How should I move forward to improve?

Zanmato

Hello everyone! Something's been bugging me since the start of the year, I feel like I'm getting nowhere as an aspiring 3D artist, specializing in environment. My ever dream is to work in the video game industry as a 3D environment artist, I mostly do stylized art as it's the one that really fascinates me.

Just a short story, I applied as a 3D game artist for the first time at a local studio last year, which I got rejected (I haven't heard from them after the art test so I assumed it was rejected). I realized that maybe I still have a lot of things to learn (which I believe I really do). I only started to really put in real effort last year, posted some of my personal works in ArtStation.

At this point, to be honest, I don't know how should I improve my works. I feel like there's so much to learn, but I feel I've been jumping here and there on the things I want to improve. I would really appreciate some guidance on what I should be focusing on, what things I should improve and study. 

For reference, here's my portfolio link: https://www.artstation.com/selch

Zi0

You need to improve and push yourself a bit more, right now your portfolio is too basic, stuff like a cutlass wont cut it. IMO the witch cauldron has potential if it was placed in a little environment. Take a look at what other stylized environment artist made in order to get a job, here is one example https://www.artstation.com/artwork/xNazm

Zanmato

Zi0 said:

You need to improve and push yourself a bit more, right now your portfolio is too basic, stuff like a cutlass wont cut it. IMO the witch cauldron has potential if it was placed in a little environment. Take a look at what other stylized environment artist made in order to get a job, here is one example https://www.artstation.com/artwork/xNazm

Thank you. I plan to remove my works from last year to publish new works, which my main portfolio pieces would be environments. 

I don't plan to apply for a 3D game artist job any time soon as I think I really need to improve in a lot of areas. Maybe that rejection from last year made me think twice.

Alex_J

You're work isn't that far from the professionals. You probably have much lower opinion of your work than is true. 

Just take time to carefully compare your pieces against people like in the link. I am certain with another couple weeks of planning and effort you could bring one of your prop pieces up to the same quality. Then once you understand the time and attention to detail it requires to do so, making a larger scene to replace your older ones will be exciting.

Zanmato

Alex_J said:

You're work isn't that far from the professionals. You probably have much lower opinion of your work than is true. 

Just take time to carefully compare your pieces against people like in the link. I am certain with another couple weeks of planning and effort you could bring one of your prop pieces up to the same quality. Then once you understand the time and attention to detail it requires to do so, making a larger scene to replace your older ones will be exciting.

Thanks for this. Been really striving to showcase what I can, but sometimes I get lost learning the things I needed to improve.

I'll probably make a detailed plan on what I should study from now on

poopipe

What I'm seeing is reasonably executed work with no real soul. 

I expect a graduate/junior to be 100% capable of modelling, baking and believably texturing an asset - showing that off is I suppose necessary but it does not set you apart from the other 200 applicants. 

Your scenes are far more compelling than the individual props but there is no narrative or life to them. 
Tell me a story through object placement, composition and surface treatment and I'll start to pay attention