Lost and stuck (Character artist career advice)
Hi everyone,
First and foremost, let me apologize in advance, as english is not my first language and I'm most likely to make spelling mistakes.
I will make it brief, I've allways been an artist with an interest for characters, some years ago I discovered the wonders of 3D art. 4 years went since that moment, and in those 4 years I have been learning as a self-taught character artist. In that time I also had to take care of a close family member with an illnes, I couldn't look for my next academic step, or professional opportunities (I couldn't due to my situation, plus I was too frustrated too), so I focused on making characters as it was deeply therapeutic and fulfilling for me.
About the skills that I have learned, I'm experienced with sculpting in Zbrush, and familiarized (still learning) with all realted to retopology (in maya and blender) and others (Marvelous designer, Substance Painter, Photoshop). Here is my current portfolio so you can see for yourself: https://www.artstation.com/xaco
I have never been replied to in any of the jobs I have applied for, I had a wide variety of advices over the years, going from ''You should throw yourself at any job opportunities rather than perfect your current skills, as from inside a studio you will grow and learn more than otherwise'' to ''You should take time and get down to a science everything regarding creating a character and the adjacent aspects''. That's why I'm trying to reach out for advice from more experienced individuals in here.
If you were me, a 24 year old individual with an urgency to start to piece his life together and the aspiration to work as a character artist, what would you do?
If you took the time to read my situation, I appreciate it.
Replies
Hi there and welcome to Polycount!
Yeah it can be tough getting work for sure. There are a ton of applicants, especially for character artist since a lot of people seem to really gravitate towards that speciality. (I've been mostly an environment artist, which of course also has a lot of competition, fun!)
I looked at your portfolio, and it certainly shows some talent. Kudos for all your hard work!
I think you should compare your work to top-tier character art in current games, and take a close look at where your work isn't matching that level of quality. Because that's the quality level that art managers are looking for. If your work isn't up to top standard, it will simply get passed by. That's harsh from our perspective as individual artists, but it's the simple reality for hiring managers who are inundated with applicants. They can simply pick the top talent.
We took a stab at simplifying what's needed for a portfolio to stand out. http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/PortfolioContents#Character_Artist Maybe this might help.
Find a high quality example of a specific archetype, and try to nail that quality level with your next piece. I'm looking through our Featured Artwork section, and here's an example of the quality level you should be reaching for: