Portfolio Critique - sp0nge
Hi guys, following a few weeks of frustratingly fruitless job applications, I was wondering if I could get some portfolio critique and maybe some suggestions as to what I should be working on next.
www.tomnoble.co.uk
I'm aiming for a kind of generalist/prop job although I seem to be mainly finding and applying for environment jobs which, depending on the studio, amount to a similar thing...
Thanks,
sp0nge
www.tomnoble.co.uk
I'm aiming for a kind of generalist/prop job although I seem to be mainly finding and applying for environment jobs which, depending on the studio, amount to a similar thing...
Thanks,
sp0nge
Replies
- your other work in the tabs at the top could pretty easily be missed, because I would initially assume that because you have some work on the initial page, that that is where all your work is. Maybe you want it this way because your best stuff is on the first page, I dunno.
-there's no environment work. enviro jobs are going to be much more common than prop jobs, but you're going to be overlooked if you have no environment work that show an understanding of environment work, tiling textures, engine use etc. But sure keep working and keep applying, you'll find something eventually, good luck
EDIT: yeah sorry, meant vertically!
@mr_ace: very good point regarding the lack of actual environment work in this portfolio, I think that's going to have to be my main focus from here on in...
@SCB: I'm assuming you mean vertically? Either way I agree it can get a bit messy, I designed it (somewhat optimistically) to look good with a ton of images and thought that the kind of media-viewer-esq layout would be nice. As it is though it just looks a little sparse. Will be pretty easy to set it up as a single stack for now and then change it again once it's properly populated so I'll get on it!
@djgardner: there's no set art style for everything as they're all from different projects. In terms of what I'm applying for I would imagine I would be best suited to a game studio that does a lot of realistic stuff but I try to be relatively flexible on that front. Also, my current search criteria for games studio consists of the following:
A) they exist
Seriously though, I push my applications harder for companies I know a little more about like Crytek, Creative Assembly, Rocksteady, Rockstar etc. Difficult to find much out about smaller names although I'm doing plenty of research and pushing my apps through just as hard for the ones that tick the right boxes.
PS: may need to refresh the living crap out of stuff if things aren't working, fyi!
I am a bit confused about the galleries you reach by clicking on an individual image. The pictures seem identical to those on the page, so I really don't see the point to having both the page with individual images and the gallery; either/or would seem as effective.
I almost didn't notice the wireframe images; the dark lines tend to blend in with the dark texture.
On the AKM, the exploded view includes some fairly detailed pieces that will be completely hidden when the weapon is assembled. Even with a high poly budget that seems wasteful.
You might want to include a project that follows the complete game art life-cycle, from concept, to modelled, to textured, to in-game.
Finally, I noticed that you do have an index page, but the root page appears to be a place-holder for an index page. An oversight?
- First off, nice work with the guns.
- In terms of art style, I would pick one you're both comfortable doing and good with. If you have different art styles amongst the pieces, and you apply to a company. Example: You apply to a Call of Duty studio, but you have alien aircraft/characters in your portfolio. It will be hard for them to see if you'll be a good fit to them, regardless if you have additional realistic looking pieces as well.
- You mentioned above you wanted to be a props/ environment artist, but you have characters in your portfolio. From all the industry people I've spoken to, they all say don't include characters, unless you're apply to be a character artist. If a studio posts a position looking for a environment artist, but you give them a portfolio with characters in it, what do you think they'll do with your application? Target your portfolio to what you are applying for.
- You mentioned above in a reply that you'll add an environment later on. I'd say make two different ones, one day time or one night, or one snow, etc. Make them unique, but also show you can work with a variety of environments. You'll be a bigger asset to them. Also include breakdowns of props in those environments. Finally lighting will be key for the environment. Make it the best you can make it. Sell the environment through lighting.
- You don't really show a breakdown of the vehicle, so I;d say update it, or scrap it. Also if it doesn't match the art style of the studios you'll be applying to, then scrap it.
- I'm no industry pro with 10 years experience or whatever, but when I see this current portfolio, and the role you want to apply, you just have a mis-mash of stuff, with different art styles. You're only good things on the portfolio I can honestly say you have are the weapons. But even so, usually prop artists wont get to do weapons unless they get hired for that particular role, or have some experience at the company. As a junior, you'll be working props first. Trust me.
Hopefully this feedback will help you out.
At least you're environ/prop. Try being a character artist graduate.
Have you tried freelance? If you worked for Lockwood already that's a foot in the door at least.
Your home page opens on a nice image, but its a bit minimalist. The font is all the same size, nothing really pops. The work is good, especially weaponry but it doesn't draw you in. More colour for starters?
@DWalker: Fair point about the galleries, I just wanted smaller images on the initial screen for loading times sake and then the bigger res images available when you click them. Maybe just having thumbnails on the initial page or something will be better? I'll look into that. The AKM wasn't intended to be a game ready weapon, more a personal project designed to test my hard surface modelling, hence the fact that it's partially strippable. Maybe I need to hammer home that fact a little better in the description to avoid people thinking I don't know what I'm doing! :P Again, good point about having something with a complete cycle on it, I'll try to include something to that effect with the next project. Index page should be updated, still a glorified placeholder but better than the actual placeholder
@djgardner: Thanks for your comments, I'm not entirely sure I agree that showing some variety in terms of art style is necessarily a bad thing, certainly not for most of the jobs I'm applying for. A lot of places work on multiple titles which each have very different art styles, and they need to know their artists are adaptable. Fair point about the character/environment mash up though. I'm trying to re-specialise as a prop artist but I'm in serious need of a job at the moment so I must admit that a bit of filler is creeping into my folio! Do people think I would be better off just including the 2 or three pieces I actually like or keeping in the character/vehicle filler? Regarding lighting an environment, I've never done this... Starting to realise that I'm about as cut out to be an env artist as I am a character artist... IS THERE NO-ONE OUT THERE WHO JUST WANTS A WEAPON ARTIST??
@Ravanna: True there's a ton of env art jobs out there compared to other stuff but as I'm realising more and more, I'm not really an env artist at the moment lol. See many weapons artist jobs out there...? :P
I've tried freelance but I just don't have enough contacts to get the work through and everyone I email speculatively pretty much ignores me or gets me working on insanely long art tests and then go silent. Fair point on the non-popping nature of the website, it's kind of my intention though to keep it simple and non-interfering - I want my work to pop not the website. That aside, I may have gone a bit overly spartan with it, could maybe add a touch more contrast, maybe a splash of colour... What does everyone else think?