Looking for critique on my portfolio (environment art)

Replies

• 
  Offline / Send Message

  Meloncov greentooth

  Oct 2017

  Victorian Study: Your individual assets are looking pretty strong, but they aren't coming together as a compelling scene. First and foremost, work on the lighting and composition. Right now the focal point is the map, in the very corner of the frame, which isn't ideal. Make sure you have a clear hierarchy of lights, with your key light drawing focus to your focal point, while keeping the other lights much softer. Allow more of the scene to fall into deep shadow (but not pure black) to better sell the sense of nighttime.
  
  The other issue is that so much screen space is taken up by your stone wall tiling texture, which is pretty bland. Lighting will help break it up, but giving that material another pass, and maybe adding a few more elements to break up the walls (columns, wall hangings, etc.) would also help.
  
  Rowboat: It looks pretty good, but the roughness could use a bit more love, as well as some more attention to grunge buildup in crevices. Also, I wouldn't include a wireframe in your thumbnail; start with a beauty render, then show breakdowns.
  
  Rocks: I'd get rid of these in your portfolio. The normal map feels too soft and muddy, and the albedo and roughness are feeling flat
  
  Depth: The lighting and materials on this feel very last-gen. That's not surprising considering how old it is, but it'd benefit you to get more newer stuff into your portfolio.

  0 · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
• 
  Offline / Send Message

  Benjammin greentooth

  Oct 2017

  Thank you for the feedback, Meloncov - I really appreciate it!

  0 · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
• 
  Offline / Send Message

  Benjammin greentooth

  Nov 2017

  Right, so I've done some rework on my study scene. I decided to give up on Unity for the moment and rebuilt the scene in Unreal. 
  
  Most of the props haven't been placed yet, and the lighting is just a preview build, but I would really appreciate any feedback. I'm struggling a bit with getting the lighting right - trying to clearly define important props without losing the deep shadows. I'm using one blue directional light with a bit of volumetric fog for scattering, and 2 point lights on the candles.
  
  

  0 · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
• 
  Offline / Send Message

  Meloncov greentooth

  Nov 2017

  It immediately stands out as a much more striking image. I'd tone the saturation of the blue down, though, unless you're going for a cartoon look.

  0 · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
• 
  Offline / Send Message

  Benjammin greentooth

  Nov 2017

  Thanks Meloncov, good to know I'm on the right track

  0 · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter