Aside from your work your website is really clunky to me. I feel like your bar at the top is unnecessarily huge (and I am on a 1920 x 1080 resolution). And the design and fonts are kinda lacking. The fonts are just kinda floating in space... and nothing on your website seems to be aligned to anything else.
Pull down your font size on everything.
I think you should get rid of the other pieces at the very bottom of each model page. Or make them different from the rest of the thumbnails in some way.
Eliminate the "All final assets placed, lit, and Post-Processed by me in Unreal Development Kit" You could just put a little UDK Watermark in the corner of the picture. LINK
And I think you should try to make all pictures the same size. That way you don't get that annoying movement on the page when your images change.
You should probably take out the slide show feature as well since the picture are different sizes. It pushes everything on bottom around while I am trying to navigate.
That is just a start... and I don't critique your work because your website makes me not want to be there to begin with. And if you turn ppl off by your website, then to a certain degree, it doesn't matter how good your work is. They are just not going to look at it.
Sorry if everything came off really harsh.
Edit: and get rid of that menu bar on the left that takes you to the "next" page. You already have the links at the bottom, and people are smart enough nowadays to know that when they click on your header that it is going to take them to the index.
Hey there. The site is nice but there are a few things I'm not really fond of; the size of the banner for starters. I'd make it smaller as it doesn't have to be up in your face and cover half the screen
The gallery part is a bit annoying too. Having a picture with thumbnails down below is fine but having to scroll down to choose another picture and then scroll back up to see the full size is not something I'd recommend.
Overall I'd probably scale the text down and make everything a bit more compact as well as making consistent picture sizes.
Thanks guys, please don't worry about being too harsh. If I wanted compliments I would have asked for feedback on my Facebook. All of your feedback is taken with respect, and will definitely help enhance my site.
* I have applied some of the changes you requested, and will be resizing all my images tonight. I will see if this helps the slideshow feature. Until I can figure out a better option, I will be removing my fullscreen feature.
I don't know much about making portfolio websites really. I'm in the process of making one myself and I know it's all but easy.
As for the images you have on there, first of all I'd have to agree with jeremiah_bigley, make them the same sizes.
Second thing, and this is something -in my experience- a lot of artists have trouble with, and that is texture resolution consistancy. Get that right and all of your images look ten times better.
So... I have been looking at your site. And this is what I am getting.
1. Your "About Me, Resume, and Contact are moving based on screen size and they are laying over your "ART." That is an issue. At first I didn't even know you had a black splat over on the right until I got rid of my bookmarks menu (Which is always up... :P). So I now know what resolution you are working on/designing to. 1920 x 1080...
So one thing you are going to have to keep in mind is that not everyone is going to be viewing your website on a 1920 pixel wide monitor. Yeah you are selling yourself to an industry where guys compensate for things by having a giant monitor... but some of the people that are going to be viewing your website are HR Ladies. lol And they don't have crazy awesome work stations.
You saw my website... the reasoning behind the size was that I wanted people with a monitor that was 800 pixels wide to be able to view the website the way I intended it to be viewed. That is the first thing I noticed this second time through. Should be fixed.
2. What do you want to be when you grow up? :P Your website doesn't tell me what you are. Environment Artist? Prop Artist? Fashion Designer? lol "ART" just isn't cutting it. A potential employer doesn't know what you are so doesn't know what you want to be, what you enjoy, or what they can even hire you for. (No I haven't gotten to your resume yet... but it is something that should be in your face to begin with).
3. Alignment of elements. or... "Spacing"
4. 1 or 2 pixel strokes...
Even on photobucket.... look at their bar!
And finally... just a test. I am not saying this is what you should go with... this is just something to help get you thinking outside of the box. So you can see what you can do and how far you could potentially push your website. And if you do decide to go with this... that is fine too. btw this would be actual size.
I will hopefully comment on your actual content tomorrow or something... when I wake up. Hope that helps.
Oh and one question... You ever heard of 3Point Shader? or tried it out?
