Do consider yourself a 'techhead' or an 'artist'?

NoSeRider

The teacher in my art class said he couldn't get into 3D because he's not a 'techhead'........

Yet 3D requires art.....I'm so confused.

frosty

A poor Rep. of both.

FatAssasin

You gotta be a little of both. I always say that I have a technical mind and an artist's eye.

Hollowmind

I'd say for most of us it's a little of both. I know jack shit about programming but I do know quite a bit about hardware and I'm comfortable with the interfaces of most programs and all that. I know color theory and all that and I know how to work with more traditional mediums. For most of us here it's more than likely a requirement of our jobs to be a little of both. I'm no game artist but my job does require me to do digital art and to know enough about computers to fix any problems that might come up.

Paolo

Well, I may be technically-inclined, what with the CS background and all, but I'd still say I'm an artist. To me a 'techhead' is a guy who is fascinated by the technology for its own sake - someone who likes the tool more than the product. I've known some guys like this, and they love learning new tools and exploring all the features. Thats great, it keeps them current on tools and techniques, and some people just love to learn new tools - but I know thats not me.

I'm definitly motivated by the expression of ideas. I'd rather bang out work on crusty-old software than learn a new package. Of course when there is a major change to how things are done, I'll begrudgingly make the shift to something new. It usually pretty easy for me to climb the learning curve too, but I just see it as being in the way of actually creating something.

adam

Yah I'm both, although lately I'm more about the tech and business side of our industry than the art itself.

oXYnary

More intutitve art side. Thats what pisses me off about the computer. Lack of natural flow. I work very erratically and all over. With a computer its a process closer to design than art.

Im still doing it though.

Dukester

[ QUOTE ]
I'd rather bang out work on crusty-old software than learn a new package. Of course when there is a major change to how things are done, I'll begrudgingly make the shift to something new.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thats about as well put as I can imagine. I'm the same way. At some point I am forced to change the software (comfortable chair) I'm using and move on. Learning comes pretty quick and then at some point I'm bitchin because the new standard has changed once again

MoP

TBH I don't know many tech-heads who draw, paint and sculpt, so I'd probably say I was more artist than tech-head.
That said, I do like to know how everything works, and get excited over new graphics cards sometimes

Scott Ruggels

Artist, but yeah you have to be open to the limitations and the squirrliness of the requirements to get ones art into a game cleanly. I can't do math for shit, but given a document and a lit of steps and formats i can usually get a model into the engine. I am not a Pioneer though, so I need the pitfalls marked out first.

Scott

cep

I guess I consider myself both, when I grow up, I'd love to be a illustrator, but I'd say I'm a better modeller then a skinner.

Jay Evans

I guess in this industry you have to be both. I don't feel like a true artist until I get to cut loose in zbrush at work. I look forward to the day when game art production is purely artistic, and the tech stuff is all sorted out.

flaagan

i dont consider myself an 'artist' per say, though i'm very much so tech-inclined (i get much fun out of readin up on game engines). I've had plenty of tutoring with traditonal arts as well as with 3d apps. Interestingly enough, the one thing that I think made 3d modellling easy for me to grasp was the years I spent doing hot rodding and such with my friends. Having mechanical skills and being able to visualize how things work makes every bit of making a model easier for me (of course, I dont do character modelling, so i dont know how well this would apply to that).

Wells

one of my teachers at college said that you can either be an artist or a programmer, very rarely are those that can do both. I consider myself an artist first, but i love coding, its very gratifying, binary came very naturally to me and just seemed to make sense. but long before all of that i was drawing and scultping.

thats why i like this field... i feel it kind of combines both, bringing art into the computer.

poopinmymouth

You really can't be a successful game artist in the industry unless you are able to figure things out. I say thats not quite a techhead, its more being able to examine things and figure them out. Being inquisitive and able to figure out the best way to do things. Thats why some artists in traditional medium never can make the transition. They are more about exploring with their current toolset than exploring into new areas and the possibilities they open up.

I would consider myself an artist, with strong adaptability skills, not really a techhead.

KDR_11k

I'm a coder-minded person. My left hemisphere is heavily dominant, my logic skills pretty good but my art terrible. Well, okay, my art is still above coderart standards but still, I'll have to subject my brain to heavy training if I want to improve my art.

vahl

Well, that's something I really have a problem with. While at my 3d school, a lot of peeps were telling me I was an "techie", meaning all I can do is execute stuff for them as they considered themselves as "artists".
To me there's something that we should think more about...the computer or software is only the medium we're using to express ourselves knowing how to do what we want with them is a must have so yah you have to know the technique...now, the art-wise thing well, would you say that someone trying to sculpt, paint, draw, etc without ANY knowledge of the medium he'll be using (by this I mean he can't hold a pencil to draw, etc) is an artist ? no, until he's able to express himself with the media, he'll never be.

What I think most people think is that to be an artist you MUST know how to draw. And that as soon as you're using a computer, you're using the "easy ways of the techie" somehow the dark side of the art...

My point of view is kinda different, I think an artist should be able to translate what he has in mind into a media other people will understand, this can be sculpture, paint, drawing, 3d/cg art...

but that's just my 2 cents of course

Joshua Stubbles

Agreed.
I can't draw worth a damn, but I can build ya an enviornment in a week! hehe. For the past year or so though, I've been having the damndest time getting my ideas out of my head. This has oddly coincided with my lack of remembering dreams.


"It is not a tumor!"
/arnold accent

rawkstar

I am a 1337 haxx0r

jzero

Years ago, I stopped myself from trying to learn C so that I could remain an artist/designer... But I love to script, I love doing JavaScript and Flash ActionScript.

I have 'graphic scientist' in my profiles. I guess it means that when I want to do something, I go figure out how.

NoseRider: Tell your teacher I said that if he doesn't think he can do 3D, he's a wiener, and perhaps he'd be happier teaching old ladies watercolors at the Senior Center, instead of NOT teaching you to push the limits.

/jzero