Independent Research & Questionaire

Possible Job Roles in the Moving Image Industry

Animator : Character, Special Effect, Technical, Colourists, Lead Animator, Cleanup (Inbetweens between main keys)
Previs (A 3D technical team takes responsibility for converting 2D storyboarding to how each shot will look in 3D).
Storyboard Artist / Story Artist, Layout Artist (Camera angles, determining where the camera takes the position for the shot.) - Director. Jaime brought up today in class that the storyboard artist or story artist is often the route employees take in the animation industry to progress to a director. This is presumably because the story artist takes a lot of responsibility for the end visuals for the animation.)
Compositing (Final editing and bringing together all of the visual elements.)
Cinematography, DOP - Director of Photography,
Sound- Foley (life sounds)
Character Design. It was brought up in class that this job is particularly to sort after in the industry and is difficult to acquire as a job.
Concept Design
Environment Design
Modelling - Hard surface modeller, Character modeller, Organic Modeller,
Texturing
SFX, Effects
Producer
Matte Painting (These talented artists are individuals who create backgrounds and elements for film which often - particularly today, appear seamless within highly realistic film. These environments now appear believable and flawless.
Runners

One of the major points in context with this module was our teacher talking about his and some colleagues' experience's; the very starting point in getting your first job in the industry. There are advantages and disadvantages of working for a small-medium sized company as opposed to a large company. In conclusion, it really depends on the individuals own preference to where he or she wants to be within the industry. For example, large-scale companies such as Disney Pixar are more likely to have specialist animators in contrast to a smaller company which may have more generalist based roles. I believe I may be more suited to a generalist role considering my current situation since I have a wide range of skills but none of them have I perfected. Though truly, when do we ever stop learning? This is why a learning and development plan is so imperative to my getting a career in the future. I have a rough idea of where I see myself in the future, but I am open to other routes as well. Currently, my goal is to work for a large company but I first intend to work for smaller companies to gain experience and skill within the industry.

Things to research for presentation:

Books
Journals
Magazines
Questionaire Design

First Questionaire Design:

What is it this questionnaire intends to achieve?

The information I intend to gather from individuals within the industry, aims to give me a basis upon which I negotiate my career path. The roles of which I am interested are either a character animator / designer, or a concept artist within the animation industry.

The goals I wish to achieve are mainly to see where they first began their career and the requirements they believe were necessary and what is now necessary in working in the contemporary animation industry. The information they will provide should give an idea of how an individual can get into the industry of concept art, and how one could do it today. Something to consider is also that separate companies will operate differently and may want junior animators to approach them differently which is why this research and data is so essential that is quantitative; to give me comparative research to give a stronger basis on which to plan my career pathway.

My questionnaire intends to ask both open ended and focused questions, so I can retrieve opinion, experience and feeling as opposed to very factual based answers. Personally, I am interested in working for a larger established studio as opposed to a smaller based one, so many of my interviewees will be those who are working on larger projects. However, I realise that many of these may not reply and I will have to consider smaller companies. I also would like to have a broad range of skills rather than being a ‘specialist’ so it may be that I would fit better into a smaller company.

During a progress meeting for our interviews and research: we discussed being proactive gives a good first impression so emailing regularly is a must! Some of the other things that need to be considered and taken into account:

Be polite

· Don’t be too desperate: trying to hard is quite repelling.

· Create a friendship and build rapport- be genuine, communicate- share feelings and ideas.

· Don’t be arrogant.

· Be strategic in your emailing- so as I mentioned beforehand about emailing less established companies’ employees as well as emailing in abundance as only 2/10 may actually reply!

The information I acquire from the questionnaire I create needs to retrieve different types of information: personal, facts, opinions and general information. While opinion is very interesting and may be helpful to some extent that it may get me a job at a certain company, the information is neither helpful nor reliable as how to get into the industry. Questions must be asked with a purpose of getting enough information of how they got into the industry. In this sense, it may be helpful asking questions with a sense of time- asking what they did in the past. In order for me to suitably understand, I will need to critically evaluate and compare the information I have been given in order to see clear and unclouded route for my career path.

Getting people to answer my questionnaire

Personally, I do not enjoy answering questionnaires so I know that I need to cater the questionnaire to individuals in order to get a response. In this sense, I will ask an open question in order to retrieve an opinion.

1 What is it you enjoy most about concept art?

This question is quite open with a sense of giving the interviewee a chance to talk about their compassion quite freely, opening up to further conversation. This is a relatively easy question for them to answer, so once the first question is answered it doesn’t seem quite as daunting to answer the other 9.

2 Did you go to art school or university? Where did you educate yourself for your position of work? Are there any classes you take or things you do to keep yourself up-to-date in the industry?

This question is a closed question and I am interested to see whether a university degree is needed or simply an amazing portfolio. My main interest is to gather the latest class information to see what is relevant right now.

3 How did you get your first job and your first interview? Do you have an advice on what a junior concept artist can be doing to land his or her first job?

This question gets straight to the point and is an open question to retrieve the exact information I am trying to retrieve from the individual. Since it is so open, the information retrieved may be sparse but hopefully helpful.

4 Networking is really vital in the arts industry. As a junior concept artist, how did you make and meet contacts? How do you maintain your relationships with those in the industry?

5 What are your three main points for building a strong portfolio? Feel free to add more than 3!

6 What has your favourite entry level artwork that you worked on that was particularly memorable for you?

7 How do you market yourself for your job? Do you freelance at all?

8 Do you have any books, training or online learning materials you could recommend to me for becoming a stronger artist?

9 Did you experience any pitfalls as a junior concept artist? If you could go back to your younger self, or give a young budding concept artist any advice, what would it be?

10 If you were in my position, are there any questions you think I should be asking that I need to know about the industry?

11 What has been your typical experience in job interviews? How can a junior concept artist prepare for a job interview and what kind of questions should we expect?

12 Are you a generalist or a specialist?

13 Could you walk me through a typical day of your activities at work?

14 Do you have any inspirations or artists you admire?

15 Competition is high. How do you differentiate yourself from other artists in the industry?

I have been advised to keep my questionnaire short so I will be rearranging these questions as to maintain interest from my interviewee. If I do manage to acquire face-to-face interviews or phone calls I will be met with the opportunity to ask more questions as it is far more engaged.

First Email Design

I considered the possibility that some people may be ignore an external link so will be sending the questions as an email.

Hello. I am currently a Major-Minor Animation/Illustration student at the University of Worcester. I would really appreciate the opportunity to interview you, as I am currently interviewing individuals as part of a research project. I am really fascinated and hopeful to become a concept artist and am studying how those individuals, such as yourself, got into the industry. All answers provided will be treated with confidentiality and anonymity if you would like this or require this for your job.

Best wishes,

Danni Chan

What is it you enjoy most about your job and concept art?
Did you go to art school or university and what did you study? Are there any classes you take or things you like to do to keep yourself up-to-date in the industry?
How did you land your first job and your first interview? Do you have an advice on what a junior concept artist can be doing to land his or her first job?
Networking is really vital in the arts industry. As a junior concept artist, how did you make and meet contacts? How do you maintain your relationships with those in the industry?
What are your three main points for building a strong portfolio? Feel free to add more than 3
How do you market yourself for your job? Do you freelance at all?
Did you experience any pitfalls as a junior concept artist
Do you have any books, training or online learning materials you could recommend to me for becoming a stronger artist?
What has been your typical experience in job interviews? How can a junior concept artist prepare for a job interview and what kind of questions should we expect?
If you could go back to your younger self, or give a young budding concept artist any advice, what would it be?
If you were in my position, are there any questions you think I should be asking that I need to know about the industry?

Extra Questions - While I don't really require his information, these are questions I would like to ask simply because it is interesting for me. I will experiment with sending emails with these 11 questions (since I have gone over the 10 by adding the last ever so slightly.) If I get many responses I may try lengthening my questionnaire.

Are you a generalist or a specialist?
Could you walk me through a typical day of your activities at work?
Do you have any inspirations or artists you admire?
What has your favourite entry level artwork that you worked on that was particularly memorable for you.

I already have two existing contacts within the industry Jason Pickthall and Frank Victoria- two well established concept artists working and successful within their profession. Months back when we met, and after attending a careers advice meeting at the University- it was recommended I set up a LinkedIn account, and I followed this up by going to the University's LinkedIn start up class back in January last year.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/danni-chan-166961131/

As a result I asked both Jason and Frank to add me as a connection when I met them in person. This has opened up a lot of opportunities to me as many other professionals now have accepted connection requests allowing me to message them. It is a very open and intuitive tool allowing professionals in the same area of the industry to find one another.

Questionaire Responses

Concept Artists

01[ANONYMOUS]

[STATE YOUR NAME & POSITION] What is it you enjoy most about your job and concept art?

creating and designing things that have never been seen before

Did you go to art school or university and what did you study? Are there any classes you take or things you like to do to keep yourself up-to-date in the industry?

