Learn Art (Graphic Design/ Animation/ Illustration) part time in Malaysia

Since I am currently working (and my early 20's are slowly fleeting away.. T^T), I'm not willing to spend another 4 years studying another degree.. (For those who think I'm "not committed enough" to really study the arts full time, *rolls eyes*.)

And for those who'd still like to learn places to pursue their passion while keeping up with your current job commitments, here's (finally a post I wished someone had written during my search...) my experiences at some part time art classes that you might want to look into.



1. Clazroom Academy

Clazroom Academy has quite a number of part time courses available. From digital drawing, figure drawing and line art of which some are available in basic or advance. Their classes are flexible (meaning they have ongoing classes throughout the year) and you can choose which weekend and time you want to attend (but you'll have to check whether the class is full or not).

Details
Location: Petaling Jaya & Johor Bahru
Available classes: Figure Drawing Basic, Digital Drawing Basic, Digital Drawing Advance (Choose between:Game Character or Cartoon Character), Line Art Drawing, Manga Line Art.
Duration: 2 - 6 months (depending on the type of class)
Prices: RM720++ to RM1600++
Website: http://clazroom.com/

My experience was through their basic figure drawing classes. Their place had a classroom-feel with whiteboard, tables and all. It was also a very relaxed kind of teaching. My teacher would teach some basics and later go around the class to critique on how you can improve (he was also very nice and friendly ^^). So if you missed a class, there's no problem of catching up since it's very at your own pace.

Was it worth it? Yes! I did saw genuine improvement in my art (despite mostly working on my drawing in class and occasionally or rarely... on my own )! It's great because he does breakdown on how to draw proportions well (which I never knew.. and now take it to heart).

My progress...
Great for people  who are casual learners and those who want to improve on the basic skills (like shading and proportions) and their basic figure drawing class is something I truly recommend for beginners!

2. Arte Academy

The Arte Academy's part time course are on animation, illustration, graphics and design which are tailored for working adults. They have a curriculum designed for each course so you do have to check with them when those classes start.

Details
Location: Puchong
Available classes: Digital Illustration, Graphic Design, Motion Graphics, Introduction to 3D Animation, Advance Animation,  Architecture Visualization
Duration: Typically 4 months
Prices: More than RM3,000++ (I only know the price for my course)
Website: http://www.arteacademy.com/

My experience was through their graphic design course (which includes Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator). They have computers all prepared for you (but of course you need to find the software on your own for your home use). So I had 2 teachers teaching me, one for photoshop and one for illustrator. They will first teach me some basics and later give me exercises to work on my own and pass up the next class. The class was small so you do have a one-to-one feel with the teacher and you can ask them on how to improve your work. They do have a curriculum schedule worked out that you have to follow. But if you miss 1 or 2 class at the start, the teachers will help you to catch up.

Was it worth it? Yes, because my knowledge on photoshop and illustrator was shallow. So during the classes I did learn some tips and tricks that made designing easier and faster. It is well worth your money for beginners! But if you have a pretty good grip on these two software, you might want to look into their other courses.

My progress...

Great for people who are new and really want to get into the basics.

3. CG Skill Academy


CG Skill Academy focuses on teaching 3D animation and are Autodesk Maya Certified Professionals. They have both full-time(for 6 months) and part-time courses(for 14 months) for you to choose from. They have a whole curriculum set out for the year so you'll have to check with them when they start. They also provide bridging classes if you want to join in mid-way but you need to check with them on whether it's still available.

Details
Location: Petaling Jaya (near Sunway Pyramid)
Available classes: 3D Animation (Maya Autodesk)
Duration: 14 months
Prices: RM11,000++
Website: http://cgskillacademy.my/

My experience was an eye opener. I felt like a new born baby trying to walk. Learning 3D animation was a definitely a new experience for me. And this course was a big commitment not only financially but time wise as well. It was 1 year of giving up my Saturdays (the classes are from 9am to 5pm) and I can tell you this... that, if you're a noob like me, 8 hours of class is not enough to finish up your assignments...
They do have a curriculum set up for you but if you miss 1 or 2 classes, the teacher will help you catch up but you have to ask more questions and end up with a lot of homework to get done. So they've set up whereby the first few months you'll learn about modeling and the next few months would be another topic and so on.
You'll also get the Maya software for free so you can work your animation at home (it's the student version though so if you want to sell your animation, you will have to purchase the commercial version on your own). I also like how they've prepare an animation text book (this is more for your own reading), google classroom (to submit your HW and check what's up for class), google email (so you can save your work on Google drive -no need a pendrive!), a whatsapp group with your peers and that they're really sincere about helping you towards your 3D animation journey :)

Was it worth it? Yes!! but it really is for people who are willing to commit time (and finances) and for those who are serious about pursuing their interest in 3D animation. A lot of my fellow classmates joined because of passion and hoping for a career change. I think it's great atmosphere to be in when you're with fellow like-minded people pursuing the same passion as you. And it's also a great motivation to be in class where people are just so focused in their work that it oozes out to you as well. I think it's also great because each lesson has an assignment for you which will also build up as your portfolio.

My progress...

Great for people who really want to commit into learning 3D Animation and want to break into the industry.


Other options
There were other options out there I didn't get a chance to look into but might be of interest to you as well :) So here are my findings... (will add more if find more ;P)

1. IACT College's TAP Programme

TAP is actually a Training Academy for Professionals. The have public workshops and part-time evening classes available. I've checked out their pamphlets previously (which are available on their website) and they laid out their programme very well. It looks like they covered every topic of learning the basics of Graphic Design. I would recommend to look into this programme if you're interest to learn Graphic Design.

 

Details
Location: PJ City Centre
Available classes: Graphic Design, Web Design, Copy Writing and Digital Marketing
Duration: 2- 4 months
Prices: RM3,000++
Website: http://www.tap.iact.my/graphicdesigntap/


My thoughts...
I can see that the art education industry in Malaysia is really growing because a few years back and when I was still in university, none of these kind of short courses were available for me. There were run-off-the-mill traditional art classes available... but now, they are courses which are really tailored to help equip you to elevate your passion into a career.

So all the best!
Disclaimer!! This all based on my opinions and on the classes I've enrolled so it might differ if you take on a different class than mine but it might give you a gist of how it's like there.