Portfolio opinions, am I ready for entry level employment?

Tom Ellis

Hi there,

I'm currently working as an Arch-Viz artist and unfortunately, due to the current economic climate continuously hammering (excuse the pun) the construction industry, concern is building as to how long I'm going to remain employed. Construction projects are being cancelled and expensive 'luxurys' like 3D visualisations are not exactly top of the priority list for developers and contractors.

So, I've spent the last 6 months or so working my butt off trying to develop my skills in my spare time, tailoring my abilities towards game art.

I'm considering applying for a job at a game studio, I wont name them but they're a fairly large company, and are currently hiring junior level artists.

Now, I know of some juniors who are incredibly talented and produce fantastic work, but the job description suggests a junior position is aimed at someone who 'has little to no experience, requires regular attention and guidance'. I feel I fit that role.

I want to get some opinions on whether I am quite ready to apply, I know I have nothing to lose by applying, but if I'm still a long long way off then I may wait a while to improve my skills further. As I said though, this is a junior role and obviously my work is very much entry level I think.

I'd prefer crits on what I've outlined above as oppose to the look/layout of my site, as I'll be sending the examples of work with the application rather than including my portfolio url.

Be as honest as you like!

http://www.creationtwentytwo.co.uk

Many thanks

myles

Technically your art work is good, and you seem to have a good understanding of 3D, but there's nothing on your site that jumps out to me as being particularly amazing, I think you can do a LOT more work on the garage scene (perhaps listen to my crit on your thread). I'm sure you stand a good chance of getting a junior position, but I think theres a bit more you can do before.

I'd also suggest showing texture sheets and talking abit about your art, why you did things like that, what you learnt, what you would change ect.

Tom Ellis

Thanks for the reply.

I appreciate your comments, and apologies for not responding to the crit on my workshop thread, for some reason my email sub for that thread seems to have disappeared which means I didn't catch your reply. Awesome suggestions and links though, thank you. I totally agree the scene could be pushed a lot further but I was so desperate to get onto some other stuff. You've inspired me to revisit it!

Thanks again

aesir

I think when the industry was doing well, you'd probably end up getting an entry level position with that portfolio. As it is, you might get one.

cholden

Yeap, basic stuff here, but nothing wrong with that. What bothers me the most is your site. It's slow and annoying. Useless home page instead of straight-to-content. Every piece you have to click and then click again to see the full view. No images can be saved so logging your employment submission is impossible (huge failure in job application). I'd suggest revisiting the site, and keep making work until you get what you want. In fact, that WIP thread of your environment is a better presentation of your skills than your web site.

alexk

So here are my thoughts as a peer who is also working on landing that first gig.

- #1 gripe is that the enlarged size of the pics are barely much bigger than the preview pic

- I followed your garage wip and think it was great progress, but I feel you are showcasing way too many of the props on your site. Don't get me wrong, some of the props are quite nice, but they don't need a pic dedicated to each one. Maybe combine 3 props on one pic. I know this all may just me personal preference, but whenever I see people do this, I feel they are trying to "pad" out their porfolio. Also your texture usage on those props may be quite big, 1024 for a barrel is kinda overkill.. but then again, there's a bit of leeway when it comes to portfolio stuff

- in general, you need another environment piece

I guess maybe the right answer of whether you're ready to apply, is how do you stack up compared to the other people who are also applying for the same position. At least, that's how I've been going about determining whether I'm ready or not... just some thoughts I guess

But you know, I say, take the shot.. who knows right?

And lastly, if you haven't yet, check out the Game Mentor podcasts which has some incredible insights on the industry from professionals, including about protfolios and environment art. http://gim.acanaday.com/ and the polycount thread for it is http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=66031

Tom Ellis

Thanks for the comments.

In relation to the site, I agree it needs work, and I plan to sort it out eventually, for the time being it's merely there to give a quick idea of my work as I'm not actively looking for work using the site. As I said in my original post, my example work will be sent on DVD/print along with the application so it gives me a chance to include more texture sheets / info on each asset etc.

I was wondering whether whether just reeling off the assets used in the workshop scene as seperate focus pieces was a bit much, I think you're right, they could be grouped and I definitely need to add more work.

Well I'm constantly spending spare time working on new stuff or improving existing projects so my portfolio will only grow, I suppose it's just this employment uncertainty in my current position which is causing me to bunch a load of stuff up quickly and possibly get an application in.

Thanks again for the comments, I'm gonna give it a shot, I guess there's nothing to lose, if they don't like it, I work harder and apply again in a little while.

afk

I work in the games industry now as an env artist and was in the position you are now in two years ago.

You are very close and probably good enough to get a graduate/junior position. In the meantime you must keep blitzing new work and keep on updating that portfolio. The stage you are at a few more pieces will still improve your skills a lot, there is no reason to stop producing new work so don't sit on your laurels.

A couple of quick points: The flash on your website is annoying, flash on a portfolio website in general is a bad idea. The dev looking at it might only have 30 seconds to spare, they may be looking at it on an old laptop work has given them for a trip, someone else's machine, or may simply not have flash updated / working on their machine, whatever. Piss them off one iota with your website and you will lose 50% of your audience within 15 seconds. Those enlarged pics aren't hi-res enough, and you need to post your flats (textures, normal maps etc). Personally I think theres a couple of weak pieces in there, that concrete pillar is too rounded and a bit undefined and the uzi is out of place and maybe lower quality than the rest. Have a look at racer445's gun tutorial on gameartist.net (and probably here too) if you wanna do a killer gun.

