[Portfolio] Tricia Herbert, Environment Artist
polycounter lvl 11
Hey everyone, I've got some new stuff up on my site and a little bit of a design change.
www.triciaherbert.com
Please tell me what you think of my art, and let me know what you think what type of asset my next piece should be. I am wondering what I should add next to make me more appealing for a full time position as an environment artist. I'm thinking more natural things like rocks and trees? Or a building maybe.
www.triciaherbert.com
Please tell me what you think of my art, and let me know what you think what type of asset my next piece should be. I am wondering what I should add next to make me more appealing for a full time position as an environment artist. I'm thinking more natural things like rocks and trees? Or a building maybe.
Replies
I like a lot of the work and the style of the texture work on some of the furnishings.
I would remove the art test assets. This is just MPO, but I feel that if it is an art test it doesn't belong in your folio. You obviously didn't land the job which means there was any number of reasons that the employer might have found faults in the work or unappealing in general. It does show that you can do production art, but hey, so does showing references or concepts you worked from on anything else. If the specs are cohesive with the current tech or a general base target for most assets, you'd be better off using assets that are not art tests. To me, art tests scream "look i made this, and yes, i failed." . Again, just MPO.
The website works well and is very easy to use. I would come up with a basic branding for all your images that has contact info, web info, and info on the asset itself for every image. Doesn't have to be overly complicated, but sometimes this stuff gets saved to a hard drive, sent out in an e-mail, or even printed. What better way to make sure they know how to get in touch with said artist? It's all right there on the JPEG. BAM! This will also force you to adopt some general size cohesiveness throughout all your images. Right now there's a lot of variation on every asset's image. Anything to make it look nice and clean is a plus for just generally looking nice. The site itself is nice, clean, simple, and solid. Good work!
As for your next project... I say there are a few things you can do. Create a fleshed out environment with assets you have. Some basic BSP work and additional stuff will help to show you can really tackle and environment and not just the little stuff that fills up the space. You could also start something entirely new and make it one big project. Foliage would be a nice addition like you mentioned. Texture work that doesn't feel stylized. You don't want to show that you are hardset on stylized 100% handpainted awesomeness. Create some realistic looking texture work, and specifically, address your texturing of metals. This is the one section in your texture work that seems to be lacking slightly.
Keep going and I look forward to seeing more out of you!
I'd get rid of everything on your 2D after the Mucha paint. While it may be illustrative of your personality, it's just not portfolio material. If you want that section to show your range of skill then try your hand at some concepts and orthos-- that way you're showing versatility that's directly applicable to your intended position of modeler, instead of just showing that you like to do portraits on the side. Make sense?
Good luck with the job hunt.
Firebert - I get what your saying about the art tests, although the latest test I did get the job, but its just not full time. I've done a lot more assets for them after I did the test but they are NDA. Your right about the labels, I have them on my older work but I haven't put any up on the newer stuff, I guess I was just trying to get it up and done with. I'll go back and invest some more time into it now.
Wake - Yeah I should probably go over my 2D page again, it has been ignored as of late I didn't even have it on there at first, I need to do more game related stuff as you mentioned I'll get on doing some of that...maybe haha I'm not too good at it so maybe I should just not have 2d?
I've definitely been thinking about making some modular pieces that I can fit together to make a full environment I can probably bring in a lot of different elements that way. Thanks again!
One, I'd say a good portion of your material is quite similar. It's either produced from Photo Reference, or it's a concept developed by someone else. I don't think there's something inherently wrong with using either of those things, but to the extent that it's used gives someone the impression that you need a concept or photo reference to do some of your work. I think doing a bit more personal work and using concepts or ideas that you've developed yourself would be a great addition.
Secondly, the texture resolutions and model detail is a bit on the high side. If you're looking at getting work in games, this would be a pretty big deal. Your Satellite Command Module that you built has a 2048x2048 texture, and individual keys are modeled right into the geometry. It's a tricky thing, but for games, you have to show them that you can cheat a bit with your budgets and still create very nice work.
As others have mentioned, building a level or a scene is a pretty tough challenge but it'll pay off. If you invest a lot of work into building a really cool scene, it makes a great showcase piece. That's all for now, good luck!
With your content it's just recreations of chairs and a prop from an already existing game. I will say however that some of it is well made. That chair with the green cushion especially.
Just try to make more imaginative stuff and with styles that you've yet to try.
I would but I didn't create any of the assets for that level, my teammates did, the reason I mention that in my resume is to show that I have experience with using the engine, I was the one responsible for importing all the assets and setting up all the materials, I guess I was more of a designer on that project. The images are on my blog, but I didn't think they were appropriate for my portfolio.
Am I not creative??? :<
I guess I haven't stretched my creative muscles in awhile. All throughout school they told us that if we wanted to show we were good modelers we should use other people's art or photo reference because we would never be as good as professional concept artists so we should just focus on doing the modeling and texturing well.
Ever since school I've just done what people told me to do for their projects, I guess maybe it is time I try and do something I come up with. I'm just afraid that it will suck
I think what they've taught you is to overspecialize in something, which can be problematic in itself. If you're a one trick pony and only good at a couple things, it's really only going to limit your career opportunities, and it's not going to make you as attractive as you could be to an employer. There are plenty of scenarios where something needs to be built, but the priorities of the concept art team are focused somewhere else. Showing that you're flexible enough to improvise, and adapt to styles and themes in your work is a crucial skill.
