As a game artist, your portfolio is the key to getting a job in the game industry. Preparing your work for a potential employer is an extremely important task, and you have just a few minutes of their time to show what you're capable of. However, with no real local source of information on the common pitfalls in portfolio presentation, you could easily miss out on making that all important first impression.
In attempt to better your chances from the 'discarded heap', I thought it was time Sumea found out what the common mistakes past applicants have made from the people that matter. Here are answers received from the art/creative directors and lead artists of the local game development industry - the very people that will be interviewing you, looking over your portfolio submissions, and if you're good enough, working alongside of. Read their comments carefully, save yourselves from making the same mistakes, and most of all, good luck!
Steve Stamatiadis - Creative Director, Krome Studios
Ben Lee- Art Director, Irrational Games Canberra
Ty Carey - Art Director, Torus Games
John Sheils - Creative Director, Sidhe Interactive
Daniel Vogt - Lead Artist, Halfbrick Studios
David King - Games Development Consultant, Discreet
Roy Tessler - Studio Manager and Steve Middleton, Lead Artist - THQ Studio Australia
Alister Lockhart - Art Director, Micro Forte
Atari Melbourne House
As an added bonus, I've also included these related insights that were posted in the forum by
Brad Wlech - Previous Creative Director, Pandemic Studios
Steve Wang - Producer, Micro Forte (on game design)
Steve Stamatiadis, Co-founder, Creative Director, Krome Studios
I'm a co-founder and Creative Director and I've been developing games since 1991 where I've been involved in the art side of production as well as game design on a number of titles - most recently TY the Tasmanian Tiger and it's sequel.
What is your preferred way of receiving a portfolio? e.g CD, Video, Website?
CD's are the preferred medium. I wouldn't bother with fancy director or flash interfaces unless you're apply for a position that utilises those programs. Don't worry - we make games - if you clearly label directories we can find our way around. Personally I'm far more interested in watching a well animated video from media player then having to slog through some over arty interface and watch a tiny window of animation.
What do you NOT want to see in a portfolio?
I don't want to see every piece of art you've ever done from pre-school through to current day.
I don't want to see concept art if you can't draw.
I don't want to endless variation of the same piece - "but this time I blurred the edges"
I don't want to see anything you aren't sure is good. Chances are if you don't like it, we won't like it.
I don't want to see stuff from a team project where you can't point out what's yours easily.
(these are all things I HAVE seen in portfolios that have been passed on)
What kind of skillsets do you like seeing in a portfolio?
Modelers - show off a nice clean mesh. Quads show off your model better. You need to be able to UV unwrap well and Texture to a competent level - You should be able to do cartoony textures all the way through to photo sources textures. A range of polycounts is also good from very low poly LOD to high poly render models.That said it is perfectly OK to show that you have strengths in a certain style.
Animators - Again a good range of animation styles is recommended. Make sure you cover some boring stuff like walk cycles and idle animations - since that's what mainly gets animated in game.
Texturers - Guess what? Range is a big plus here too. Try and steer away from too many Quake style textures I'd be more impressed with a good texture for a Fridge
Whatever your specialty, a variety of styles and subjects is good - most games made do not require gritty space marines and demons. A good model of a complicated real object goes a long way to showing off real skill. We break down our Art into three sections Levels, Props and Actors.
What sets apart a good portfolio to one that you'd toss to the side?
All portfolios get a good look at. The biggest factor to be honest is timing - We always look over portfolios based on what we need at the time so they get more focus than others. Sorry but that's just the way it works. If you have really outstanding work then that's going to set you apart more than anything else - You really have to strive to be the best in whatever you do.
What are the common mistakes that applicants make in their portfolios that you have seen?
see the what I don't want to see question.
What is the general opinion of the standard of work sent in from applicants?
Most applicants straight out of a course tend to have a highly inflated opinion of their work. And usually not enough to show off.
People with professional experience in the industry here generally have great reels with all of the requirements needed to show off their work and abilities well.
If you're new to the industry it might be worth getting a hold of a pro reel to see what you should be doing. If you're in a course it would be worth asking your instructors/tutors to show you their reels/portfolios so you can get a better idea.
How important is it to have a tertiary educational related to a career as a game artist?
I don't look at the part of a resume. The work speaks for itself. Then again, I dropped out of art college. Even if you have a tertiary education remember that it's a fast moving industry and you always need to be on top of the latest techniques and tools.
What tips can you give for aspiring game artists and future applicants?