I studied product design at university.  I still undertake online courses from time to time

How did you land your first job and your first interview? Do you have an advice on what a junior concept artist can be doing to land his or her first job?

lost of luck but always be prepared to be able to make the most of any luck you may have.  Keep up to date portfolio

Networking is really vital in the arts industry. As a junior concept artist, how did you make and meet contacts? How do you maintain your relationships with those in the industry?

Meet up at Industry events as much as you can i.e. Industry Workshop, Develop. Often these arent cheap but they can be useful

What are your three main points for building a strong portfolio? Feel free to add more than 3

originality in content and theme. Strong fundamentals i.e. light, shadow, anatomy, perspective etc. Only include your very best work.  Better to have 5 great pieces than 10 mediocre pieces

How do you market yourself for your job? Do you freelance at all?

I attend and network at aforementioned industry events. I use LinkedIn more than alot of artists.  Social media can be potent if you are active on it

Did you experience any pitfalls as a junior concept artist?

Complacency, becoming disheartened and being too influenced on popular trends

Do you have any books, training or online learning materials you could recommend to me for becoming a stronger artist?

too many to list here but there is no substitute for hard work and just keep practising and studying.  Schoolism is a good start. But there are no shortcuts

What has been your typical experience in job interviews? How can a junior concept artist prepare for a job interview and what kind of questions should we expect?

Be prepared to talk about your work and what influences you as an artist.

Q10

If you could go back to your younger self, or give a young budding concept artist any advice, what would it be?

concentrate on your voice in your work.  Dont get caught up in Artstation trends.  Find something that is personal to you.  No one can be a better version of you than you

02[JENNY HARDER]

[STATE YOUR NAME & POSITION] What is it you enjoy most about your job and concept art?

Jenny Harder, Concept Artist. I love creating characters and bringing ideas to life. I also enjoy having a job that I love to come to every morning.

Did you go to art school or university and what did you study? Are there any classes you take or things you like to do to keep yourself up-to-date in the industry?

I studied business and Japanese (BA) and only did a 1 year MA in Visual Communication. I dont think to be a good artist a certain degree is necessary (but ofc its good to have one!) - doing this job is a lot of dedication, practise and hard work. Doing life drawing and constant studies of any form help a lot.

How did you land your first job and your first interview? Do you have an advice on what a junior concept artist can be doing to land his or her first job?

Take what you can get! My first 100 applications got all rejected to so went for an unpaid internship in a games company. Two hard working years later I got a first well paid job which opened all sorts of opportunities in the industry. The beginning is hard but just getting a foot in the door helps.

Networking is really vital in the arts industry. As a junior concept artist, how did you make and meet contacts? How do you maintain your relationships with those in the industry?

I am going to several art and networking events yearly, it helps meeting people and getting news about the industry. everyone knows everyone, so start making friends early and go to meetups, sketchclubs etc. If you are looking for a job knowing a friend who knows someone is gold in our industry. I am in regular contact with all people on social media (FB/Linkedin etc) and make sure to maintain a good bond with my contacts.

What are your three main points for building a strong portfolio? Feel free to add more than 3

1. Know what job you want to do, it will define what you need in your portfolio. 2. Only add images that are GREAT, if you add one bad image that's what u will be likely judged on 3. Look at the structure and content of other portfolios 4. Its good to have variety if thats what you want to do, but if you apply for a realistic character design job, only add that kind of content.

How do you market yourself for your job? Do you freelance at all?

Stay active on social media, artstation, twitter etc. Having many connections on FB helps too as your friends will see you updates - your friends also being your industry contacts. And yes I freelance when I have time. Its a good source of extra work and money if you are organised and can manage time well. Make sure to sleep enough :P

Did you experience any pitfalls as a junior concept artist?

All the time. Not getting a job, people telling me I wasn't good enough, not feeling good enough etc - but all this makes a great drive to become better and strive for more. Staying motivated and dedicated to your passion will undoubtedly get you where you want to go.

Do you have any books, training or online learning materials you could recommend to me for becoming a stronger artist?

Life drawing, other artists, asking for feedback on your work, studying and recreating old masters and art you admire. I personally prefer learning by doing.

What has been your typical experience in job interviews? How can a junior concept artist prepare for a job interview and what kind of questions should we expect?

In games they often want you to be an avid gamer and understand the basics of game mechanics. At Gobo they say "everyone is a designer". That can vary depending on the company though. Being confident, true to your work but open for feedback is a good attitude. Companies look for passion and potential, you dont have to be the best (yet) only showing the promise that you could be ;)

Q10

If you could go back to your younger self, or give a young budding concept artist any advice, what would it be?

Dont let anyone tell you what you can and can't do. There are no limits and if you want to be at Disney in 5 years, hell, make it happen!

03[NIKOLAY GEORGIEV]

[STATE YOUR NAME & POSITION] What is it you enjoy most about your job and concept art?

Nikolay Georgiev, Lead Concept Artist at Splash Damage

Did you go to art school or university and what did you study? Are there any classes you take or things you like to do to keep yourself up-to-date in the industry?

I have studied art since highschool, so my education started quite early. I was quite into comic books and superheroes, as well as drawing, so art school was an easy choice. in highschool I studied fine art, drawing, sculpture, printed graphics was my major for the second half of it. My higher education was in poster design and visual communication/graphic design, with accompanying fine art fundamental training(painting, figure drawing, illustration, typography). All my education took place in my home country(Bulgaria), but I also attended a couple of side cources - one in 2d animation and one semester in the sketchbook class in TheArtDepartament(online). As far as staying up to date in the industry, I try to expose myself to current games/films, as well as occasionally watching tutorials or interviews/talks by artists/developers that I admire. Lastly, keeping a sketchbook I find is a good way to maintain exploring ideas and practicing my creative process.

How did you land your first job and your first interview? Do you have an advice on what a junior concept artist can be doing to land his or her first job?

My story is an odd one, so I wouldn't give it as a tip on how to land a job - I joined a local digital art forum in my home country and entered a 2d challenge. after completeing the challenge(not winning or anything) I was offered my first job by one of the admins, who turned out to be the art director in one of the game development studios there. If I have to provide any advice to a junior, it would be to make sure to have good enough fundamentals, so that they don't get in the way of expressing ones thoughts and ideas, understanding design fundamentals and their application in games, and last, but not least - have something to say with your art and show that you can be creative within the boundaries of the industry you are interested in!

Networking is really vital in the arts industry. As a junior concept artist, how did you make and meet contacts? How do you maintain your relationships with those in the industry?

joining forums, chatting with people on facebook or artstation, connecting with linkedin, going to industry events when possible.. media or platform doesn't really matter, people in the games industry are generally nice and open, friendships are built easily and people like to help each other.

What are your three main points for building a strong portfolio? Feel free to add more than 3

top three is top three, let's commit to that :)(not necessarily provided in order of importance): 1. strong fundamentals(drawing, painting, style, consistency); 2. Understanding of design(from graphic design, color theory, typography to function/engineering/practical application and purpose); 3. Creativity, ideas and personality - ability to create something memorable within the boundaries of the industry(games, film, advertisement etc.).

How do you market yourself for your job? Do you freelance at all?

I don't really try to market myself that much, to be honest, I try to maintain the basics - a healthy current portfolio that represents my abilities and occasionally sharing some sketches just to have a connection with the world. I have freelanced in the past, not currently. I have never actively looked for freelance work, since I've had a steady job for a long time, and I've done freelance because the work has excited me at the time.

Did you experience any pitfalls as a junior concept artist?

nothing significant really, the thing that was hardest for me was understanding and improving my design abilities when I started.

Do you have any books, training or online learning materials you could recommend to me for becoming a stronger artist?

for fundamentals in drawing, I would recommend Burne Hogarths Anatomy book as well as Gotfried Bames' Anatomy book, apart from that any typography books, logo design/graphic design albums, history of art. something that was really helpful to me at a certain time when I wanted to learn more about mechanical design was John J Park's Mech design bundle on Gumroad.

What has been your typical experience in job interviews? How can a junior concept artist prepare for a job interview and what kind of questions should we expect?

I would suggest being yourself, be honest, know your strengths and weaknesses. Questions can vary, but as long as you're a motivated, skilled artist and designer and generally a nice person, then it all comes down to an employer making a decision among the candidates they have.

Q10

If you could go back to your younger self, or give a young budding concept artist any advice, what would it be?

Draw more, don't be lazy, learn about design, focus on why you want to be an artist!

04[ANONYMOUS]

[STATE YOUR NAME & POSITION] What is it you enjoy most about your job and concept art?

I love the challenge of design, and the variety of projects I get to work on. It rarely gets dull and it's very satisfying to see projects when theyre complete and on screen.

Did you go to art school or university and what did you study? Are there any classes you take or things you like to do to keep yourself up-to-date in the industry?

I studied Illustration for 4 years at college, and after a 7 year period of work I complete an MA in Digital Games at Liverpool John Moores. I like to keep up to date with new techniques and software when time permits.

How did you land your first job and your first interview? Do you have an advice on what a junior concept artist can be doing to land his or her first job?

