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illustrator or game artist

Ruz
polycount lvl 666
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Ruz polycount lvl 666
I am seriously thinking about getting back in to illustration of some kind . Been doing game art since 1997 and TBH I am starting to get a bit jaded with it. Its been a real hassle working in games for me from dealing with bullshit politics to downright nasty people:) with big egos and zero talent.
TBH I have also worked with some cool talented people also, but its always the odd few who spoil it for eveyone else.

My mind is currently torn between games , film work and illustration.
Its a shame because I thought games had huge potential for creativity, but in reality they work more like the old medieval artists apprentice system where you are a like a slave to the senior artist or sometimes the designers or programmers.
I was always amazed at how controlling, hiercarchical some companies are.
Expressing an opinion is important , but some companies just hate this and I have seen people become like ghosts because of it. sad really.
I am currently enjoying my freelance work, but I am thinking of the next year or two that I may just duck out of games altogether.
Ironically working in games actually killed my passion for game art.
I really don't know how the way games companies work could be made better. I think the way artists are perceived by coders/designers has to change and hopefully they will become more recognised as dedicated specialists and given a bit more respect.
anyway rant over:)

Replies

  • ImSlightlyBored
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    ImSlightlyBored polycounter lvl 13
    Interesting, because I'm in an opposite position. I'm sick of illustration; I just think theres too many identi-kit illustrators out there doing the exact same style and yet, they get contracts. "The Boy Fitzhammond" (cringe.), I'm looking at you.
  • PolyHertz
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    PolyHertz polycount lvl 666
    I believe it's important that peoples careers be something they enjoy, sense If your going to be doing something day-in day-out how much you enjoy it will heavily reflect how much you enjoy your life in general. If you have talent in multiple fields you should feel free to explore them.

    Having said that, if you do decide to move on from the games industry Ruz, try to still spend at least some of your time keeping up with it and creating new personal works. If you leave and decide to come back at some point you wouldn't want to feel like you'd been left in the dust by the changes that had sense come about.

    Alternativly, maybe you should think about opening up your own small games studio so you have a say in everything tongue.gif
  • Josh_Singh
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    Josh_Singh polycounter lvl 18
    Ruz, I feel your pain. I have experienced a few of the same things you have.
    I found that joining a small company, or becoming a key member of a start up, is a great way to love game art again.
  • Ruz
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    Ruz polycount lvl 666
    Polyhertz- cheers for the adice man
    Josh_Singh - yeah I would n't mind geting invlolved in a start up,but that presents its own set of problems ie not having the staff to do the things you want to do:)
  • killingpeople
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    killingpeople polycounter lvl 18
    i feel. wish you luck ruz.
    you are a very good game artist.
  • Sage
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    Sage polycounter lvl 19
    Ruz illustration would be more of the same. The client tells you what they want, in what style they want it and there is at times very little say. Maybe you just need to work for another company.

    Alex
  • HonkyPunch
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    HonkyPunch polycounter lvl 18
    [ QUOTE ]
    Interesting, because I'm in an opposite position. I'm sick of illustration; I just think theres too many identi-kit illustrators out there doing the exact same style and yet, they get contracts. "The Boy Fitzhammond" (cringe.), I'm looking at you.

    [/ QUOTE ]
    That rhyming/ "poetry" is terrible
  • hawken
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    hawken polycounter lvl 19
    I'm a commercial illustrator cum designer, it's not all roses. As stated above, people tell you what they want and you make it. Within that there are obvious creative breaks but I have to work in a multitude of styles, the only way to beat that it to be hired for your style - which is something hard to come by.

    But with your obvious talents you'd be fine in either industry, you have a strong personal style.

    Most illustrators hibernate for a year or so to hone their skillset and re-emerge with skin as thick as iron. You'd need to do this stand any sort of chance. Also if you're going it alone, not under employ, you'll need those cast iron balls too.
  • Mark Dygert
    You're a great artist and even though you would do great if you switched back to illustration I'd hate to see you stop making awesome game art.

