Focusing on Blizzard's hand painted style?
polycounter lvl 4
Hi!
My dream studio is Blizzard. I love their lowpoly hand painted style . I don't play WoW anymore but the style still catches my eyes. I'm wondering if I have to focus on lowpoly hand painted things or not.
Some considerations:
- I don't really know what I want, if characters or environments. I love to explore environments such as mountains, forests, dungeons... but when I see rooms with tables and chairs, these seems boring to me.
- I don't draw/paint well.
- I don't play games a lot, about once/twice a month and almost the time is just to look at the art and explore the environment. I wonder if this is a bad thing since I'm wanting to work in the video game industry.
I would like to read some thoughts from you. Thanks.
My dream studio is Blizzard. I love their lowpoly hand painted style . I don't play WoW anymore but the style still catches my eyes. I'm wondering if I have to focus on lowpoly hand painted things or not.
Some considerations:
- I don't really know what I want, if characters or environments. I love to explore environments such as mountains, forests, dungeons... but when I see rooms with tables and chairs, these seems boring to me.
- I don't draw/paint well.
- I don't play games a lot, about once/twice a month and almost the time is just to look at the art and explore the environment. I wonder if this is a bad thing since I'm wanting to work in the video game industry.
I would like to read some thoughts from you. Thanks.
Replies
Also dont expect to jump right in as a character artist, start with the props and the environments... you cant have that mentality that "tables and chairs" bore you. Its all a set of assets that paint a bigger picture.
You dont have to play games, but its kind of stupid not to. Games will help you build a visual library and set expectations, it is even more important for designers than artist, but still important none the less in my opinion.
If you want to do wow style, knowing your way around a digital painting application and the workflow is pretty important. If you dont do it well, then practice so you can.
Check out FirstKeeper's deviantart page, she not only works at Blizzard but offers some advice and information helping those interest in hand painted texture work. http://firstkeeper.deviantart.com/
I don't really see it as that limiting either, I thought I was screwed when I got laid off in 2009 but the demand for "old school" art refuses to go away
I was thinking on only focus on my drawing skills first, learn the fundamentals and become good at it and then start learning digital painting and concept art, so I would be able to make cool hand painted textures if I wanted to. But this will take a huge amount of time (I'm almost 25). I always wanted to paint like this http://cghub.com/images/view/499099/ , but.. I don't know... I'm a little lost ehehe.
@LRoy and @EmAr, thank you for the reply.
If you learn the fundamentals of painting, you basically can paint anything. It's sort of like the difference between memorizing what two numbers add up to versus actually learning how to add two numbers together. If you understand how to paint light, it's fundamentally the same if you're painting a realistic brick texture or a WOW stylized brick texture. Shadows work the same in an oil painting portrait, as they do in cell shaded anime -- it's just more simplified in the latter.
So rather than being in the mindset of learning to paint a certain specific thing, try to get in the mindset of learning how to paint in general terms. You want to learn how to know where to place the marks, not how to paint a specific thing. It's a lot less daunting that way.
Ctrl+Paint has a lot of video tutorials (his blog section has a lot of good advice too). I'd go through his Basic Painting Techniques set. Then see if you can do things like material spheres to start off with. If you just do it, you'll probably surprise yourself how quickly you advance.
There is a famous thread on ConceptArt.org about a guy that went noob to pro. Unfortunately, ConceptArt.org seems to be down at the moment so I can't link it. Here is an article about him, but it doesn't really demonstrate how truely inexperienced he was starting out.
You shouldnt have to make those either or decisions, while its ok to start with one and lead to another, I think the worst thing any artist can do is limit themselves as it both reflects on professional options and artistic results.
For career purposes, focus on environment and be able to hit both handpainted and realistic. Its not as complicated as you think, just requires practice.
If you are going the concept art route as opposed to texture artist, then the foundations/fundamentals is definitely a good place to start. Digital painting and knowing how to work with values will be your bread and butter for both concept art and texture art. As for your age, thats nothing. I know people who started way past their 30s. Another bud of mine started at around 26 now hes working as a concept artist and illustrator in the industry. He also went the hand painted style direction and cant get into the studios he wants because he hasnt grown out of that style, but he still managed to find a studio to work in and after starting at 26. The point here is dont let age limit you either.
Check out this https://www.youtube.com/user/FZDSCHOOL?feature=watch
Its a wealth of information and inspiration for doing what you want to do if you go the concept art direction.
I'm 26, I've been coming to Polycount for about 14 years, really working on my 3D and texture skills for about 11, and as of last Friday I officially accepted an offer to Blizzard
As someone who just get employment there, this is the advice I can offer you (As another note, I haven't started working there yet obviously, and I'm only giving you insight to my path and how I've gotten here).