My first major job came via a Games networking event, where I showed my portfolio to a concept artist who also worked in the film industry. He was impressed enough to pass my details onto a film Production Designer, who then gave me work on some feature films. My advice to aspiring concept artists is to get their work as close to professional standards as possible, and focus on realistic ideas and designs. Techniques are useful but concept art is about ideation, and good design takes longer to learn than software. Study 'Art of...' books and games/film to look at what goes into the design process. Also keep a tight focus on what you want to do; it can be overwhelming trying to cover all bases, so play to your natural strengths first.

Networking is really vital in the arts industry. As a junior concept artist, how did you make and meet contacts? How do you maintain your relationships with those in the industry?

When I started out, my contacts came from looking people I wanted to work with up online, or contacting companies and asking to show my work. I also attending some networking events, where entertainment companies would be present to talk to. Maintaining relationships within the industry comes from being consistant in your work, and being easy to work with. I have long standing clients that can contact me at short notice to help get their tasks completed.

What are your three main points for building a strong portfolio? Feel free to add more than 3

1. Strong, tangible designs that have a base in reality and are easy to 'read'. Ensure everything you design is thoroughly referenced from the real world. 2. Make your designs speak for themselves, by using focal points, contrast and silhouette where possible. 3. It's good to be versatile, but if you have a strong skill in certain areas, concentrate on that and hone it. 4. Be honest with yourself about your work and take constructive criticism on board, it will help you refine your portfolio. 5. Ensure you have a consistant quality to your portfolio, be bold and take out any weak pieces, or enhance them if needed.

How do you market yourself for your job? Do you freelance at all?

I work entirely on a freelance basis. I use my website and social media to market my work. Also word of mouth is a big part of working freelance

Did you experience any pitfalls as a junior concept artist?

Initially the struggle of getting my work known from a starting position was difficult, as I didn't know any other professionals at the time. Concept art is a very competitive industry, so it can sometimes be tricky to break into the scene and prove yourself. However, this is all overcome if you persevere and keep focus.

Do you have any books, training or online learning materials you could recommend to me for becoming a stronger artist?

I would recommend Gnomon Workshop online, which features some of the world's top artists sharing their knowledge. There are many 'Art of..' books from films/games that I like to learn from, as well as books specific to software/theory/artists from history.

What has been your typical experience in job interviews? How can a junior concept artist prepare for a job interview and what kind of questions should we expect?

Being freelance, my actual interview experience is actually very small. I can expect though to be asked about my speed in completing tasks, my approach to design and sometimes my software of choice/techniques. I would recommend always being honest in your answers, and to be yourself.

Q10

If you could go back to your younger self, or give a young budding concept artist any advice, what would it be?

My advice to younger artists is to reference the real world in everything you design, not to slavishly copy art trends or get bogged down in technique, and not be afraid to aim high.

05[JACK EAVES]

[STATE YOUR NAME & POSITION] What is it you enjoy most about your job and concept art?

Jack Eaves, concept artist at Rebellion, oxford.  What i enjoy most about my job is the constant challenge - concept art is quite tough because you are always having to be creative and come up with ideas and ways to visually solve a problem. At Rebellion we work on 2-3 projects at one time so from week to week i will be using different workflows, styles and different problems to solve.  I prefer concept art specifically compared to illustration as it is not just about making a pleasing, striking image, though this is a part of the job we also have to communicate, collaborate and be part of the wider team to make sure what we make is useful for them, this means our role shifts from project or project. Sometimes i work fully 3d, sometimes photobash, sometimes fully paint, sometimes just lines or even a combination of all 3 and more, whatever will be best for that task.

Did you go to art school or university and what did you study? Are there any classes you take or things you like to do to keep yourself up-to-date in the industry?

I went to two universities where i studied games art. Plymouth of art for 2 years and then 2 years at university for the creative arts in farnham surrey. Now i could rant and rave for hours about how bad universities are, so il stop there ahah.  I dont take any classes but im always following new artists, reading up on their workclows and techniques, trying out new workflow constantly. Such as trying 3d and different ways to integrate it into my work. I also try to read books on art theorys and fundementals. Currently going through andrew loomis creative illustration again to brush up on fundementals. Being aware of what other artists are doing is great and good to learn from but i always try to turn it into my own , combine with my preferenc and strengths to keep from becoming a copy of someone else.

How did you land your first job and your first interview? Do you have an advice on what a junior concept artist can be doing to land his or her first job?

First major experience was an internship at supermassive games where i got to work on until dawn, my first AAA console experience. I saw the internship on their website and applied with my cv and portfolio. I thankfully got the interview and then the placement. This experience inhouse helpex when i applied for rebellion, they weren't looking for a concept artist when i sent them my application but they liked my work so much that they gave me an interview and  hired me anyway.  (very lucky) I had applied to lots of companies before this and had no responses at all. I had 3 art tests but both failed. My advice is that you wont get hired until you can prove you have all the skills to do the job - show every stage of your process. Do pretty illustrations but also line drawing designs of props, character designs, do photo realistic but also stylised. Moody loose paintings and also tight rendered scenes. Show thumnails and other idea generation drawings. Show the full range to prove your knowledge and also your creativity, a beach at sunset with a castle pretty but doesnt tell us much about you or your creative mind. Fell a story, be original, show off you - not just how you can emulate others.

Networking is really vital in the arts industry. As a junior concept artist, how did you make and meet contacts? How do you maintain your relationships with those in the industry?

To be honest for me networking wasnt really something i focused on at all and i would argue that its not as important as everyone stresses (though everyone has a different path). I'm quite reserved and find social interactions to be awkward especially with strangers in groups.  For me portfolio is the main ingredient, you have to prove you can do the job or they can't hire you even if you have a good relationship with people. I have had contacts in the industry before i got my first break and they never lead to work. I also now recommend graduates,  who i have mentored,  for positions at Rebellion and even then all of them but one were declined because their work just wasnt good enough to be offered a job. The best thing about gaining relationships and contacts within the industry is being able to send them your work for feedback / advice so if you are able to do that, do it! But be aware that not every professional will be willing to do this, or at least not for free. A professional eye is always good to have as a student.  Having contacts and networking is always a good thing but must be matched with good work of your own in order to take advantage of those relationships. I know many people with lots of links to the industry yet still yet to be employed. One you get a job and enter it yourself you are able to network a bit easier, you have colleagues that you work woth and then meet people through them, and at any events you might go to. Just enthusing about art in general and not being too bitchy is a good rule of thumb.

What are your three main points for building a strong portfolio? Feel free to add more than 3

1. Show diversity BUT also have a strong area too. You want to have one primary thing that you do great and becomes your selling point, maybe environments, mood sketches, characters or weapons, vehicles. But you also want to show that you arent just a one trick pony and can branch out to other areas of concept art and illustration. That will make you valuable for them in the long term. You just don't want to be 'ok' at everything and get lost in the crowd, you still want that one thing that makes you shine.   2.  Show some progress type images too,  things thst show your thought process, thumbnails and  line sketches, colour roughs, shape exploration etc. This shows further knowledge other than just the end result, important for concept art.  3. Dont shlw anything that miggt distract and confuse the employeyer. Like dont have a 3d section on your portfolio website if you eant want to bea 2d concept artist. Unless perhaps you use 3d in youe concept work and you are good at ot, but then that should be included in your main portfolio. Things like music or website or graphic design would be good to not include them.

How do you market yourself for your job? Do you freelance at all?

I did some freelance i was at uni studying, but this was generally smaller scale stuff - private commissions on deviant art, kickstarter pitch artworks etc. I gained most of this because i was using deviantart for a few years and that seemed to get my name out there and attract people to contact me for comissions. Sincr starting full time work I haven't done any marketing other than just having a website and updating my ArtStation and Facebook but i do still get the occasional commissions that i take on. I cant give much advice on freelance but if you want to keep gaining larger clientsand progressing more in that direction then this is where marketing and networking comes into play much more.

Did you experience any pitfalls as a junior concept artist?

Im not completely sure how to answer this one, what type of pitfalls are you referring to?   I suppose if its your first job then you may find it tougher / take longer to asses the task and figure out how best to approach and solve it. But generally depending on your colleagues you are given the time and direction needed a junior. My advice would just to do your best but don't be afraid of your lead, be open and ask if you have any questions. Try not to over think things, sometimes the most simple approach is best.

Do you have any books, training or online learning materials you could recommend to me for becoming a stronger artist?

Fusroda.Com have a good resources list. Andrew loomis creative illustration book is amazing and eye opening. Scott robertson how to draw books. Ctrllpaint.com is a really amazing tutorial website and highly recommended.

What has been your typical experience in job interviews? How can a junior concept artist prepare for a job interview and what kind of questions should we expect?

