Hey kids, I'll be applying to CalArts only in 2014 and I am a NERVOUS WRECK ALREADY! I've never been to a portfolio day or really had anyone else critique my work seriously because I've always been too embarrassed to ask, but once my aunt's friend at Pixar looked through my sketchbook. Most nerve-wracking experience of my life, hands down. She was very polite but I didn't have much in it.

 

As far as preparations go, I've been working to get somewhat of a handle on color and I've been trying to just generally loosen up all around, care less about what I make and how it compares to everyone else's (read: all of the other amazing CalArts applicants') work, and draw as much as I can.

 

In the fall I hope to be attending some figure drawing classes at a local community college, but until then I mostly just draw my grandmother because she moves very slowly, you see.

This post was edited by Gabrielle Lynne at May 5, 2013 2:05:27 PM PDT

Hi! If I were to give you any advice, it would be to practice your line confidence. This used to be a huge problem for me and a few really helpful people pointed it out and told me that drawing a single bold line instead of five or six sketchy ones indicates movement and structure much more effectively. It's horrendously awkward at first to draw one line when you think you need a lot more, but you'll eventually get a hang of how to curve them and point your pen to get the shape down quicker and in a more aesthetically pleasing way. Your technical drawings are beautiful, by the way!