portfolio review questions

badger5

I wanted to show my updated portfolio and try to get a crit or what I should add to my site http://badgerarmored.net/. I have tried to apply lately but not had much response,no turn downs but just not much response.

tynew

Hope this helps:

1. The first thing I noticed was how slow it took for your images to load. Looking at your picture file sizes they are way too big. Your images are png. Save them out as jpegs and they will half the file size for the same quality.

2. Center your text and images, people that have large monitors might not enjoy turning their heads to view and read your artwork.

3. Your links at the top are that hyperlink blue which I could barely read. Make it black, dark grey or white to read better on a grey background.

4. Have your website url on each of your images, if a interested future client/studio saves them they need to know where they are from.

5. Your resume is looking a little basic. Under your skills section, don't put the software you use. Put things like "proficient at modeling and optimizing low poly assets", Able to utilize and import game art assets inside of udk" etc

Then have a section of software that you use.

6. Have a downloadable pdf/doc version of your resume on your resume page for interested clients/studios.

There is a lot more I could add, but overall check out this section as it will give you all the advice you need to make your portfolio stand out more:
http://wiki.polycount.com/CategoryPortfolio

Check out carbonmade.com, it's pretty much an artist's free automated portfolio creator, that's clean, slick and straight to the point.

BARDLER

I think the number one problem you have at the moment is that nothing in your portfolio shows that you can make high-res models and bake them down to low poly models. Even mobile games are getting so sophisticated that they are using normal maps on a lot of the assets. Sub-d modeling and/or sculpting high res models is something that almost every environment art position will demand of you. Simply running your diffuse through crazybump is not the correct way to get a normal map.

Hope that helps a little bit, and let me know if you have an questions about what I am talking about.

badger5

I did high polly and bake, I can fix that error it was from something I had there before.

cholden

You need to toss these pieces and start making new stuff, a LOT of new stuff.

You've been posting this same portfolio for years, and everyone everyone says "hey, this is the same stuff". A few times a year you'd post this same thing on CG Talk to the point where I'd copy and paste my feedback, noting the yearly timestamps every time. How long have you had this? it has to be at least 8-10 years?

badger5

Thank you for the advice, I have been trying to improve what I do and become a better artist. I still love what I do and want to get into the field.

tynew

cholden wrote: »

You need to toss these pieces and start making new stuff, a LOT of new stuff.

You've been posting this same portfolio for years, and everyone everyone says "hey, this is the same stuff". A few times a year you'd post this same thing on CG Talk to the point where I'd copy and paste my feedback, noting the yearly timestamps every time. How long have you had this? it has to be at least 8-10 years?

It says on top of his work that it's from 2011 onward. I agree though, one piece a year doesn't really cut it especially for environment. His also being quiet simple. It doesn't look like you've improved much over the years.Your art is looking too much of the same. Nicholas you need to start pumping out stuff all the time! I'd say at least 3 pieces of personal enviro a year.

badger5

thank you for the input, I can try to pump out more this year. For quite simple, you mean me needing more complex level designed environments in general?I can try more full out levels, I have usually gone for small environments.

tynew

It depends on what you want to achieve. Are you wanting to work with small indie games, or do you hope to one day be an environment artist for a AAA game?

As an environment artist, to expand your opportunities, doing both complex, simple, big and small environments shows how capable you really are.

badger5

I would like to do a AAA game someday but right now I would like to get my feet wet or in the door so even if it was with indie that would be ok.

DWalker

I would focus on quality rather than quantity. You should aim initially for 2 very different environments and their associated props.

You should also set a schedule for yourself, and try to stick to it. If you're working full-time, set aside 2-4 hours each day where you're doing nothing but your art; no TV, no browsing the web. Try to do this at the same time every day.

Also, rather than just diving into an environment, break it down into manageable sub-projects. Take a look at the concept/reference and figure out which props you'll need, which textures, etc. Then, make a list, and assign likely times for each piece, (Don't get too worked out over missing schedules; as you get more experienced you'll get faster and you'll have a better idea of what it'll take. Schedules tend to be a polite fiction at times. )

Time management does seem to be one of your problem areas. If you're serious about getting a job as a game artist, you need to make time to both practice and produce.

badger5

My last project I did put a good amount of time in but I understand what your saying, I have not had a very nice life in CA moving every 3-4 months.The props idea is quite good idea rather than a huge project alone.

serriffe

Hi badger5, If you do start fresh- I think you should start small first in order to build up a good foundation then move onto something ambitious like a large environment or maybe a medium size one, this is once you are comfortable to do so. I think something similar to Scott Homer's recent project- http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1897856#post1897856

It's small but it's a very clever way of doing a portfolio piece in a small total amount of time, in contrast of doing a large scale environment which takes a lot more effort.

It's like doing a " vertical slice " of a game ( game prototyping terminology ) rather than doing a full game, you are just making small portion of game but it feels complete. In relation to that, you are just making a small portion of an environment.

I think just working small but packed with detail, technical know how- would be effective. Then taking from on what you've learned from that, you just repeat the process on a larger scale environment- the only difference is just time.

badger5

It depends on what you want to achieve. Are you wanting to work with small indie games, or do you hope to one day be an environment artist for a AAA game?

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Where can I find indie projects? I go on peoples pages and there is never a jobs page, I have tried to look on google search and there is not really a forum for that.

cholden

tynew, not true. Here's a GCtalk thread timestamped 05-28-2007,over SIX years ago: http://forums.cgsociety.org/showpost.php?p=4416507&postcount=23 of the piece stated as 2011.

Point is, he perpetrated this behavior for many years over at CGtalk. He's not going to pull the covers over PC users without getting called out. http://forums.cgsociety.org/search.php?searchid=3389829&pp=30&page=1

Again, that said, if you have any real interest in video game development: MAKE NEW PIECES, and restart this portfolio.

BinaryJunkie

"The Art Institute of Phoenix – Phoenix, AZ
Bachelor of Fine Arts – Game Art & Design, October 2003- October 2003"

Looks like you got your bachelors in under a month. Very impressive!
(You may want to fix that)

Also, I've been lurking on CGtalk and PC for ages and I've seen you post almost the same portfolio all the time with no added work and nearly the same advice and I'm genuinely curious about why. Is there a reason you aren't making any new pieces for the industry you've desperately wanted to get into since I was 12?