Advice for a newbie!

Casynova

Hi All,

I'm in my first year of college on my journey to become a 3D Game Artist. I am currently going to Full Sail University to get my Bachelor's in Game Art and they even introduced forums like polycount and ZbrushCentral to join a community where I can grow. So here I am! I'm such a newbie I don't even have a picture on polycount and don't have a portfolio just yet. (My school provides portfolio classes.)

I have not had previous 3D modeling experience before school, so I am jumping in brand new and I am ready to practice, practice, practice.

The main questions I have as a newbie are:
What would be the steps (during school) should I take in order to get experience for a future career?
What steps should I take after school?
Should I pursue a Master's after my Bachelor's or would that be a waste of time and money?
Advice in general to become the best artist I can be?

Tobbo

Welcome!

The best piece of advice I can offer for someone just starting out is to explore and try new things! Find what you really like to do and then focus your efforts on improving in that area outside of the classroom. You won't know what you really enjoy until you try different things. 

Do what you can to pass your classes and assignments, but realize that to make it in the industry, it's going to require you to dig deep and take it upon yourself to find and learn more than what's being covered in the classroom. Spend time improving and working on personal pieces outside the classroom.

All the best!



   

Brian "Panda" Choi

Work on a game and try to get it shipped.    Like now.  Don't wait for a class.

After school, work on your artwork.  Do more than your homework assignment.  You're not just competing against your classmates, you're competing against the world.

Assuming you learn everything you need to, a Master's is a waste of investment unless there's something you specifically want to research.

You need to elucidate quickly whether or not you only like to play games, but MAKE games as well. 

I went to USC, and we have a developed games development undergrad as well.  A lot of students came through; very few were interested enough in making a game their freshman year.  This snowballed into a situation where it was clear which senior thesis projects had quality heft (the teams with people who were doing it early one-->internships at game studios) vs the people who just started touching a game engine a semester before.  By the end, only a few really were the best in the program.  It was a bell curve.

Making games can start now.  Doesn't even have to be big; just try and get projects shipped.  Throw it up onto App store: it's only $100, etc.  You can do this.

garcellano

Manage your time wisely with portfolio work, school work, and life lol. It'll definitely come to a point, where you might just work on 3D for most of the day, or week, and less social interaction.

Casynova

Brian "Panda" Choi said:

Work on a game and try to get it shipped.    Like now.  Don't wait for a class.

After school, work on your artwork.  Do more than your homework assignment.  You're not just competing against your classmates, you're competing against the world.

Assuming you learn everything you need to, a Master's is a waste of investment unless there's something you specifically want to research.

You need to elucidate quickly whether or not you only like to play games, but MAKE games as well. 

I went to USC, and we have a developed games development undergrad as well.  A lot of students came through; very few were interested enough in making a game their freshman year.  This snowballed into a situation where it was clear which senior thesis projects had quality heft (the teams with people who were doing it early one-->internships at game studios) vs the people who just started touching a game engine a semester before.  By the end, only a few really were the best in the program.  It was a bell curve.

Making games can start now.  Doesn't even have to be big; just try and get projects shipped.  Throw it up onto App store: it's only $100, etc.  You can do this.

Thanks, Brian!

I want to focus on more of the art aspect, rather than developing a game. I was worried my art wouldn't stand out compared to those who have had years of experience. Any advice on how to get my foot in the door early for these kind of projects?

Brian "Panda" Choi

Apply for volunteer positions.  Send your portfolio out to people.  Don't wait for the opportunities to come to you; seek them out and tell people you're avaialble to make game assets for them.

Game art that doesn't support gameplay is not good game art.

Pretty sure Fullsail has teams going on if they're worth the salt I've seen.

USC Games is always looking for artists to help out with their projects.

r/gamedevclassifieds

The Classifieds section of this forum.

TIGsource

If you feel like your art doesn't stand out, than market yourself as someone who's willing to make a dream a reality by providing volunteer time to helping make something.  You'll be helping your portfolio as well as theirs.

You could make something like this if you find the right team: https://maestrosgame.com/ (Full disclosure, I was Art Director on that game my senior year)

Casynova

Brian "Panda" Choi said:

Apply for volunteer positions.  Send your portfolio out to people.  Don't wait for the opportunities to come to you; seek them out and tell people you're avaialble to make game assets for them.

Game art that doesn't support gameplay is not good game art.

Pretty sure Fullsail has teams going on if they're worth the salt I've seen.

USC Games is always looking for artists to help out with their projects.

r/gamedevclassifieds

The Classifieds section of this forum.

TIGsource

If you feel like your art doesn't stand out, than market yourself as someone who's willing to make a dream a reality by providing volunteer time to helping make something.  You'll be helping your portfolio as well as theirs.

You could make something like this if you find the right team: https://maestrosgame.com/ (Full disclosure, I was Art Director on that game my senior year)

Awesome advice! Thank you again