Where to find Concept Art jobs?
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Hi guys,
I was wondering about this, because in this forum there is a jobs section, and it's awesome, but it has mainly listings with people looking for 3d artists, to no surprise, since this forum is mainly for 3d, but where are the places where people go to find people looking for concept artists? Like, small time starting jobs.
I know art station has its thing but that's like, top lvl thing, not a place to get started if you are not super pro.
I know concept art.org has a thing going but yeah, looking to find some other venues that you guys might know of.
I was wondering about this, because in this forum there is a jobs section, and it's awesome, but it has mainly listings with people looking for 3d artists, to no surprise, since this forum is mainly for 3d, but where are the places where people go to find people looking for concept artists? Like, small time starting jobs.
I know art station has its thing but that's like, top lvl thing, not a place to get started if you are not super pro.
I know concept art.org has a thing going but yeah, looking to find some other venues that you guys might know of.
Replies
reddit.com/r/gamedevclassifieds
the thing with concept art is, there is so many really really good people that are either pro, freelance or even hobbyists that are executing at such a high level, it makes the competition fierce. It kinda sounds like you are looking for someone who is willing to compromise quality or lack of experience for a lower paying end gig? even those smaller budget gigs are hiring really good artists from china at a fraction of the price, so unless you are focused on just being a badass artist, you are gonna have a hard time I think. That's why I said post your portfolio to give us context, maybe you are already at that level, but its hard to give advice without context.
This is the exact reason I am constantly telling artists to be building an audience on artstation/instagram, if you are really good, people will be approaching you with opportunities just based on the sheer amount of eyeballs getting on your work on a daily basis. That is a lot better of a position to be in than having to hunt for work.
If you are not confident enough in your skills to apply to job positing on art station or linkedin, then you might not be good enough to be paid to produce art yet, that might hurt to hear, but we were there at some point. if you are confident in your skills, then apply regardless if you are a professional or not, the market will give you all the feedback you need. you never know until you try/apply
I know competition is fierce, but I also know I'm not at a level to work with AAA studio. I've done lower level work before as a freelance though, I just always thought it was so hard to find the right places to be more prolific at this level, and try to make some living.
By the way, thanks a lot for the long response. Also to Sacboi and Brian.
right now your portfolio doesn't scream concept artist, it looks like someone who likes art and is learning, which is totally cool, but if you want to have people giving you serious consideration to give you money in exchange for concepts, you need to demonstrate a wider variety of subject matter, and have more of it.
Focusing on trying to get money in exchange for your art right now will only handicap you in the long run, as it is a lot of wasted energy that could be deployed towards learning new skills and getting to a professional level of execution. And those low paying gigs you are looking for, whats the benefit? they won't pay enough to replace your day job (im making some assumptions here) and would give you a little extra pocket cash for what....a new iphone or something? ironically focusing on finding a way to make $1000 in the short term, can actually sabotage you from getting a $50-100K+ /year career and take a lot more time.
When you shift your focus from short term monetary gain and onto long term GOAL achievement, you will advance so much more rapidly, and suddenly without you even realizing that day has finally come, people will be approaching YOU eager to pay you for your art without you even having to look for opportunity. Plus then you have the added benefit of being ready to perform at pro level should a studio see your work and make you a job offer.
I dont know if that is the advice you really want to hear, I know it always sucks, but realistically its probably what is going to help you really kill it in the end game. Right now I would be looking for gumroad tutorials or online courses from badass concept artists on artstation you can use to shortcut your learning curve. Spending $30-50 to learn from someone who normally charges at least that an hour for professional work for a in depth look at their skills and process is one of the best deals going. take advantage of it.
Its a mindset shift I had early on in my career when I was trying to break into the industry too. I was trying to find random little freelance gigs and it was taking time away from my actual goal of getting in at a game studio. I was working 2 shitty tech support/retail jobs at the time. When I started deploying my spare time focused on getting better as an artist instead of trying to shortcut my way into making money off my art, I got a lot better faster and ended up getting a studio gig a week after I turned 20. All that happened about a year after I had that mental shift, so patience is also key. Think long term as in your 5-10 year game plan and you will win. Hope this helps!