Portfolio Critique request
polycounter lvl 4
I was wondering could I please get some critique on my portfolio
https://www.artstation.com/artist/emerald-shine
Its very small. I am very picky about what goes on there. Ive made plenty of characters but only ones Im happy to put my name to make it on there. I feel I have potential as a character artist, I am still a rookie but I am pushing myself as much as possible and thought I was making good progress.
Recently things have happened that have seriously knocked my confidence. So much so, that I am beggining to wonder if a career as a character artist is even viable for me.
I am seeking critisim and feedback on my work because I want to do this for a living. Specifcally, whats wrong with my work and what I can do to improve, Where I should focus my efforts and the best way to present my work.
Thanks.
https://www.artstation.com/artist/emerald-shine
Its very small. I am very picky about what goes on there. Ive made plenty of characters but only ones Im happy to put my name to make it on there. I feel I have potential as a character artist, I am still a rookie but I am pushing myself as much as possible and thought I was making good progress.
Recently things have happened that have seriously knocked my confidence. So much so, that I am beggining to wonder if a career as a character artist is even viable for me.
I am seeking critisim and feedback on my work because I want to do this for a living. Specifcally, whats wrong with my work and what I can do to improve, Where I should focus my efforts and the best way to present my work.
Thanks.
Replies
That being said on to your portfolio.
I think your presentation is weak, You should take some time to light these things in a creative way.
Specifically , the bear and the witch look very flat. Presentation is remarkably important, and can really make or break a portfolio, you don't want your good models taken down by a bad presentation. Think of it like this, a good game can quickly turn into a bad one, if the UI is terrible.
Your models need work, and I think you just need to practice more, cause there are some techniques that are used here, that are clearly amateur hour. Not a problem, just means you need to go back and work on them more, Look at what others are doing and emulate that.
Some of the best advice I ever got was, If it doesn't look like the games you're playing now, then its not good enough yet. While that's not a hard rule, its a standard you should try to achieve and hold yourself to.
Also I'd suggest making models based off of professional concept art. If you're going to be a character artist, you're not going to be making the characters from scratch, so Its pretty important to see how you can translate someone else's idea into 3D. While its cool you can do your own thing, ultimately Its not as important. (that being said, I' m not sure those drawings were yours, if they were, you should find better art to model from).
I hope this helps amigo. Don't give up. You've gotten to far to give up now.
Yeah, everything you see was my own work. Bad drawings and all
Could I please ask you to elaborate on these amateur techniques you see. I know Ive made mistakes on the models but because Im too close I may not have noticed all of them.
Id never actually considered modeling someone else concept. Ive always liked creating characters from scratch beacuse I tend to get more invested in the project and it keeps me going to see it through. I like the idea of modeling someone else concept, in fact I already found one I really love, Its going to be tricky findng the time to model it though with honours project going on, but I'll find away.
Thanks again, its always great to hear someone else perspective.
When I say get better art, I mean find art that is of professional quality. Do what a character artist in the industry would do.
As far as technique is concerned, over all it seems like you're rushing through things. You should get a critique from others while you're sculpting, that way you could correct as you go. (You're definitely rushing, Your character design sheets even have spelling errors).
Specifically
-Your models look too muddy and unclear.
-No well defined shapes on you characters faces/body
-Your models look very boxy. Specifically the extremities; hands look like you extruded faces and left it at that.
Those are just a few things I've noticed by quickly glancing over.
Its definitely not ready to get work but its a decent start. You need to do more and more. And dont waste your time with made up stuff, that just kills your learning process. Real human or animals / objects, no sci-fi no fantasy BS, no own designs. Real references real proportions. You see the mistakes, people can help you, you have far more references, anyone knows how it looks like and its relatable thus more worth in a portfolio. Infinitely superior.
I'm of the opinion it would be sad to throw out these designs. Instead, I would find ways to improve them (or make new ones).
I see in one of your descriptions you were inspired by Earthworm Jim. His designs were amazing because the artist had an excellent grasp of drawing. Look at concept art of Jim and it demonstrates a lot of solid art principles. There's attention to form, anatomy, silhouette, and lighting. Even though it's stylized, a great amount of effort was made so he looks hugely presentable to the masses. No errors in perspective or foreshortening.
When all those principles work in harmony, you can translate it perfectly into making a 3D model that looks just as impressive as the 2D art.
Im going to start with anatomy and get as close to realisim as I can. Will be difficult to fit it in to my current schedule but I will find the time. After I improve my skillset I'll revist my characters again and do them justice
I'm a new modeller too and I know it's hard to see the improvement most days. The wait is worth it.
Happy modelling!