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Graduate/Junior 3D Artist Looking For Work

Hey everybody, my Name is Ellis and i'm fresh out of university after a 3 year degree studying Games Technology at Coventry University. I'm based in the UK and looking to gain some experience within the industry.

While you're here, why not take a look at my portfolio where you can find my latest works including real-time showcases in UE4 found here: https://ellisgillings8.wixsite.com/professional

Experience
  • High-poly and low-poly 
  • Texturing/Baking 
  • Vehicle modeling
  • Weapon Modeling 
Work Examples







Thanks for your time :smile:

Replies

  • Elithenia
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    Elithenia polycounter
    Just a short note saying that your website/portfolio does not work
  • EllisGillings
    Elithenia said:
    Just a short note saying that your website/portfolio does not work
    Problem solved, thanks for pointing that out :smile:
  • JLHGameArt
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    JLHGameArt greentooth
    Hi EllisGillings,

    I feel like someone needs to point out a few things about your portfolio, so here goes. 

    Firstly, when showing artwork in your portfolio, you should also have wireframes and texture maps shown as well, otherwise no-one can tell how you have actually built the model, and if your topology and UV layouts are any good.

    Based one what you have shown here, you still have a lot of work to do.
    None of your materials are reading as what they are supposed to be. Your metal reads like shiny plastic, and I can't see anything that has been baked, just models with various materials applied.

    If you want to get into just making props, then you need to work a lot more on your asset workflow. The same goes for environments, but you need to show fully finished environments, and then breakdowns of the assets in the scene.  Low poly modelling, high poly, baking textures, and material creation. Unfortunately what you have shown here displays little to none of these skills that I can tell, aside from modelling, and we can't see topology, so even with that it's difficult to critique your work.

    I would suggest choosing a prop to work on and do a full production workflow. 

    Block Out
    Low Poly
    UV map
    High Poly
    Bake
    Textures
    Lighting
    Render

    Start a thread in the 3D Art Showcase & Critiques forum, and show each stage of your process and get feedback.

    You have to remember that when looking for work your competition is everyone else on here and not, so if you are looking for an artists job, you need to meet a certain standard. I have yet to obtain a studio job in the game industry, but i'm working hard every day at it to get there, and have been told that I'm finally good enough, I just need that first gig. 

    This is a shield prop I made in about 6 hours, and while it isn't perfect and I could still work into it further, I would say this is the minimum standard you should be looking to achieve if you're looking to get into making game assets. Notice the breakdowns of the asset. If not my work, then take a look at Jordan Moss's work. Jordan Moss is a recent graduate, and I believe his work is of a standard that every graduate should aim for.

    Try not to let this get you down. I know the feeling of being told all of this after graduating from my own BA a few years back. It's disheartening, and it made me stop working, which is the wrong thing to do. But with the correct attitude and lots of regular feedback you can push your work to a good standard.

    Hope this has been of some help.

    Best of luck, and keep going.
  • TudorMorris
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    TudorMorris polycounter
    Was your focus in your BA on design/coding rather than artwork?
  • EllisGillings
    @JLHGameArt Honestly this is the kind of advice i was looking for. Thanks for the push in the right direction :smile:
  • EllisGillings
    @TudorMorris Yeah exactly that. That being said i'm here to get my 3d work up to standard so any criticism/ advice is appreciated 
  • JLHGameArt
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    JLHGameArt greentooth
    @JLHGameArt Honestly this is the kind of advice i was looking for. Thanks for the push in the right direction :smile:
    Well with that attitude and some hard work you will be fine.
    Some people don't take kindly to being told these things, but you'll find if you take it all on board, listen to the advice given, and improve based on that, then people will be more willing to give you helpful critique. One of the things studios and art leads look for is that you can listen, understand, and act on what has been said to you. Being able to take critique on your work is a harsh lesson, but we all learn it, and it makes us all better artists. 

    So i'll see you around the forums I hope!
  • dpadam450
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    dpadam450 polycounter lvl 9
    © 2023 by Ellis Gillings.  - From your website.

    Rather than waste a lot of my time I'll just say: It looks like your degree is probably too broad and general like most "game design" degrees. Do you want to be a programmer or an artist?

    If you want to be an artst, then look at other works that people have done with AK-47's and other similar items. If you want to be a programmer, then I doubt you have close to enough experience. 
    One thing in particular that sticks out is "including state-of-the-art techniques in computer graphics for real-time rendering" but you have no shown portfolio of any rendering engine or techniques you have used.
  • EllisGillings
    @dpadam450
    1) You're not wrong, my degree was 3 years of scratching the surface of a lot of different aspects.
    2) I'd rather be a 3d artist.
    3) That statement about real time rendering is referring to my OpenGL programming projects including the procedural generated terrain, solar system, breakout game and ray tracer. That being said the programming side to my portfolio isn't entirely finished and will probably remove it entirely 
  • dpadam450
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    dpadam450 polycounter lvl 9
    Then it would be best to strip that in the long run. If you want to be a character artist, then you want a portfolio of characters. If you want to be an environment artist, then you should make a few environments.

    You have a long way to go and are not ready for a job based off of what you have shown. First, pick up Substance Painter or DDO. Texture your robot, because right now it lacks in texturing and is really the only thing that has potential in your portfolio. Look up the Meet Mat contest and what people did with a super simple character to get ideas of what you can do with that robot idea. It has a full shape, its not super low poly like your guitar. The guitar has no polygons, that its supposed to be circular and yet its so blocky. If you want to show replication of shape and proportions, then I don't know why that thing is like that. The back of a guitar neck is not a flat block either. You have to get rid of slapping photo textures on as well. You need to properly unwrap each element and go in (maybe in substance painter as that is a quicker workflow than by hand), and assign gold to the gold items and so on. Slapping a photo texture for something like that does not work in current high tech rendering.
  • EllisGillings
    @dpadam450 Yeeah I've quickly realised i'm nowhere near the level i need to be :/. Iv'e already started to revisit all my models in my spare time because nothing on my portfolio is finished in terms of the production workflow. Regardless, thanks for all the feedback and advice i greatly appreciate it :smile:
  • JLHGameArt
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    JLHGameArt greentooth
    I'd advise starting a fresh with new models rather than revisit old stuff. Building stuff from the ground up allows you the chance to do everything right at each step, rather than trying to fix or adjust models you've already spent time on. Also it will get you used to the correct workflow.
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