[Portfolio] Nick Ward - Environment & Prop Artist

Enexus

Recently finished my university course in computer games modelling and animation and put together this show-reel of the work I have been doing over the past 8-9 months. I am looking for critiques on my work,show-reel and my portfolio. I would also be interested in any ideas anyone has on work I could do to improve the quality of my portfolio as a whole.

I am currently looking for full time employment as a junior environment artist so any information on developers that are hiring for this position would be much appreciated.

Here are links to my work. I am looking for as many critique as I can get so please let me know what you think.

Show-Reel: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9OzyY4q9nc"]Nick Ward - 3D Environment Artist Showreel - YouTube[/ame]
Portfolio: http://nickward3d.weebly.com/

fabio brasilien

You have some good work there. I wouldn´t tell you to changing anything.
Everything is well presented and clear.
I missed the place where you currently live and if you are able to relocate. If I would hire you, I would be interested on that.
And your resume has no experience with games. I suggest you work in some mods or indie projects to add some extra experience related to games. This would help.
Good luck in your job hunt!

Enexus

Thanks for the advice, Ill start looking around for some indie experience right away. =]

GOBEE

I LOVE the saturation in your environments. Your work reminds me of The Darkness II a bit which really allowed colors to pop. Very nice Nick.

Just a couple of thoughts. In your Research Unit environment, you may have already tried this, but the computer screens are blending a bit too much (blue on blue). It looks good, but I'd be interested in seeing what it would look like if they were yellow or orange. Kind of like your screens on the 2nd floor, but brighter.

The website itself, I was disappointed your screens were not thumbnails. I wanted to click on them to see a larger image. Might want to look into that. Add more to the Props section too. Take some of the props used in your scenes and render them out by themselves, throw them under the props so we can get a closer look.

I'd also like to see your two main images up top and center, with your demo reel at the bottom. Since you're applying for Environment Art positions, and you're not showing off any crazy animations in the demo reel (even though you probably worked really hard on it) it's just not needed. Have your screens up top, right below your name for an awesome first impression. Employers will go to your site and it's like, BAM! I'm Nick bitch! Hire me. Orrrrr something along those lines. Your screens are most important IMO.

And being picky here, delete the 'Create Free website' from your html/xml whatever it is you used and the WIP placeholders.

Cheers!

bugo

I would like to see your screenshots a bit bigger if I was going to hire you. But your work is good for the time and experience.

Enexus

@GOBEE - Thanks so much for the comments, really appreciate the feedback. I messed around with the screens for weeks and ran out of time eventually but I understand what you mean they look a little off in the environment as a whole. Also taken into account your feedback on the portfolio and will be changing the layout and also adding the large versions of the images when you click them.

@bugo Ill be adding the large images this weekend so hopefully that will help me with my job search, Thanks for the feedback and the kind comments.

Really appreciate this feedback, Working on some new props and an environment which will hopefully blow my other stuff away. Keep it coming guys =]

Paul Pepera

The major area you need to work on is lighting.

Right now the Research Unit 06 scene looks unlit because everything is flat blue. You need lighting to extract the forms, highlight your materials, guide the eyes, and paint a color palette. Same thing with your Library scene. The lack of lighting is giving your work a late 1990s feel - which is bad if you are trying to apply for a "next-gen" game art role. There are some pretty interesting forms in your Research Unit scene that are being let down by the lack of lighting. Play around with warm/cool relationships.

Avoid cliches like warning strips, random diagonal shapes, tiny lights on every surface, panels, signs with scifi font that say the word "Research". I have seen similar looking sci-fi environments so many times now.


The concept for the Fuel Processor prop has some really interesting shapes in it that you failed to capture in your 3D interpretation of it. Your textures and materials are also letting it down.

Your website is good; simple and clean. I'd ditch the 2D section though.

Darkmaster

I think that the research facility needs some lighting work. Everything is drowned in cool tones, and so it all just kind of mashes together. You want to lead the viewers eye around the scene and create some beats with pools of light. Maybe do some breakdowns as well so that you can highlight some of your better props.

Also, what is the name of the song in your reel? Loved it!

alphajayel

nice reel man! Gluck on your career!

Enexus

@Paul Pepera Very appreciative of this insight. I totally agree with everything you have said and you have shown me some new things which I didnt notice about my scene before. Lighting will defiantly be my main task with my next environment. With the prop I tried to add some of my own ideas to the fuel processor and it was something which came together in the last few days of my course so I could have an acceptable looking piece of prop work in my portfolio. I think that once I get some more prop stuff done Ill be taking this out.

@Darkmaster Your comments are similar to pauls and have been taken into account, my lighting is obviously something that needs a lot of work and I will make sure it is my main focus in all of my future work.
Here is a link to the reel music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRzN9jiiQnQ

@alphajayel Thanks very much mate, ive seen my showreel and cv to around 7-8 companies now and have my fingers crossed.

Thanks for all the comments they are much appreciated.

Esther58

Thanks for your post.