Can fan art be used as a portfolio piece?

mixeh

Hi all,

First time here! I'm working on my first portfolio at the moment, and am planning to do a weapon. Is it fine to include fan-art of a weapon that has been used in a game, say for example a weapon from district 9, in your portfolio?

I know this does not show originality. But if you're willing to take the concept and push it further then the original game has is it fine to include in your portfolio? I mean yes it's been modelled before, but so has if you decide to do an AK74. Obviously whatever weapon I chose to use, I would include that it was in fact fan art based on "x". I am not sure on the etiquette regarding this, so I'm only curious - sorry if it's a real "no no" or something.

Thanks if you can help!

Mark Dygert

I don't think its much of an issue. Just know that you need to at the bare minimum match the quality. You're right the piece won't say much about your creativity but hopefully it will speak to your technical skill and other pieces will speak to your creativity. Personally I think you should shoot for 1,2,3 levels above whatever has been done previously, which can be hard given the already high standard set for the object.

Long post short: If you do it well.

mixeh

Thanks for your response Vig.

Yeah that was the plan, I am aware it's a big risk challenging something already done well, but that was kind of the plan - to use that as a benchmark and take it further.

Firebert

General Rules:

1) Make it awesome (requires extremely harsh self criticism).
2) If basing off of concept art, credit the artist or company
3) If the artist can be contacted, ask permission to use it in your folio (and if they don't respond, then don't use it... just mpo on that last bit).

Using something that is already conceptualized or created is fine, but you had better show the concept art or at least give a link to it. I think it is highly beneficial to show stuff created from concept art. That's what you'll be working from in a production environment, and it has harsh restrictions. Showing you can push it further is great, but it can be very touch and go as well as sensitive as concepts take a long time to be approved and have gone through many revisions. Finding variants of concepts are great because you can pick and choose and also boost a little on your creative side by adding some things and changing a couple since those concepts were never really finalized.

Creating a model that is well known and already created, I wouldn't do. You'll be facing much harsher criticism, but if you put the bar 3 levels above what the original artist did (like Vig mentioned), then you would be turning some heads. You gotta be even harder on yourself if you go this route though. Some people just don't have the self destructive constructive artistic fuck that sucks i know i can do better let's make it better criticism that is required to pull something like that off (run on sentence from hell!).

A good analogy is making an AK47. Everyone has seen hundreds of those. Put one of those in your folio, then you'll be up against what the viewer already has in their mind as the "ultimate" AK47 model.

THEN AGAIN, some places love fan art pieces. Blizzard loves seeing recreations of their work in applicant portfolios. So I would just be particular in what you choose if it is fan art. It should seem intentional, that you created it to say, "hey guys, i love your stuff, here's my take on it!" instead of "hey guys, look i made this cool thing.", because then it just looks like you're just having fun. I need to just stfu.

mixeh

No Firebert that makes great sense and raises good points! I really really really want to make this particular weapon (which I'll keep under wraps for the moment till I'm sure :P). I saw the concept first, and hoped it was merely just one of the concepts and never got turned into a model, but unfortunately it did - but it's not WELL known, but the game is.

Anyway, it's certainly to say "I love your stuff guys", and to say I'm up to your par to pull this stuff off. I will certainly mention any references used. And I guess the main problem is knowing this will be a real challenge!

Thanks!

imyj

I remember attending a talk here in the UK from a games company who covered this area pretty well. They made a whole presentation based on what applicants were sending in - showing the do's and don'ts. Basically they stated that using someone elses work (such as fan art) was acceptable but you open yourself up to more criticism. The example they used was a stormtrooper. People know what they look like, especially hardcore fans who might even work at a company you're applying to. They'll know instantly what is wrong, and they'll wonder why it's wrong - if you've tried to follow it as closely as possible. Sometimes it might even be an idea to take a pre-existing concept, and improve upon it or add your own twist, similar to what was done with the Star Wars characters when an artist redone them in a steampunk style.

I'd also suggest keeping in mind that there may be companies who don't appreciate you sending examples of work which contain images using concept art from rival companies. I wouldn't say it's that important, but you never know really!

Working to a concept, and doing it well will show that you can do your job. Of course, if you can do your own concepts and see them right through from pen to pixels then all the better.

Perhaps approach it in a way where you are trying to show off a particular area of work, such as hard surface modeling, or maybe you want to show that you can texture a gun. I think stuff like that works well in a portfolio to mix things up a little as it shows you can work to different styles. I guess the key point is to show you have potential.

Andreas

God I hope so

http://artbyandreas.wordpress.com/mod-work/

I made sure to credit Bungie and the actual concept artist though.

mixeh

Thanks imyj. It is a prop I'm creating to show skills in hard surface modeling - as thats what im lacking in my folio at the moment. I guess I should never mention anywhere that it is in fact fan-art (surely it will be implied by using the concept). This may slightly reduce the problem of a company not appreciating a rival company being favoured by me. And instead mention the reasoning for utilising the concept to demonstrate my skills in blah blah areas.

Andreas

I think you are over thinking it a tad ;P

Muzzoid

This guy got a job at blizzard by doing a shitton of blizzard fanart :P.

http://mr--jack.deviantart.com/gallery/#ZERG
http://mr--jack.deviantart.com/gallery/#STARCRAFT

danshewan

Personally, I wouldn't even consider what you're thinking of making as 'fan art'. When I think of fan art, I (try desperately not to) think of images of Robert Pattinson with Photoshop lens flares (or chromatic aberration, if you're really hip), or something along those lines.