Wow Jeremiah, I was not expecting such an in depth response. This is excellent! I will definitely go over all this and see how I can apply it. the last image you posted helps me so much. Now I get what you mean by using font and templates to make the whole website tie together and look cohesive. Much appreciated man.
Yes, now that the site has been up for a couple days, I've gotten the chance to view it on a few of my friend's computers, and designing based off 1920 x 1080 resolution is my noobish mistake. Never even considered it, until seeing the results. I'll do what I can to fix this.
And no I have not heard of 3Point Shader until now, and checking out their website I know exactly where you're comin from! I will check it out and learn what I can, should vastly improve 3Dsmax Renders that I currently have.
yeah the font that I went with was just kinda random... I think you should try going with the font you used or to go with a non decorative font for the little names of the images. Though try to make it one that compliments your main font.
I see you are going through Cargo... I am not sure if this limits you in any way but one of the things I wanted to suggest was making your "About Me Resume Contact" apart of the top bar in whatever program you are using to do your designs. I use dreamweaver for my website so I can drag a hot spot around anything and tell that spot to be a link. That way you don't have to worry about your top menu sliding around.
As for the 3Point Shader thing... If you are doing game art something that you need to do is display the model realtime. And that is something you have done with your full environments... You put them in UDK, but your individual objects look like max renders. I would suggest keeping your full levels in UDK like you are doing and then using 3Point Shader, Marmoset Toolbag, or Xoliul Shader to display your individual stuff. Make things look awesome!
One of the things you should go and download are cubemaps. You can get a few over here. http://www.laurenscorijn.com/viewportshader
These are just environment maps so you can get reflections and such on your models. You can load these into the 3point shader.
Btw... You should add me on something like AIM or Skype that way I can show you things without having to make pictures... This shit is time consuming lol.
yo, thanks for the in depth response to my questions!
I am contacting Cargo regarding the different screen resolutions and how to lock my page links.
I've also installed 3Point and will be messing around with it today. From what I've seen you do to the Tie Interceptor, I'm really impressed with the final results. you're getting about 2x the quality than vanilla renders in 3dsmax. I also checked out Corijn's website and dled the cube maps. I've been messing around with them recently in UDK (Alice & Star Wars scenes), but being about to do this within 3dsmax is money.
Finally, regarding the wire frame material settings - that was a noob question, and I should have looked around more closely before asking you lol.
on alien gladiator piece:
It looks pretty good but I think you need to tone-down the pedestal. Its literally taking up about half of the frame.
The pedestal should be a little tiny disk to help the character look grounded, and not take away anything from the focus of the character.
I agree with Bonebrew22 on the pedestal.
If you have the money for the full 3Point shader... it comes with a bunch of cubemaps. And it would probably save you time tweaking if you use it a lot. If it is only $50 like you were saying I would go for it. I bought it when it first came out and I think it is very worth it.
Don't worry about the wireframe thing. No question is too small.
thanks for advice on the gladiator. I decided to actually just remove him from my portfolio. This project didn't flow with the rest, and I've been getting questions like "it says environment art on your website, but why is there a character?"
I actually have a couple more characters for my senior project that are better quality and will be placed in an actual environment and in-engine before I post them on the site.
updated the website: centered everything so thumbnails and links do not overlap regardless of resolution. although clipping will occur if your resolution is less than 1280 x 720.
... I am not sure if this limits you in any way but one of the things I wanted to suggest was making your "About Me Resume Contact" apart of the top bar in whatever program you are using to do your designs. I use dreamweaver for my website so I can drag a hot spot around anything and tell that spot to be a link. That way you don't have to worry about your top menu sliding around."
that just blew my mind lol - i also use dreamweaver and i made my website blind, first time attempting making one and i had no idea how to use dreamweaver and man did i find it to be a pain in the ass especially when it comes to changing fonts/text colour etc, such small things had to be put into different classes, etc anywayssss just wanted to thank mr. jeremiah_bigley for some great ideas that i will be taking into mind when i revamp my site (which looks like crap and is in desperate need of a makeover)
You may need to change the color of the roll-over on the links, they are unreadable when we roll-over them. Especially when you are directly on that section.
