Tips to make my portfolio better

miirootaan

Hey guys,
Ive recently decided I would love to do 2D art/concept art for life and Ive been struggling to get anywhere really, i am not sure if I am just not qualified enough or if I just have no clue where to find jobs that suit my art style. 
Ive tried to do some different artstyles but I feel my favourite will always be stylized!
I hope you guys can shine some light on my future endeavors hahah

slosh

This is your stuff?  I think it looks great!  If you are having trouble finding a gig, try doing some freelance for a while.  With your skill level, the jobs will come.  Just keep cranking and try to be diverse.  But by diverse, I mean do thumbnails, do sketches, do concepts, do illustrations.  You are doing a lot of different styles but if stylized is your jam, stick with it.  Do you have an online folio? 

miirootaan

slosh said:

This is your stuff?  I think it looks great!  If you are having trouble finding a gig, try doing some freelance for a while.  With your skill level, the jobs will come.  Just keep cranking and try to be diverse.  But by diverse, I mean do thumbnails, do sketches, do concepts, do illustrations.  You are doing a lot of different styles but if stylized is your jam, stick with it.  Do you have an online folio? 

Hey, thanks Slosh, means a lot, I started pretty late in this game and I have absolutely no clue where my "professional" concept art level is at haha. 
Ive heard that I should keep to the things I like but at the same time, it feels harder for me to find jobs in a specific style that I am already not very good at...
Where do you rekon I could find work like the examples you cited? Freelancer and websites like that?

Thanks for the reply!!

slosh

Well first off, do you have a portfolio somewhere?  If not, making one is a good start!  If you're not sure where, try artstation as they offer the option to make a free one.  As for freelance gigs, you could start by sifting through the postings here on Polycount and posting in their "looking for work" section with your folio.  Get your stuff on social media as well and put some feelers out that you are looking for work.  It's always a little rough at first since no one may know your work yet but once you get a few jobs under your belt, it should get better.  I would say your work is very solid but there is certainly room for improvement.  Just keep drawing as much as possible!

miirootaan

slosh said:

Well first off, do you have a portfolio somewhere?  If not, making one is a good start!  If you're not sure where, try artstation as they offer the option to make a free one.  As for freelance gigs, you could start by sifting through the postings here on Polycount and posting in their "looking for work" section with your folio.  Get your stuff on social media as well and put some feelers out that you are looking for work.  It's always a little rough at first since no one may know your work yet but once you get a few jobs under your belt, it should get better.  I would say your work is very solid but there is certainly room for improvement.  Just keep drawing as much as possible!

Yeah I do, sorry I forgot to link it! https://www.artstation.com/ilonareitsma
Ill do that, what do you think I can do to improve? Do you think I should perhaps try stuff like 3D or environmental art? I know how to use Maya and Zbrush but going through the trouble of actually making a project is quite harcore if I am not sure it would at least increase my chances to get jobs.... In your experience would you say those would be important factors?
Thanks again, as I said Im pretty new on this and I am self learned so I dont really have anyone to ask haha

slosh

If you want to be a concept artist, just keep drawing.  I do think it helps to know zbrush as a lot of concept guys use it in the pipelines now a days.  I think you are on the right track.  Just keep working on your folio.  If you do decide to apply to more studios, try to create one or two pieces that really match that's studio's style.  For example, if it's Blizzard, look into their games and lore and make a piece that really matches their style before you apply.  This really applies to any job you apply to.  Studios want to see that you can work close to what they want.  I wouldn't bother with 3d art unless you really want to do that as a job.  Learning 3d software is always a plus but right now you want to focus on making more art for what you really want to do as a job.

Elithenia

This is great stuff!
Just keep on doing what you do!

zachvance

I feel like I'm in the exact same boat as you right now - struggling with finding my own style and trying to make a career out of my art (somewhat) late in life. But you've got a great body of work developing. Concepting is about speed, iterations, choices, and getting your message across. It looks like you've got a pretty good handle on those aspects. And your stylized work is great too, so just keep at it!

infintas

Practice makes perfect! 

Pretty solid advice in here so far