Also, if you look at a lot of job postings for Modellers, Environment Artists, Texture Artists they often cite that some traditional artwork background is valued. If you have some drawing skills, you ought to put them to use, if you don't have any drawing skills, learn.
Just take anything you get from school with a grain of salt, and form your own judgements on issues. If you read anything from an industry professional and they're offering advice, that's probably the advice you want to follow.
Right now you have a collection of pretty decent props, but nothing that really leads the pack.
I wouldn't worry too much about the concepting. You don't necessarily need to create an actual concept drawing before you begin. A couple of photos from a google image search can be enough for a start. Get a few rough models in, and see what else it needs to look cool. If you get really stuck, take a screenshot, then paint over it adding anything it needs to look better, then model those things.
Regarding your website:
- Bigger thumbnails that show off more of the asset (First thing I noticed)
- Contact info in each image (at the very least the beauty shot)
- High poly models (This is a big deal)
- Consistent presentation (mentioned already)
- Scrap the 2D all together (you're not going to get hired as a 2D artist with what you've got now)
- All of your pieces are unrelated which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but to be honest some just aren't very interesting to look at. I'm not "wowed" by much. I want to be "wowed". Just because you can show off the art test doesn't mean you didn't get the job, it just means you get to show off the art test which is good since the ME2 piece is the best IMO.
What to add:
- A small scene would be great. I really mean small. Big is impressive, but depending on what type of artist you are it can get overwhelming and or boring quickly. Quality over quantity. It doesn't have to be an original creation, in fact it would probably be easiest to pick one you really enjoy and add to it.
- Don't pick anything you're not going to have fun building or anything that you won't want to make for months on end. You'll be tearing your hair out if you get hired to hand-paint things if you hate hand-painting.
- Building a scene will display your ability to follow the concept and keep to an established style (this is a big deal too).
- Modularity is good.
- To show off a bit you can add to the scene, create interesting compositions the player will encounter, add more props to give it more character, but always sticking to the style of the concept. This will show potential employers that you can be trusted to follow the concept, but also make things more interesting for the player (that's who it's all about in the end)
- To add to the last bit, making something that you can walk around in is pretty cool to see instead of one off shots. Being able to create interesting layouts/compositions for the player can add points to solid asset/enviro work.
That said, it's ok to be primarily a prop artist. However if building playable environments is what you want to do, then you need that in your portfolio.
The only thing I'm getting now are, well as to be expected, freelance prop jobs. So if I ever want to move beyond that and become a full time artist like I want, I'll need to be able to step up to the plate even if that means I have to teach myself.
I know I can take on the task of modeling and texturing the environment, I'm just unsure about how to make it look good once I've done that. I think I'll have to start off with brushing up on the UDK and learning about the things that can make my environment look good once its in there. Then of course I know you all will have plenty of feedback for me.
I've seen your work before and I feel the same way now;
I think you should show more of your Environment Artist capabilities than you have now. Nothing really tells me (aside from the UDK level you contributed to) that you're an environment artist.
I'd recommend coming up with a location, say for example a warehouse. Think of a room inside this warehouse.
-Build props that would go inside the warehouse.
-Build the interior of the room.
Take pics of the props seperately, then take pics of the warehouse room all together under the right lighting conditions.
While you're doing that think about;
-Lighting and how it'll affect the props.
-Style, grungy, or clean?
-Prop placement.
In the end we should get two beauty pics, the first one should be of your props (maybe with plain black background?) the second of the warehouse room interior.
Here's an example of what I mean: http://scotthomer.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/scotthomer-final21.jpg
While you're working on it, post progress on Pimping and Previews. The information those guys can give is invaluable since a lot of them are right in the industry. In other words, while Joe Smoe is on his lunch break at Blizzard Ent. he's checking the forums and might give us a tip or two.
Anyhow, once you've milled that out in P&P and you're happy with it, do something crazy, like an Alien location.
By having both a realistic and a fantasy location, you'll show a prospective employer that you're able to work with a variety of styles, environments, and lighting conditions.
When I read your description of what they were asking you to do I thought of these
And I scrolled down expecting to see that, however you went a very different direction. Overall I know it's too late to mention now but I was wondering if the employers said anything to you about it, about whether they liked it or not and why or if it wasnt' what they were expecting?
Sorry if I am resurrecting a dead thread!
They really liked my art test and the reason I didn't get the job was because they decided to hire someone with more experience. They did compliment me on my interview skills and encouraged me to make more art and said that I was a good artist.
I think you are making a lot of assumptions about my life and what people have thought, or said, about me, and I don't think its any of your business to come out of no where and tell me that I did something wrong in a situation that you know nothing about.
AND: I actually recently got a job SPECIFICALLY because of that piece.
Although I agree that it's great to use a concept from an artist for most works, sometimes it's great to make your own concept and run with it. Even if it's not all that great, it's important to just try. My final portfolio piece from last year was a mix of my own concepts (both successful and terribly unsuccessful) and photo reference. Some days you feel that it's a failure and others its the best thing ever. You have great work and are obviously very proficient so I'd have faith you'd bang out something that's pretty amazing.
You have a portfolio critique thread and this is asking for critiques, I was simply curious as to whether you had done what they wanted or not and if they had told you that it was not what they were expecting. I was simply asking for my own curiosity.
Hope I never have to work with you in the future.
Also why would I waste my time looking for references and trying to help you out if I just wanted to get a rise out of you?