I don't think the little "Permalink" on your "About Me" is useful, you should take it out.
Also, I may know that clicking on your banner is to go back to the portfolio, but it would be nice to have a button to bring you back to the gallery, instead of having them on the bottom.
megalmn2000 - thanks for the feedback. I have changed the roll-over color of the links to white w/ an underline. that should be a little easier to see.
trying to figure out how to remove Permalink as we speak. have entered code to set it's display as "none," but doesn't seem to be working as of yet.
there use to be an "index" button on the left of the page, but I took it down because viewers were saying it was cluttering up the page. If I find a smooth way to incorporate it, I will reinstall it.
Hey Kevin! I didn't read through all the posts so sorry if I repeat something that has already been addressed.
My biggest issue is that nothing seems to be aligned one way. The banner and menu font are centered, all the pages seem to be left justified to me it just feels awkward. I would think the banner should encompass the length of artwork or vice versa the work fall in between the banners length. On your contact page could you instead use thumbnail pictures to represent the facebook, linkedin, and email address instead of hyperlinked font? Same goes for the link on your resume page. Also I don't think you need 2 download links for the resume
Hey Anthy9986 - Thanks for the quick feedback! I have removed 1 of the Download PDF links from my Resume, and am now researching on how to use Icon Links. Posted on the help forums on Cargo Collective, to see if I can get some help with centering everything. Each Template seems to have it's own unique CSS alteration that needs to be made, and I don't know nearly enough to figure it out on my own.
Thanks though, everything you said makes sense, and will be implemented!
Hey what up South OC! Used to live in RSM, frequented the In N Out in Foothill Ranch all the time, and used to drive past LCAD on my way to work in Newport. Miss it down there sometimes.
Anyway, why are you printing business cards? Are they telling you to mail your demo reel/portfolio to studios and include your card? Just curious, cuz that's kind of old school. Nice to have but not really needed. (Never needed my business cards I first printed out after graduating in '07) You got your site and it looks good, that's all you need. Guess they could come in handy if you're going to Comic-Con or E3 or something.
You've got some decent work up. I'd love to see some of your texture work on your WIP's. Your chopper specifically. 1, cuz it looks badass. And 2, I kind of want to see how you did it before I start working on my first aircraft. =P (P-51 Mustang to be exact)
Good luck to you man! Where are you going to start applying?
Hey GOBEE - that's awesome to hear! Had In N Out yesterday haha... I really am trying to get out of this bubble though. It's slowly eating away at me. Anyways, my business card has email, website, cellphone #, and an image of 1 of my favorite props.
I am currently texturing the Assault Chopper and will be posting my final textures up for everyone to see. FYI, I am using 4 2048x2048, which is a lot I know, but the assignment was a cinematic prop, and those were the specs my teacher gave me. I'll be posting on the Chopper thread, when everything is done.
Thanks for showing interest in my work, it means a lot.
Good luck with your P-51 Mustang, it looks like a sexy aircraft to model.
Just be aware if you are planning on making the cockpit, that was a pain in the ass to wrap my head around haha!
Replies
Pull down your font size on everything.
I think you should get rid of the other pieces at the very bottom of each model page. Or make them different from the rest of the thumbnails in some way.
Eliminate the "All final assets placed, lit, and Post-Processed by me in Unreal Development Kit" You could just put a little UDK Watermark in the corner of the picture.
LINK
And I think you should try to make all pictures the same size. That way you don't get that annoying movement on the page when your images change.
You should probably take out the slide show feature as well since the picture are different sizes. It pushes everything on bottom around while I am trying to navigate.
That is just a start... and I don't critique your work because your website makes me not want to be there to begin with. And if you turn ppl off by your website, then to a certain degree, it doesn't matter how good your work is. They are just not going to look at it.
Sorry if everything came off really harsh.
