"Your portfolio lacks design" - A little help about this?
polycounter lvl 9
Hi. 
I graduated from a graphic design and multimedia college, which itself, for many people does not mean anything, but we won't get off topic.
I often get comments from people I don't know well, saying I lack 'design' in my portfolio, I don't want to make this a portfolio review of my stuff, I am more interested in grabbing this concept, of what it really means to have more design.
(Optional read, about me, still relevant)
I proud myself to retain much of the art history I learned in college, the thumbnailing process, design thinking, mind mappings, mood boards and how to research, I learned how to draw in the paper and pencil there too, then I learned how to communicate a design through graphics for posters, magazines, so on. Then cinematography.
I taught myself about concept art a lot, Gnomon DVDs and gumroads and some books on Art Center and Massive Black...
I still get comments about design. If I was doing a flyer, brochure, logo, I would have not this kind of comments, I didn't have a problem communicating with the client and have a design that follows through our briefing and communicates what it needs.
What does this mean, really? Should I add more of my process, include thumbnails, rough sketches, photo moodboard references, to support my final work and design choices?
Should I go study biomechanics, enginery of all sorts full time to understand how to build mech designs that work?
I'm really a bit lost. I'm hoping I can help others with this post as well, so I'm making it open.
I graduated from a graphic design and multimedia college, which itself, for many people does not mean anything, but we won't get off topic.
I often get comments from people I don't know well, saying I lack 'design' in my portfolio, I don't want to make this a portfolio review of my stuff, I am more interested in grabbing this concept, of what it really means to have more design.
(Optional read, about me, still relevant)
I proud myself to retain much of the art history I learned in college, the thumbnailing process, design thinking, mind mappings, mood boards and how to research, I learned how to draw in the paper and pencil there too, then I learned how to communicate a design through graphics for posters, magazines, so on. Then cinematography.
I taught myself about concept art a lot, Gnomon DVDs and gumroads and some books on Art Center and Massive Black...
I still get comments about design. If I was doing a flyer, brochure, logo, I would have not this kind of comments, I didn't have a problem communicating with the client and have a design that follows through our briefing and communicates what it needs.
What does this mean, really? Should I add more of my process, include thumbnails, rough sketches, photo moodboard references, to support my final work and design choices?
Should I go study biomechanics, enginery of all sorts full time to understand how to build mech designs that work?
I'm really a bit lost. I'm hoping I can help others with this post as well, so I'm making it open.
Replies
This might sound harsh but I wouldn't really take anything said by a non-professional that literary. Ive had a client say "your sketches need more polygons" I still have no idea what he really ment xD
AtticusMars said:
Worst case scenario; it's a euphemism for saying that they don't like your work.
Like @dustinbrown said. You just have to ask for more meaning. It's hard to not put somebody on the spot, so asking it this way might help, "Which piece do you feel is weak and why?" That will give them the invitation for harsher critique that they may not have felt comfortable giving. Remember you said you don't know them well so they don't know you well either. It's not easy to critique a stranger.
I wouldn't even bother with showing your process. I've interviewed and reviewed portfolios of so many concept artists. The things I look for are fresh ideas, willingness to iterate, and rendering quality. The first two can only be discovered by talking, so that just leaves the rendering for your portfolio.
You have a bunch of what I would call 'sketched illustrations', but not a lot of fully realised Conceptual work. Infact it's largely unfinished first-time drawn.
The Character Design work you do have, conveys almost zero information.
When a 3D artist takes your work, they want to how are the shoelaces tied? How does the trim go on the shoes? Do the pants pleat? Are there double stitching? How does that shoulderpad hold up? What kind of bullets are on those bullet belts?
My recommendation is to refine your designs a LOT more.
Take one you have, and redraw it several times, from front back and side. Closeups of the face, with several iterations of the exact face from different angles (and different expressions).
Draw the character mostly naked and then build up how the layers of clothing will go. We want to see details like, the belt loops on the pants, what kind of button holds it together.
We also want to know what each material everything is.
We also want to see a FUCKTON more detail than what you have. Buttons, tattoos, wristbands, watches. We want the design to be memorable, so give them accessories and a silhouette we can remember them by.
Sometimes I just get overloaded with different information and myths, some say: show more sketches and thumbs because we want to see how you think, then others say, show more finished art, I don't care about process, show more storytelling and creativity, show less storytelling, more function...
But I guess I'm starting to grip the concept, to approach it like an industrial designer would, and show all angles of a product to not hide any form but enhance it. Thumbs and process can help with that, as complementary pieces, right? But you're right, I have too many of those as unfinished illustrations.
To sum it, something I will work on more is ergonomics of the concept instead of just the surface and also design to favor a 3D pipeline.
Thanks guys, polycount ownz.
As someone who heavily takes concept arts online and turn em into 3d, I can see why the statements seem conflicting.
Obviously for me, I need the finished and highly detailed concept art. Possibly from front, side, and back view. Face mugshot, helmet on/off. Cloak on/off, and etc.