I spent probably 7 years total working on different mods for C&C Renegade and the Battlefield series. I got a lot of experience working on teams, getting used to work flows, and really getting into the feel of the development process. I loved every minute of it, even though every single project I worked on never completed (as about, what, 90% of all TC mods?)
In college, it was pretty much a complete waste of time and money for me, my opinion. Yes I fixed some bad habits I had developed (like, always free-hand modeling and never sketching out the ideas I had in my head), I learned an entirely new program (Maya), and I got some real hardcore team/deadline experience that I wouldn't have anywhere else.
I was very passionate, very hardworking, and I kind of got made fun of at times for how much I was working and how little I hung out outside of class (This is probably 50% due to the fact the person I was married to at the time, had a lot of serious issues and I couldn't, but that's besides the point)
I started my first job 2 weeks after graduation, and also got a buddy from college employed at the same place. During my almost 2 years there, I worked really hard AT work and OUTSIDE of work, and you can see my portfolio here http://www.threenineart.com . Ultimately, what I am trying to tell you, is practice, passion, dedication, and perseverance will you get a job at Blizzard, or any other studio that you desire to be employed at. I had never, at any point, applied to Blizzard, and they found me. Personally, in comparison to people at people such as the mentioned Firstkeeper, my portfolio is not representative of Blizzard quality; I am completely fine admitting that, and it's not becuase I don't have confidence in myself. #1: it's not updated with my currently quality, and #2: my work, to me, looks really rushed and unfinished in some cases. Another tip I will give you from my own experience, is DO NOT back yourself in a corner and have your portfolio represent only one kind of style that can hinder you from possible jobs. I was laid off as of April 8'th, and I was busting my ASS to land a job anywhere I could locally, just to get work and to relax. I have tons of bills due to poor decisions and being forced into others, and every studio that thought I was a good artist wasn't interested in hiring me simply because they have no idea what my quality for realistic/high poly/ NON-handpainted art is. Even with my process with Blizzard, I am very positive that having only 1 normal mapped realistic model was an issue that was probably discussed.
With any company, yes they may do one style specifically, but what if that project ends or new work comes and focus needs to be shifted? If your employer thinks you will only be good in one specific scenario, it really limits your ability to be versatile, and would detract from their confidence in you. Your portfolio should not reflect mine in the fact that is stacked with almost 100% hand-painted assets. Once again, this is my opinion.
Now, what I can tell you to do, is what people have already suggested. Tyson Murphy's hand-painted tutorial is what essentially created the first 8 assets on my portfolio. It's very well done, very informative, and he currently WORKS at Blizzard. It's a couple years old, but this tutorial pretty much tells you how to do Blizzard's style.
Justin Meisse's Link is also something that needs to be checked out for sure. It's very helpful in a traditional art style sense, and it's something I need to go back and apply to myself too
If Blizzard is where you want to be, and you don't know what route you want to go, there is only one thing holding you back from landing a job there. Study their art and start making things ASAP. Make props, make weapons, make mounts, make characters. Give yourself deadlines and practice their style. Create your OWN concepts, literally sketch them out (they don't need to be amazing pieces of work in their own) create a color palette (even if you color pick from blizzard's assets) and make them. Kathy Zuniga posted advice on her twitter saying the response she has to the "How do I get into Blizzard?" question, is to simply make art reflecting their style. They want to find people they feel they can fit artistically, then worry about the personality stuff once they get you for interviews
Start making their stuff, but don't limit yourself to just them. That's about all I can offer from a probably naive and ignorant view point. Good luck dude
Interesting.... I've kind of resorted to this. I just have gameplay videos run in the background while I'm at work :P
Yeah, for Blizzard, you gotta paint paint paint paint paint paint paint!
Blizzard is looking for extremely talented/dedicated/hard working artists above anything else. Finding someone who meets those qualifications can adjust there art style/look to fit whatever current project Blizzard is working on/needs them for.
Limiting yourself to only hand painted, or rts rez stuff severely limits your ability to get a job anywhere, including Blizzard who is a multi team/project oriented studio.
Depends on what project you plan on working on, actually. WoW is the most painterly and definitely requires painted work in your portfolio, however, for Diablo, SC, and "Titan," you get less and less painty as I've listed.
Blizzard is a large studio and they hire people they feel can do a great job for one of their games. I'd say look at which game's style you like most and try for that.
But yes, in general, don't limit yourself too much.
Dataday, thank you for the advices!
xrg, Thank you!
Thank you everyone for the reply! So I'm not going to focus on only one style as you said and I think it really makes sense. Now it's time to stop whining and start working on something.
You'll have to learn how to apply that to models, but it's a good start
Yep, thank you - probably one of the most important pieces of advice to take into account - Don't be a one trick pony!
That's a cool tip! Thanks.