artstation/portfolio review advice
polycount lvl 666
well i really didn't want to do this, but since there are some many Industry higher ups , can you have a look at my artstation and give some feedback. it's like a desert out there lately , so I must be doing something wrong
maybe its just my age, but I can't just always assume the worst and a lot of jobs are remote anyway these days
maybe my cv is just no good?
https://www.artstation.com/mikerusby99
maybe its just my age, but I can't just always assume the worst and a lot of jobs are remote anyway these days
maybe my cv is just no good?
https://www.artstation.com/mikerusby99
Replies
Hope that helps & good luck with the job search, it is indeed a desert out there
@Matt Fagan , sorry matt, I was really looking for general feedback, not sure what i am supposed to be looking at, just see 2 screengrabs of my VR pics
older work, even if there are new peices
I was also wondering that since i have n't really posed many textures or wires/uv layouts, might that be an issue as well
what the client wants and often I get really bad concepts, like the Katie character. they were happy with it and paid me for it, but they
actually rendered it with the normal maps reversed. not much you can do about that really
But overall I will try and adjust , but i can't make it perfect instantly
re columbo, yea the hair could use some work, but again it's just finding the time to update stuff and I am not really doing characters these
days , so maybe I might just ditch them all together.. TBH though I am not really a fan of 'total' photo realism anyway, the cartoony/semi realsitc stuffis more my thing these days.
I will go through your crit again and see if I can make some improvements, cheers
whole.
guess i have not really being paying attention, easy to get stuck in your own little bubble as it were
but really most of my work of late is not really designed for game engines, which is obviously large part of the market.
if you are not getting work, you tend to just mess with your personal projects without too much feedback
https://www.artstation.com/mikerusby99
I do have better renders for some of the cars, so will add them rather then screen grabs
just realised that most of my good work was buried in the site and that was a bit dumb, like the Outplay stuff, which is really more my kind of work
got in to making faces that are meant to be hyper realsitic. I think the cartoony/ semi realistc suits me more, so might cull some more
of my faces . I realise there area lot of Arnold rendered faces out there that are top draw and hard to compete with tbh
In any case I will probably have to give up on this as a career choice very soon as It's become unsustainable. And as you mentoned the industry is a bit depressed these days, but I actually got quite a bit of work back in 2008
i was thinkling anyway to totally drop the attempts at photorealism and stick to making props or vehicles which is more fun for me these days
will take a look whne I get the time. I think the distinction with my characters is that am not really really enjoying
the high res stuff anymore. I like stuff that i can actually build, ie directly poly model and then texture. i think straying too far in to photorealism
is not my cup of tea any more The problem with xgen , other hair sims is that i can always pick faults in them, incuding my own and I often don't like the results, whereas a lower poly character is more like a visual shorthand, which appeals to me more and makes me less stressed whilst doing it( which is obviously important)
.So yea I will leave those for now and focus on my prop stuff
currently working on another pack , which is a little more realistic, but yeah presentation has always been my weak side unfortunately
but still I get no offers or interviews etc. very disheartening. if I felt my work was crap and I felt as though I was just kidding myself then I would quit tomorrow
maybe most of the freelance work goes to outsource companies based In countries where I cannot compete?
I guess there is a lot going on in the industry right now, but again i probably think it's down to my age
I had an idea to make a fake folio with a made up name and put my age down as 25 , see if I get more offers:)
you do realise that the vehicles are a little chunky because they are not designed to be high res. I think stylistically they look pretty good. I think maybe
you only like photorealistic stuff? nothing wrong with my food pack( IMHO), just need to improve the presentation a bit.
hey man, i like the android characters, pretty wacky and they got 3d printed and placed around london. no pleasing some people
The food pack is also very cute and stylized. I kind of feel opposite of everything temppe said, in fact. Characters are a stand out for me as not as nice looking. Like someone above said, I think they show technical skill, but don't look polished or complete in the same way some of the other stuff does (to my eye).
