Seeking Feedback: Am I on Track? Portfolio Review and Project Time Estimates

ItsJarw

I'm seeking some guidance and feedback on my current work pace and portfolio. I've been working on several projects, and I'd like to get your input on whether my time estimates seem reasonable or if I need to make adjustments. Here's a breakdown of my recent work with estimated completion times:

Portfolio Link: https://youtu.be/LJ1gaIR3FQw

The Hut and the Island: 1 month and 1 week

My first environment project, 'The Hut,' is a showcase of skills vital to the game industry, including vegetation, materials, trim sheets, and Unreal Engine proficiency.

The Railgun, Keypad, and Spray: 1 month

I wanted to showcase my design skills and also some basic texturing skills, also learning a lot from this like baking, texel density, and such. 

Tanah Abang Station: 1 month

I created it when im at my previous job ( where i resigned ) they wanted to make a metaverse with the stations being the center/lobby when you are entering the website. 

Cisauk Station: 1 month

the same goes for Cisauk station, but it's smaller and does not really have much props to model. 

The Train: 1 week

it was a test that they gave me for the job. 

I'd appreciate your thoughts on whether these timelines seem reasonable or if I'm taking too much or too little time for each project. Additionally, any feedback on my portfolio as a whole would be incredibly helpful.

Please feel free to share your insights, advice, or any suggestions you may have. Your expertise is invaluable to me as I continue to grow as an artist. Thank you in advance for your time and input!

ThisisVictoriaZ

Hi! My first impression on your portfolio reel is that all of your models and environments are extremely simple as far as modelling, texturing, and lighting/presentation. Imo its perfectly fine to spend more time on a personal project if that means that you are making it better, adding more elements (like props) , or just increasing the overall quality of it. For me personally I have a couple full environments on my portfolio that took 5-6 months to complete, and this amount of time has never been a concern for hiring managers when we talked about it, if that's something you're worried about. Check out this thread for some examples of portfolios of people who were recently hired as a sort of quality bar you might need to reach https://polycount.com/discussion/187512/recently-hired-in-aaa-show-us-your-portfolio 

I look forward to seeing you continue to share and improve your art! 

ItsJarw

ThisisVictoriaZ said:

Hi! My first impression on your portfolio reel is that all of your models and environments are extremely simple as far as modelling, texturing, and lighting/presentation. Imo its perfectly fine to spend more time on a personal project if that means that you are making it better, adding more elements (like props) , or just increasing the overall quality of it. For me personally I have a couple full environments on my portfolio that took 5-6 months to complete, and this amount of time has never been a concern for hiring managers when we talked about it, if that's something you're worried about. Check out this thread for some examples of portfolios of people who were recently hired as a sort of quality bar you might need to reach https://polycount.com/discussion/187512/recently-hired-in-aaa-show-us-your-portfolio 

I look forward to seeing you continue to share and improve your art! 

hey thanks for the feedback, I will definitely check the discussion that you mentioned Thank you for taking the time to review my portfolio reel and for sharing your thoughts. I appreciate your feedback and the valuable insights you've provided.

I completely agree with your perspective on the importance of dedicating time to personal projects to enhance their quality and add more elements, such as props and details. Your experience of spending 5-6 months on full environments and the fact that it wasn't a concern for hiring managers is reassuring. It's great to know that quality is valued over speed in this field.

I will certainly take your advice to heart and focus on refining my work further. The link you shared to the Polycount thread is a valuable resource, and I'll definitely check it out to set a higher quality bar for my future projects.

Again, thank you for your encouragement and for pointing me in the right direction. I look forward to share my progress! 

Alex_J

I think if you find some professional environment artist and ask them how long portfolio pieces take, for full environments it's going to be more like 6 months +. Depends on the style and many other factors of course, but your portfolio only quality matters so I don't think you need to shoehorn yourself too much on that front.

ItsJarw

Alex_J said:

I think if you find some professional environment artist and ask them how long portfolio pieces take, for full environments it's going to be more like 6 months +. Depends on the style and many other factors of course, but your portfolio only quality matters so I don't think you need to shoehorn yourself too much on that front.

Yes, now that I think about it, I'm more worried about creating the environment in a short period of time and not giving much thought to making a complex scene or incorporating stories into the environment.

Thanks, Alex, for the feedback. I will definitely pursue quality to include in my portfolio.