[Portfolio] MasteroftheFork / Drew Garner

MasteroftheFork

Ok so I've been lookin for work but haven't been getting any bites, time to revamp the portfolio. I wanna know whats wrong with the site and content

http://www.drewgarnerdesign.com/

cholden

Honestly, if I didn't get this link from a portfolio thread I wouldn't have known it was one immediately. The reason is these colors are fighting each other, and for some reason you destroyed your thumbnails. It's all just too difficult to read.

Snap accurate thumbnails of your main images, put it all on a neutral colored background, and pick two complimentary colors for the rest of the site.

Also About Me, Resume and Contact Info can be all in the same place. Shouldn't have to download your resume just to read it.

Swizzle

To add to what cholden said:

Use large, clear thumbnails, not any of this tinted scratchy crap. I can't tell what most of the thumbnails are supposed to be.

Drop the titles. Images should speak for themselves. If you want to put titles, put them somewhere at the top or bottom of the images in unobtrusive fonts and colors.

Make any presentation images large and clear. No crazy colors for backgrounds, no patterned edges, no wacky fonts or anything. Neutral backgrounds, clear fonts and large views of characters are what you need.


Content:

Get rid of the Michael Madsen bust. I know I'm being harsh here, but seriously; it's just bad. Bad polygon distribution, bad normals and diffuse, bad lighting. There's definitely a resemblance to the actual person, but that's not enough. Sculpt a high-res version, nail the details on it, then build a low-res mesh and project your normals and paint your textures.

I'd avoid showing characters that are unfinished. Unless it's a mind-blowingly spectacular modeling job, you should refrain from putting characters on your site unless they have a huge WIP stamp on them. Putting unfinished characters in your portfolio can make it appear that you simply aren't capable of finishing projects, and that's always a bad sign.

MasteroftheFork

Ok thanks for the tips guys.

Ya I figured employers look at tons of 'folios so I wanted to made the colour scheme and look a bit more memorable to stand out but I guess it didn't work out well. I'll remake the site with a more toned-down neutral theme. I'll also make the thumbnails mowe clear and larger and also show only my best pieces.

cholden

MasteroftheFork wrote: »

...look a bit more memorable to stand out...

It's a memorable art piece that's remembered.

Gannon

I agree with Cholden and Swizzle. Presentation can make or break a piece. You'll see it happen a lot in comps where people don't light assets well or display them in a way that compliments it.

I'd suggest if you're not familiar with lighting or don't feel comfortable with setting it up to use a 3point shader or drop it into marmo.

Kewop Decam

Site needs to be more simple.

Also this piece:

http://www.drewgarnerdesign.com/mecha_constuction.jpg

what is going on with that texture sheet? It's like every single tri is laid out one by one.

MasteroftheFork

Cholden: Ya you're right, I was think that as i was typing about it.

rdmlegend: I don't feel uncomfortable with lighting, I know the michael Madsen one is a bit of a mess, I was trying to copy the lighting in the picture I was referencing. But in the pieces I'm planniong on keeping are there any problems?

http://www.drewgarnerdesign.com/mecha_beautyshot.jpg
http://www.drewgarnerdesign.com/mecha_constuction.jpg
http://www.drewgarnerdesign.com/phoenix_beautyshot.jpg
http://www.drewgarnerdesign.com/phoenix_construction.jpg
http://www.drewgarnerdesign.com/Driffox_main.jpg
http://www.drewgarnerdesign.com/EarthWormJim_main.jpg
http://www.drewgarnerdesign.com/rhiyu_main.jpg

Kewop Decam: Heh, well that model had a lot of small nooks and crannys and as I understand it it is best to seperate all uvs at hard edges, which caused a lot of small seperate UV parts. IF you look closely there are no actual triangles but mostly small sqaures, circles and other odd shapes.

SanderDL

Your site doesn't even work properly here in Opera. I can click the links but nothing happens. Looking at your source, you seem to be using iFrame or something. Just use plain html. It works alot better.

bbob

To be completely honest, you should probably start completely over with your site.

http://www.thejonjones.com/2005/10/07/your-portfolio-repels-jobs/

Read this article, your site could really use it..

MasteroftheFork

Ok can you guys tell me before I go any further if I'm on the right track?
(besides none of the buttons working)

http://www.drewgarnerdesign.com/new/


edit: aw man, i just realized both ie and opera don't work right..

Rurouni Strife

That's an improvement, though you could go even simpler. The design of your site matters less (unless it's super ugly and hard to read like your previous one) than the quality of your work.

cholden

Much better. I'm not too keen on how your top bar takes up half the page, but it's a huge improvement.

D4V1DC

something like these would be good enough where everything is just laid out quickly instead of click, click, click... to find the material/art.

Reference for portfolio setup 1

Reference for portfolio setup 2

I don't even know them so I am not promoting friends or selecting anyone out of the loop I just find these sites easiest to navigate.

Mike Yevin

the easiest way to convey an effective portfolio is to put a header with your contact info (name, email, etc), and the art running down the page like in both of $!nz examples. if your having a hard time coming up with something that works, then just use this method, because its better to use a simple working portfolio layout than trying to "reinvent the wheel" with an over-the-top, frustrating, or ugly layout.

it's beyond me why someone would try to clunk around trying to make something that looks good (only to fail), when you can just use wordpress or blogger (for free) and make something thats easy and clean. not directly pointing my finger at you, but just keep this in mind.

with that said, keep at it. while the new design is a huge improvement, it still isn't "there". stop using those scratchy looking brush strokes, or atleast present them differently. imo your art isn't all that bad, but as soon as i look at the layout im instantly turned off from looking through most of your work. in this case, your website design is hurting you quite a bit..

(i don't mean to sound like an ass, i just think you could have a lot more potential at landing a job with a new design)

toren3d

Mike Yevin wrote: »

the easiest way to convey an effective portfolio is to put a header with your contact info (name, email, etc), and the art running down the page like in both of $!nz examples.

This!

Mike Yevin wrote: »

when you can just use wordpress or blogger (for free) and make something thats easy and clean.

Ugh, not another blogspot portfolio.... Those thing create so much bloated content such as titles and line breaks for every entry. We had an interview with a guy who had all his stuff on a blog and it took over 20 minutes for him to click through what should have been quick and easy. We want to see your images. Just show us your work. Look at this site http://stellan.be/ or look up some Swedish artists (those two guys who I can't remember right now, who worked on Bionic Commando have awesome site designs) and do the minimalist thing.

LateWhiteRabbit

It is a lot better than your first design, but the gray and blue have no contrast, and it makes it look blurry and flat. You can have complementary colors and good contrast at the same time.

And I second Mike Yevin - Get rid of those scratchy brushes!

Remember, they aren't going to be hiring you for web design. So stop trying to do web design. Your portfolio should be focused on pure functionality - getting your art in front of potential employers as quickly as possible and in the best light possible.

Look at it this way - treat your portfolio site like you would treat your resume. You wouldn't use fancy fonts and scratched up divider lines on your paper resume would you?

MasteroftheFork

OK so I got rid pf the scratchy paint-brush stuff and just laid out all the images in a row with no thumbs. Do you think I need more images of the models?

LateWhiteRabbit

That is SO much better. I would make the text on your buttons and the top banner white for better readability, but that is my only critique.

As for whether you need more images of the models, I would like to see more of the wireframes without them being covered on all your models. Dream Eater and Rhiyu are the only two models you have pictures of where you can clearly see the wireframes to show how you constructed them. But everything works "as is" now.

D4V1DC

You don't need the 3D models link if It's your first page, I would make your banner the link to your main page. Also update your signature when you create posts It still shows your old site, this might be hindering the rest of the community from responding to you with critic.

MasteroftheFork

Ok so my site is almost finsihed, unless there's more to be fixed. I changed the color of the header to a bit more contrasting one and I added in the other pages. All that is left to do is to add in a few more pictures with the wireframes and I think I'll add some realtime pictures as well. Oh and i updated my sig, good call Sinz. I mean to transfer everything over to the reg. address but for now it's just less confusing.:)

cholden

This has gotten leagues better than the original. Really looks like a nice site. Just keep making newer, and better pieces to fill and replace over time.

Your resume is a bit light on information. For example, the Pixelante Game Studios (the 'S' isn't bold, btw), doesn't have a description. However, if this something you've done for two years maybe we can get some cliff notes.

The Awards section is the same way. Award for what? These are just a random list of words out of context.

I'm also confident that your service attendant work isn't relevant to game art.