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So You Want To Be a Video Game Artist
news.gotgame.com — To strive, succeed, and rise above in the incredibly competitive field of design essentially means becoming a professional. Art in its many varied forms has, and always will be, a staple of every human culture that has ever walked the Earth. Learn how to shape, sell, and flaunt your existing talent.
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- atavena, on 07/02/2008, -0/+9Nice article. Good perspective on those who want to actually pursue a career in game design.
- haet, on 07/02/2008, -0/+5Same goes for the entertainment industry in general--- movies, comics. Very competitive fields. Great article!
- industryfinest, on 07/02/2008, -3/+6I Digg
- Britney90210, on 07/02/2008, -2/+8I think I could do this kind of work.
- jmuhlbie, on 07/02/2008, -4/+5Ditto.
- FukUrCouch, on 07/02/2008, -6/+1If you want to become a video game artist look at this video....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_S2mL_n8-w- BestJaxx, on 07/02/2008, -0/+2SPAM!!! I have already seen that commercial twenty times anyway.
- CougarDavis, on 07/02/2008, -0/+1Not Intended for residents of Texas or Massachusetts
- slyzxx, on 07/02/2008, -1/+6i`ve already given up
- listereo, on 07/03/2008, -0/+0Great! One less person to compete with...
- thedinomeister, on 07/02/2008, -9/+4That would be something I could get into doing in the future. Currently I'm in Industrial Design, but I want to do a lot of concept work.
here's my portfolio website: http://www.kdtdesign.com I'm a 2nd year student, but if you click on the links to my DevArt you might see some of my more applicable stuff. I also did some concept work for my GF's book which you can see is also linked in the site. In addition, the website reffered to in this article is also linked on my website (concept art).
lol, you don't have to, but I would appreciate it if you clicked on the ads in my site so I can save up for a Wacom Cintiq --costs about 2000 bucks :( (thanks in advance).- artfiend77, on 07/03/2008, -1/+1You're not getting your Cintiq afore I gets mine boyyyy!
That is a sweet, sweet device though....- thedinomeister, on 07/03/2008, -0/+1we have something in common I see...
do you have an online portfolio I can check out? - artfiend77, on 07/03/2008, -0/+1hey, here it is, i'm a freelance illustrator
www.leakypenny.com
Just put it up, enjoy :) - thedinomeister, on 07/03/2008, -0/+1wow, you have some very nice work! I LOVE your website too! amazing!
you've got something special, keep at it-- you have a good future ahead of you.
-dino - artfiend77, on 07/03/2008, -0/+1Thanks man! If ONLY you knew how long it took me to settle on that website, I drove myself insane going over revision after revision, but I learnt Html and CSS on my own, and I think web design is somethign I want to get into.
Keep at it dude, you're stuffs professional and clean,
Cheers
- thedinomeister, on 07/03/2008, -0/+1we have something in common I see...
- artfiend77, on 07/03/2008, -1/+1You're not getting your Cintiq afore I gets mine boyyyy!
- Kenzan, on 07/02/2008, -0/+10The key to anything in life is persistence. Just don't give up. Period. No matter what. If you do this, you will succeed eventually.
(Takes bong hit)- mattlohkamp, on 07/03/2008, -0/+1the key to life is bong hits.
- TVKin, on 07/03/2008, -0/+1I approve of this comment.
- mattlohkamp, on 07/03/2008, -0/+1the key to life is bong hits.
- TwoKill, on 07/02/2008, -1/+4Or go to Digipen in Redmond, they crank out dozens of people (both artist and programmers) a year that get jobs directly in the game industry. Even if you drop out the number of connections you make in the industry are incredible.
- coldkodiak, on 07/02/2008, -0/+4If you suck, you still suck. Noone is hiring anyone that sucks except for companies that suck.
- jontando, on 07/02/2008, -0/+1True, but I've spent about half my time with new hires straight from these schools breaking them of bad habits learned there. It usually takes about a month or two before they are comfortable and doing things correctly.
- havocjaw, on 07/02/2008, -0/+2If you side with Buckethead, you can't be wrong.