Edit: and get rid of that menu bar on the left that takes you to the "next" page. You already have the links at the bottom, and people are smart enough nowadays to know that when they click on your header that it is going to take them to the index.
The gallery part is a bit annoying too. Having a picture with thumbnails down below is fine but having to scroll down to choose another picture and then scroll back up to see the full size is not something I'd recommend.
Overall I'd probably scale the text down and make everything a bit more compact as well as making consistent picture sizes.
Hope it helps !
* I have applied some of the changes you requested, and will be resizing all my images tonight. I will see if this helps the slideshow feature. Until I can figure out a better option, I will be removing my fullscreen feature.
As for the images you have on there, first of all I'd have to agree with jeremiah_bigley, make them the same sizes.
Second thing, and this is something -in my experience- a lot of artists have trouble with, and that is texture resolution consistancy. Get that right and all of your images look ten times better.
1. Your "About Me, Resume, and Contact are moving based on screen size and they are laying over your "ART." That is an issue. At first I didn't even know you had a black splat over on the right until I got rid of my bookmarks menu (Which is always up... :P). So I now know what resolution you are working on/designing to. 1920 x 1080...
So one thing you are going to have to keep in mind is that not everyone is going to be viewing your website on a 1920 pixel wide monitor. Yeah you are selling yourself to an industry where guys compensate for things by having a giant monitor... but some of the people that are going to be viewing your website are HR Ladies. lol And they don't have crazy awesome work stations.
You saw my website... the reasoning behind the size was that I wanted people with a monitor that was 800 pixels wide to be able to view the website the way I intended it to be viewed. That is the first thing I noticed this second time through. Should be fixed.
2. What do you want to be when you grow up? :P Your website doesn't tell me what you are. Environment Artist? Prop Artist? Fashion Designer? lol "ART" just isn't cutting it. A potential employer doesn't know what you are so doesn't know what you want to be, what you enjoy, or what they can even hire you for. (No I haven't gotten to your resume yet... but it is something that should be in your face to begin with).
3. Alignment of elements. or... "Spacing"
4. 1 or 2 pixel strokes...
Even on photobucket.... look at their bar!
And finally... just a test. I am not saying this is what you should go with... this is just something to help get you thinking outside of the box. So you can see what you can do and how far you could potentially push your website. And if you do decide to go with this... that is fine too.
I will hopefully comment on your actual content tomorrow or something... when I wake up.
Oh and one question... You ever heard of 3Point Shader? or tried it out?
Yes, now that the site has been up for a couple days, I've gotten the chance to view it on a few of my friend's computers, and designing based off 1920 x 1080 resolution is my noobish mistake. Never even considered it, until seeing the results. I'll do what I can to fix this.
And no I have not heard of 3Point Shader until now, and checking out their website I know exactly where you're comin from! I will check it out and learn what I can, should vastly improve 3Dsmax Renders that I currently have.
I see you are going through Cargo... I am not sure if this limits you in any way but one of the things I wanted to suggest was making your "About Me Resume Contact" apart of the top bar in whatever program you are using to do your designs. I use dreamweaver for my website so I can drag a hot spot around anything and tell that spot to be a link. That way you don't have to worry about your top menu sliding around.
As for the 3Point Shader thing... If you are doing game art something that you need to do is display the model realtime. And that is something you have done with your full environments... You put them in UDK, but your individual objects look like max renders. I would suggest keeping your full levels in UDK like you are doing and then using 3Point Shader, Marmoset Toolbag, or Xoliul Shader to display your individual stuff. Make things look awesome!
I also overlayed an AO pass
One of the things you should go and download are cubemaps. You can get a few over here.
http://www.laurenscorijn.com/viewportshader
These are just environment maps so you can get reflections and such on your models. You can load these into the 3point shader.
Btw... You should add me on something like AIM or Skype that way I can show you things without having to make pictures... This shit is time consuming lol.
AIM: jeremiahbigley
Skype: jeremiah_bigley
I am contacting Cargo regarding the different screen resolutions and how to lock my page links.