My experience of job interviews is very casual. I really wouldnt over think them, especially in the games industry. If you have an interview then it's safe to assume they like your work and now they want to get to know more about you specifically and also dig a little deaper into your knowledge and experiences. All of my interviews have been very similar: They have your cv printed in front of them, your portfolio up on a screen. Ask you questioms about your cv - explain things a little further like your experience at university or  if youve had an internship or something just asking you to explain further what you learned, size of the team etc. All to help assess what experiences you have had and can bring to the team.  Then they ask you to explain a few pieces from your portfolio, maybe what your favourite piece is and why, why you chose to include certain pieces, your work flows etc. The key thing is tl be yourself, they wont care of you are nervous but be sure to sound excited to be there, enthusiastic at drawing, art and games. Make them realise thst you love this, you are passionate. Its surprising how many people are really wierd in interviews, give short answers and look like they couldnt care less if they were there or not - that's a very bad impression.

Q10

If you could go back to your younger self, or give a young budding concept artist any advice, what would it be?

Stress a bit less about what is 'right' and just have fun, enjoy the process, the story and idea behind the work.  Read Andrew loomis Creative illustration and take it seriously and learn from it. I had access to this very early on (free pdf available online) but only really appreciating and understanding how good it is now. Practice storytelling techniques - put characters into environments and scenes, tell a story rather than just a pretty image.

06[MATTHEW SAVAGE]

[STATE YOUR NAME & POSITION] What is it you enjoy most about your job and concept art?

Creativity and knowing your designs will go into a video game.

Did you go to art school or university and what did you study? Are there any classes you take or things you like to do to keep yourself up-to-date in the industry?

I've always studied art throughout my education (primary school to University) Artstation is an well known site that is very often used by professionals, so if you want to size up the competition or get your work seen by other professionals Art Station is a great start.

How did you land your first job and your first interview? Do you have an advice on what a junior concept artist can be doing to land his or her first job?

Research what an exceptable quality portfolio looks like, build a small portfolio, then pester game studios directly. Don't be afraid to be turned away, showing persistence to a studio shows them your passionate and serious about working for them.

Networking is really vital in the arts industry. As a junior concept artist, how did you make and meet contacts? How do you maintain your relationships with those in the industry?

Find out the names of artists you admire and would like to work with, find them on linkedin, message them, explain your situation, most times artists will help up and new coming artist to meet the right people and help them get work because they have been through that process themselves and sympathise. But you have to chase them, you will not acheive anything by not looking or putting effort to talking to people.

What are your three main points for building a strong portfolio? Feel free to add more than 3

Your portfolio must have the following, Showing evidence of strong knowlage of Shape and form, strong understanding of painting and sketching, and be able to construct cool and exciting ideas, taking the firmilia and making people see in a different way.

How do you market yourself for your job? Do you freelance at all?

I am contractor by trade only because I am unable to aquire a full time position, they don't offer full time positions to just anyone, you have to earn it and prove to the studio you are worth keeping.

Did you experience any pitfalls as a junior concept artist?

Regularly,the life of a concept artist it is not an easy road to traverse unfortunetly, if it was there would be more people doing it and being financially successful from it. It takes a long time to get into the industry and equally as hard to stay in, but its so worth it.

Do you have any books, training or online learning materials you could recommend to me for becoming a stronger artist?

My favourite online training site is Ctrl Paint.com by Matt Kohr, his lessons are brilliant, definetly recommend checking him out.

What has been your typical experience in job interviews? How can a junior concept artist prepare for a job interview and what kind of questions should we expect?

Why do want to work for us? What is your previous experience

Q10

If you could go back to your younger self, or give a young budding concept artist any advice, what would it be?

Don't burn the candle at both ends, don't get yourself down and feel like you want to give up, be more persistant with contacting people and really pester them to get a result faster.

07[VLADA HLADKOVA]

[STATE YOUR NAME & POSITION] What is it you enjoy most about your job and concept art?

Opportunity to create for the mass market

Did you go to art school or university and what did you study? Are there any classes you take or things you like to do to keep yourself up-to-date in the industry?

I've studied on a fashion faculty in the university. Anatomy skills and ability to sketch fast variations of a costumes helped me as a character artist in my current job.

How did you land your first job and your first interview? Do you have an advice on what a junior concept artist can be doing to land his or her first job?

My first job required a basic knowledge of painting in photoshop, so much skill wasn't required as it was a Farm game for the online game. I've had very little of an idea of a working process when I've started.

Networking is really vital in the arts industry. As a junior concept artist, how did you make and meet contacts? How do you maintain your relationships with those in the industry?

Mainly you meet people online, of course you can add on a facebook artist, who's work you admire to follow updates, share your work and ask for the feedback.

What are your three main points for building a strong portfolio? Feel free to add more than 3

Not sure that by this time I have a strong portfolio. But it is very important to show your best works first. Keep it sharp, 15 would be more than enough, but always have more to show if the potential employee ask.

How do you market yourself for your job? Do you freelance at all?

Rarely freelance.

Did you experience any pitfalls as a junior concept artist?

Yes, sometimes you feel that you are not good enough for the job that you do, but you will never be satisfied with yourself completely in order to move forward.

Do you have any books, training or online learning materials you could recommend to me for becoming a stronger artist?

Gottfried Bammes for the anatomy, and A Guide for the realist Painter by Games Gurney.

What has been your typical experience in job interviews? How can a junior concept artist prepare for a job interview and what kind of questions should we expect?

Show what you are passionate about. Display your goals and attract your employee with the benefit from having you in their company. You might not be experienced, but fast learning, have enthusiasm, etc.

Q10

If you could go back to your younger self, or give a young budding concept artist any advice, what would it be?

Know yourself a value and be more confident about your skills. If they're inviting you for an interview, you are potentially a good fit. Don't miss the opportunity. best luck!

08[Jack CROCKETT]

Q1

[STATE YOUR NAME & POSITION] What is it you enjoy most about your job and concept art?

Josh Crockett - Freelance concept artist and digital sculptor. What do I enjoy most? That's a tough question. I enjoy my job in general terms, but it is also a lot of long hours and hard work. I guess what I enjoy most is being able to put my spin on an given subject. As a concept artist, you are often given very general descriptions of what is needed and it's up to you to interpret that. I also enjoy the back and forth feedback with clients and hearing their excitement when I show them something that they really like.

Q2

Did you go to art school or university and what did you study? Are there any classes you take or things you like to do to keep yourself up-to-date in the industry?

I did not go to university, though I had a very good art teacher in high school. I am mainly a self-taught artist, if there is such a thing. I learned mainly from peers, and online tutorials.

Q3

How did you land your first job and your first interview? Do you have an advice on what a junior concept artist can be doing to land his or her first job?

I landed my first job through facebook and, in fact, have continued to land jobs and establish freelance clients that way. The main piece of advice I would give is to have a very strong portfolio. Post your work online in as many places as you can.

Q4

Networking is really vital in the arts industry. As a junior concept artist, how did you make and meet contacts? How do you maintain your relationships with those in the industry?

As stated in the previous question: FACEBOOK. It has been an integral tool for getting my work out there and seen.

Q5

What are your three main points for building a strong portfolio? Feel free to add more than 3

Show finished work. That means, full color, fully rendered artwork. One mistake I see a lot with junior artists is putting WIPs in their portfolios. You should have at least 5 really good pieces. 10 is better.

Q6

How do you market yourself for your job? Do you freelance at all?

Again, through facebook and my personal website. Youtube, is a good place to market yourself as well. The strongest marketing tool you can have, is your work itself. If your work is strong it will speak for itself.

Q7

Did you experience any pitfalls as a junior concept artist?

Well, in terms of getting to a point where I was able to support myself and make a living on my art, it took a number of years to get there. A lot of times in the beginning, I didn't make any money, or very little money but I just continued to practice my craft and tried to put out better and better work in order to get noticed.

Q8

Do you have any books, training or online learning materials you could recommend to me for becoming a stronger artist?

There are so many different places to learn. Anything from Gnomon is great. Eat3D. Pixologic. Youtube is also a good place to learn but it takes some sifting to find the worthwhile things there.

Q9

What has been your typical experience in job interviews? How can a junior concept artist prepare for a job interview and what kind of questions should we expect?

As a freelance artist, I've never had to do interviews, but people skills are important of course for communicating with clients.

Q10

If you could go back to your younger self, or give a young budding concept artist any advice, what would it be?

Well, make art would be number one. For a lot of years I didn't make any, and that is one regret that I have. Number 2: Don't let anyone tell you you can't do it. Follow your passion. Do what you love. All that cliche stuff that you always hear, but is actually true.

09[GREG (wished to remain anonymous)]

Q1

[STATE YOUR NAME & POSITION] What is it you enjoy most about your job and concept art?

My name is Greg and I'm a lead concept artist.  I enjoy my job because I get to create and/or discuss art all day.

Q2

Did you go to art school or university and what did you study? Are there any classes you take or things you like to do to keep yourself up-to-date in the industry?

I went to an expensive,  top-of-the-line art school and I studied Fine Arts. It was essentially useless and I was taught nothing. Bit of a long story, but let's just say that I have an art career now despite art school, not because of it.   Yes, of course you must always keep learning and pushing yourself to improve; choosing to be an artist means being a student for life.  To be more specific, mastering 3D tools is almost certainly the best thing (most) aspiring concept artists can do for themselves.