The article made some good points. I guess the main idea was that you need to be more than an artist to succeed. - jontando, on 07/02/2008, -0/+3I'm the Senior Artist on my current project at a game company, and this article pretty much nails it.
You can have great artistic ability but you also need to know the tools used, or at least have a modicum of working knowledge in their use, to be even considered for an interview.- blacktriangle, on 07/02/2008, -0/+2Absolutely true. Learn Maya and become an absolute master at rigging and modeling, or for that matter, master any aspect of CG that you can use as a niche skill.
- coldkodiak, on 07/02/2008, -0/+7http://www.coldconcept.net/
I'm working. If you're better than me, go ahead and apply, you'll get a job somewhere, pretty sure of it.- coldkodiak, on 07/02/2008, -0/+4btw, I might seem narcisstic, but honestly, I have friends trying to get jobs right now who are 3-6 months out of college, and still looking. It isn't easy to get your foot in unless you're really dedicated to this stuff...
- thedinomeister, on 07/02/2008, -0/+1how much do you get paid?
do you work straight onto a cintiq?
do you use corel painter?
what was your major and where did you go to college?- coldkodiak, on 07/03/2008, -0/+3I get paid 42 g (which is the average starting salary for my position according to gamasutra surveys)
no I don't work with a cintique, but there are a couple guys in my office who do.
I rarely use painter. I never liked traditional mediums, so painter is barking up the wrong tree for me.
my major was Game Art & Design over @ http://www.artinstitutes.edu/sanfrancisco/
I honestly don't recommend the school if you're a self motivated person. For what you're paying, you might as well get as many gnomon dvds as you can, and spend 3 years learning from them locked in your room. The time you spend individually on your own time learning things for yourself is where you'll pick up most of you abilities.
hope that helps
- coldkodiak, on 07/03/2008, -0/+3I get paid 42 g (which is the average starting salary for my position according to gamasutra surveys)
- artfiend77, on 07/03/2008, -0/+1Sweet portfolio man
And yes, you're right, you got to breath, eat, sleep and ***** this stuff if you even want to get noticed by big name companies.
- cubicledrone, on 07/02/2008, -2/+5Some definitions:
1. "Incredibly competitve" means they put six starving dogs with remote controlled electro-shock clamps on their balls in a ring with a rabbit covered in barbeque sauce. The dog that eats gets paid.
2. "Talent" means the ability to live on $1.12 a week.
3. "Succeed" means you don't get fired after the game ships.
4. "Rise above" means you get a weekend off.
5. "Strive" means to try to get along with the rat ***** lying horseass project manager.- rheaume, on 07/02/2008, -0/+3Love it. Im out after 9 years in it.
- patorama, on 07/02/2008, -1/+4Yeah that article could really screw up someone trying to get a job in this industry. Studios are looking for incredibly specific skills for incredibly specific positions. There is no reason that a person interested in becoming a concept illustrator would have to know how to model in Maya. Those are two completely different jobs. The technical artist that she talked to would never worry about life drawing and basic perspective in illustration, those skills simply don't contribute to that job. I guess this is why you don't take advice about getting into the game industry from someone outside the game industry.
- coldkodiak, on 07/02/2008, -0/+2" I guess this is why you don't take advice about getting into the game industry from someone outside the game industry."
Then take it from me, you're wrong, the writer is right.
My tech lead can draw and paint better than me. He's good in all facets of art, because he needs to know how to make something look good, not just hardcore tech.
Same sort of logic applies to concept art.
The more you know about everything, the better.- cubicledrone, on 07/02/2008, -0/+0If the concept illustrator doesn't know Maya it gives the rat ***** project manager a reason to fire them for not having enough "marketable skills" so they can be replaced with a 30 cent an hour intern.
"Incredibly specific skills" is corporate-speak for "we don't want to pay you." - patorama, on 07/02/2008, -0/+0I'm just saying my studio has 6 concept artists, and none of them have to worry about cracking open Maya or digging around in the Engine. They spend their entire day in Photoshop or Painter illustrating...because they are illustrators. Most studios hire based on very specific skills.
