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[Portfolio] - Environmental Artist - Jonathan Eiger

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theonewhoknocks polycounter lvl 6
Just finished up school a couple of months ago, and have been working on getting my stuff up online. Let me know what you guys think, I greatly appreciate critiques. I'm still finishing up some projects now that I have a more free time. I'm going to be moving back to California next month, and I want to have a good starting ground. Thank you.

http://www.jonathaneiger.com

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  • biofrost
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    biofrost polycounter lvl 12
    I'm going to separate my crits, first website layout then the content.

    When designing a layout, you need to think, the first thing a employer needs to see is the content. Get rid of the homepage, just go straight to the portfolio. As for each page, make the images larger and the video smaller. Really as a environment artist videos are not as needed as say for a animator. Most people looking at it if you apply somewhere won't have time to even watch them. So make the images the main thing they see.

    On the about me, get rid of the progress bar's you don't want to show people what you are not good at. Just list what you know you can do. Also please don't make the video's auto play.

    As for the content, you need to focus on one thing. Move the blog to the top bar. Get rid of the graphic design/ web design or make another portfolio for that stuff. You seem to be going more towards environment art so get rid of the organic models, or model since their is only one.

    As for the environment's, they very much look like student work. The textures look like you just threw some CGTextures over the uv map and ran it thought Crazy Bump or Ndo2. The worst offender I think is in the bar scene. The wood around the air conditioner looks like noise and the air conditioner itself looks like you just photo sourced the whole thing.

    I saw the description and it says the scene was completed in 1.5 weeks, this is portfolio work. You need to put in MUCH more time than that. You are going to be competing for jobs where industry vets are looking for the same job.

    I hope you don't take this the wrong way but just getting a degree will not get you a job. It looks like you still need to learn the basics of creating high poly models and baking those down into the low poly, none of the textures you show even show a Spec map. Once you get those things down then you need to take time and work on one or two really good portfolio pieces.

    You are off to a good start, but you have a long way to go. Just slapping stuff on from CG textures and running it though a normal map filter will not cut it. I was in your position 2 years ago, I realized I had a year to graduate and was no where near ready. I am only just now creating content I think will even give me a chance at getting a job. I wish you the best of luck and I hope you take this the right way and continue to work and improve but as it stands this will not land you a job. It is tough out their and their are so many great artist you will be competing with. Remember that.
  • theonewhoknocks
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    theonewhoknocks polycounter lvl 6
    Hey biofrost,

    Thanks for the advice man, I really appreciate it. I definitely will be making some changes now I get someone else's point of view.

    I changed the layout from what it was at previously, this way when the home page is loaded it has my demo reel and the links to each environment. I will definitely focus on getting larger images displayed as well.

    I am going to be working on another scene and competing in some of the contest and what not. Just wanted to get my stuff up online since I had time now that I am out of school.

    Thanks again
  • Swizzle
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    Swizzle polycounter lvl 15
    I'm going to +1 everything biofrost said.

    In addition, I'd like to emphasize something:

    If it takes more than a single click to get to the content on your portfolio, the only reason people will actually look at your stuff is if they're specifically taking the time to critique you. If it's faster for a potential employer to close your portfolio site and send a form letter saying "thanks, but no thanks" than it is for them to actually get to the content you want to show them, your website is badly designed and needs to be simplified.

    As it stands, I have to click twice and then wait for a lightbox to pop up and an image to load before I can see the stuff on your site. You need to drop the lightbox and the extra clicks and just have your images available in 0-1 clicks.


    Something else I think you should change is your "about" page. Nobody cares about you as some sort of beautiful snowflake. They care about (in this order):
    1. How badass an artist you are.
    2. What's on your resume/CV.
    Make sure your resume is nice and succinct and then just copy and paste it all into your website instead of having a personal bio. And remove your picture.
  • theonewhoknocks
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    theonewhoknocks polycounter lvl 6
    Thanks Swizzle,

    Im actually going to get working on it now to simplify a lot more
  • Count Vader
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    Count Vader polycounter lvl 12
    biofrost wrote: »
    You are going to be competing for jobs where industry vets are looking for the same job.

    Just out of curiosity - what are industry vets doing competing for entry level jobs with recent graduates? Is the game art job market really that bad right now? :S
  • biofrost
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    biofrost polycounter lvl 12
    Just out of curiosity - what are industry vets doing competing for entry level jobs with recent graduates? Is the game art job market really that bad right now? :S

    I don't know if you noticed but studios are shutting down left and right and there really are no "entry level jobs" You either have what it takes or you dont.
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