I'm not sure what to say about age discrimination. I want to believe people wouldn't pay attention to something so irrelevant as age, but we live in a weird world.
yes I don''t mind a bit of honesty, but I think calling nearly everything he doesn't like terrible is not really a good way to crit
a portfolio. If you noticed there was a smiley face after my comment. If you call my work out, then tell me why it is bad , not just that it's not your cup of tea
I would probably remove them, but I actually really like them and think they have merit, so they are staying, same with the food pack
@Joopson - yeah i would agree on the whole, my character stuff hit a plateau back in around 2007 and has been spiralling ever since
i think the cars are fine, but still have to add dirt textures etc
yesh re the age thing I am not that arsed really , they will do what they do.
I think if I could retire right now aged 55 I would , but I still have twelve years to go, damnit
So, it sounds like you don't want to do character stuff anymore (at least realistic work) so focus on what you want because you'll always produce better work when doing something you enjoy! I agree with Alemja that I think you should present your food on a table with some nice lighting (if that's the style you're going for)
This is obviously more realistic but I like how they're showing off a big feast!:
https://www.cgtrader.com/3d-model-collections/medieval-double-picnic-feast-collection
On a last note, I think you should improve your thumbnails. It looks like you're just using the first image of your presentation as they thumbnail which doesn't look particularly professional. I would recommend creating custom thumbnails:
Look how much more interesting these images are. You're more likely to have someone click on something that looks cool from a thumbnail. And clicks = views = pushing your name up the algorithm = getting seen by recruiters. (I know that that sucks, but that's how ArtStation works and if you want work, sometimes you gotta play the game.)
looking at other artstations over the last few days has really helped too.
and if you are aiming for that uncanny valley, it's hard to get there. you can get stuck on the piece looking 90 percent finished forever. Just doing the hair
is a specialisation in itself. The overall standard now is just ridiculously high, so that's hard to compete with.
re the foodpack I know what you mean, but then people would start critiquing the table too
Also re character work I only seem to get cartoony commissions anyway and commercially they are faster to produce for the same money, so it's a no brainer. I do some zbrush work on them but mainly for facial morph targets
I personally really want to help you out. Because I see how artistic you are and the potential you've always had through the years. I even spent all Friday evening doing the best I could to breakdown everything I could to re-direct you on what to do. That would very well improve your chances of getting attention from a legit studio. But you're clearly stuck in this "its my way or the high-way" attitude. This is A-OK if you have no desire to be employed anywhere doing this kind of work, and the only desire is to make it a hobby you share online. But I'm telling you, just reading what you're writing in replies, even with the typo's. I'm thinking its getting pointless to help you, because you don't really want the help. What you really want, is validation and praise.
Like this,
https://imgur.com/NKfzxcN
Doesn't apply everywhere, but of course if you wanted to work with this guy he's going to push his weight so it might not be a pleasant experience for everyone.
The way I've seen it, the resume is considered first and will give enough of an understanding of your academic and professional experience.
Then there's an art test to evaluate specifics related to how you can match a result under a time constraint.
And the decision to give the art test comes down to a portfolio assessment which isn't quite like what is up in the comments, since its purpose for studios giving art test is if the candidate can hit the minimum bar.
Certainly with competiton there can be variations in this approach, but that can also be caused because of nepotism or because a senior wants to date you later on in your career (I am aware of several instances where this happened with students I graduated with who are dating their supervisors)
So lot of stuff you can't control in the hiring process.
Before feedback, I see you have an interview coming up, good luck with that!
I do feel this is an opportunity to build an industry connection, so even if the interview maybe doesn't proceed to an offer asking for feedback from the company that interviewed you, or even from artists you'd be working with is far more useful than general feedback from reviewers here.
I would also give feedback after knowing your experience, so while its great to improve lighting and presentation, I would not evaluate your profile or portfolio in a way that compares with a fresh grad with the top tier portoflio that is pitched here as being absolutely critical to getting work.
