Re-doing Portfolio for AAA Studios Abroad, Need Advice/Critique

lukepham101

Hi all,

I'm currently setting a extended few month plan to hardcore re-work my portfolio for studios abroad with the intention of being competitive to getting a job outside Australia. This is my portfolio as it currently stands.

https://www.bugfush.com/
https://www.artstation.com/artist/lukazilla

I tried to look it from a objective point of view to look at it from an art managers perspective. These are the assessments I've come up with.

- Reflection of being a generalist amongst simulation work, mobile games, and pre-visualization as a job history.
- Not enough specialization in real-time environment work and portfolio pieces to compete with dedicated environment artists.
- 3D work is average at best and need more evidence of using Unreal Engine 4 and Substance products.

I'm targeting environment art positions mainly because I figured prop artists are so largely outsourced these days that in-house positions as an environment artist are much more likely. I'm going to scrap my character work, split up my pre-visualization stuff into a separate portfolio and focus on making more AAA style environments. 

What I'd really appreciate is feedback on what you guys think. Do you agree with those points?What portfolio pieces make you vomit the most in terms of poor quality? Do you give a shit if I can do pre-visualization work? Are any generalist skills acquired working senior roles in character's and animation worth anything if they're not world-class? 

Thanks in advance for the feedback,

Cheers,

Kwramm

It needs focus. Right now it's difficult to say if you want to do interior design visualizations, characters, environments, mobile or console... Of course, you're a job hunter, you take ANYTHING you can get But that's not what people who hire want to see - they want to see that you have a focus, a specialization you're dedicated to and which you are honing.

Artstation is popular, but for sending a folio to an employer, I would make different focused websites for different applications.

lukepham101

Thanks Kwramm, I really appreciate your feedback, it validates what I was thinking before about my portfolio. I'll definitely focus on making a shitload more environments since that was initially how I started as a 3D Artist anyway.

To give context, I initially wanted to do AAA environment art but I've found the AAA scene to be little to non-existant in Australia. There was only 1 or 2 studios in 2011 and there's practically none now. The majority of job positions fell in to low poly mobile/indie, simulation or pre-viz stuff. I figured it's hard to get an entry position abroad without any job experience/formal education so it's like you said, I worked in different 3D jobs in a range of fields to amass some experience.

Anyways, still not an excuse but it's the way it played out. Time to knuckle down and just crank out some art like a madman. Thanks again for the feedback!

slosh

I'd say the bedroom, the drill, the Atari system, the tractor, and the sci-fi room are solid. If you can put that bedroom in unreal and make it more interesting with more props, grime, and real time lighting, it would make a nice game art piece.  I would put the tractor and the drill through Substance and use PBR.  Everything else I would probably scrap.  The main issue is if you want to compete for a job in the US, you pretty much have to be better than Sr level artists here which would be extremely difficult, if not damn near impossible.  I'm not going to say don't try for it but I would maybe aim for that with the possibility of just doing freelance work.

lukepham101

Thanks slosh. I agree with you on those points about my various pieces. I'll definitely put that in mind for re-constructing the portfolio.

In terms of the competing abroad, I'm going to be targeting Canada and the UK mainly, simply because visa and language issues will be easy, with consideration for other countries if they're available. I'm pretty much crossing off the US as an option due to it's pretty difficult visa process, I can see why it'd be difficult to justify for a company to hire abroad when internally they've got a lot of applicants for senior positions already.