That's great that your tech lead can draw and paint, I can too. But the studios I applied to didn't really look at my illustration work because I was applying for a user interface gig. I wasn't going to be spending my day doing it, so they weren't too concerned whether or not I could. - TVKin, on 07/03/2008, -0/+0I suppose I could have been more direct about how these are 'plus'es and not necessities; an added bonus in comparison to something that you absolutely NEED to get a job.
- cubicledrone, on 07/02/2008, -0/+0If the concept illustrator doesn't know Maya it gives the rat ***** project manager a reason to fire them for not having enough "marketable skills" so they can be replaced with a 30 cent an hour intern.
- blacktriangle, on 07/02/2008, -0/+1What even more depressing was something I witnessed firsthand on a consistent basis. Guys inside the industry needed workers, and I wont mention companies (SCEA) would get their friends who had NO game experience and could hardly operate in Windows. Literally, guys working a forklift would be asked to become a rigger, just because he was friends with the right people.
What I'm saying is that contacts can often be more effective than a portfolio...or even experience.- TVKin, on 07/03/2008, -0/+0When I was just starting out, I was offered a job by a small company and kept asking myself one question: "WHY DID YOU HIRE ME?" My art wasn't BAD at the time but it certainly isn't up to the high standards I hold it to these days, but that's besides the point. Why me when there were plenty of other artists that were above my calibre, ones who might have worked for *cheaper*? Because I knew the right guys, and we'd been friends for a long time.
So it's definitely give and take. I was thinking of putting comments about 'who you know' into the article itself but I figured that'd give it a 'bitter curmudgeon' vibe that could've distracted from the greater point. - Dracusis, on 07/03/2008, -0/+1Yeah, I know heaps of people working for game companies who really shouldn't be. Egos get in the way, and sometimes the less favourable comfy choice gets made even if it isn't the best one. THis isn't an art related thing either, it happens with all aspects of design and programming/engineering too.
Maybe that's why so many studios turn out rather crappy games.
- TVKin, on 07/03/2008, -0/+0When I was just starting out, I was offered a job by a small company and kept asking myself one question: "WHY DID YOU HIRE ME?" My art wasn't BAD at the time but it certainly isn't up to the high standards I hold it to these days, but that's besides the point. Why me when there were plenty of other artists that were above my calibre, ones who might have worked for *cheaper*? Because I knew the right guys, and we'd been friends for a long time.
- TVKin, on 07/03/2008, -0/+0Aaaactually, I authored the article (i'm please to see it got this much coverage!), and I've worked as a concept artist for two games; I nearly worked in concept for the documentary detailing the Singularity theory from Ray Kurzweil. In the end, I've lost OUT on gaming jobs *because* my skills, while formidable, do not compare to say, someone from LucasArts.
So you could say I'm outside the industry, but I will say this: Anyone who hires a senior art director that DOESN'T have all of the basics of drawing figured out is an idiot. The fact of the matter is that even if you do set dressing, you HAVE to know the basics of lighting, composition, use of negative space and above all, lifedrawing. Why? Because everything that's technical is in some way related to the human body; you only get better at things like perspective and technical drawings when you understand the organic component that needs to eventually fit into it all.
Otherwise, yeah, part of it IS in who you know, it's not skill or talent-- but I challenge you to find something post-SNES/Genesis era that didn't suffer greatly from not having a professional artist at the helm (or at the very least someone who had potential to be professional).
- coldkodiak, on 07/02/2008, -0/+2" I guess this is why you don't take advice about getting into the game industry from someone outside the game industry."
- etoiles, on 07/02/2008, -0/+2This is the most insane thing I have ever seen:
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/usermovies/1935 ...- mikec00l, on 07/03/2008, -0/+1I was wishing it was a real game the whole time.
- ITNick, on 07/02/2008, -0/+3You need to learn how to tighten up the graphics, hold on to your controllers because this takes hours!
- LLamaStar, on 07/02/2008, -0/+3If you just started working towards getting into the game industry as an artist...i encourage you to post your work on these forums:
http://polycount.com/
http://www.game-artist.net/forums/ - whiteguysamurai, on 07/02/2008, -1/+5Learning more than one modeling program helps.