Q3

How did you land your first job and your first interview? Do you have an advice on what a junior concept artist can be doing to land his or her first job?

I'm not a great example; things worked out differently for me. I sort of accidentally got a job as a freelance concept artist, and a few years later I sort of accidentally started an art studio. So I didn't take staff jobs til years later.  Advice for getting an entry level gig:  do great work, learn how portfolios work and how Leads and ADs review them, present your work/site properly, learn/practice basic interviewing skills, then keep applying and networking and you'll get in sooner or later.

Q4

Networking is really vital in the arts industry. As a junior concept artist, how did you make and meet contacts? How do you maintain your relationships with those in the industry?

Go to industry events, take classes (even if online/remote), talk to professionals on social media, or just email them. Many are too busy to reply, but you may be surprised by who'll write you back.  Tbh, for a young person, the thing that'll have people remembering you is probably just having really good, promising work - it's hard to stand out w/ a student reel/portfolio.

Q5

What are your three main points for building a strong portfolio? Feel free to add more than 3

For entry level concept artist:  1) tailor / curate your work to the studio you're applying.  2) have a proper site, resume, etc and start learning how present your work and yourself overall as a reliable professional, 3) understand what the different roles are and focus on the one you're applying for (Illustrators are different from Concept Artists for example. Also, don't have an unfocused site full of all your random art projects which may not be relevant to the job you want)

Q6

How do you market yourself for your job? Do you freelance at all?

I'm traditionally not great about self promo; but it's very important and I suggest you get good at it.   I haven't dont much freelance work for a few years because my day job is too demanding

Q7

Did you experience any pitfalls as a junior concept artist?

Yes. Things will go wrong sometimes and you'll learn a lot.   Very few people will experience smooth sailing through their entire career.

Q8

Do you have any books, training or online learning materials you could recommend to me for becoming a stronger artist?

This probably depends on your discipline and what exactly you want to be doing.  Places like digitaltutors and lynda teach basics of how software works, but are not great at teaching the 'art' aspects so much.  Gnomon is a better place to see how high-professionals think and what their process is like.  Things like Patreon or Gumroad are nice if you're interested in specific artists and their workflows.  Lastly, online classes and mentorships can be extremely beneficial if you study w the right mentor, take it seriously and make the most of it.

Q9

What has been your typical experience in job interviews? How can a junior concept artist prepare for a job interview and what kind of questions should we expect?

Be cool.  Be professional.  Be real.  Don't try too hard; just relax and come across like a normal person.  Most important thing to understand about interviews:  if you got a reply or were contacted by a recruiter, and then you did an art test, and then you got the interview... that basically means they think your work is good enough for the position - which means that the interview is more to determine if you're a sane, chill person that they'd want to spend 9 hours a day sitting next to.

Q10

If you could go back to your younger self, or give a young budding concept artist any advice, what would it be?

As much as possible, get clear on exactly what you want.  Work hard, get disciplined, and don't waste time; it's very easy to squander time and opportunity as a young person and only years later will you realize how much you might've stifled your life and career.  Perseverance is often more important than talent; keep at it and you'll get where you want to be.

10[HAI PHAN]

Q1

[STATE YOUR NAME & POSITION] What is it you enjoy most about your job and concept art?

Hai Phan, Senior Character Art Outsource Supervisor on the Overwatch team at Blizzard Entertainment. I started as a 3d character artist and now am in more of a supervisor role to ensure the quality of outsourced art assets. I enjoy being involved in the project at a high level and working with so many talented people both here and all over the world.

Q2

Did you go to art school or university and what did you study? Are there any classes you take or things you like to do to keep yourself up-to-date in the industry?

I graduated from the Savannah College of Art & Design studying computer art and animation. I take a wide variety of training to improve myself including non art classes that may help me develop professionally like communication and management.

Q3

How did you land your first job and your first interview? Do you have an advice on what a junior concept artist can be doing to land his or her first job?

My very first job was through a classmate of mine who was already working for a small company near where I grew up. It gave me time to develop my skills before I made a better portfolio to apply to my first game company. My advice is to develop and retain good relationships with people. Take the time to develop the best portfolio you can and be proactive about showing your work and getting noticed. Cater your work to the industry you are interested in.

Q4

Networking is really vital in the arts industry. As a junior concept artist, how did you make and meet contacts? How do you maintain your relationships with those in the industry?

I posted my work on forums and online galleries. The internet has everything you need to set yourself up for success so take advantage of it and get noticed. The best way to maintain a relationship is to make sure that you respect others and earn their respect.

Q5

What are your three main points for building a strong portfolio? Feel free to add more than 3

Look at your portfolio through the lens of an employer. Do you demonstrate that you can do the work that they need? Is the content appropriate and high quality? Be honest with yourself because if you don't think your portfolio is right then you need to take the time to correct that. Take criticism graciously and be willing to improve.

Q6

How do you market yourself for your job? Do you freelance at all?

I do neither of these things anymore, but the advice given above pertains to these questions as well. If you do a good job maintaining a presence in the art community then it makes everything a lot easier.

Q7

Did you experience any pitfalls as a junior concept artist?

Being new to something always comes with challenges. It can take some time to get used to what the needs are in a production and how you're expected to fill those needs. The job may be different from what you expected or hoped it might be when you were a student. Be flexible and adaptable. Cooperate and be willing to improve.

Q8

Do you have any books, training or online learning materials you could recommend to me for becoming a stronger artist?

I think it can be dangerous to rely on specific learning materials since everyone learns a bit differently. Make sure your resources are respected and trustworthy. Strive for a wide variety of inspiration and influences to cultivate and develop your tastes in art.

Q9

What has been your typical experience in job interviews? How can a junior concept artist prepare for a job interview and what kind of questions should we expect?

Most interviews at this point in your career are looking to see if are the kind of person who can work well with others and can add to the team. Do you seem overly defensive of your own work? Are you able to speak about art critically and analytically? Can you give constructive feedback and carry a task through to completion? Are you reliable or do you give up easily? What frustrates you and how do you deal with it? The best way prepare for this is, again, to think of it from the employer's perspective. What kind of person would you want to hire? Have you conducted yourself in school the way a professional would? What would your classmates and instructors say about you?

Q10

If you could go back to your younger self, or give a young budding concept artist any advice, what would it be?

I think I've pretty much answered this in the answers above already. Remember that your job is to fulfill a role. You're being hired to solve a problem and not necessarily just make art that you like. Art, in a production, is not the end goal. Art is a tool that you use to help answer problems with. Your job is to provide solutions. The sooner you can internalize that the easier things will become for you.

[EMAIL RESPONSES]

Hi Danni,

Nice to meet you,

Usually, I don't answer to questions like those because it looks like "random" interview,

But you looks not, and I answer.

my English in not good, so I may misunderstanding.

What is it you enjoy most about your job and concept art?

A: If I can feel I am creating, it is most enjoyable time.

Did you go to art school or university and what did you study? Are there any classes you take or things you like to do to keep yourself up-to-date in the industry?

A: I went to an art university and my major was wood-cut-printing.

Now I go to a nude croquis circle about twice of month.

1.How did you land your first job and your first interview? Do you have an advice on what a junior concept artist can be doing to land his or her first job?

A: Nothing. I think good art is enough.2.Networking is really vital in the arts industry. As a junior concept artist, how did you make and meet contacts? How do you maintain your relationships with those in the industry?

A: I didn't well. I was a campany man, Now come to be freelance, and veteran, I use well to my advetising
.3.What are your three main points for building a strong portfolio? (Feel free to add more than 3!)

A: I don't know. I don't proud of my portfolio making...good art is enough...? 4.How do you market yourself for your job? Do you freelance at all?

A: I am a freelance at all.

ex-campany's connection, party's connection, SNS's connection, apprication to some contests, sometimes, I call to a new cliant and go and show my art.5.Did you experience any pitfalls as a junior concept artist?

A: a pitfall is educating from boss, when boss change, you may'd be better to forget the education.6.Do you have any books, training or online learning materials you could recommend to me for becoming a stronger artist?

A: anything, your favourite artist's book is best. not "how to" written by average artists.

and I also like "muddy colors" :)7.What has been your typical experience in job interviews? How can a junior concept artist prepare for a job interview and what kind of questions should we expect?

A: In Japanese game industry, it is not so serious, his art and skill is almost all, and chatting is looking for that "Can I work with him?"8.Are you a generalist or a specialist?

A: I think middle.9.Could you walk me through a typical day of your activities at work?

A: starting work 10:00, 12:00 lunch 19:00~free (sometimes after dinner comeback to work) 3:00 sleep 10.Do you have any inspirations or artists you admire?

A: I always surprised by kim jon gi:)11.What has your favourite entry level artwork that you worked on that was particularly memorable for you?

A: I don't like my entry level artworks at all.12.If you could go back to your younger self, or give a young budding concept artist any advice, what would it be?

A: You'd better go trip more. You 'd better look more.

study english. you may go to work in America :)13. If you were in my position, are there any questions you think I should be asking that I need to know about the industry?

A: I have no idea...

