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Galen Davis - Environment Art Portfolio

polycounter lvl 11
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Darkmaster polycounter lvl 11
Hey guys, I just wanted to post up my portfolio blog to kinda get some feedback about where my portfolio should be headed in the next couple months. I recently landed my first job here in Orange County right before I'm set to graduate in May, which is sweet, but I really want to maximize the time I have here in school to get my portfolio looking the best it can be.

I guess what I'm kind of looking for is feedback on the work that is already up on the site, as well as get some input as to what I should really focus on with my remaining months in school. My official port site is currently down for construction, so I dusted off the old blog and trimmed out the fat. Hope you guys like it, and all thoughts and comments are more than welcome!

www.galen-davis.blogspot.com

Replies

  • Visceral
    Really solid work there! I like your newer stuff alot. But one thing i concidered when i made my portfolio blog is that if you have few stuff to show. Try to fill the page out with info, like wireframe shots or images from your texture.
  • Darkmaster
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    Darkmaster polycounter lvl 11
    Thanks for kind words Visceral! Ya I will definitely be including more than just presentation shots on my professional site. I'm workin on some breakdowns for everything right now so that I can have have those next to my presentation shots!
  • Joshflighter
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    Joshflighter polycounter lvl 9
    Aww!Seeing those Pirates of the Caribbean screenshots makes me want the game even more! :(

    Great stuff man.
  • Striff
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    Striff polycounter lvl 18
    I like your stuff, but you a blog site does not work for a portfolio.
  • megalmn2000
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    megalmn2000 polycounter lvl 13
    Some cool stuffs.
    Personally, I would prefer to make a stand-alone portfolio instead of a blog style page. I would put your PotC scene in the first post, on the top, since it's the strongest piece of your portfolio. Instead of just writting down personal impression, would be more informative to put your triangle count, texture sheets, texture size, etc...Halo scene is coming nicely but don't put it unfinish on a portfolio, recruiters don't like that. They want to see finished pieces of work.
    And last thing, don't forget to pur your r
  • JTerry
    Glad to hear that a real site is coming along - the blog thing is kinda poopy (I guess the others didn't read your full post lol). I'll give you the strategy that got me into the industry, since your work is structured similarly.

    I see that you've got the large dock environment. I would spend a significant amount of time polishing it to be the anchor of your portfolio. - get rid of the UDK character, tune up the atmospherics so they're not washing out the scene, and dial in the lighting. Also do some actual game walk through videos and wire-frame breakdowns with statistics. This environment is close, and I think it'll carry you a long way, just give it the time it deserves.

    Your other WIP halo environment will be your main supportive work. I say this because it is more of a snapshot, undeniable proof that you can reproduce a concept and that you didn't get lucky on your other main piece. When I did this, I made sure that it looked as close to the concept as possible to show that I could match the style and all of the factors that were present, it's good to see that that is your goal as well.

    I'm not really convinced that your sci-fi hallway is strong enough to share space in your portfolio with your later environments. It looks like a first attempt to me and I would probably leave it out. Consider doing the same with the train thing although this is better in my opinion.

    I'm suggesting that you present your environments as the main anchor of your portfolio for a couple reasons. Your environments are a better mix of styles than your props are, showing a range of artistic ability. Plus they require much more thought and technical proficiency than a single prop.

    I think your portfolio could use one or two really solid high to low poly assets. The axe is a good asset, but it's doesn't give a complete picture of your modeling ability. Maybe a third environment snapshot if you have the time? This guy has some really cool little environment material snapshots: http://www.pixel-masher.com/Pages/Textures.html
    maybe you could do a couple of these?

    Anyways I hope this helps. If you have any further or more specific questions feel free to message me.
  • chrisradsby
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    chrisradsby polycounter lvl 14
    Awesome work, really nice. The pirate environment is amazing, great work on the mood and lighting!
  • Darkmaster
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    Darkmaster polycounter lvl 11
    Wow guys thank you for all the responses!! Ya so just to clarify this is not my final site it is simply a placeholder while get my breakdowns finished and everything uploaded. I'm definitely going to have a lot more to show in the next couple weeks with the halo environment, as well as work that I'm doing for my first game!

    I will also do some more stand alone props to mix things up like JTerry said! And I will make sure to breakdown the pirate scene as best i can as it is my favorite piece so far! Thanks again for all the responses and I'll be posting updates as they come!
  • Computron
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    Computron polycounter lvl 7
    REACH.



    Texture it, I want to see.
  • Darkmaster
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    Darkmaster polycounter lvl 11
    Hey everyone!! I have updated my portfolio site a little here to improve the navigation. I'm looking for some help here if anyone knows Blogger pretty well. The issue that I am running into is that the image links to my individual pages are showing up on all of the different tabs for the entire site!! If anyone knows how to sidestep this issue, please let me know, I would really appreciate it.

    Also! While you are browsing feel free to check out some of my NEWER work in the props/textures tab. I will also be posting a brand new environment fairly soon, so stay tuned :) Thanks for the help everyone!!

    www.galen-davis.blogspot.com
  • Sayanora
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    Sayanora polycounter lvl 11
    Hey Galen. I like the design adjustments you've made quite a bit! I must say, it looks vaguely familiar :poly121: Haha!

    I'm honestly not sure what's happening with your home page's images showing up everywhere. At the bottom of your home page it says No posts, so I'm guessing this means your home page is stored in your Pages section. Strangely enough, I couldn't even access my Home page in the Pages section. This is what I got when I tried to edit it.



    Home_newtitle.jpg


    What I did instead was store it in my posts section and link to all of my pages from there. Hope that helps!

