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Junior Portfolio Review

stefan121
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stefan121

Hi there,

I've been into 3D modeling the last 3 years as hobby but now I'm trying to profesionalize myself. My wish is to join some small indie studio, I'm aware that with my current portfolio and experience applying for big studios or AAA is unrealistic. I've already applied to a few small studios unsuccessfully and I'm starting to feel a bit frustrated. This is why I'd like to get some true and honest critique.

I'd like to mention that I don't have an official education in this field and I fear that it may be against me. I'm trying to show diversity but I feel like I'm into hard surface/props.

I hope you can help me to improve, as well as giving me some advice to know what direction face.

Thanks for your time

Stefan

https://www.artstation.com/stefan121

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  • rexo12
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    rexo12 interpolator

    Too early to get discouraged I think!

    Off the bat, you have some decent pieces, but they're overshadowed by some other quite poor pieces, which drag the whole folio down.

    My thoughts:

    • The Remington is the strongest piece currently. It has the most appealing (and thoughtful, professional) presentation, and from what I can see, competent technical skill. Reworking your "Flexible SMG fanart" (not a great title) with a more refined presentation in this vein would also do a lot of good for it & your portfolio.
    • The "Save Room" and the "Silent Hill" environments should be re-done, if not simply axed from the folio. They are uninspiring & too simple for portfolio pieces.
    • A closer look at the "Save Room" shows some competent prop-work, but the underlying concept is boring and the lighting is - bluntly - very bad. I think you can save this by remixing your props within a more interesting concept, and spending a lot more time on the lighting and environment art. Be aware of your tiling texture texel density and UV warping, there's some obvious stretching & under-resolution on the wall/floor materials you've used. UE4 is arguably really difficult for a beginner to approach in terms of lighting (I am yet to master it), I would recommend giving this series a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grN5Yd55UIM.
    • The Type 99 should probably also go. It needs a lot more detail.
    • Be more confident with using polygons and texture resolution, it is an easy trap to hyper-optimise everything because that's what 'good artists do', but if it doesn't look good there's no point - and it's a difficult habit to break. Art first, technology later.
    • There is a split focus between stylised & realistic stuff. Your stylised work is not bad, but you should think about focusing your portfolio a bit more towards where you actually want to be working, which I'm guessing is hard-surface & realistic?


    You'll find that a lot of people here actually don't have any formal education, so I wouldn't let that get in your way. The real discriminant in my opinion is how much time you've spent on focused, directed learning. I have seen self-taught people produce amazing pieces within a year of starting, and on the other hand it took me several years of puttering about before properly knuckling down. It is not a bad idea to invest some money into tutorials & courses to elevate your work.

    This portfolio to me seems like someone who is just starting to come into their own. Given another year (of focused, consistent work!) I would expect to see much more impressive pieces that could get you that junior role.

    Good Luck, I hope I haven't got you down. Happy to chat more about portfolios and learning if you want :)

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  • Kanni3d
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    Kanni3d ngon master

    Your realistic stuff are among your stronger pieces, and seems to be your primary focus. Scrap the stylized stuff, and focus on realistic props. An enviro or two is good, if they're top notch. Don't be afraid to "less is more" treatment to your folio.

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  • stefan121
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    stefan121
    https://polycount.com/discussion/comment/2765236#Comment_2765236

    Thanks for your words, I do share your opinion and all the things you said. You didn't discourage me at all, now I feel like a have a clear path and I'm motivated towards it. About the save room which I completely dislike and I'm not happy about it, I realized the props looks better individually than in the scene, that is not okay for an environment piece. My plan now will be, replacing the type99, scrap the 2 environments and make 1 good environment and probably the same for the stylized scenes which don't convince me that much. I'll have to rework or improve the presentation of the SMG aswell. About the materials I plan to showcase more materials I'm doing with Designer, do you think it's a good idea?

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  • rexo12
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    rexo12 interpolator

    That sounds like a solid plan to me, although I would say that there is no requirement to do an environment at all, it's just if you feel that its valuable for your portfolio (that is - you want a role related to environment art). Might be worth picking a specialty to play to now, as it will also help tailor your applications to the role.


    Materials are good sugar for a portfolio I feel, they can be a nice supporting act. I would probably dedicate just one master post to your best selection of materials however, rather than individual posts for each.

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  • Frankythebeast
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    Frankythebeast polycounter lvl 4

    @stefan121 Good luck with your journey, Gave you a follow to see your progress, I believe in you🤗

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