-----------------------------------------------

answering experience was also enjoyable.

good luck Danni!

Best.

_____________________

緒賀岳志

Takeshi Oga

studio@takeshioga.com

www.takeshioga.com

_____________________

[Skype Interview]

[Ilya Bondarenko- Freelance Concept Artist]

[Jonathon Boorman- TT Games Character Artist]

Character Artists
01[ANONYMOUS]

Q1

[STATE YOUR NAME & POSITION] What is it you enjoy most about your job?

Getting to create interesting characters

Q2

Did you go to art school or university and what did you study? Are there any classes you take or things you like to do to keep yourself up-to-date in the industry?

I went to Iniversity to study Game art design. I also participate in online competitions and post personal work on forums

Q3

How did you land your first job and your first interview? Do you have an advice on what a junior concept artist can be doing to land his or her first job?

I kept working on my portfolio as many should, improving my skills and finding my art style. I constantly applied for positions and finally got a position I was happy with

Q4

Networking is really vital in the arts industry. As a junior character artist, how did you make and meet contacts? How do you maintain your relationships with those in the industry?

Joining online forums and art communities is vital to making contacts and developing your skills. Participating in competitions and events also help with recognition

Q5

What are your three main points for building a strong portfolio? Feel free to add more than 3

Find a style you love, only post the best most current work you have and show breakdowns of your work. People love looking at how you made something

Q6

How do you market yourself for your job? Do you freelance at all?

Keep on the lookout for jobs, find studios you like and constantly work on your art

Q7

Did you experience any pitfalls as a junior character artist?

Yes, sometimes criticism may seem incorrect but trust in your peers and always be willing to make changes for comparison. As long as you have iterations, you and others can help provide better feedback and develop your artistic eye

Q8

Do you have any books, training or online learning materials you could recommend to me for becoming a stronger artist?

Gnomon video, eat 3d. In general, use the internet. You can find ANYTHING! If you join forums like polycount and sights like artstation, you will find all the help you need

Q9

What has been your typical experience in job interviews? How can a junior character artist prepare for a job interview and what kind of questions should we expect?

Be prepared to find a match for yourself as well. Getting a job should not be one sided. A company must also be the right fit for yourself. Ask a lot of questions that you need answering for a better idea of the company, work and people involved. Be sure to know as much as you can about the industry, if you don’t show that you have the capacity to learn. Be ready to engage the interviewer into why you made certain pieces for your portfolio

Q10

If you could go back to your younger self, or give a young budding character artist any advice, what would it be?

Work smarter on your portfolio. Make as many pieces as you can even if they are trash. Just learn and develop from each one and never worry about finding work. If you work hard enough and have a great portfolio, work will find you.

02[KIRSTY GARLAND]

Q1

[STATE YOUR NAME & POSITION] What is it you enjoy most about your job?

Kirsty Garland- Freelance artist/ Recent Animation graduate. I'm currently enjoying the balance of doing 2D commission work and continuing to learn 3D art and game dev independently

Q2

Did you go to art school or university and what did you study? Are there any classes you take or things you like to do to keep yourself up-to-date in the industry?

I went to AUB and completed a degree in Animation, though I specialised in traditional & Digital sculpting and Creature design. I also did short courses in modelmaking, creature design and creature sculpting.

Q3

How did you land your first job and your first interview? Do you have an advice on what a junior concept artist can be doing to land his or her first job?

For interviews, networking can be really crucial, as can being honest about your skills

Q4

Networking is really vital in the arts industry. As a junior character artist, how did you make and meet contacts? How do you maintain your relationships with those in the industry?

By going to industry events, and contacting artists that inspire me. I find it really helps to be professional when asking questions, but also being friendly- they're humans too! Creating a bond rather than just another business card can really help.

Q5

What are your three main points for building a strong portfolio? Feel free to add more than 3

Your portfolio only as strong as your weakest piece. Put pieces in that you can fight for & talk about. Put in work relevant to the position you're applying for

Q6

How do you market yourself for your job? Do you freelance at all?

I freelance, but also try to have a good social media presence.

Q7

Did you experience any pitfalls as a junior character artist?

Finding entry level jobs and internships can be really difficult!

Q8

Do you have any books, training or online learning materials you could recommend to me for becoming a stronger artist?

Udemy occasionally does good sales; my advice would to be proactive in searching, there are so many sources out there!

Q9

What has been your typical experience in job interviews? How can a junior character artist prepare for a job interview and what kind of questions should we expect?

Prepare for anything! Also prepare to be asked about your weaknesses and expected pay

Q10

If you could go back to your younger self, or give a young budding character artist any advice, what would it be?

Start early, work hard and keep focus!

03[ADRIEN D.]

Q1

[STATE YOUR NAME & POSITION] What is it you enjoy most about your job?

Adrien D. - Freelance 3D character artist. Working on stylized characters that will come to life in a video game that I like to play. It's really enjoyable to be aware of the "behind the scene" process and still being able to play and enjoy a video game as an ordinary player.

Q2

Did you go to art school or university and what did you study? Are there any classes you take or things you like to do to keep yourself up-to-date in the industry?

I studied in France, Fine Arts at first, then Visual communication and a one-year class to learn the 3D basics. I keep taking traditional sculpture courses and tend to stay up-to-date with software updates with various tutorials and trainings.

Q3

How did you land your first job and your first interview? Do you have an advice on what a junior concept artist can be doing to land his or her first job?

A couple of months after finishing school, a friend got an interview in a small game company in Lyon/France and pushed me to apply as well. I really didn't feel ready for my first interview, and thought at the time that I needed many extra months to work on my portfolio. He pushed me to apply anyway with what I had and I'm glad he did because I got the job and never stopped working in the game industry since.   My advice to a junior artist would be to apply to any position that fits your profile. You might think you're not ready for it, but your portfolio will never get as good as you wish and you might pass up great opportunities.

Q4

Networking is really vital in the arts industry. As a junior character artist, how did you make and meet contacts? How do you maintain your relationships with those in the industry?

I think you're doing it right with this survey. I was interested in your art and wanted to see some of your work (not easy to find). So anytime you reach out to your artist peers, you will meet other passionate people who share the same fields of interest. I know that in my case, I got to know and start friendships with talented and successful artists in two ways: either by working with them in a company, or by working besides them on an art contest. Working in an artistic field such as ours is not physically demanding but can be emotionally draining with a lot of self-doubt, imposture syndrome and so on. Everytime you go over the hill and succeed in shipping a game or completing a contest entry, you feel like you shared something important with this other artist. The harder the project was or the tighter the deadlines were, the closer the bond it became with fellow artists. And to maintain these relationships afterwards, always share your work with them, even when it's in progress, unfinished etc and don't feel confident about it. They will always bring the best feedback and can also be used for motivation to complete works (on longer projects when it's so tempting to give up). I would focus on networking with artists rather than recruiters etc. All the positions I scored were via some artists I used to work with or knew my portfolio. If you want to stay in touch, add me on FB! or Skype (goldo_o), or Instagram (goldo_o) etc.

Q5

What are your three main points for building a strong portfolio? Feel free to add more than 3

Depends on the position you're aiming for. 2D chara concept artist for games? Character designer for motion pictures? Or are you aiming for 3D as well? I know more about the 3D character art than illustration and concept art, but I'd say your portfolio can be strong in one way or its opposite :P Either you develop your own style and clients will reach out to you because they like it and want to apply your style to their project... Or you follow the style of a company/studio/project you like and make yourself known from this studio to show them that you understand their art and will easily blend in with their style/work method/pipeline etc.

Q6

How do you market yourself for your job? Do you freelance at all?

I have been freelancing full-time for the last 5 years now. I would not recommend freelancing without an in-house experience though, as I think that you will find the best clients with your professional credentials rather than your portfolio. In other words, freelancing without a studio experience will most likely bring you clients who disappear when it's "invoice time" or pay you with inhumane rates. Regarding marketing, let your art do the job, just make sure that you're easy to find. If I google your name + art, your artstation/ personal website etc should come first. Put links to your portfolio in your Linkedin profile too! It's really missing at the moment.

Q7

Did you experience any pitfalls as a junior character artist?

I thought I was ready for work after school but I realized I didn't have a clue. The best training you could get is getting a foot in the industry and work with pros in a daily basis. The first months in a studio are always extremely intense with the amount of things you learn.

Q8

Do you have any books, training or online learning materials you could recommend to me for becoming a stronger artist?

Depends in which field and the style of art you are going after :)

Q9

What has been your typical experience in job interviews? How can a junior character artist prepare for a job interview and what kind of questions should we expect?

If you are fresh out of school and never had professional experience, they won't grill you about things you can't possibly know. Just be yourself and genuinely enjoy the opportunity to share your art and your passion with like-minded individuals. We have the chance to rely on the visual aspect of our portfolio as a base of discussion so relax! Oftentimes they will use a piece of your work as a starting point for the discussion to understand your work process, how you approach any given task or how you solve problems. Interviewers also want to have a glimpse at your personality and picture themselves working with you on a daily basis. If you are an easy-going, down to earth and passionate person, things will go very smoothly.

