Any value to putting WiPs on sites?

Saidin311

I'm still learning and working on my portfolio. I have a long way to go before I'm confident enough to just start showing off my site and work. Time's been tight for me recently for that but no matter.

My question to the industry vets is; is it worth showing a WiP on your reel/site/portfolio?

I've had some feedback from some local companies in Toronto and the one thing I've heard from my stuff is "looks promising but we want to see more". And the other more related; "finish up those WiP's and get back to us".

While I'm not holding out much for the creedence (Lebowski reference anyone?) with regards to these companies. It's made me think that instead of working on churning out new pieces I'm going to go back and refine those old WiP's that I have OR just take the WiP's right out of the equation and not show them anywhere and just stick to complete work.

I've seen a lot of new guys posting website stuff and I've seen a lot of Work In Progress shots. It seems to me (not meaning to offend anyone) that if your WiP work isn't at least as impressive as your completed work then theres not much point in showing it on your website.

And moreso it can even do more hurt than help if the artist is new and doesn't have a world of experience. It seems that some artists just slap a "work in progress" tag on the screenshot to show that they are impatient with the artwork and want to get a job without taking the time to understand and work and further develop their style.

So is it worth me judging my own artwork and if I come to the conclusion that I don't have time, or that I want to move on, do I bother putting those WiPs on the site? Or do I skip this self judgment and just finish the damn piece. Or scrap it and leave it on the forums, or on my hard drive and not bring it to the forefront of my website? Do employers really put a lot of thought on WiPs?

I guess maybe some of this is stating the obvious. Thoughts anyone?

AstroZombie

Personally, I would not put WiPs on my portfolio site while looking for my first industry gig. Much better to show finished works.

Tully

I would tend to say no.
In a portfolio, you're trying to assure a potential employer that you're not only a great artist, but able to consistantly produce high quality work. You need to show that you can finish things, and communicate more subtlely that you finish things quickly and regularly.

WIPs send the wrong message -- usually "I like what I've got so far, but I'm not going to finish it so I'm going to put it up here anyway." This suggests to employers that you don't place a lot of value on finishing things in your own time and brings up the question of whether you'd be the same way working for them. That's bad. If the portfolio is otherwise amazing they'd probably overlook it, but it's best not to give them reason to doubt in the first place. Especially if it's your first job.

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Or do I skip this self judgment and just finish the damn piece

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Bingo!

aesir

I think a few WIPs (as long as the quality of what you've done is worth showing) is fine as long as you have plenty of finished pieces as well.

Mark Dygert

A portfolio full of WiP's sends up red flags. Can this guy finish anything? A few really good pieces that happen to not be textured, no big deal.

At what point can you stop calling it a WiP? When its unwrapped? textured? rigged? animated? Successfully imported into an engine? Technically everything is a WiP even what is commonly accepted as "finished".

Before you go sending your portfolio off, post it there. If you're hesitant about posting your WiP here, then they aren't ready to be sent out...

Saidin311

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Before you go sending your portfolio off, post it here. If you're hesitant about posting your WiP here, then they aren't ready to be sent out...

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Cheers for the input guys! I just wanted to start a bit of a discussion more than anything. Quell some thoughts that I had. I'm a bit of a perfectionist and I don't like it when I can tell just by looking that things aren't up to snuff. Yet I see people going ahead and using that kind of work in their portfolio anyways. I'll admit thats probably a bit of an elitist attitude to have at my level. But I guess thats just the perfectionist I tend to be.

I've posted a little bit of work here, and its improved greatly, I will post everything I do here as I continue building my portfolio because I think the input and resource here is too valuable to waste! I haven't had much time to do much these past couple of weeks. What I had heard from people here came from friends mostly, an inside track that I plan on using later, but I took some opportunities to get some early feedback from them. The industry in Toronto is small and I'm expecting a move when I do get around to having a finished portfolio and application process. Since I'm not ready with anything worth showing beyond what I've already posted I'll get to building and posting more stuff as time allows!

BoBo_the_seal

I love looking through peoples WIP sections and have one myself. I look at it as a digital sketchbook. Serves the same purpose.

- BoBo

Daz

This is a *really* bloody silly conversation. The answer is...it depends.

If you're a gifted modeler, wips can show skill and diversity. If your work isn't that strong, unfinished pieces will weaken your portfolio even further.

Does half of this stuff look 'unfinished' in the traditional sense of the word? http://eddiekim.cgsociety.org/gallery/584365/
Yes. Does it show that this guy is one of the best sculptors out there? Probably yes. Would you hire him to make textures? Probably not.

Do you need a potential employer to see that you can make a finished model? Include some finished models in your stuff. Do you need a potential employer to see that you can make finished textures? Include some finished textures in your stuff. Do you need a potential employer to see that you can make finished environments or characters? Include some in your stuff.

Do you need a potential employer to see that you're useless? Include a bunch of crappy half finished assets.

Do you need a potential employer to be impressed? Include some high quality highly finished assets and some 'unfinished' assets.

So, it depends what impression you're trying to make, see?

Slainean

I like seeing WIPs because every so often you see great potential in an undeveloped idea. However, you should definitely keep it to a minimum. Make sure you have a high finished to wip ratio. I'm not anyone of importance, but that's my opinion on it.

Sa74n

i like looking at wips and i see no problem to include them in a folio. maybe not as the central part of it but you can definitely show them somewhere if theyre good enough

danr

good idea with a WIP is to give some clue of where the model's going. Don't mong on for sentence after sentence, just a few words of intent - what you believe it will take for the model to be "finished" (as vig says, where DO you draw the line?). Makes an incomplete model just as worthy as a complete one, if you can show people you've got a handle on your own work and working practises

Jesse Moody

I use wips as a way to test out new things too and some times they don't work the way i wanted them to but it's a way to expand my knowledge and try new things or new approaches to things.

I would say sure include them if they look decent. If they look bad then no...

hawken

hmmm

theres a difference between WIP and sketches.

for me WIP would be a half finished model, and not worth the bother. Sketches are always welcome.