Otis College Sophomore Zoe Asis on How Summer of Art Prepared Her for College Life
“Summer of Art was a great stepping stone for me. It gave me the summer to explore the campus and get used to the college-level learning environment.”
Otis College’s Summer of Art is a four-week pre-college program aimed at high school students ages 14.5 to 19. Students explore college-level courses in art and design, refine their skills, and build their portfolios in a studio-based environment. For current Otis College undergraduate student Zoe Asis (’27 Animation), Summer of Art also introduced her to a community of like-minded creatives and gave her a taste of college life. “I re-enrolled in Summer of Art because of the magical experience I was able to have. It was the first time I was able to just fully study art and I was crazy for more,” Zoe says. Read more about her experience in the program below.
Zoe Asis (’27 Animation)
Los Angeles, California
Career Goal: Storyboard artist for feature animation
Zoe heard about Otis College’s Summer of Art program through the high school nonprofit Ryman Arts, which has hosted college-level art classes on the Otis campus. Zoe applied for and won a Ryman Arts scholarship to attend Summer of Art after her junior year. “It was such a blessing because I was able to study 3D animation and figure drawing. I ended up meeting two of my professors, one of whom I am currently taking a class with in my sophomore year! It really has been a full circle experience,” Zoe says.
She returned to Summer of Art in the summer after her senior year, before she started Otis College as a Foundation-year student. “Junior year was a great introduction to Otis College to practice ‘what if’ I was a college student,” she says. “Summer of Art really helped me decide that Otis was the place I wanted to go for college. Senior year was a really unique experience because I had graduated high school and been accepted into Otis College, but I had not started yet, so Summer of Art was a great stepping stone for me. It gave me the summer to explore the campus and get used to the college-level learning environment. I felt extra prepared for my first year at Otis.”
During Summer of Art, Zoe was able to develop her portfolio after taking classes in figure drawing, character design, and animation. “I did have a strong foundation of art skills but I knew that I needed to grow. I could animate and draw but I did not know any of the technical terms and techniques,” she says. “After my two summers I had grown an excellent portfolio…. The Summer of Art curriculum was just right for what my skills were at the time. It was definitely rigorous at times, I won’t lie—figure drawing, I’m looking at you—but I was able to adjust my skills quickly.”
She also acclimated to Otis’s campus and community before enrolling as a full-time student. “I was able to work in the actual animation computer labs,” she says. “I also got to know a lot of really nice students and some of my professors. Summer of Art was a good way to get plugged in and get the vibe of the campus, which is friendly, welcoming, and full of so much love. I was able to find people who love art just like me!.... Some of the classmates I bonded with during Summer of Art actually became some of my good friends at Otis. It was cool because we were able to carry our community from Summer of Art into our years as college students. Even if you don’t go to Otis College, you can make so many meaningful connections that can last for a lifetime.”
Key Things I Learned at Summer of Art
- How to thrive in a college environment: Summer of Art is like a crash course into what it is like to attend an art college. I ate in the cafeteria, learned how to get my student ID, and also learned how to juggle college-level homework while communicating with my professors. Some students chose to dorm as well. I did not dorm, but a lot of my friends did and they were able to see what it was like to live on campus.
- How to draw at a college level: Summer of Art allowed me to grow my art skills to a college level. I was able to learn how to figure draw with professional techniques and learn a lot of insights about the animation industry. This helped me grow my confidence for when I started Otis in my first year.
My Typical Day During Summer of Art
First, I would drive to school and go up to my classroom in either the Figure Drawing workspace or Animation lab. I would have a class lecture in the morning and then go eat lunch down in the cafeteria for an hour with my friends. The afternoon was work time, where I would be given fun projects—making an animated character, coming up with a new story, drawing a new set of figures—and the professors would give me their critiques and expertise on how I could bring them to the next level. Summer of Art would host events like a portfolio review with the Admissions office so I could see if my portfolio would be a good fit for Otis College (it was!).
Advice for Someone Considering Summer of Art
The advice I would give to a student or parent who is unsure about enrolling at Summer of Art is to at least try it once. If you are trying to see what it is like to be at Otis College or any art college in general, then Summer of Art is the right program. Not only do you learn about college-level coursework, but you are able to get used to campus life as well. Another way to see if Summer of Art is a fit is to look into the K-12 Extension classes during the year that Otis offers. They can be a great way to connect to the campus on the weekends.
More Information About Otis College’s Summer of Art Program
Join Our Upcoming Summer of Art Info Session
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