Short: (TLRD;) cares about your time. Do Not Do what i did, which is "winged it" for years with no real direction. Just a bunch of projects with no real goal other than just getting better. If i got to redo it i would focus on 1 thing till it was "mastered", and then maybe move on. I got stuck into doing polar opposites…
This topic has come up a couple of times. When you're learning you definitely should make your work from a concept (or photo). However as a professional artist you will be expected to eventually be able to make your own work without concepts. A Senior level artist is one that can be given a brief description of a task and…
If you're just starting out, I'd say 100% go off someone else's design. If you're still learning how to make 3D, also creating your own design is just going to slow you down. Also, you will learn a lot from making other people's designs 3D. I've had hiring personnel tell me it was a good thing I was transferring other…