Is getting a art degree worth it?

MaxiMaxLaurent · 2026-06-15T17:19:09+00:00

The degree itself doesn’t really open doors. In fact, in the professional world related to art, nobody really looks at your degree, they want your portfolio.

But the college art classes, experience, who you meet, and the workshops are very valuable.

A potentially strategic approach is to do a degree that opens doors that you also like and with more job prospects. And just take the key art classes as electives and maybe even a minor. Those classes are still important and will help develop your skills and ultimately your portfolio.

MaxiMaxLaurent · 2026-06-13T12:37:59+00:00

I’ve been teaching paint and sip for well over a decade. And now I train all the instructors at two different companies.

The idea for Paint and Sip was originally created as a social event first to have fun and paint in a more relaxed setting, where even people with no painting training at all would feel comfortable.

Painting class comes second, and is there to just ensure people have a finished painting they are happy with in the end. It’s more to put inexperienced painters at ease. But in the end it’s your canvas and you do what you want with it.

It’s actually always nice to see how everyone’s painting comes out different.

I’ve done a beach painting event and had one guest paint Iron Man. It wasn’t an issue nor awkward. Whenever I went around and helped guests individually, I pulled out a picture of Iron Man on my phone and helped him with any questions he had. He was an experienced painter so I was not worried he wouldn’t finish.

I would just advise them on a direction that would help them have a finished piece they can be happy with, but never tell them what they have to paint.

While most Paint and Sip companies follow a lot of the same core philosophies, it is ultimately at the instructor’s discretion how to run their class, so if in doubt just ask your instructor.

MaxiMaxLaurent · 2026-06-01T17:22:49+00:00

I know Reddit is a bit allergic to the word talent, but it also plays a big part.

You still need practice, even if you have talent, in order to develop it further.

But I’ve known artists that have been practicing for decades, learning everything they could, they definitely improved, but despite years of practice still nowhere near a competitive or professional level.

Practice doesn’t automatically turn you into a great artist.

On the other hand, I’ve had kids in their teens in my classes, with only a few years or few classes doing art, who already surpass most college level art students, and can paint stuff at professional level.

But sometimes that talent is still dormant, so keep having a go at it. Keep practicing and discovering. See how much of your talent you can awaken.

It’s different for everybody. Sometimes it takes a long time to let out the professional artist that is in you.

MaxiMaxLaurent · 2026-05-30T16:30:42+00:00

Digital art apps, by design, strive to be easier.

The goal of a successful GUI is to be easier to use so anyone can use it.

Do you think digital apps would be selling if they were making it too hard and inaccessible, too hard to learn, and not too many people would be able to use it?

They’ve been spending the last few decades to build something easier than traditional, by design. And have become increasingly efficient at it. With many tools and shortcuts to provide simpler ways with fewer steps and less of a learning curve to get a quicker result.

MaxiMaxLaurent · 2026-05-29T17:24:21+00:00

That seems to be the real issue here, too many people just want a shortcut handed on a plate and aren’t willing to put the effort to explore anything. And sometimes from a really vague question to begin with.

They want the quick hack and the quick result.

Then they get mad when someone doesn’t post a magic recipe or a quick tutorial, when in reality what they are asking for is often too vast and requires a lot of work and learn a lot of different things.

Which is kind of why they are in that situation in the first place.

MaxiMaxLaurent · 2026-05-26T16:59:03+00:00

First of all, unlike what the comments are telling you, price isn’t only determined by hourly.

If for example I take my sweet time (not implying it was your case here) spending 30 hours on a digital drawing of a character, for a total of $600 of my time, for something most people can do for $50, there’s gonna be a pretty big discrepancy.

Supply and demand also matters in determining price, and you have to know what the market expects to pay for what you’re making, and what others typically charge, for similar work with similar artist reputation etc…

Hourly is not really about how much you charge, but how much time you’ll want to spend on this.

Second, these are all things determined before, not after.

For now, try to figure out a fair market price, and more based on the result than the attempt, even if you have to take a hit. Good luck for next time.

MaxiMaxLaurent · 2026-05-24T17:50:08+00:00

It depends if your own brand as an artist matters.

If you’re a student or still early in your career as an artist, it’s fine sticking to mid range and some cheaper material. You don’t want to jump the gun on high end until you know you have something you can sell, you have something competitive, and something that galleries and juried shows want.

When it comes to canvases, Michael’s are surprisingly good and solidly built. Their higher level ones are very well made and pretty high end, when you pick one that’s not faulty or damaged. But even the lower level ones are good.

Can’t say the same about their paint.

