New Website Need Advice

Stevor1984

I just graduated and I'm slowly updating my website to get ready to look for a job in the Dallas/Austin Area of Texas. I just wanted to get some advice from you guys on what I should add or take off my site to help maximize the chance of finding a job or a place to start in the industry. I'll be adding a few more things as the day goes on such as a few things to my environmental section.

Here is a link www.stevensherrod.com

please give me some feed back.

Thanks

BrodyB

Your web site is really well laid-out, awesome work! The crits I have are pretty minor: perhaps make the navigation buttons slightly more prominent, and I thought I was on another site when I hit Tutorials.

But overall, awesome!

Joao Sapiro

ill have to disagree the website doesnt seem serious , the wireframe image made me want to close it, at least put a textured model there, and none cares about that long winded text, show the goods at start
the gallery of 3d is terrible not a single textured model and only a bunch of videos in tf2 , all of that doesnt show skill besides poor triangle optimization.
the 2d section is also pretty bad, animeish characters not even finished and half assed, if your trength isnt in 2d simply dont show it, right now your portfolio is hurting you , rework your stuff and rework it and your onto something

Sage

Although I like the how the site and work looks I don't like the navigation. I think it's easier for the viewer to see one model in it's own page. Just have a a page for each section characters, animals, environments. In those sections have thumbnails that are big enough to show what the section contains. When you click on the thumbnail you see a big view of the model. By big I mean 640 x 480 or larger, it doesn't have to be those dimensions but you get the picture. Also I would eliminate any section of the site that is not completed. Add it back once it done.

I'm not crazy about the viewer you are using, but at least you tweeked it so it not so annoying. Also if you keep using that system the viewer doesn't have to go through many pages. You might want to ditch the 2d section or include drawing that show that you can draw in a more realistic fashion but that's up to you. Also I would include models modeled in different styles to you the range you have. Right now you might have a hard time getting a job just showing what you have. Congrats on your achievements.

Cool stuff though.

Alex

Stevor1984

Thanks for the feedback, I was considering removing the 2D section considering drawing is far from my strong point, the only reason I kept it was because I did the concept for some of the skyward models and wanted to show that off. The little girl with the monster is textured by me, if you scroll through the images there is a textured version.

I'm still taking feedback so keep the comments coming, today is really my last day to work on it before I lose most of my time to hunting for a job and doing part time website/IT work to keep a paycheck rolling in till then.

Stevor1984

I also looked at some of my past works and I have two more characters I'll be posting, one is a real life girl I modeled (Just a bust version) and the other is a more detailed cartoon guys face. I'll be posting those two with the addition of my environmental models I'm rendering right now.

pliang

Stevor1984 wrote: »

Thanks for the feedback, I was considering removing the 2D section considering drawing is far from my strong point, the only reason I kept it was because I did the concept for some of the skyward models and wanted to show that off. The little girl with the monster is textured by me, if you scroll through the images there is a textured version.

I'm still taking feedback so keep the comments coming, today is really my last day to work on it before I lose most of my time to hunting for a job and doing part time website/IT work to keep a paycheck rolling in till then.

HINT: You can simply do a paint over of a rendered 3d model of your character and then put it up on 2d section if you're serious about it...there are some decent character artists who I know are great at 3d but lack experience in 2d...

Its good you have recognition from the project you worked on but you should beef up your 3d art section with more content...

And yeah anime is kind of a stigma for certain people...

Stevor1984

Yes I know all too well about the anime stigma and I didn't have much of a choice as far as Skyward goes since I wasn't the project lead.

Stevor1984

Ok I got the more realistic version of one of the women I've done up, about to have the guy up in a sec then I'll finish with my environmental stuff.

Mark Dygert

Not to shabby, having skyward on in your corner should help things along. I have to agree with what others have said.

I also think you should lead off with textured/beauty shots of your models and progress backwards in the construction if you don't show it all at once, instead of starting off with wires. I want to be wow'ed then if I'm interested shown how you did it. But maybe I'm weird that way.

Nice stuff, keep at it. You have a good start but you need more. No time to slack off you're just starting to hit your stride

Sage

To be honest just get your reel (website) fixed and ready. It will be a waste of time if you apply to studios and you don't impress them.

Alex

Stevor1984

Vig wrote: »

Not to shabby, having skyward on in your corner should help things along. I have to agree with what others have said.

I also think you should lead off with textured/beauty shots of your models and progress backwards in the construction if you don't show it all at once, instead of starting off with wires. I want to be wow'ed then if I'm interested shown how you did it. But maybe I'm weird that way.

Nice stuff, keep at it. You have a good start but you need more. No time to slack off you're just starting to hit your stride

Thanks I know I'm off to a good start just need to keep working at it, I need to learn Z brush so I can detail up some of these models. So far all of them are done poly by poly.

Mark Dygert

No shame in that... Cheaters use ZBrush... =P

SuPa-

Vig wrote: »

No shame in that... Cheaters use ZBrush... =P

/agree ;P

Cool stuff! The video game looks fun
Nice character models and environmental work, I like the style

Jeremy Lindstrom

take out the sections you aren't using, no tutorials, so ditch it. No Environments, animals, just add those sections when you get the content. No sense in showing something you don't currently have.