5% in the class… and that is before my extra credit assignments are added. Turns out, they weren’t even needed, but I wanted to make sure I gave myself the best possible chance of getting a 4.0 GPA. Hard work pays off!
This English class was a fun yet challenging class. Not with the work that needed to be done just the fact that I had to do my very best to impress my teacher who has probably seen it all. I tried to go above and beyond expectations each time I turned in an assignment and in the end it showed. I did learn a lot about writing and know this class will stick with me for years to come. I know it will help me once I am in the gaming industry.
A+ in Overview of the Media Design and Technology Industries
I got my final grade for OMDT today and I am very excited to see a 97.3% as my final grade. As you can see I did have a few items that I received a lower grade then I had hoped for. Let’s just say from now on in groups I will be reviewing EVERYTHING before it is turned in and I will be like a warden to my teammates when it comes to doing presentations and getting them completed. I learned there is a very thin line between trying to let your team members do things on their own and staying on their tail to make sure they get it done.
Let’s just say “No more Mr. Nice guy”
I did get to turn in some Consideration for my final grade. I was at a 94.8% which was two tenths of a point away from me losing my 4.0 GPA. Going that extra mile does pay off in the end. I was able to pull my teacher aside at the end of class and explain my situation that I am attempting to maintain a 4.0 GPA through out my entire time here at Full Sail. Only due to the fact the rest of my grades we immaculate and the fact that I was a very active student in her class she allowed for it. So it just goes to show that being a great student can have its perks. I would like to thank all my teachers from OMDT for making it a very fun and memorable class.
My Full Sail Journey.com 