Looking for Portfolio Feedback

Schnittbrot

Hey folks!
A few weeks ago I started applying for jobs in the games industry and I would love to know in which ways I could improve my portfolio.
It would be very kind if you could point out any odd ends or pieces in it.

http://augenrender.com/

Thanks a lot in advance

Schnittbrot

Schnittbrot

The untextured environments were made for university projects. A colleague of mine did the textures while I tended to other things in the pipeline. I do understand that they may appear unattractive due to their lack of color.  I still deemed the models themselves good enough which might have been a mistake.

I have the feeling you pretty much got the core of my issue here. Whenever I modeled something it had to be a lot in a very small amount of time. I'm not used to spend weeks on a single environment or asset and polish the hell out of it. 

Seems like I should redo my portfolio from scratch and take a lot more time for individual pieces.

Brian "Panda" Choi

When you do final renders of your pieces, they do look pretty and solid.

I also find most of the pieces you have on your website topically uninteresting, unfortuantely.  But that can be fixed.  Even an object without color can be interesting, and right now, color won't fix a large swath of the assets, like the toilet or trash bin.

Choose more interesting designs.  Your sci-fi turret could look much more interestingly designed for instance, instead of being mostly just a box with a barrel attached to it.

How do you find yourself going about deciding what to model?

Eric Chadwick

Threads asking for critique belong in the 3D or 2D sections, rather than in Career & Education. I'll move it for you. You should get more feedback this way.

Schnittbrot

Brian "Panda" Choi said:

How do you find yourself going about deciding what to model?

I open Maya and start to model what comes to my mind. The turret you mentioned was part of a bigger scifi environment I blocked out. 
I think one of my pitfalls is that during my university projects I never worked with proper concepts. We developed a rough mockup of what was needed as background scenery and I just started with some loose reference images. The non textured environments are the result of that process. Seems I am not imaginative enough to create compelling visuals mostly on my own. 

In the coming weeks intend to create a series of realistic polynesian weapons and huts to replace the old stuff to show more original models. I am also going to make some proper threads about the creation process, I have worked without outside feedback for way too long resulting in this meh portfolio. Including different views in the process of course won't be the overall  solution to my average stuff but I hope to learn some lessons here. 

Burpee

Schnittbrot said:

I open Maya and start to model what comes to my mind. 

Imo if you want to show you can handle a job as a modeler, you should pick a concept, something like a gun and nailed it. 
gl ! 

gsokol

In my opinion, you are not ready to be applying for jobs yet.  I would stop applying and focus very hard on improving your portfolio.

You have a lot of unfinished work, and some very basic props which lack complexity in detail, and material definition.  

If you are going to make props, not just small props for an environment, but ones that you treat as a portfolio piece on their own, they need to be very, very well done.  Lots of material definition and breakup, lots of detail, etc.  

If you want to do environment work, you need to move beyond the college examples you have.  It looks like 2 of them are from 2014.  Get to work on a new environment, and take it to completion.  You really need to be able to demonstrate that you can finish something, otherwise you will get turned down every single time.

Also remember, quantity over quality.  2 or 3 high quality pieces will always win out over 7 mediocre ones.  As you make stronger portfolio pieces, cull the old stuff.   

Sorry, this is probably not fun to hear, but don't let that discourage you.  Get to work on some more awesome stuff, and keep looking at the portfolios of other amazing artists who are working in the industry, and set your sights on being as good as them.  If you get even halfway there, you will have a better chance of landing those interviews.

Schnittbrot

gsokol said:

In my opinion, you are not ready to be applying for jobs yet.  I would stop applying and focus very hard on improving your portfolio.

Thanks for your honest words, this is exactly what I came here for.

Last week I did this ship for an art test I was invited to based on a concept I got send.
It's not something I intend to include in my new portfolio but I feel its at least slightly better than my other stuff.
This was the first time I actually had a proper concept to work with. https://lukas_bruess.artstation.com/projects/zByw2

Schnittbrot

Started a new project today in order to slowly ditch the old stuff. 
I do hope that I chose something that is thematically more interesting than my former works.
If I am missing the point again it would be nice of you to tell me so.

http://polycount.com/discussion/184246/shark-tooth-maori-knife

Have a nice evening!