However, when there are things that I can't see, that means I need to make it all up; and this is when your thought process gonna help me. If I can see how you come up with your design, that means I could try to get into your head, and ask myself 'how would I design this piece, to go along with the rest of the design'. If you have any experiment with shapes/silhouette/or color with the piece, that is going to help me.
If you design a character, and draw a few facial expressions extra, that is going to give me a window to see the character's personality. That might not help with the modeling process, but you bet it will help a lot during the animating process. (and help the writers who come up with story/characters interaction, etc etc)
Now looking at your portfolio;
I actually think the Kid Klan Base can stand on its own. It tells me quite enough of a story by itself. Now, lots of stuff are not shown, so I don't know the full story. Is it like a hideout that kids go and play during the day ?? Is it like post-apoc and survived kids gather together ?? I don't see lots of containers that would indicate long term resting place. Or a campfire. But maybe those are rolled up tents/sleeping bags ? I also don't see a weapon, apart from a baseball bat. But then again there's a lookout. So it could be either. Maybe. If you could tell more story from it, that would be nice.
The Happyland, however, doesn't convey anything. Bright blue, quite clear sky, buildings so clean. 2 dudes cooking food outdoor. No way that's post-apoc. It might show your skills in 2pt perspective drawing, but it doesn't tell me anything else.
Druid, sad to say, but this seems like you're stuck in the brainstorming process. His face portrait is nothing but a generic bald dude (with blue flaming eye). More beads. More tattoos; druids love em tatt, right ? Then pick one of the 4 design ideas, and go with it. Improve upon that idea. And give it details. What kind of clothings/fabric he wears. Is he like an animal druid, or more like an elemental druid, or just nature druid, or something. This needs some indications.
And so on. Hope that helps you.
Without a proper education and feedback with a teacher on the entertainment design industry, I was just left to imitate 'art of' books, student work that is shared online from those academies, and stuff I see on artstation... and it sometimes lacks to show that design side of things and opts to show marketing art instead... so I guess I was mislead?
@PyrZernsays too, there are things there just purely showing off perspective and little other skills... and that aren't useful to take to production. By the way, I did make a two page story for that one project, just for kicks: http://gandulo-art.blogspot.pt/2016/05/story-of-weatherdeep-post-apocalyptic.html (just in case that was a hint of further interest)
My homework is now set:
1. Work on ergonomics and function more. Leave surface for later.
2. Do more multi images projects.
3. Find a way to balance patience and fun to finish so much information into one project.
I think I'm starting to understand it now, with you guys help, it's more than just one character render, it's several in different poses/orthos, expressions, sword attack animation studies, materials information, weapon & function, live action costume variation... all in one single project, and it is everything that I do not yet have!
though careful alot of his work has nsfw stuff >_>.
http://www.autodestruct.com/hacks.htm
http://www.autodestruct.com/thumbwar.htm
http://autodestructdigital.blogspot.co.nz/2011/10/find-design.html
Be sure to check out his other stuff, and also other artists talks,
So these are some notes from the lectures and stuff im learning from personal experience.
As others have said,
Fun ideas,
Make something cool and fun, its an iterative process push,pull,squash,combine many ideas. Draw bad ideas and good ideas. interesting story.
Good Design,
Follow art fundamentals, is the shape of my design a boring square? Well, break it up and smash it around a bit, make it uneven. Be an art director and choose how and where you place details/contrast. Direct the flow of interest on your design.
Make it look like it can work (doesn't have to physically work just make a convincing lie.)
Make it look like it can work in an interesting way.
Make sure your design is relatable to the world that we know. Dont need to follow strictly, but steal stuff bits and pieces of a culture/trope. Why you do this is because it helps make your design believable. Cultures (modern or past) are not built in a day, there are reasons they form and that gives a grounding for solid design. If you want a character that exudes the image of fast, base it on a fast animal,etc. They are fast because they are built that way.
Clear communication,
Readable shapes, clean lines, good colour palette, materials. Others need to understand what you are trying to say. I think this is a great example of a concept (thats gone past the thumnailing phases) https://www.artstation.com/artwork/emPDw
And as a personal critique, for your work I think you need to be more conscious of shapes, at the moment they are honestly a bit boring. for example your buildings, apartments are rectangular so that is fine, but the arrangement of shapes inside could use a lot more variation with the shapes themselves and sizing. Arrange them so that they tell the story of what kind of building it is, what personality it has. A building is a character as well! And for your characters, the silhouettes are all the same and don't instantly tell me what they are about.
Again though, it's a learning process and concept art is quite frankly very hard. At work I have to do some concepting and I find the hardest part is not making a boring shape. Its very easy to get complacent and subconsciously find myself do a few thing. I keep dividing everything in half which means it becomes boring (half means no contrast). Or I rely only on one axis x y z. remember you can slant things so that it crosses more than one axis creating interest/life!