Work hard and make sure you try to be better than everyone else out there.
Ben Lee, Art Director, Irrational Games CanberraI am the art director at Irrational games. I have been with Irrational for around 2 years , with my background being 6 years in the 2d animation industry and 5 years both concepting and directing CG 3d animation , prior to Irrational.
What is your preferred way of receiving a portfolio? e.g CD, Video, Website?I prefer a CD. It doesn't have to be an AVI either , unless it's animation. Short AVI's of animation and still images are fine. If you are including texture work , JPEGS of the textures themselves (the flat unwrap) are good.
What do you NOT want to see in a portfolio?I don't want to see everything you've done good and bad.. just the good stuff. If you think something is not your best work , don't include it. I don't care what music is on a reel because I never listen to it. It's irrelevant. All I want to see is relevant examples of your work. 'funky' camera cuts, music , repetition of the same thing over and over.. 'jokes' .. None of it matters and just makes watching the reel a chore.
What kind of skillsets do you like seeing in a portfolio?Depends on the position being applied for. In a general 3d artist I like to see some evidence of traditional art training as well as solid 3d skills. Most 3d courses do not teach anything like composition or colour theory , just software. It doesn't matter how well you can use a software package if you have no idea about basic art techniques.
What sets apart a good portfolio to one that you'd toss to the side?A variety of different examples are good. If somebody sends a portfolio with 10 pictures of 'demons' and nothing else , he/she will lose out to somebody who did a nice variety of things/styles. We are generally looking for an artist capable of working on several different projects. If you can only do 'space marines' (or barbarians.. any one subject in isolation) you're not going to be of much use to us.
What are the common mistakes that applicants make in their portfolios that you have seen?Trying to make up for lack of content by cutting the same sequences over and over to a 'rocking' soundtrack. A portfolio that is solely made up of their class exercises. Sometimes people include a lot of examples of things they only worked on a little.. Then the same model/animation shows up in 10 demo reels. Considering a large number of people do these courses it gets pretty tiresome seeing the same work over and over.
What is the general opinion of the standard of work sent in from applicants?Most applicants have very little experience , and are at a very junior level of artistic development. I think that some courses give graduates an unrealistic impression of their skill level on completion. Being a good artist is something that takes a lot more than doing a course.Some are great though. We get a wide range of applications from all over the world. It's a difficult thing to make a blanket statement about.
What areas do you think need general improvement?Art theory. Design theory. The things you learn at art school. How important is it to have a tertiary educational related to a career as a game artist?Your ability as an artist is what is important. If a tertiary education in relation to art is something that has helped you be a better artist , then it's definitely worth it. On the other hand I'm not interested in what kind of accreditation an applicant has.. I just want to see if they are good at what I'm hiring them for. If your stuff is sub-par but you have 4 degrees , the degrees are irrelevant.
What tips can you give for aspiring game artists and future applicants?Don't copy one style. Make it your aim to be flexible and capable. Don't limit yourself to one area of interest.. Artists like that are a dime a dozen.This industry changes at a very rapid pace , which is why art fundamentals are actually more important than software skills. At Irrational we only use 3dMax.. But that's not the case everywhere , and who knows what next year will bring? So it's probably a good idea to be fluent in more than 1 3d package.. Or at least have a working knowledge so you can pick it up easily.
Lastly, Is a 3d artist really what you want to be? Art is something that requires a lot of hard work to master, and the learning never stops. If you have chosen 3d art as just any old job , or are not paticularly interested in it but figured it would be an easy career option , maybe you should look at another line of work that you are more suited to.This sounds a bit harsh , but you'd be surprised how many people attend courses thinking they will automatically have a career when they come out the other end , regardless of their dedication.
Ty Carey, Art Director for Torus Games I've been working at Torus Games for four years, and have recently become Art Director over the past year. I've worked on GBC, GBA, PC and PS2 titles.
What is your preferred way of receiving a portfolio? e.g CD, Video, Website?We don't really mind what format the portfolio arrives in, as long as it communicates and clearly displays the talents of the applicant. Usually a CD is good because I don't have to leave my seat to check it out! That said, the portfolio should probably fit the type of work being applied for - for example an animator should send movies of his work so a video or CD show reel would be preferable.
What do you NOT want to see in a portfolio?I can't stress enough for an applicant to properly research the position they're going for. The last thing we want to see are examples of work that don't apply to the position, or worse to the computer games industry itself.