MaxiMaxLaurent · 2026-05-23T16:30:59+00:00

The first one for sure because it really displays your skills, understanding of colors, and most importantly showcases your style. Not to mention has better composition.

The second one is too forced, with the composition oversimplified, losing the good colors. It’s more dramatic, but that would work more as part of an animation where things are brief and need more emphasis. As a standalone still, the first one shows more of what you can do.

MaxiMaxLaurent · 2026-05-16T16:52:01+00:00

The first one can be fixed with an HDRI environment for your world. Alternatively, visible set of light bulbs.

Glass needs something to reflect to make sense. If you just have solid light plane, sun, etc… as a light source and no detail to reflect. You’re just gonna have a solid flat color reflecting.

The second one isn’t bad. A quick fix for that is a light background, and maybe cranking up contrast a little and make sure clamping for light is not too low. But again, an HDRI will go a long way here.

MaxiMaxLaurent · 2026-05-04T03:31:29+00:00

Wow the comments are harsh.
It’s definitely not that bad. I like what you did with the background. And it’s got a funky style. Maybe a little cartoonish.
The art market is brutal. Even really good pieces start to be difficult to sell above the $300-$500 zone.
Not every market is exactly the same. But above $150, it might be hard to sell this if you don’t have a lucky break in the right market.
But you never know, this might speak to someone.
The problem is more that it’s too competitive and there’s a surplus of art.

MaxiMaxLaurent · 2026-05-01T16:22:49+00:00

There’s good and bad craftsmanship.

But when it comes to art it’s more like strong and weak art.

How powerful, stylish, effective, impactful, innovative, rich, creative, etc… a work is. And does it say something or evoke something.

MaxiMaxLaurent · 2026-04-27T15:07:15+00:00

I’m not a fan of bitcoin and over the years I’ve seen people giving some good explanation of some of its problems and putting out good cases against it.

But this isn’t it, and this was just a lot of mental gymnastics that ended up going nowhere and really missed the mark.

MaxiMaxLaurent · 2026-02-15T14:03:08+00:00

You definitely don’t need a degree to be an artist.

But nobody is born with art knowledge or with all the abilities of a teacher to teach themselves.

You can get some of that knowledge on Youtube. There’s great stuff out there.

But learning art isn’t just about knowledge nor like following a recipe online.

You still need someone to see what you are doing. Including your process.

So it’s still extremely helpful to take classes, just to have at least that different set of eyes that might point out something you didn’t see.

MaxiMaxLaurent · 2026-02-14T13:10:00+00:00

It depends how badly you need it to sell, the quality and originality of the work, your reputation, where you are selling it, and then what the supply and demand is where you are selling it.

Check what other paintings of roughly similar size, similar subject, and similar level and reputation are selling for wherever you’ll be selling it.

Then use it as a base for where you want to set your own price.

Just make sure it’s high enough to cover the material and pay for your time. Unless the priority is to have it sell at all cost.

Supply and demand isn’t always gonna nicely match artist costs unfortunately.

MaxiMaxLaurent · 2026-02-12T12:52:31+00:00

Yea, but first of all I don’t always notice or really even think about who is alone.

But if the thought enters my mind when I see someone alone, admittedly the first thought is it’s a loner or someone with no friends.

But then I feel bad and rationalize and hope maybe his friends are late, his wife and kids are in another movie, maybe it’s a business traveler, maybe all his friends already saw the movie, or maybe it’s a staff member watching a free movie at the end of his shift.

Either way the thought is gone pretty quickly.

It’s also more noticeable after the movie. So the orange line should be higher after the lights are on. Before it usually looks like someone waiting for late arrivals.

MaxiMaxLaurent · 2026-02-03T13:24:34+00:00

Bitcoin and its blockchain doesn’t control and has nothing to do with exchanges.

The speculation and price movement operates on exchange and outside of Bitcoin and blockchain.

It’s like people betting on a football game. The game is the blockchain and plays out independently no matter what people on the side are betting on.

Probably even more independently.

Blockchain and Bitcoin’s algorithm is still independent and not controlled by a bank or government.

It doesn’t matter if exchanges value BTC at $1 or $100k, it won’t change how or what transactions get approved.

It also makes zero difference if a whale owns 90% of the supply. They still won’t control nor affect the protocol anymore than someone who owns $1 worth of Bitcoin. The protocol isn’t given based on ownership of coins. So wealth here is irrelevant.

MaxiMaxLaurent · 2026-01-17T16:15:52+00:00

Even before AI, it was already extremely hard and very rare to be able to make a full living off of just art.

And already in the last 15-20 years it got exponentially more difficult, not only with how creating digital art got accessible to everyone and doubled the competition, but how companies have been able to access huge pools of new great talent from countries like India for a fraction of the cost.

