3d Environment Artist Portfolio Critique
polycounter lvl 5
Hey guys I'm planning on applying for 3d environment artist job in Ubisoft and I'm trying to get as much feedback on my portfolio as possible. I have applied for the same position last year, when I was fresh out of uni and even though I passed the portfolio part, my art test wasn't that great. For the past year I've worked in the industry in a small indie studio and I've gained a lot of experience. My main question is does my portfolio have the "professional" feel to it, or does it still have "student" all over it. Also any tips on what to include/not include in the portfolio would be great!
You can see the portfolio here: https://www.artstation.com/nickwolf
Thanks in advance, Nick.
You can see the portfolio here: https://www.artstation.com/nickwolf
Thanks in advance, Nick.
Replies
Right now I think the thing killing your chances when i look at your portfolio is the lack of content. especially when it comes to environment work. You have one semi-stylized enviro and then the car prop. It doesn't scream environment artist to me.
Your work looks good, there is just not enough of it to get a good sense that you can tackle any task that would be handed to you. So while the overall quality is decent, there just needs to be more and a variety of environments to show you can handle being asigned to a large scale AAA project.
I saw you are in Sofia, based on your artstation so that is the UBI I am assuming you are planning to apply to? Here is the exact plan of attack I would take if I really wanted to get in there and was starting from scratch.
1) Identify what games UBI sofia consistently works on (hint: assasins creed) and find some of the environment portfolios of artists who work on that series, or art dumps, there was plenty from AC orgins all over artstation.
2) find a cool concept you like from any of the awesome concept artists, either directly from AC or something that could easily fit in that universe. so something like a cool alleyway of an ancient city, or a wide open landscape or village or something.
3) execute on that concept and compare your work with the screens from any of the latest assasns and hammer on your environment until it matches or exceeds their quality. I would start with a smaller scene that you can actually finish and get to high quality than something huge right off the bat, its easier to finish and you have to keep in mind lots of the epic screens from that series are worked on by multiple artists that have access to a huge prop library. work smartly with the single manpower you have vs trying to do everything.
4) and here is the secret sauce that will really help, once you work is at a high quality point in the production process, consider reaching out to a couple of the artists with a private message on artstation or linkedin and politely ask for some feedback. maybe 1-2 out of 10 might respond, and if you get some good feedback, be sure to implement it and then follow up showing you did so. start building those relationships and chances are if an enviro spot opens up, you will probably be in their mind as a contender for the position
with any luck they could possibly reffer you and get a cash bonus themselves so it is win win, but you have to establish that relationship, show you can apply feedback and also demonstrate contextually that you can ace the style of art that the studio works on.
TL:DR - look at where you want to work, give your portfolio context to those hiring by having matching subject matter, look to build relationships with people already working there. Hope this helps
I believe that anyone reviewing your portfolio is going to have a difficult time relating it to the type of games Ubisoft creates. It seems you work is almost more for films, or casual games. Not the high detailed environment Ubisoft is known for. As mentioned more content would greatly help.
You work looks like it could be 'pumped' up a bit. When a developer shows off their game they don't share a screenshot of their game running off a laptop. They pump everything up to 11, crank on the Post Processing and show things no reasonable computer can hope to run. Show that you're capable of creating amazing art, but you can tone it down when it's required.
This means 4K Textures, advanced shaders, HDR and as much post process as you can pump into . Sure running it on an Ipad would cause it to explode but you're trying to make an impact here.
Something I do is show off my environment in either AR or VR at the interview. Even if the project has nothing to do with VR / AR. It can set you apart and while gimmicky shows you can do more than just making 3D geometry and slapping a texture on it.
Personally I like your stuff, but you only have 1 environment example, and 1 prop, you also aren't showing any breakdowns of how those are made, so it's difficult to judge the quality of the asset.
https://jlhgameart.artstation.com/
I haven't updated my portfolio since I started at Ubisoft, so it should give you an idea of what to aim for, and how to display your work effectively.
Good luck.