which challenge platform for those new to the industry? (artstation challenge, art war, etc?)

finchrupert

I'm a student artist who will soon be graduating in concept art and i heard online challenges was a good way to learn and gain exposure. i work mostly in environments but do a bit of character work too. i've never taken part in a challenge before so i wanted to know what's the difference and which ones were best to join? 

or, if it depends, what does it depend on? 

i know a lot of this will be subjective but i appreciate whatever you guys can add. 

dGreenberg

Hey @finchrupert! I think it can be as simple as knowing what sites are better known by online art communities or which ones do a yearly or monthly (or once in a while) challenge. ArtStation, Cubebrush, and Polycount have contests now and again, so I would keep an eye on their forums, twitters, or facebook pages and wait for the next big event to start. There are a lot of other sites out there (so it never hurts to do some google searches if you want to see what's going on), but those 3 might be the big powerhouses with the most active communities right now. 

If there are a bunch of contests taking place at once, maybe choose one with a theme or topic you're most excited about. If it's a contest or challenge that you know about (and the site hosting the challenge has it's share of artists and hobbyists), you could still get something great out of it from participating. 

sacboi

Yeah, for eyeball traction alongside pushing your skills beyond the comfort zone, I'd agree with @dGreenberg's list of 3D hubs, they're generally I find the most active in regards to art comps.  

finchrupert

yeah those are the major ones I’ve heard of too but I was wondering if one is better than the other or if they’re the same?

it seems like artstation in general has a bigger community but i’m wondering if that helps or hurts when it comes to challenges? im not necessarily in it to win but i do want to help my chance of finding a job

PixelMasher

The only way to find out is by doing. You can sit around all day trying to plan the perfect approach but that is useless unless you execute on it. Just pick one that has subject matter that you like enough to actually finish the challenge and focus on creating the art to the best of your abilities. 

the larger the community the more competition for sure, but it will also give you a realistic view of how you stack up in terms of skillset in the job market. eventually you are gonna have to swim in the big pond if you want to be a professional artist. Just don't overthink it and start making art you enjoy the actual process of creating.

there doesn't tend to be a lot of overlap in terms of when the competitions run, usually they are spaced out so there isn't really a reason why you couldn't do as many as possible.  Just start doing and the results will come over time.

DrBurke

I was about to ask the same!
I'd like to ask if there are less known pages with challenges, like gamebanana, since right now there's no active challenge in any of these three pages @dGreenberg mentioned.

sacboi

Perhaps utilise a search engine, Contest Watchers keeping tabs on what's happening...

or alternatively just google, eg:

http://polycount.com/discussion/196297/the-bi-weekly-substance-challenge-challenge-16-17-18-19-20 - Bi-Weekly

http://weeklycgchallenge.com/about/  - Bi-Weekly

https://www.cgtrader.com/challenges  - Deadline May 15 2018

https://forums.sketchup.com/t/3d-modeling-challenges-are-here/62127  - Deadline March 30 2018

finchrupert

i'm definitely going to try some for myself. I was more wondering if you guys had an equal experience with them or not.
apart from the themes that change all the time, it seems like you guys are saying the rest doesnt matter?