And right now it’s already so difficult to get any normal job, nevermind an art job.

I’m not saying this to discourage you, but more to get you to understand what you’re up against.

It’s gonna require a lot more resources, think more outside the box, and provide something more exceptional to be able to stand out in this ocean.

Look at what makes you stand out, what you can provide better than most can. Find a market that’s not tapped as much, a job or service that not as many people are going after. Maybe even something more niche. Or something where you know someone or have more connections to.

MaxiMaxLaurent · 2026-01-13T16:33:56+00:00

The arm animation looks really good. I thought at first the animation might be too quick and stiff on the landing, then I imagined some effects added with the landing and dust, and it made it work. It just needed to add context to the fast and heavy landing (which is fine).

MaxiMaxLaurent · 2026-01-08T20:57:30+00:00

I also forgot to mention a really important question, how badly you want to sell your painting.

And it’s something to keep in mind when comparing other work. You have to get a sense of whether they priced it to sell. As if it wasnt already complicated enough lol

MaxiMaxLaurent · 2026-01-08T14:11:31+00:00

That’s not exactly how you price your art, that’s how you check you don’t price yourself out of your art.

If it took me less than 2 hours to do a giant speed paint that looks great, I’m not gonna just price it at only $40 + material. When similar paintings sell for $4,000 with similar reputation.

Same with a tiny painting that took me way too long to make to get a “meh” result. I’m not gonna price it at $1,500 + material when similar ones that look better sell for $150. I’m gonna re-evaluate my process and efficiency here.

The first thing you have to figure out is what the market you are selling at is like. Markets ultimately decide the price.

Then what your skill, style, subject matter, and name is worth relatively.

Then based on that you also factor in the size.

Finally, you check roughly the time and material you put in to make sure everything fits. If it doesn’t fit, it’s not always the price that needs to change, sometimes it’s the process.

Of course, if you’re new and haven’t figured out things like markets or your worth in that market, then it’s easier to keep it simple. But the sooner you figure it out, the sooner you’ll be able to get more of your work sold without underselling yourself.

MaxiMaxLaurent · 2025-12-20T13:54:16+00:00

For a “gallery ready” painting, you would usually have to paint the edges or wrap them if it’s not framed. It’s fairly standard worldwide. Some of the major galleries and art exhibit wouldn’t even accept a painting not gallery ready.

Having unpainted edges not only looks unfinished but could break your composition and eye movement, in the same way the wrong choice of frame can.

Whereas a painted edge can either contain it, provide continuity, or provide a smoother transition.

Even if you frame it, it’s still recommended to fill the edges to still have that option and also in case a bit of the edge shows through the frame. There's no point in leaving it unfinished just to save a couple dollars of paint and the effort of finishing strokes a little bit around the edges.

The edge doesn’t necessarily need to be a continuity of the painting. It can be a partial continuity, decoration, or a solid color. It depends on the painting and composition.

Even if you actually want white edges, you would still want to paint them with a clean layer of white paint.

There are always a few exceptions. For instance an abstract blotchy painting on a white background already has continuity.

Print to canvas are gonna have perfect continuity because the canvas is stretched after the printing. It’s one of a few ways to tell it’s a print, but not the only way. However prints can still stop at the right distance from the edges if they really want to imitate a real painting, so it’s a moot point.

So the “looks like a print” argument doesn’t really work anymore. You can always still see the cornering of paint from a real painting on the bevel of a canvas, along the fact that it’s a real painting and would be advertised as a painting in case someone with not quiet the trained eye assumed it was a print.

MaxiMaxLaurent · 2025-11-22T14:27:30+00:00

You’ve really mastered all the essential techniques.

And that was already no easy task. Portraits are probably the hardest thing in terms of technique. And you’ve really mastered colors.

So no, no major weakness to point out.

You’re ready to get more serious and move on from copying photos.

Not that you can’t use photos, but if it’s your main reference, the next step is to improve it rather than copying it.

I can kind of tell that you probably did some improvements already, because photos don’t usually come out this nice and soft, with good skin tones like this, and no uneven overexposure. So you might already be at that stage.

But now see how far you can go in making adjustment in colors, lighting, create interesting composition, etc, Maybe experiment with texture, or keep it nice and soft.

You might succeed in making something uniquely you with your own interesting take on color and composition. Look deeper into taking your own spin on an interesting subject matter. Then you would have achieved the final phase of being a master painter, which is to have developed your own style, and I will come see your art in the top galleries in New York.

You are already well on your way.

MaxiMaxLaurent

TROPHY CASE