Environment art portfolio critique!

tomturner · May 2020

Hi guys!

I’m due to graduate in the coming months (or whenever possible due to covid), so of course I’ve been polishing up some my projects for my portfolio to apply for my first job!

https://www.artstation.com/tomturner1752

I’d really like to know if there’s anything obvious that you would change, and any general feedback you might have. Also, do you think I’m at a point where it’s worth applying for entry level jobs, or should I spend the next few months taking it to a higher level?

Thanks a lot, really appreciate any criticism

Eric Chadwick · May 2020

Hi there and welcome to Polycount!

I'm moving your topic from Career & Education into 3D Art Showcase & Critiques, where crits go.

Career & Education is for questions about how to get into the industry, how to educate yourself, career advice, etc. But we like to keep crits about specific art in the Showcase/Crit section, so Career & Edu stays focused. Hope that makes sense!

Thanks, and good luck!

tomturner · May 2020

Eric Chadwick said:

Hi there and welcome to Polycount!

I'm moving your topic from Career & Education into 3D Art Showcase & Critiques, where crits go.

Career & Education is for questions about how to get into the industry, how to educate yourself, career advice, etc. But we like to keep crits about specific art in the Showcase/Crit section, so Career & Edu stays focused. Hope that makes sense!

Thanks, and good luck!

Thanks Eric! my bad, assumed because it was a portfolio review that’d it’d be in the Career and Education bit

Ashervisalis · May 2020

You obviously got skills! Keep it up. Both your pieces are messy interior rooms. I'd suggest making some exteriors, maybe a natural environment, or a city street. I'd also suggest aiming at a local studio's specific art style. Would also be nice to see you make some things that are complex meshes.

Regarding what you've already got, I feel the texturing could use a lot of work. Really pay attention to real world examples. Keep a butt load of references for every prop you make for an environment.

Remember to post on Polycount lots! Also join an art community such as Slack or Discord, and really listen to their advice. Good luck!

tomturner · May 2020

Ashervisalis said:

You obviously got skills! Keep it up. Both your pieces are messy interior rooms. I'd suggest making some exteriors, maybe a natural environment, or a city street. I'd also suggest aiming at a local studio's specific art style. Would also be nice to see you make some things that are complex meshes.

Regarding what you've already got, I feel the texturing could use a lot of work. Really pay attention to real world examples. Keep a butt load of references for every prop you make for an environment.

Remember to post on Polycount lots! Also join an art community such as Slack or Discord, and really listen to their advice. Good luck!

Thanks a lot @Ashervisalis , really appreciate the feedback! I definitely plan on making an exterior scene next to vary my work a bit more. I’ll also take some extra time to really focus on my texturing and get it to a higher standard, thanks for pointing that out

hghtch · May 2020

I'm focussing on the swimmingpool scene:

First: I love the mood and setting!

Now for the "harsh" part:

- The background props are too large IMO.

The leaves on the trees are humongous. I kinda like the style though. But maybe you could try a more realistic approach. If you're quick you can get the poplar and aspen pack on the UE marketplace as long the april giveaways are still there.

And while the ferris wheel is a landmark and looks pretty good, it still is part of the background and should not take away focus from the interior. Also it would be good to give the gondolas some irregularities in shape, they all look pretty identical. But if you use it further away in the background that becomes less of an issue.

-moar broken stuff

The broken tiles in the slope look pretty nice, but where did they went? You need some form of rubble in the pool. Lots of it. There is already some stuff, but it's not enough to convey the history of this pool. Also some broken tiles in the walls would be nice as well.

-bend it baby

I love the jump tower (or what it's called) the broken concrete looks awesome and the edges have really nice irregularities. But I would amp this feeling a bit up by breaking and bending the railing. Even if it looks like this in real life, it would greatly add to the desolate abandoned feeling if things would be less intact.

-Roughness for the plaster beneath the tiles could be higher. I find the interplay between rough and glossy surfaces always interesting, and this materials lends to it well. The plaster can even be shiny/wet, but it needs more normal noise surface roughness. It needs to be uneven. In contrast to the shiny (but dirty) even tiles this makes a interesting material.

-Love the rust material.

- maybe more graffiti?

This is what I'd critique on this one. But regardless, the mood is already spot on! Good Job!

After looking at the reference I see how you adhered pretty well to it, good job! But I'd still keep my points. IMO it is more important to give the recipient what he expects than what is real. Sometimes reality can be exagerated and altered a little to help it invoke the emotions it did in reality. But decide that for yourself

The most important part I would say is bringing the background in proportion so that it doesn't detracts attention from the interior.

Environment art portfolio critique!

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