    Home_post.jpg
  • Darkmaster
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    Darkmaster polycounter lvl 11
    Doug!!! You are a lifesaver man. Thank you so much for clarifying that. I had individual image links as opposed to putting all of the links in a single post. Brilliant dood, thanks for the help :)
  • sipher3325
    Your dock pirate/dock scene is the tits!!!
  • Sayanora
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    Sayanora polycounter lvl 11
    Darkmaster wrote: »
    Doug!!! You are a lifesaver man. Thank you so much for clarifying that. I had individual image links as opposed to putting all of the links in a single post. Brilliant dood, thanks for the help :)

    No problem man, glad it worked out for you! It looks much better now.

    I have some crits on your Halo scene. Structurally, it looks pretty sound, barring some spatial and proportion differences. For example, in the concept, there's a walled in vertical space above the machinery in the top of your scene. The metal barrier in that same area up top is too long. Add more wires! You have a few dangling vertically on one side, but in the concept they're strewn across the support bar horizontally and then dip down again.

    Also I know you can match the concept's lighting much better. There's a nice cool to warm light transition, with the cooler light spilling downwards, causing some sharp back lighting on the machine rails and support structures. Your main warm light by the entryway is too washed out compared to the concept. The ceilings and other 2nd floor structures are way too light in your scene. Notice how the spot lights stand out much better against the dark. Widen your volume light cones too! The concept is far more dramatic and contrasty, which might not be what you wanted. That said, I think your scene would look better if you played up the contrast around your focal points at least. Seems like your entryway would be a good place to start.
  • Darkmaster
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    Darkmaster polycounter lvl 11
    Hey everyone! So I just finished my education out here in California and am looking for work. I have taken several art tests over the last several months, so I figure I'd kinda turn this thread into an art dump of some of my work. Some of it is new, some is a little older. I have been incredibly blessed to have landed two shipped titles before I graduated. Links to both of those titles are available on my blog!! So I'm really just looking to get some feedback on things I can improve on to land that full time job. I have been trying to attempt more than just styles of art that I feel comfortable in, so you'll see below some newer works that are a little more outside of my element.

    One thing that I will say about my experience in school is that Polycount has truly been more help to me than ANYTHING I learned in the classroom. The community here, and the resources that are available are worth one hundred times what I paid for my Bachelors Degree. So I just want to officially say here that I am so thankful for all of you guys that helped me out. Truly, Polycount is such an amazing place to be. I have experienced serious growth as an artist here, and I have all of you to thank!! So if you are new to PC and are reading this sappy bit, just know that you have landed at the right place :)

    Any and all comments are absolutely welcome. And the link to my blog is below!!

    84285413.jpg

    96084350.jpg
  • Amsterdam Hilton Hotel
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    Amsterdam Hilton Hotel insane polycounter
    i really dig the sword texture, but what was the rationale behind that blue center piece being a different island on the UV? and whats the wire look like, is that part cut in?
  • chrisradsby
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    chrisradsby polycounter lvl 14
    Still showing of that beautiful pirate environment. Awesome work I love it to death! Really nice work on your latest stuff.
  • Darkmaster
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    Darkmaster polycounter lvl 11
    Hey guys!! Thanks for the response :)

    @Amsterdam: So looking back on that model, I would absolutely just paint in what I have for that section of the mesh. The reason that I did it that way was simply because I felt the need to model that bit... If I were to do this over again, I would absolutely mend that, or attempt to make it pop more to justify the geometry.

    @chris: As always, thanks for the support man!!
  • fab-camp
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    fab-camp polycounter lvl 6
    hey,
    your background realy flickers on my monitor when scrolling. i think its about that hatching-pattern and my screens response time. to me that effect was quite distracting.
    other than that, great portfolio!
  • SouthpawSid
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    SouthpawSid polycounter lvl 7
    dawwww you did a Fast Attack! Keep at it Galen, hit me up when you get your final site online! Coming along well man!
  • Darkmaster
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    Darkmaster polycounter lvl 11
    Thanks Brad!! Ya that FAV was for an art test I took recently. I really enjoyed learning from that model, as it was my first vehicle. Hopefully I'm going to be doing some more of those in the future!!
  • MartinH
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    MartinH polycounter lvl 8
    http://www.urpa3d.com/images/props/emerald_clash/emerald_clash_concept_full.jpg

    Great portfolio, but that sword looks alot like a sword Kelvin concepted and made. If you used his concept, it would be cool to give him some credit.
  • Darkmaster
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    Darkmaster polycounter lvl 11
    @MartinH: Thank you so much for linking me!! I found the concept simply on google, but the link was not connected to his site! I will absolutely be updating my renders with credit where it is due. Thanks!!
  • Tairii
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    Tairii polycounter lvl 9
    Spell check!!!

    The Boneyard: It took my 8 weeks, and was built in a modular setup.

    Make sure to run over those things a few times. Your work is solid, inspiration for me!
  • Darkmaster
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    Darkmaster polycounter lvl 11
    Hey guys!! So I updated a lot on my website. Threw out some old stuff, made some new stuff, and polished up the professional work pages. Take a look!! Here are some newer renders as well. The current WIP is based on a concept by ARTYOM VLASKIN.

    wip10.jpg

    skullpostwip1.jpg
  • nathanbarrett
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    nathanbarrett polycounter lvl 6
    God damn your pirate environment is amazing. I'd love an overview as to how you went about that..
  • Darkmaster
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    Darkmaster polycounter lvl 11
    Just a few things I've been workin on for the last few months. Still lookin for full time work!! Luckily I've got some freelance in the meantime :) Any and all thoughts/comments are welcome!!

    imageysk.jpg

    image1anl.jpg

    shieldez.jpg

    favfinal.jpg

    sub3lu.jpg
    (Floaters still attached, sorry!! And I can't find the concept artist who did these awesome sketches!!)
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