CompuServe Messages

James, This is a tricky question, as I have no idea what you personally would get out of any sort of art class. It all depends on the person, what kind of artistic talent they had (I don't think previous "art education" makes a difference one way or another), and what kind of time the person has to spend on it. If you feel uncomfortable about a painting class and would be taking it just to help out with 3ds and other computer work, then I can almost guarantee you would drop it in frustration after the second class. Simply taking a course in painting or sculpture wouldn't be nearly the asset that years of experience actually doing it would be. A photography course on the other hand might not be a bad Idea. I personally have not had much formal education in art, aside from a class in the 7th grade and photo classes in highschool (tons of filmmaking in college, but thats more technical than asthetic). But I've done sculpture and drawing and painting, etc since I was a kid, and I'm making a living doing it now. I don't think I could recommend a painting or sculpture class, unless you have an honest interest in these areas to begin with, but if you have time, you might consider a photography class. Some good books on various photo and art topics couldn't hurt either. Most importantly though, don't forget to leave time for 3ds! (I've just taken a couple of months off to get some work done and put together a demo reel) Also, experamentation is one of the most useful things you can do, especially with materials. Go nuts and try every setting possible with every map you can dig up or create, in every combination, just to see what they do. Look around you and examine real life "materials", how the light interacts with things, note imperfections and irregularities on surfaces, how something as ordinary as dust can have a dramatic effect on how it reflects light…. and so on. Then when it comes time to make materials for a scene, the effect your looking for will be much easier to achieve. I hope this helps you out a little bit. David