Actually I wouldn't do that for anyone because its a very superficial way to assess a candidate's potential.
When I see super polished character, I can't gauge the character of the candidate, since this candidate is trying to hit a bar.
I could have another candidate follow a tutorial and they would hit the same bar.
But realistically unless I was an idiot art reviewer who was pushing my ego regardless of what the job is actually going to have the artist do, I would adjust my standard to the assess the best of what the candidate would bring to the team.
So feedback such as using real time renderes, thumbnail shots these make sense and are good to do and also great to experiment with.
Your portfolio fits your candidate profile, i.e someone with a lot of experience and a really interesting personality with many stories to share.
I wouldn't reject you because you modeled where you could have used a texture. Like its a conversation to have, but not enough to dismiss you and the rest of your work unless I just don't care and want to take my time screening candidates, none of which will ever be good enough unless they kiss my ass at the workplace and on dates when my wife isn't around.
Like there is merit in companys receive high volumes of candidates and not all of them will receive replies, but I don't know why it isn't common knowledge that just because they haven't responded it doesn't mean you're dead to them and you portfolio was shit, it just means that they have you in their candidate filing system.
Like my application to EA was in 2018, I did an artest in 2019 and I was called to interview in 2021 starting work in 2022.
Did my portfolio and skill improve massively when they called me? Not really, well atleast not in a way that made any real difference to them.
I had already passed the art test and was already in the system so it was just availablity at that point.
But I also know that updating work, or making newer work has advantages especially if they help in learning and show that you've added additional skillsets.
I would have preferred to have done this at a different job, but if the option isn't there, good to make the best of what's avaialble.
I really don't know where this "race to the bottom" mentality started, but I think its just a result of ego and lack of awareness.
Its the reason why despite some top tier artists who worked 15 years at Riot, Blizzard and Microsoft are redundant regardless of how great their artwork was or how much experience they had because so many of them believed that they owned the product they were employed to work on.
So when they are let go because of upper management they are all in shock.
The takeway isn't that you should keep pushing the bar as an artist but its important to be smart about what the end goal is.
In your case, I would absolutely recognise your experience, it sets you on a higher bar than any newcomer with a stellar portfolio.
But I can't deny that this might not sit well with everyone.
At least at EA, the art reviewer did not have full control on the candidates assessment. They could only assess the art skill and that had to meet the studios requirements and the manager made sure of this.
A lot of the portfolio advice I see on polycount goes along these lines, generally focused on which piece is strong and which is weak and how that means you're strong or weak while not caring at all about the person behind the art or their experience.
Like its limited to art and presentation, which is fine, but really needs to consider the candidates profile first while encouraging best practices.
I really like the vehicles, the characters could be updated with renders in UE5 though a lot of the feedback is more
"present it the way I want to see it because this is what gets views." which I don't think applies here.
I don't think given Ruz's profile its absolutely necessary, since there is so much experience that is valuable, but not an issue to experiment with presentation if you want to.
There is so much subjectivity when it comes to art I don't know what to believe.
I feel that unless you get direct feedback post rejection from the reviewer, assuming artwork wasn't good enough isn't the best mentality.
I generally go with
"If a recruiter reached out, then your artwork is good enough for an art test and there is work to do"
"The portfolio has already been reviewed as a suitable for an art test"
That's it.
And if you don't have a recruiter reach out, whole lot of reasons that have nothing to do with your portfolio.
So keep making art because you want to and look for other avenues to express yourself and emphasize brand identity, marketability and ownership of your work.
Temppe
I did have a question about your portfolio and what your hiring experience was like.
https://www.artstation.com/temppe/albums/8228625
Could you share the feedback you received on your character art?
As I understand you were hired for your handsurface work which is around props and vehicles. Did having characters in your portfolio impact the hiring process in a positive way or was it brought up at all? Did it affect getting an interview?