Q10

If you could go back to your younger self, or give a young budding character artist any advice, what would it be?

If this is what really drives you in life, go for it, do art! But do it a lot and do a lot of it! This is a competitive field and you should never be completely satisfied with your last piece.

04[LARISSA DIXON]

Q1

[STATE YOUR NAME & POSITION] What is it you enjoy most about your job?

Larissa Dixon - Character Artist. I'm actually unemployed right now but thinking from a role requirements, I enjoy the process of turning a 2D image or concept into 3D and seeing the Character come to life through animations within a game, developing a personality of its own.

Q2

Did you go to art school or university and what did you study? Are there any classes you take or things you like to do to keep yourself up-to-date in the industry?

Living in the Caribbean actually stifled me a bit as everything that was being taught at a degree level involved Business, Tourism, Account, all that boring stuff. So when I got my scholarship, I flew straight to the UK to start my journey. I went to two different universities, one for my BA and another for my MA. The BA was for Computer Games Art and the MA was for Video Game Development. I try to keep up with the industry through events and conferences like GDC and E3. I also signed up to Gamasutra and Develop, which is quite informative. There are only classes that are taught by industry professionals but I have never been able to afford them.

Q3

How did you land your first job and your first interview? Do you have an advice on what a junior concept artist can be doing to land his or her first job?

I would love to find the answer to that. Im still searching myself to get that first interview, but it is a battle to even get a role as a Character Artist. Concept Artist... I would say focus on Anatomy in particular for your portfolio, most companies would look at that first. Then tailor that portfolio towards the company you want to work with. Some would prefer to see more realistic stuff over stylized, while others vice versa. Oh and show your work from process to final.

Q4

Networking is really vital in the arts industry. As a junior character artist, how did you make and meet contacts? How do you maintain your relationships with those in the industry?

The best way to meet contacts is through GameBridge events and Conferences. They are very useful and you'll be surprised how easy it is to talk to someone. Ive also met contacts via university lectures as some do invite guests from the industry at times. Another way is to contact them via Linkedin and simply say "Hey, Im a Junior Character Artist and I am hoping that you can spare some time to answer a few questions about the industry." Simple as that. Then from there, request to see them again or talk to them at a later date to further develop that bond. I have a contact that I speak with via Skype to find out what he's doing and let him know what Ive been doing. Its a good practice as sometimes they'll even give you advice or even resource for you to learn from.

Q5

What are your three main points for building a strong portfolio? Feel free to add more than 3

Clean layout with strictly your best work. Ive seen some portfolios during my own research that I could not figure out how to navigate it. Strong work first with the development process on there. Industry people like to see how you think and thats the best way. And lastly, although its not mentioned, make sure it works on Mobile. People are constantly on the go so its best to have a mobile friendly one that potential employers can access whenever and wherever they go.

Q6

How do you market yourself for your job? Do you freelance at all?

I actually dont freelance since that would require me to deal with the time differences and other situations. I prefer to talk to potential employers face to face and see what they want, show them what I have and go from there.

Q7

Did you experience any pitfalls as a junior character artist?

The major one any junior character artist will face is getting your foot into the door. Most companies tend to look for junior environment artist more than for character. Those roles are usually taken by seniors as they do want people with experience. So when a junior character artist role does come up, dont be surprised if its asking for 2-3 years experience creating AAA games. Not sure how that one works but ok.

Q8

Do you have any books, training or online learning materials you could recommend to me for becoming a stronger artist?

Youtube, youtube, youtube and Lynda. You'll be surprised how much material is out there. There's also a lot of books available. If you want to go through the 3D route, "Anatomy for 3D Artists" is a good one. "ZBrush Studio Projects: Realistic Game Characters" is another one, but Im pretty sure that's out of date now.

Q9

What has been your typical experience in job interviews? How can a junior character artist prepare for a job interview and what kind of questions should we expect?

Honestly wish I could answer this one.

Q10

If you could go back to your younger self, or give a young budding character artist any advice, what would it be?

Dont pass up a work experience opportunity while at university. I didnt have the option to do it due to costs and scholarship refusing to pay for the extra year, but that its your ticket in. Do not skip it because you want to get uni over and done with because that is your chance to impress a potential employer and show them that you are worth investing for. Even if that means crashing at a friend's place living off of rice for a while. Its worth it and I completely regret not doing it.

05[KAI DU]

Q1

[STATE YOUR NAME & POSITION] What is it you enjoy most about your job?

Kai Du and is currently a 3D generalist at Splash Damage

Q2

Did you go to art school or university and what did you study? Are there any classes you take or things you like to do to keep yourself up-to-date in the industry?

I attended a Games Art Course at Teesside university. They taught the students the basics and it is up to the students to research themselves. I made friends who have the same passion as me and we all share knowledge as we discover them. The courses were occasionally supplemented with master classes, I believe self learning and exchanging knowledge with friends is even better because you also learn how to constantly keep up to date with new techniques and technologies.

Q3

How did you land your first job and your first interview? Do you have an advice on what a junior concept artist can be doing to land his or her first job?

Getting your portfolio right is the most important part. link here: https://www.gdcvault.com/play/1015850/Killer-Portfolio-or-Portfolio-Killer  they explain the dos and donts. For interviews, just be yourself. They usually ask to find out what you do in your spare time and how you made the images in your portfolio.

Q4

Networking is really vital in the arts industry. As a junior character artist, how did you make and meet contacts? How do you maintain your relationships with those in the industry?

Meet up in industry workshops, do guest lectures and masterclasses at universities does help a lot. Making industry friends is also great way to network.

Q5

What are your three main points for building a strong portfolio? Feel free to add more than 3

As well as strong skills... having easy to navigate, clutter free UI, and fast to load website is important.

Q6

How do you market yourself for your job? Do you freelance at all?

I find Artstation is really good for this. recently, it is how employers find new people to hire.

Q7

Did you experience any pitfalls as a junior character artist?

Yep, it is part of a learning experience for artists of all levels. Everyone makes mistakes and strong people always learn from their mistakes :)

Q8

Do you have any books, training or online learning materials you could recommend to me for becoming a stronger artist?

youtube, gnomon workshop, 3D total magazines/books can help.

Q9

What has been your typical experience in job interviews? How can a junior character artist prepare for a job interview and what kind of questions should we expect?

They usually ask questions related to your portfolio, what you do in your free time.  Just be yourself and relax :)  usually there's 2 interview. 1st one is skype where they want to find out if you are fit for the job and 2nd in the studio they find out what is your personality is like and if you are suited for working with other people( humbleness and friendliness).

Q10

If you could go back to your younger self, or give a young budding character artist any advice, what would it be?

Keep creating art and also keep good work life balance. Art is a never ending journey of self improvement. Always be humble and seek feedback.

06[ANONYMOUS]

[Q1

[STATE YOUR NAME & POSITION] What is it you enjoy most about your job?

That it typically doesn't feel like work :)

Q2

Did you go to art school or university and what did you study? Are there any classes you take or things you like to do to keep yourself up-to-date in the industry?

I did Games Art @ University of Bolton. I don't do extra course but I do a lot of art in my free time.

Q3

How did you land your first job and your first interview? Do you have an advice on what a junior concept artist can be doing to land his or her first job?

I created an easy to digest portfolio and showed that to a select few studios and got interview offers after that. My advice would be to spend a great deal of time practicing fundamentals (anatomy, pose, structure, proportion, perspective etc...)

Q4

Networking is really vital in the arts industry. As a junior character artist, how did you make and meet contacts? How do you maintain your relationships with those in the industry?

I'm typically a quiet person and not really social irl, I do some lecturing and branch out a lot online to create industry contacts. If you have a solid portfolio, people will find and befriend you.

Q5

What are your three main points for building a strong portfolio? Feel free to add more than 3

Quality > Quantity, make it easy to navigate, don't use wix, limit things that can be deemed offensive, don't pad it with a lot of words, let your art speak for itself.

Q6

How do you market yourself for your job? Do you freelance at all?

I do freelance occasionally. My marketing it my portfolio and online presence

Q7

Did you experience any pitfalls as a junior character artist?

Technically no, confidence and impostor syndrome are things you constantly have to deal with though, especially as a Junior

Q8

Do you have any books, training or online learning materials you could recommend to me for becoming a stronger artist?

Polycount forums (try and get feedback where you can, also grow thick skin as some feedback can be brutal but necessary). Look for good artists gumroad tutorials, there are some real good nuggets very cheap.

Q9

What has been your typical experience in job interviews? How can a junior character artist prepare for a job interview and what kind of questions should we expect?

Varies for each studio. Be interested in their games and know a bit about their past. Be ready to explain your portfolio and answer some technical questions along with timeframes. If possible be open to relocation.

Q10

If you could go back to your younger self, or give a young budding character artist any advice, what would it be?

Be more open to relocating, I stayed close to home for my first 2 years but more/better opportunities were open to me further afield.

07[George Bierley]

Q1

[STATE YOUR NAME & POSITION] What is it you enjoy most about your job?

