Junior Artist needs advice for career path

rayle1112

Hi guys,

I'm a junior 3D character artist, recently completed an one year program in game art last year, and I was fortunate enough to land my first job immediately at an indie studio in Vancouver, Canada. Because it's indie, my work is exceptionally varied, from contributing to character, props/environment, and even web design. I have met great people and learned a lot from working here in such a short time.

However,  I feel stuck in my career at the moment, and the stress is really killing me. The problem is my one-year post-grad working permit is gonna expire soon (I'm a foreigner, not Canadian), and I need a LMIA document in order to extend my work permit which means the studio would have to go through that hassle of sponsoring and dealing with legal issues. Unfortunately, my current studio is not qualified for LMIA so I will need to find another company that could help me out with working visa stuff. I don't want to go back to my country because there is no game/film industry over there, and I can't live without 3D, it's my everything..

I understand my chances are very low. There are tons of local talent of all experience levels looking for a job, and local talent is always preferred.  So I'm wondering if you guys could review my portfolio and would be able to give me some honest advice, especially from those of you who are industry veterans. Will I have any chance at finding an employer willing to sponsor my working visa with my current skill set? Could you suggest me any studio? It doesn't have to be in Canada, it could be anywhere in both game and film industry (Canada and US are preferred)

My Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/artist/rayle/profile
Personal website: http://www.rayleart.com/

Sorry about the wall of text, and thank you for reading!

Burpee

You can always go back  for a few month until you find a studio that can deal with your VISA stuff, your stuff ain't bad at all, it'll work sonner sooner or later

I totally understand your struggle though, gl ! 

slipsius

Have you considered looking into film places? If 3d is your everything, then dont stress about it being a game job. film and tv do 3d as well. Maybe try nerdcorps or something. 

Amsterdam Hilton Hotel

I wouldn't call myself an "industry veteran" so take this with a grain of salt, but I've worked for a few years in a AAA studio and maybe a year or so through freelance outfits so it's slightly qualified. My biggest suggestion is to crank out personal work. Post it up on Artstation, PC, and popular Facebook groups and cross-promote it as much as you can. Make it clear on all your accounts that you're looking for work. This way you will attract clients and potentially be able to keep working in game art remotely even if you have to move back to your home country.

On top of that... apply as aggressively as you can, everywhere, and go to as many events as you can IRL where other game developers will be. Network.

Swaggletooth

Honestly I wouldn't worry too much about going home - keep applying to companies in the US or Canada, the fact that you've had experience in Canada should be a nice boon for any English speaking company that can help out with Visas.

While you wait, there's always freelance or turbosquid. Neither is ideal of course, but they'll help keep you on course with your career.

poly_bob

Hey, think tank right? I'm an graduate of that school too
Have you looked into what other recent foreign grads are getting into? What studios they were sponsored by? From what I can tell it seems like EA Vancouver is one of the few game studios there that hire recent grads. And I think a few were even non Canadians. 

From what I can tell, your best bet in staying in Canada is applying for a VFX house. They seem to be more willing to hire and sponsor compared to Game studios. A quick linkedin search shows that a lot of former grads work at, Bardel, Nerd Corps, Scanline, Rainmaker, and Hydraulx to name a few.

Your folio looks awesome btw. Don't think you have any issues in that department. Just put more effort in applying for work. Try contacting HR directly. Or  contact a senior artist or art director in "X" studio about a particular job position.