Animation

Hi, I was wondering if anyone could help? My daughter would like to do an Animation degree however she was ill during year 11 at school and was unable to sit her Art GCSE exam as a result of this she's unable to sit Art A level. She's currently in year 12 studying A level English language, Film studies and Btech Business. Is there anyway at all that Universities may accept her onto an Animation degree? Or any courses she could take in the year after completing her a levels?
Thank you.

Reply 1

waffelton

Original post by A.tom

You can do a foundation year in art for free after a-levels, as long as you apply before you turn 18. This is recommended if you haven’t studied art, and want to get into top art universities. However, this isn’t always the case, and a lot of good universities will accept you as long as you have a strong portfolio. Also my friend did science based subjects but did his EPQ in art, since he wanted to do graphic design, and he got into art uni. There’s also the gold art award you can do which is equivalent to a GCSE, which may also be helpful, but it isn’t widely offered.

Reply 2

moid

Yes Art Foundation could be a good direction to go in - there is also the Access to HE Art & Design diploma; that is accepted at some universities in lieu of an art qualification. Your other option is to ensure she develops strong art skills / animation skills herself and apply to the universities she is interested in. Depending on how much they need students, an art qualification may or may not be important.

The amount of free teaching in animation/traditional drawing on Youtube is staggering; look at the Proko channel, or look at ctrlpaint.com or search for the software she is interested in on Youtube (you haven't said what type of animation she is interested in). A copy of Richard Williams' Animators Survival Kit will show her the basics of character movement. If you can get her some private life drawing classes (as long as they are taught by someone who can draw properly) that will really help.

It would be worth getting in touch with the admissions tutor for each course she likes the look of and showing them her portfolio. I know I get 3 -4 applicants every year who lack art qualifications but are incredibly talented, so I find ways of getting them in - but I will say the majority of applicants without an art qualification do not have the art skills we need in a student - so we tend to reject anyone without the correct qualifications, but will review their work if they appeal. So I would say try to apply at the same time as other A-level students and see what happens - if you get nowhere then she should do an additional art qualification and try again afterwards, but you might get lucky and not need that stage. Talk to the admissions tutors for those degrees and see what they say; every university / course has different requirements.

(edited 6 months ago)

Reply 3

totallyfine

I competely recommend the foundation art diploma. My daughter is currently doing her's at Arts Uni Bournemouth.

The course is free because its an FE course but she would not yet qualify for a student loan. Usually you can easily do the diploma at your local FE college and only a handful of Unis do the foundation diploma (Instead opting for a foundation year which does not end in a stand alone qualification and fixes you into their degree course). This route would help her build a competitive portfolio

Because applications to Fpoundation courses are done directly to the college and not through UCAS. Your daughter could run applications to both at the same time, as an insurance.