George Brierley, Character artist. Being creative and facing new challenges

Q2

Did you go to art school or university and what did you study? Are there any classes you take or things you like to do to keep yourself up-to-date in the industry?

i went to university to do a foundation and then did a game art course. I usually try to keep up to date with the industry by watching events on the newest games and what softwares and techniques are being used.

Q3

How did you land your first job and your first interview? Do you have an advice on what a junior concept artist can be doing to land his or her first job?

i managed to get an internship through applying on their website. Advice would be get your work to as close to industry standard as you can, network your butt off and try building a brand/ following

Q4

Networking is really vital in the arts industry. As a junior character artist, how did you make and meet contacts? How do you maintain your relationships with those in the industry?

most of my networks were created through friendships at university and also through a lot of events like Industry workshops etc.

Q5

What are your three main points for building a strong portfolio? Feel free to add more than 3

strong art fundimentals, originality and sometimes aiming work at the studio you want to get into e.g. make a batman to try to get into rocksteady can work well

Q6

How do you market yourself for your job? Do you freelance at all?

i dont market myself well, but i have friends that do. consistent good work and being nice are the biggest ways to get a following

Q7

Did you experience any pitfalls as a junior character artist?

lots, the important thing is making sure you overcome them in a professional manner

Q8

Do you have any books, training or online learning materials you could recommend to me for becoming a stronger artist?

scott eaton (anatomy), colour and light, framed ink

Q9

What has been your typical experience in job interviews? How can a junior character artist prepare for a job interview and what kind of questions should we expect?

expect to talk about your portfolio alot, so know what works and what doesnt and be prepared to have it ripped apart

Q10

If you could go back to your younger self, or give a young budding character artist any advice, what would it be?

if you're in uni, use your time to the fullest. you can get drunk alot more often when you have a job!

08[JAKE RODDIS]

Q1

[STATE YOUR NAME & POSITION] What is it you enjoy most about your job?

Im Jake Roddis and I am a junior character artist at Deep silver Dambuster studios. I enjoy all aspects of making characters but id say my favourite part is probably making clothing.

Q2

Did you go to art school or university and what did you study? Are there any classes you take or things you like to do to keep yourself up-to-date in the industry?

I studied art through college and university, I studied applied art and photography at Nottingham school of art and then went to De Montfort University to study Game Art. The main thing i do to keep my skills up is do lots of personal projects in my spare time, I also try and get to life drawing when i can. For learning anything new, gumroad.com is the best source as the content on there is made by top industry character artists - just downloaded some Marvelous Designer tutorials by Madina Chionidi, would reccomend!

Q3

How did you land your first job and your first interview? Do you have an advice on what a junior concept artist can be doing to land his or her first job?

I applied to so many places during my final year of university, towards the end of the year I applied for Dambusters and had a skype interview for it a few weeks later. I then had a follow up in person interview a month later and they then offered me a job a week later after. For concept art, know who you are applying for. If that studio has only ever done photoreal stuff then they dont want to see stylised concepts, its ok to specialise in subject matter but try and show you are versatile.

Q4

Networking is really vital in the arts industry. As a junior character artist, how did you make and meet contacts? How do you maintain your relationships with those in the industry?

I was really lucky to have a network of university alumni that all got jobs in industry over the years - get to know the people on your course as they will most likely be in industry within a couple years. Try and get yourself to events, Industry Workshops in london is a great opportunity to meet people.

Q5

What are your three main points for building a strong portfolio? Feel free to add more than 3

1. Quality over quantity - two good pieces is better than six average ones. 2. Show the finished piece and break the process down - show sculpts, sketches, textures etc. 3. Keep the website simple, the longer it takes to load the less likely they are to keep looking - lead artists are busy people.

Q6

How do you market yourself for your job? Do you freelance at all?

I try to show my knowledge of techniques, software and fundamental skills through my work and online presence , the hard part is getting in to the industry - you dont have to worry too much about marketing yourself as your experience speaks for itself. I cant currently freelance for game stuff as its in my contract that i cant but in all fairness i dont have the time to do freelance.

Q7

Did you experience any pitfalls as a junior character artist?

It can be very intimidating at first, all the artists here are top notch and i felt like i didnt fit but after a couple months i felt a lot more comfortable. You just really have to push yourself and be open to learning.

Q8

Do you have any books, training or online learning materials you could recommend to me for becoming a stronger artist?

I would highly reccomend Scott eatons anatomy courses, he is an anatomy god.

Q9

What has been your typical experience in job interviews? How can a junior character artist prepare for a job interview and what kind of questions should we expect?

My experience has been very positive, all the interviews i have done have been very down to earth and felt more like friendly chats. I would say just be very enthusiastic about your work and be ready to answer lots of questions about your process. Odds are if you get calles in for an on sight interview (after a skype one) its just to check you arent a crazy person.

Q10

If you could go back to your younger self, or give a young budding character artist any advice, what would it be?

Do a lot more work! At the time, back in the first year of university i felt like i had no free time but now looking back on it i had SO MUCH free time .

09[BEN DAVIS]

Q1

[STATE YOUR NAME & POSITION] What is it you enjoy most about your job?

Ben Davis, Lead Character Artist. I enjoy being able to work in a team of highly talented individuals creating never before seen characters for next-gen games.

Q2

Did you go to art school or university and what did you study? Are there any classes you take or things you like to do to keep yourself up-to-date in the industry?

I went to a technical college for 1 year and was supposed to complete a 2 year course but applied for a job in the industry and decided to take it. I have continued to work in the industry ever since. Game development is always constantly evolving and you have to keep up to date with what is happening within in the industry as well as your skills. It can be a very challenging environment but also rewarding knowing that you created something that nobody has done before.

Q3

How did you land your first job and your first interview? Do you have an advice on what a junior concept artist can be doing to land his or her first job?

I spent a year or so building up my portfolio in my spare time. After being confident enough to showcase my skills I applied for a few jobs that were open, did an art test and passed the interview and got my first job as a 3D artist. The main advice I would give to any artist is always practice, practice and practice some more. You will eventually get there if you put in the time and keep pushing yourself to improve. Looking at other digital artists work online can also be inspiring and keep you in that competitive mindset which you will need to succeed.

Q4

Networking is really vital in the arts industry. As a junior character artist, how did you make and meet contacts? How do you maintain your relationships with those in the industry?

I first joined online forums where other digital artists congregated and started posting what I was doing. However you generally meet and maintain most of your work relationships with the actual people you work with on a daily basis. There is no replacement for working in a real-world office environment where you can learn off of each other and build your work relationships. That will always be the most essential way to progress.

Q5

What are your three main points for building a strong portfolio? Feel free to add more than 3

Quality, Professionalism and Presentation. Only show your best work.

Q6

How do you market yourself for your job? Do you freelance at all?

I don't really market myself. I have an online portfolio and if clients like it they usually find me and if they want me to do freelance work for them they tend to approach me first. That only happens once you have built up a solid reputation with quality work and also getting freelance work done on budget and time.

Q7

Did you experience any pitfalls as a junior character artist?

Yes, of course, everybody does. The first few jobs I applied for I didn't get, mainly because my work wasn't good enough yet and lack of experience. You will get rejected many times before you land the job that is right for you. You just go to keep trying till you get there.

Q8

Do you have any books, training or online learning materials you could recommend to me for becoming a stronger artist?

I would suggest to gain knowledge and understanding from basic fundamentals first. They are the groundwork for everything else. Technical skills can always be learnt and refined over time and repetition but very few people lack basic art knowledge. I would also suggest to become an all rounder and try to be good at everything such as sculpting, texturing, shading, lighting, etc. Very few people can do everything well and if you will stand out more by being a good all rounder. I would also suggest entering online competitions as much as your time allows cause competing against other artists will always help push your skills to the next level.

Q9

What has been your typical experience in job interviews? How can a junior character artist prepare for a job interview and what kind of questions should we expect?

You have to show enthusiasm for the job you are applying for. If you know nothing about the company about the company you are applying to then why should they care about you? You need to show that you have an interest in what they company makes and why you want to work there. What can you do for the company that nobody else and makes you stand out. Ask yourself why should the company hire me. If you can't answer that then you shouldn't apply. It is also good to have your own questions prepared to show that you have done your research on the company and would like to find out more information about a certain project, working environment, and anything else that you are unsure about. But most importantly is your portfolio. If your portfolio is kickass and you have a genuine interest in wanting to work for the company then you stand a lot higher chance of getting hired.

Q10

If you could go back to your younger self, or give a young budding character artist any advice, what would it be?

Try not to stress so much. Relax and enjoy the ride. A lot of the time I would wonder whether what I was doing worth it. But we all tend to feel like that at some point along our journey. As long as you enjoy what you do and keep practicing you will eventually get there. You just got to accept that there will be many hurdles along the way. So, just have patience and just do the best work you can do each and every day.

Book research

Daily Life of a Concept Artist
What is a typical good day?

Danni Chan Professional Practice

Search This Blog

Independent Research & Questionaire

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Website / Portfolio

Personal Blog

My 5 Year Plan