I've also installed 3Point and will be messing around with it today. From what I've seen you do to the Tie Interceptor, I'm really impressed with the final results. you're getting about 2x the quality than vanilla renders in 3dsmax. I also checked out Corijn's website and dled the cube maps. I've been messing around with them recently in UDK (Alice & Star Wars scenes), but being about to do this within 3dsmax is money.
Finally, regarding the wire frame material settings - that was a noob question, and I should have looked around more closely before asking you lol.
It looks pretty good but I think you need to tone-down the pedestal. Its literally taking up about half of the frame.
The pedestal should be a little tiny disk to help the character look grounded, and not take away anything from the focus of the character.
just my though.
If you have the money for the full 3Point shader... it comes with a bunch of cubemaps. And it would probably save you time tweaking if you use it a lot. If it is only $50 like you were saying I would go for it. I bought it when it first came out and I think it is very worth it.
Don't worry about the wireframe thing. No question is too small.
I actually have a couple more characters for my senior project that are better quality and will be placed in an actual environment and in-engine before I post them on the site.
that just blew my mind lol - i also use dreamweaver and i made my website blind, first time attempting making one and i had no idea how to use dreamweaver and man did i find it to be a pain in the ass especially when it comes to changing fonts/text colour etc, such small things had to be put into different classes, etc anywayssss just wanted to thank mr. jeremiah_bigley for some great ideas that i will be taking into mind when i revamp my site (which looks like crap and is in desperate need of a makeover)
I don't think the little "Permalink" on your "About Me" is useful, you should take it out.
Also, I may know that clicking on your banner is to go back to the portfolio, but it would be nice to have a button to bring you back to the gallery, instead of having them on the bottom.
trying to figure out how to remove Permalink as we speak. have entered code to set it's display as "none," but doesn't seem to be working as of yet.
there use to be an "index" button on the left of the page, but I took it down because viewers were saying it was cluttering up the page. If I find a smooth way to incorporate it, I will reinstall it.
[Portfolio] - Kevin Duong/Environment Artist?
I just read the Sticky: Portfolio Rules and FAQ, so I'm sorry that the title is not labeled properly.
I just graduated a week ago and have been spending the last several days updating my website and getting business cards printed out.
Here is the link: http://www.kevinduongart.com
All critique is welcomed, and I am planning on going in and continuing to work on these various projects.
Thanks!
My biggest issue is that nothing seems to be aligned one way. The banner and menu font are centered, all the pages seem to be left justified to me it just feels awkward. I would think the banner should encompass the length of artwork or vice versa the work fall in between the banners length. On your contact page could you instead use thumbnail pictures to represent the facebook, linkedin, and email address instead of hyperlinked font? Same goes for the link on your resume page. Also I don't think you need 2 download links for the resume
Best of luck
Thanks though, everything you said makes sense, and will be implemented!
Anyway, why are you printing business cards? Are they telling you to mail your demo reel/portfolio to studios and include your card? Just curious, cuz that's kind of old school. Nice to have but not really needed. (Never needed my business cards I first printed out after graduating in '07) You got your site and it looks good, that's all you need. Guess they could come in handy if you're going to Comic-Con or E3 or something.
You've got some decent work up. I'd love to see some of your texture work on your WIP's. Your chopper specifically. 1, cuz it looks badass. And 2, I kind of want to see how you did it before I start working on my first aircraft. =P (P-51 Mustang to be exact)
Good luck to you man! Where are you going to start applying?
I am currently texturing the Assault Chopper and will be posting my final textures up for everyone to see. FYI, I am using 4 2048x2048, which is a lot I know, but the assignment was a cinematic prop, and those were the specs my teacher gave me. I'll be posting on the Chopper thread, when everything is done.
Thanks for showing interest in my work, it means a lot.
Good luck with your P-51 Mustang, it looks like a sexy aircraft to model.
Just be aware if you are planning on making the cockpit, that was a pain in the ass to wrap my head around haha!