2D artists are a dime a dozen, that includes myself..But making a great presentation is the key to getting somewhere.
Also, working for free helps.- cubicledrone, on 07/02/2008, -0/+1"2D artists are a dime a dozen."
*****.- chiefbandit2200, on 07/03/2008, -0/+1No, that's pretty true.
- LLamaStar, on 07/03/2008, -0/+2There's a difference between someone who can draw and someone who can design.
Maya or Max - pick one and master it. Once you've mastered one, you can learn the other with no problems. - artfiend77, on 07/03/2008, -0/+1GOOD, competent, consistent 2D artists aren't.
- solid12345, on 07/03/2008, -0/+1Define 2D artist? I am not a master illustrator but my typography and layout skills are good, I've seen so many people who can make beautiful illustrations yet when it comes to designing, they throw comic sans on as a font and decorate packaging with pixelated flowers.
- artfiend77, on 07/03/2008, -0/+1ugh...don't forget the damn Photoshop Filters......damn you Adobe
- cubicledrone, on 07/02/2008, -0/+1"2D artists are a dime a dozen."
- blacktriangle, on 07/02/2008, -0/+5I don't mean to burst your bubble of working like a slave in Maya, but this industry is not as glamorous and exciting as you might imagine. The game industry is notoriously hard on their employees, and I can say this having been a long time worker in this industry. These companies expect you to work very long exhausting hours, create very rushed products under stressful deadlines, will lay off entire divisions for under performing products. Above all, you will have little time to actually game. This is why the turnover rate within the industry is very high.
P.S.
My eye sight is ***** up as a result of endless hours of patching artifacted model scan data. I used to sit there and rebuild mesh topography, my official job title was 'modeler'. That was an absolutely thankless job.- LLamaStar, on 07/03/2008, -0/+1It varies...bad companies will push their employees like slaves with nothing in return...good companies reward those who push themselves with royalties and other perks.
- TexasFlood93, on 07/03/2008, -0/+6Just don't forget to tighten up the graphics on Level 3.
- solid12345, on 07/03/2008, -0/+1The texture mapping on that model is very Miyamoto...
- artfiend77, on 07/03/2008, -0/+2Right, but as an illustrator I can come up with the most kick as concept EVER. It doesn't mean ***** if the 3D guys can't model them, or are having a hard time modeling them to the point where the project is delayed. An illustrator has to know 3D in the sense that he needs to know how to push the 3D guys, and also know their capabilities. Modelers don't necessarily need to be really good at drawing, but they need to have a decent amount of artistic skill in order to render the artists' vision.
@blacktriangle
Totally right man, when EA and Ubisoft a few years earlier opened up in Montreal, forget going through interviews, more than 3/4 of the positions were filled already through references. - solid12345, on 07/03/2008, -0/+2Let's not forget the one thing people never mention
It is all about who you know
I've been offered a job by a smaller gaming company which I will not name but they developed a breakthrough hit for EA back in 2002, all because a relative is good friends with one of the top guys. Plus since this company is located in the midwest it is hard to attract LA and NY quality talent. - ragingflamerboy, on 07/03/2008, -0/+1Don't forget - this ad(blog?) forgets one thing. It kind of gives the impression that successful video game artists(workers?) only work on big titles. Well, that's not the truth. You'll be doing a lot of ***** and mediocrity. A great game only comes around every now and then.
- har0ld, on 07/03/2008, -0/+1Art and design are not only about graphic stuffs ffs! Art is used for representation in digital games it can can either be Audio or Visual. Guess what it's both from MGS4 to Peggle. Plus game design on top of it.
So please stop being 3D, shaders, graphic-centered about art and design problematics. It's way, way larger than that. - Jarasmen, on 07/03/2008, -0/+1Yay, so it seems doing Computer Graphics at a technical uni and Art at an art school at the same time might actually pay off. There may be hope for me!
- PopASquatt, on 07/03/2008, -0/+1I seriously was considering this, but the more I read the more I doubt I'm going to do this. Looks like I'll be a carpenter after all.
- ZackPack, on 07/06/2008, -0/+0Good read
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