Please help me understand what lacks in my work that stops people from hiring me.

pointcache · May 2016

Hi people. Im sorry in advance if this thread seems dumb, but when i say im stressed and a bit depressed im bloody serious. I really need some advice before i have some form of breakdown.
I designed these things from scratch, is this good enough to get a job in a small indie studio as a
3d concept artist/designer? If you look at my portfolio you see i can finish these with all the texturing etc,
but what im showing here is my art skill. Is it good?
Im asking because i fail to find job where people actually need this, you know what i do most of the time?
I program. Yep, for money. And i would actually ditch it altogether if i could find stable remote position somewhere where my 3d/art skills are needed, but nobody is interested. I really need some advice, or consolation because i feel terrible.
my portfolio is here

kanga · May 2016

When in doubt the easiest thing is to look at the work of the best artists you can find and aim for that level. Analyze what those artists have made and learn from that. Being able to take a step back and judge your own work is important and difficult. I think your stuff is pretty good but there is a lot better work floating around out there and that is your competition.

Ged · May 2016

Ive worked in a small indie studio with a good 3d concept designer and Id say you are 60% of the way there with these models. Paint over them and finish the concepts off and then you will stand a better chance of being recognised for how useful you are. Even if you already know how good you can be companies will require you to prove that as a fact.

Heres some examples of what I would consider really useful finished 3d concepts : https://www.artstation.com/artwork/g53Rm
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/bft

Joao Sapiro · May 2016

i think one of the issues might be that the first work you present is unfinished work , as in lots of wips and unsorted content , what do you want to do ? because at the moment it isnt clear . I would recomend getting rid of work in progress images and just post final projects that you think that reflect the best of your abilities !

Steppenwolf · May 2016

I would say you're on the right track as far as modeling goes, it's pretty nice actualy, but you should work on your texturing. The assets that you have textured are a bit too crude. Slapping uniform colors and a cavity map on isn't enough if you go for the hand painted look.
And don't put greyscale wireframes on your portfolio if you don't show the textured and finished asset aswell. It sends a message that you avoid finishing the assets or don't know how to.

pointcache · May 2016

Thank you people, a lot of useful input.

jose.fuentes · May 2016

@pointcache

your art station says that you are in Panama City, is that current? I was born there, are you finding local game work out there?

Meloncov · May 2016

One thing to keep in mind is that concept art positions are going to be much more competitive than production art positions, and concept art positions that are looking for purely 3d work are pretty rare. You're much more likely to find work by focusing on creating work that can be used in-game.

stickadtroja · May 2016

^ this. i never heard of a small indie studio that had a artist doing solely 3d concept design. either spread your skillset and become a regular 3d artist or practise until you can be a 3d concept designer at a big studio.

Melazee · May 2016

I don't think your stuff is bad. I'd advise you texture and present those first images as finished models though for sure like others have said, because as the first images in your portfolio, they don't really leap out at me. They could probably be more optimised too, but that's more me just being damn picky!

Any idea of where you want to head exactly? Having some kind of direction is always a good idea

le0tard · May 2016

this all looks good, better than alot of my stuff and I make (a little) money of it.

Kid.in.the.Dark · May 2016

- Career Direction/Specialization is unclear. You're ranging between Hard Surface / Vehicle / Environment / Character / FX / UI / Concept... unless you're shooting for Generalist you need to pick something otherwise the specialized positions will be given to someone else who's evidently sure where his/her passion lays in this industry.
- Too much untextured work. Pick and complete.
- Too much work. Cut it down to your best and final projects.
- This isn't necessary but it does help, have a proper personal website built for your work and keep it simple (the less clicks to see work the better) but again this is optional. My Artstation is just a means to put artwork up, I don't send it off to companies as a portfolio either.
- Presentation altogether is a bit everywhere on your art station as well... I struggle with this a lot too usually but I tend to sort my projects from realism to stylized so it's easier to look at.

Overall... your stuff isn't bad tbh, you can obviously model etc... and the hand painted stuff showcases some diversity in styles as well so you're sitting in a good place to continue building.

Just pick the specialization and then build in that direction.

Kidd.

Please help me understand what lacks in my work that stops people from hiring me.

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