Question to any Art Directors/ Industry pros
polycounter lvl 3
hey guys/administration , apologies if any posts answered this question. I searched but i only got a few search inquiry results.
Perhaps also the answers might be slightly different given the time now in the industry and what it demands versus when those posts back then.
Anywho, my main question is what exactly do art directors look for in a portfolio, if one has been applying for a few months with no luck i understand many factors could be at play. experience level, skill level, style, connections ,how many games or films are in production(other factors related to that).
**Specifically for environment concepts forgot to specify
-What's a good base amount of work(pieces)
- How much maybe percentage wise should be comprised of thumbnails, sketches, experiment pieces to final images,(ratio essentially)
- Hypothetical question just for my sake of knowledge on the factors at play. Say someone who has good work and demonstration of at least junior/normal concept level, maybe no industry level experience, but has solid skills.
Click to next applicant 4 yrs experience has 2 games 1 film under their belt, and a range of work. (I mean to me obviously the choice between the two is indeed obvious)
But the real question is how would the inexperienced challenge the experienced, what is a good way to go about getting that job, and if it's not a matter of skill, then how to gain the experience.
Perhaps also the answers might be slightly different given the time now in the industry and what it demands versus when those posts back then.
Anywho, my main question is what exactly do art directors look for in a portfolio, if one has been applying for a few months with no luck i understand many factors could be at play. experience level, skill level, style, connections ,how many games or films are in production(other factors related to that).
**Specifically for environment concepts forgot to specify
-What's a good base amount of work(pieces)
- How much maybe percentage wise should be comprised of thumbnails, sketches, experiment pieces to final images,(ratio essentially)
- Hypothetical question just for my sake of knowledge on the factors at play. Say someone who has good work and demonstration of at least junior/normal concept level, maybe no industry level experience, but has solid skills.
Click to next applicant 4 yrs experience has 2 games 1 film under their belt, and a range of work. (I mean to me obviously the choice between the two is indeed obvious)
But the real question is how would the inexperienced challenge the experienced, what is a good way to go about getting that job, and if it's not a matter of skill, then how to gain the experience.
Replies
My advice -- don't look for big answer glowing in the sky that solves all the problems. There is none. Nobody knows anything, as they say. Get tactical. Identify your target, gather intel, and make a laser focused attack. In other words, figure out where precisely you want to work, learn everything you can about that place, meet the people at that place, make them your friends, and stay on their radar. Ask for their feedback. Let them see you implement it and improve. Be persistent, be likeable, be energetic.
There is plenty of people who lurk the forums or discords who are looking for talent. At some point, they are going to need people for a project. That project will have specific needs. If your talent fills those needs, AND you are fresh on their radar, there is your opportunity.
I would do one Character representing the Artstyle i like the most. I would do my best as fast as i can.
I would take around 120 to 200h to finish my Character. Thats the time you need for a Char to get Artstation Top Row Quality.
Im not that self motivated but if i do my private work for a challenge its easier to get it done in time.
If the Char is finished i would send out applications to the studios i would like work.
If i wont get any reply i would start with the next Char. 3-4 Chars a year.
Never give up.
Oglu - wow that's a heavy stress on quality if i had to say so myself. Very nice it truly would demonstrate quality over quantity with that approach, but perhaps this is something to consider for myself. Not that i try to ever deliver bad quality on any work but best to approach it like so.
Eric - thanks admin, wasn't sure which section to post into. I forget about stickies honestly, i never quite use forums like they should be.
I'll be checking out. Interesting point but that's how i think it should work, it's hard to know if that is the case or not. Work should always speak for itself. That's true i'm always trying to optimize my portfolio so ; one day i'll think something looks good, another two days, i'm not satisfied with it. So i don't want to showcase work that is temporarily showable, even though i don't go initially into that mindset with my work, it seems to reoccur enough so..
So i rarely share my work on a public forum, even though it may benefit me in the long run. It's like i just always want to be satisfied wholly with the work i show especially online when things get shared extremely easy. I have to constantly curate it, i'm sure alot of artists can relate to not wanting to show bad work, etc,etc.
Thank you guys for your insight
When you work in a team environment, it's much harder to work around people who let ego get in the way of communication and improvement. We're all in this together, so feedback is usually around how you can improve the work. In all the teams I've been a part of, we want coworkers to succeed.
Sometimes you do get harsh feedback, without padding. And it's a great skill to have, to be able to listen and understand, without letting your blood boil. Figure out what the feedback is, and how it can help you improve the work. Then use it.
Lots more about this in the Sticky. Use it or lose it!
i think it's more of the online atmosphere being so large and broad visibly to a large amount of people, where as in person/ an enclosed environment i'd totally be ok having people critique my work.however in terms of being critiqued for pure improvement purposes sounds really good though!!
i'll add my portfolio for critique, where would i post that here before i make a thread lol?? well other than my signature.