Aspiring to be a 3D Environment artist

Will_M

Hi everyone, I made a thread awhile back on the college I was planning to go to and have committed to Ringling for their game art program since then. I've noticed that they have a good grasp on environment building which is what I really want to pursue as a discipline with possibly being a generalist in 3d modelling, but that's what I'd want to focus on and sell myself as the most in my final portfolio.

I've found some nice resources in the wiki and thread archives, but was also wondering if I could get some direct insight on environment art, like it's demand in the market, what artist are considered the best in the industry, if it can be freelanced, and what resources there are for environment art.

There's a lot of studying I want to do in the summer and I guess I just really want some help with the direction I should go in.

Eric Chadwick

It is in demand, similar to the other game art disciplines. Some opinions about that here:
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Game_Industry#Art_Disciplines

What artists are considered the best? Opinions and examples here:
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Portfolio#Examples

Yes it can be freelanced, see http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Freelance. To see examples of freelance environment artists check out the threads in these sections:
http://polycount.com/categories/freelance-job-postings
http://polycount.com/categories/artist-looking-for-work

Resources? I think you've named them already. Tons of links in the wiki to other sites too. Also check out Level Design which is a related discipline, and has lots of resources available.
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Level_Design

If you have other questions, or more specific ones, feel free!