Big pieces don't necessarily make for a good portfolio but everyone needs to do a complete environment of some sort, a room, building or section of street etc - it doesn't have to be huge though. It's gonna be hard to impress people with something like a dark warehouse unless it's really killer. Work on something a bit more outside your comfort zone maybe. A good starting portfolio is a decent room/environment, some accompanying props, plus maybe 1 or 2 small peices to show you can do other types of environment/style maybe.

You are very close and may get something with what you've got, in the meantime though keep beasting new work and improving those skills and make the website a bit easier to use.

Hope that helps!

Tom Ellis

Many thanks Afk, it's good to hear from someone who started in my position a relatively short time ago.

Thanks for the great suggestions, I think I'm gonna start working on a new project or two which is unlike what I've done already. I'm considering a car or motorcycle for a game, the prospect of which scares me but I guess it is important to challenge myself and obviously I'm gonna have to be ready for anything if I do find a job.

The site uses Javascript rather than Flash, but I agree it's slow as hell

Thanks again

alexk

Is there a specific reason you want to send in an app DVD/printout instead of using your website? I'd be scared on whether it will even get to the right person, let alone be looked at when the vast majority of apps will probably be online portfolios

Tom Ellis

The application form requires a physical set of examples either print or DVD, or both. I guess it wouldn't hurt to include the URL but I guess I didn't want things like those that have been pointed out to detract from my chances just because of a bad website.

afk

P.s. you should be using all types of media for your applications. Paper is actually very good as it will probably end up on someone's desk and they will probably have a quick flick through as it require such a small amount of effort even in comparison to looking at a website or slapping a cd in. Mass CD's are good to leave behind at career fairs and the like. Get a drive that can print images onto the disk label (I used lightscribe cd's, probably something better / more colourful about now), make sure there is a good CV and cover letter on there and it is easy to use / navigate. Work in your paper portfolio should be nicely presented / pimped too, don't let bad graphic design stop you getting a job. Slap your contact details over everything.

crazyfingers

Good enough to get a job? Hmmm, probably not. Good enough to stick with it? Definitely. I think the best thing you can do at your stage of development is go out there and actively try to get a job.

Heck you might get one.

Or you wont, and you're hopefully going to get some very discerning and straightforward feedback on your work and you'll see exactly where you stand, and hopefully be determined to reach the level you need to be at. Look around online, see the quality level that's out there and set your quality level somewhere between where you're at now and where the pros are at. The closer you are to that "pro" level, the closer you are at a job.

Above all stay with it, keep working your butt off. Stay passionate about it, i highly recomend doing competitions whenever you have the chance, and joining a team of artists can be a huge motivator.

Seriously, get your portfolio out there and get some criques from people who are doing hiring right now. Don't be afraid to step on a toe or two, you gotta be a little assertive.

Millah

Additionally, networking, networking, networking. It sounds like you have a fairly specific place in mind. If you haven’t already, I highly encourage you to see if there is someone here or on one of the other artistic sites that works there that you can get to know through the internet.

When I was working to get my first gig 5.5 years ago I was lucky enough to have met people through polycount and #model_design irc that worked where I wanted to work. *cough* Tom Doyle and James Taylor *cough* Through criticisms and advice I received from them I was able to shape my portfolio and tailor is specifically for the position I was applying for which worked well for me.

Your stuff might or might not be good enough to get you the job, and we can do our best to give you our guesses based on our experience, but this won’t compare to opening a dialogue with someone who works where you want to work. They’ll be able to give advice the pushes you in the right direction so that every portfolio piece you make from here on out is set up to count towards impressing them and in some cases they might even be willing to personally pass along your application directly to the appropriate person when the time comes.

Don’t be afraid about contacting them if there are any of them on this site etc. Often times studios provide recruitment bonuses for bringing in talent so it’s worth their time to offer up criticism to help you out.

Tom Ellis

Thanks so much for the detailed advice / suggestions.

I really like the suggestions about communicating with other artists and possibly collaborating on projects because to be honest, I think that's one thing that I know will help me develop as it's something I haven't done and input from others is so important to me.

I agree that feedback directly from the companies I apply to will be most valuable, and hopefully if I do get a 'no', I will be able to get some explanation.

I'll definitely keep working hard, my motivation since I started all this has always been to keep learning, keep furthering my skills whether I'm jobless and desperate or a senior artist leading a team.

Thanks again to everyone for the comments, I can't begin to explain how thankful I am for a community like Polycount where people are happy to offer advice and critique, and it's so awesome to get info from those working in the industry, or indeed seeking work like me.

/stopcasting ass kissing

Seriously though, really appreciate it.

AsaNYC

I - and I think many people who live with computers - browse the web with JS disabled unles its absolutely encessary for a website's apps. To just browse a image gallery I'm not enabling JS or Flash.

How do I or anyone browseing your site know your webhost hasn't had a sql injection that let someone post exploits on your site without you knowing it? Happens all the time. There are dozens of other reasons as well.

Keep it Simple.

I'm only saying this because I really want you succeed. I've seen some of your stuff posted online before and I think if you keep going you'll move beyond junior in no time. Don't let anything, especially your portfolio site get in your way. Best of luck!

D4V1DC

If it hasn't been said fill up the area of your images with your artwork, don't leave more background color instead of art on an image.

I agree with Asa NYC those fancy galleries would be bettr for website designer positions than game artists.

BHJ

Concerning your portfolio - Aaron Canaday's most recent podcast was on this subject. Isaac Oster linked to a free portfolio (source download at the bottom) that he created available here:
http://www.isaacoster.com/

Asides from that - your certainly competant. Keep ploughing on with this and don't forget the importance of networking; you'll probably find it just as important as having a good portfolio if you have a position / place of work in mind.

Good luck!