Good that you think I have potential when I have been in the Industry since 2002
Currently trying to re render the Chevelle
I think it comes from years of giving quick screengrabs to clients who were totally fine with that, so I that would be ok to show my rough WIP
on Artstation, kind of like a journal. but looking at some of the shit hot stuff on the car section I really need to pay more attention
there was an ICQ channel or something. I used to follow the arguments but never got involved
But post pandemic its been tough and will probably have to get some shitty job soon if things don't pick up.
simplified the chevelle page a bit, not perfect but shows what I need to show
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/lDeG4J
any agreement to do so or not do so. I guess they wouldn't mind, might be worth just emailing them
I mainly asked since I have some vehicles that I plan to add and it was more related to the artstation layout when having characters alongside vehicles.
Wasn't meaning to ask as an assessment of artwork, since I'm more on the camp of artwork can always be improved so best to ask if there are any questions about a particular work.
Some portfolio's I've seen present their vehicles and characters together alongside props in the "all projects" layout and others categorise them by folder like you have.
Its good you sent them what they ought to see for the role.
The advice I've received is variable, as in don't include vehicles if applying for characters, so maybe that approach of keeping them to folders helps.
I feel it would be weird to reject per category, as I understand not everyone is quick to judge WIP or even consider the presented portfolio as only having the best work.
I assume this is different when it comes to outsourcers or candidates with proven track records. Work experience and published titles always trumps portfolio quality in my experience, but usually its a combination of the three and more about timing and job availability.
With the layoffs, the impact of portfolios certainly seems to have lost its lustre, its really unusal to let go of principle, lead and senior artists of that caliber
these days.. Your post was very interesting/ informative
yeah gavin Goulden is a long time PC guy from what I remember, thnk he was a character artist, work was top notch, so his advice is worth
I am aiming at working with startups, crypto games etc, more of the non traditional routes, via long term contracts if possible
Thanks for appreciating my work! I was working at EA in 2023 until my contract ended in July.
I'm hoping to rejoin, though there are a few alternatives but it is a tough market so I'm not sure where I'll end up.
For the moment I've been upgrading my artwork and exploring some alternative business ideas where I can express my creativity more fully
So this current portfolio won't be the one I'll be applying with, I still have to curate it!
I'll be applying for positions in character art (realistic and disney)
I do understand Gavin Gouldens approach but its difficult to take that level of scrutiny seriously when I see the actual work that goes on inside studios and how much of it is focused on efficiency rather than innovation, not to mention the quality of what is actually published in the end.
Many people entering the industry aren't aware of how important outsourcing is and how there is a very active push towards automation. The general idea sold is your portfolio gets you the job and I don't think that's the case in every instance.
I'm more in the camp of the portfolio should tell the reviewer if a candidate has the minimum required skill set to participate an art test, that's it.
With an art test reviewers have a set bar where they can assess a wide range of candidate skills sets with a single outcome.
If 10 candidates pass the art test and 3 are selected after interviews, the other 7 are added to the candidate file so they can be contacted in case there are new openings.
Expecting incredible standards from star candidates, compromising on the product because of budget and laying off employees after product is shipped isn't sustainable and really damages morale.
It is important to realise that the industry does seem to be turning into the finance industry where everyone becomes a number, so its vital to maintain ownership over our artwork and learn to market that within our own personal brand at some point in our careers.
The layoffs really do cast a shadow on the value corporate see's in an artist.
For example if we have a senior artist and a junior artist competing for a role and they both have senior level art ideally the work experience and published titles would favor the senior.
But with the emphasis placed on portfolios, it seems that juniors have a shot.
And the winner in this situation is corporate that can undercut both.
But corporate didn't set the bar for art, artists did.
Because if corporate had to choose between Last of us and Palworld, they would have picked Palworld in the same way they've accomodated AI.
This video should be required watching for everyone considering joining the industry,