Been looking for Game Dev work for almost a year. Can I get some advice?

JD_Canvas · Nov 2019

I graduated from UCF in Digital Media-Game Design in December of 2018. I've been looking for work for a while now. I'm primarily a 2D/3D Environment/Prop Artist.

Here is a link to my portfolio:

https://jeremy_dandeneau.artstation.com/

My old portfolio was with Wix:

https://jeremyjdandeneau.wixsite.com/jd-environmentartist

If anyone has any advice or information pertaining to Game Studio work, please feel free to share it with me. I am currently working on a big project, but if anyone has any portfolio advice i'd also love to listen to that as well.

Thank you very much.

Taylor Brown · Nov 2019

Pardon the mostly copy / paste but I think it pretty much applies to your situation perfectly-

If you are applying to AA-AAA studios, your work needs to be at a higher standard. I recommend hopping on to Artstation and start searching for recently hired junior artists. Examine their portfolio's to see what the bar is and take the time to identify what areas you can improve upon to reach that bar. It's a long and bumpy road and this forum is littered with recent graduates asking this same question only to be told to keep on working. Oftentimes, a college simply won't prepare you enough and tend to give student's the false impression they will be hireable by getting a piece of paper. Don't let it shake you though. I highly suggest having a read through these articles -

https://www.polygon-academy.com/10-insider-tips-for-artists-applying-to-game-studios/

Also, I'd recommend getting active within art communities, be it here or on Dinusty's / No More Grid discord servers. They are very warm places that will have folks willing to help push you if you show the consistent effort to improve. Grab some quality tutorials from Gnomon, Simon Fuchs, Tim Bergholz, Flipped Normals etc. Get immersed in our small industry (80.lv).

When you think you're ready for that extra push to level up, I can recommend online learning through CGMA.

jStins · Nov 2019

Good call migrating over to Artstation. Your portfolio is much easier to navigate there than the Wix site. I'll echo what Taylor mentioned. The reason you're not getting any traction is because your work isn't good enough. The work in your portfolio should be equal to or above the published quality of the studio(s) you're applying to. What visual styles appeal to you? Hand painted or realism? What type of games do you want to work on? Types of assets (environments, characters, props, weapons, etc...)? Try to focus your efforts. That said, I want to call out this from your initial post:

I am currently working on a big project

You shouldn't be doing big projects at this stage. Focus on individual assets and improving your understanding of the pipeline and artistry. Quality > Scope.

Taylor Brown · Nov 2019

Yeah great point above. One fantastic AAA quality prop has more weight than a large mediocre scene.

sacboi · Nov 2019

Also, check out the sticky top of this board, it's chock full of pertanent info.

A particular fav of mine:
https://polycount.com/discussion/187512/recently-hired-in-aaa-show-us-your-portfolio/p1

Ashervisalis · Nov 2019

I don't see any retopology or baking in your portfolio. I'd learn how to do those. Are you comparing your portfolio to those of a professional?

Zi0 · Nov 2019

You need high quality game ready assets if you wish to land a job.
Take a look at this thread.
https://polycount.com/discussion/187512/recently-hired-in-aaa-show-us-your-portfolio/p1

Been looking for Game Dev work for almost a year. Can I get some advice?

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