Sandahl von Sydow
Artist | Student | Other

United States

I am currently a student at the Academy of Art University(I know, redundant) in San Francisco, CA. I am majoring in Illustration with plans to discipline in comic book production and fantasy painting.

I started drawing when I was young. At ten I was enrolled into a small, hole in the wall studio called the Bakersfield School of Art. I attended classes until it closed in the early 2000s(Kind of bad that I can't remember the exact date)

My skills stagnated for years. I went to Otis College of Art and Design in LA for a semester. Aside from being priced out of the school, I actually hated my time there. I was so burnt out from them that I didn't pick up a pencil to draw for three months. I had even thought of switching majors to something medical. It was a combination of the workload and people that got to me.

After several years of working, I moved to the SF Bay Area. After living here for a year, a friend of mine tells me about AAU after seeing their booth at GDC(Game Developers Conference). AAU was holding an open studio on Saturday, so we both went. I signed up that day after a tour of the illustration dept and the main building. I'm now heading into my fourth semester this fall, and I just love it here. The teachers are awesome and my fellow students are awesome. The workload is overwhelming sometimes, but there is always someone to help either by giving time to critique or holding workshops.

I know some people see art school as a waste of time and money. I really don't think so. There are some people who can teach themselves how to draw, how to use certain programs, etc. Others, like myself, need a little helping hand.

I'm also a convention artist for Anime los Angeles. I've been drawing for them for two years now. Hopefully this year they'll give me better deadlines. In the last two years, they waited until the last minute before asking me for work. This does not equal my best work.