    I feel for ya, I work for a small company and started out doing environmental art. Each enviro artist has a huge amount of creative freedom and is responsible for a few environments. The company wanted to bring character creation/animation back in house and since I was one of the only guys who could, and was willing to put his neck on the line, I switched.
    I don't know about other places but characters are so tightly regulated and locked down its been a huge creative drain to work on them. I feel like I'm moving backwards actually. I think I'll start looking for another enviro artist position once I get a few people trained and they can handle it on their own.

    Long story short, you seem like you've done an S-Load of characters, maybe switching to environmental art for a while might be the change of pace you need? Too bad almost every company sees it as a step backward =/
  • Ruz
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    Ruz polycount lvl 666
    killingpeople - cheers man
    Sage - I agree that it could be even worse, but I was previously an aspiring commercial artist before becoming a games artist and had a 'little' experience of doing commercial stuff ie greetings cards - also stuff I did for Lucozade sport, but think I could do it a lot better this time around.

    hawken - I think after working in games for this long, my balls have never been bigger. I think I could handle the clients ok, although clients do vary in quality same as artists:) cheers for the advice though.
    The potential pitfalls have gone through my mind too.

    cheers Vig - I have never had the position in a company where I was happy. It's a bit like goldilocks and the three bears ie this ones too technical, this ones not creative enough, this one has an overbearing prick in charge:)

    you are right about the character stuff - so rigid and the environments is going the same way IMHO, ever increasing technical demands etc.
    I was doing environments previously and its kind of fun,but could n't do it all the time.

    The current company I am working for freelance is fine and have been accomodating in nearly every way, but I feel I can move in to an area of illustration where I might feel a bit more satisfaction in the long run. I will have to see really.
    I only got in to games to work on tombraider. ha ha too late now unless core get the franchise back.
  • Jeremy Lindstrom
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    Jeremy Lindstrom polycounter lvl 18
    I'm not even in the industry yet and I feel your pain. I see people getting jobs with portfolio's worse then mine and it makes me sick. I apply for jobs and don't even get a reply saying they got me resume and reel info. The game industry is an awkward beast and many of the bigger names maybe professional but they could use some actual PR and HR people.

    I made decent scratch in the IT industry and spent the last two years finishing up my degree, I may go into editing if I can find a position, I'd love to do game art but I haven't had one email or call back from anyone in Dallas yet and I emailed and applied for many jobs on the list at gamedevmap. laugh.gif I guess I got a ways to go..
  • SHEPEIRO
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    SHEPEIRO polycounter lvl 17
    make your own company\path, you obviously need it, =)



    abuse companys for the connections and talents you can meet there, then sell them you ideas, concepts and steal\liberate their people

    ++++++ make sure they dont own you (in the sense of anyideas you have while in their employ)

    can you tell its that time of project?
  • aesir
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    aesir polycounter lvl 18
    yea Ruz, from the 2 companies I interned at, the tiny indie studio gave me SOOOOO much more opportunity to affect art style and game design, and I just just an intern. Who cares if you dont have the 20 million to make another gears of war, there are plenty of awesome things you can make on a tiny budget.
  • Ruz
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    Ruz polycount lvl 666
    Dekard, don't give up on that - it takes bloody minded persistence.
    I first applied in 1997 but only got my first job in 2002 and I hated it he he.
    SHEPEIRO - I would love to have my own company, but would maybe go down the route of selling 3d models or outsourcing if I ever did that.
  • SHEPEIRO
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    SHEPEIRO polycounter lvl 17
    im gonna have an IP company, basically i sit around all day thinking of cool shit, then get some talented bods to make a nice mocked up game render leak it, hype it the sell it to EA, no seriously ive got it all worked out =)

    all the fun no hard labour, you in? =D


  • Ruz
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    Ruz polycount lvl 666
    well i have made game demos in the past. if I had gone that one stage further I could probably have made a company. i was offered a small publishing deal but figured it was n't enough money.
    I think ther is a huge untapped market for pc games that are 'not' next gen
  • super_villain
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    super_villain polycounter lvl 11
    What if you did a little mod work on the side? Wouldn't get paid for it, but you would have a good degree of freedom, and you could pick a mod that you like. Might get you back in the spirit to go frolic'n thru the daisies.
  • Ruz
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    Ruz polycount lvl 666
    Yeah i used to be heavily in to mod work. I might give that try. might get the old motivation back
    cheers caseofchill
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