Submit your application to PCA&D. After you’ve submitted, upload a typed personal statement of 250 – 500 words to your Applicant Status Portal that describes: your reasons for choosing a visual arts education, any influences that led to this choice, visual art experiences you have had in and outside of the classroom, any involvement in clubs or jobs, and your current creative goals. We are looking for an expression of your passion and commitment to art.
Why am I choosing a Visual Arts Education at Pennsylvania College of Art & Design? Well, for many reasons! I would like to become more skilled at drawing and I would like to have a larger stepping stone into a career in digital arts or animation. I would like to accomplish that career and creative goal by turning my A.S. Visual Arts degree, into a Digital Arts Degree.
I have had a few influences in my life that has led me to this choice. There were several people in my life that have influenced me to get into drawing and animation. The people in my life that influenced me were my Mother, Brother, Friends, and Cousin. When my mother was younger, she had initially aspired to become an animator. When we were growing up, she would draw often and encouraged us to draw if we seemed interested. My older brother used to draw a lot and he was encouraged by her. He was also inspired by our cousin who was an animator for Disney in the late 1990’s. Later he would attend a private art school. His experiences had led to him attempting to teach me and my friends how to draw when I was a young girl. I would also skim through his art books out of curiosity. Maybe one day I was curious on how to draw a head or on how to do gesture drawings. I would go down into his room and look for that chapter in his art book. My brother and I would also draw onto paper and cut them out, then play with them. We would discuss amongst each other about cartoons that were airing at the time. I asked him about how the animation was done. From his experience, he told me a bit about the process and the work behind it. In art class, I was able to draw a large portrait of a beagle and I shaded it in well enough to have my art teacher and classmates be impressed by it. I continued to really invest myself because I felt good about myself.
Outside of class I take time to practice and study with the art books I had gotten. They teach the reader how to draw human extremities and the human figure. I also practice with digital art by drawing on a tablet designed for digital art. My creative goal is to get better at drawing and digital art. Also to join the online art communities where we share our creative pieces.
Eugenia Santos 