Portfolio Advice
Hey guys!
First post here, and I'm really excited to start learning and improving my art. I recently ended my schooling (money issues) but I don't want to give up on my art. I decided that what I like best is texture art, so I want to improve my texturing skills while building a relevant portfolio. I was wondering first what you guys think of my portfolio as it is now, and what I need to focus on displaying in order to show off textures. More specifically, what do employers look for most when reviewing a texture artist's work? Props? Environments? How many pieces should be in there before I start sending in my work? Any help you guys can offer would really help me out. I have a million more questions but I'll try not to fill this one post with too many things.
My portfolio: http://grahamkampmeier.weebly.com/
First post here, and I'm really excited to start learning and improving my art. I recently ended my schooling (money issues) but I don't want to give up on my art. I decided that what I like best is texture art, so I want to improve my texturing skills while building a relevant portfolio. I was wondering first what you guys think of my portfolio as it is now, and what I need to focus on displaying in order to show off textures. More specifically, what do employers look for most when reviewing a texture artist's work? Props? Environments? How many pieces should be in there before I start sending in my work? Any help you guys can offer would really help me out. I have a million more questions but I'll try not to fill this one post with too many things.
My portfolio: http://grahamkampmeier.weebly.com/
Replies
onto your portfolio, your portfolio is ok, you could use some work on your material definitions, such as on your gun and in the bar scene, a lot of your materials don't look very realistic, almost cartoony, especially your metals. and your wood looks plasticy. you also want to show what is rendered in what. if its in a game engine, what engine? if its in mb2, show that. you can use an icon that you overlay over-top. your lighting could also use some fixing.
remember that this is my opinion
Demo reels should really only be used if you have animation, rigging, or are showing off special effects. If you're a texture artist you should be able to present all of your material with pictures.
The home page is just meaningless in a portfolio site. All you're doing is wasting the viewers time. You want to drop them right in front of your artwork right from the start.
The about page is really meaningless for somebody reviewing your art. They're not going to take the time to read about you from the start. I know that sounds heartless, but it's true. They have to sift through many portfolios every day. Your job with a portfolio is to greatly impress potential employers that you are very skilled at what you do.
The 'About Me' stuff is what an interview is for.
What you should have though is a Resume/CV page. Take the relevant information that you have in your about page and put it in a Resume (proper Resume formatting).
Also go through the Portfolio Wiki section here on Polycount if you haven't already.
http://wiki.polycount.com/CategoryPortfolio
Hope this helps! Good luck!
Make sure to include your contact information as well as a link or URL back to your portfolio on your resume. So your resume page would also serve as your contact page.
List the programs that you know and your specific skills first. Your skills should be evident by your portfolio work.
You can also include some of the relevant classes that you did take at college.
With no relevant experience, I would actually disagree with LMP. I would say go ahead and include your Blizzard customer service experience and retail experience. Even though it may seem irrelevant, it shows that you have a history of working with people and being a part of a team. Just keep it brief and don't go into a tremendous amount of detail. I would also add it at the bottom of your resume.
And once you get more relevant experience I would replace it altogether.
Edit: Don't get hung up too much on your resume. Focus on your Portfolio!