What kind of skillsets do you like seeing in a portfolio?Generally we like to see a solid body of work that's relevant to the position and shows enthusiasm, quality and an understanding of technical requirements. It's always important to be well rounded - the more you can do the better (such as being able to model, texture and rig your models). Having a history of active involvement in the gaming community is always good.
What sets apart a good portfolio to one that you'd toss to the side?Usually it's pretty easy to tell if someone has an understanding of the games industry and the type of art needed to make games. Applicants need to be critical of their own work and focus their folio, and convey a strong understanding of current industry standards and technical requirements - the more you know the better off you'll be. A games company will enjoy seeing work that 'they could use in a game, as is' because it demonstrates how well you'll fit into the development process (not because they want to rip off your stuff :) )
What are the common mistakes that applicants make in their portfolios that you have seen?A common mistake amongst fledgling artists is to include as many examples of their work as possible which, because of varying degrees of quality amongst the work, tends to water it down. Don't include ANYTHING that you think might not be 'quite up to scratch'! We've had a number of applicants who have confused us with both excellent and poor examples of their work - unfortunately you tend to measure the applicant by their worst work just to be on the safe side.
What is the general opinion of the standard of work sent in from applicants? What areas do you think need general improvement?In general it's hard to find good people because the industry in Australia is relatively new - unfortunately we tend to turn many away because the standard of required work is quite high. Most times we need people who can just 'slip' into the process without much training, which strongly discounts 'newbies'. Hopefully this will change in the future as companies grow and stabilize, offering trainee positions.
How important is it to have a tertiary educational related to a career for a game artist?It's not particularly necessary if you can show a great skill set - like most creative positions it comes down to the quality of the portfolio and not the paperwork. Many artists are self-taught and get along fine in the industry because they have the ability to educate themselves. This does mean, however, that the portfolio needs to be of, or nearing, industry standard. For the fledgling artist, getting tertiary education would probably be a good idea - to develop the skills more than gain the title though.
What tips can you give for aspiring game artists and future applicants?Try to develop a strong understanding of the industry - this means keeping up to date with trends and also gaining an awareness of the internal workings of a games company. Obviously, the more you know and the easier you can fit in to the process, the better a games company will respond to your application. Focus on making your portfolio relevant, and create artwork that fits the technical requirements needed by current platforms or the type of games the employer is working on.
Lastly, practice lots and don't give up!
John Sheils, Creative Director for Sidhe Interactive 15 yrs in CGI6 in TV / Character Animation Digital Fx TVCs6 in Feature Films / The Fighteners, Contact, King Kong, Digital FxSupervisor for Lord of the Rings trilogy3 in Games / PC/ PS2/ Xbox
What is your preferred way of receiving a portfolio? e.g CD, Video, Website?CD / Website
What do you NOT want to see in a portfolio?Poor or lack of 2d artistic skills / Drawing / Perspective / Design / colour Theory
What kind of skillsets do you like seeing in a portfolio?Strength in at least one main area of 3dCGI / Modelling Animation, Shader Writing , Creature Rigging, Texture Painting
What sets apart a good portfolio to one that you'd toss to the side?A combination of technical proficiency, an artistic eye, good design sense and innovation
What are the common mistakes that applicants make in their portfolios that you have seen?Trying to do so much that mediocrity in all areas resultsWeak work undermining strong workAnimations as short films that go on far too long
What is the general opinion of the standard of work sent in from applicants?General knowledge of CGI / sloppy work habits, inefficient approach to production process / Democracy and a level playing field thru overuse of plugins
What areas do you think need general improvement?Efficiency in modelling and texturingLong rendertimes do not necessarily equate to complexity or quality - think smarter!
How important is it to have a tertiary educational related to a career for a game artist?Of minimal importance. I'd rather hire a talented modder than someone with a BA and delusions of grandeur
What tips can you give for aspiring game artists and future applicants?Dont use radiosity or global illumination - be an artist and recreate it by eye after you understand how it works.Do one thing well - don't spread yourself too thin.Be efficientInnovatePrepare to pay your dues. - you wont get the chance to lead a team or make your own dream project for many years
Daniel Vogt, Lead Artist for Halfbrick Studios I'm the lead artist at halfbrick studios (www.halfbrick.com). We primarily develop for the Game Boy Advance, but have also worked on the PC, PS2 and GC - so my work tends to cover both 2d and 3d.
What is your preferred way of receiving a portfolio? e.g CD, Video, Website?I prefer CD's. And just for the record, those little business card CD's do not count (my cd drive always sounds like its going to explode, so never send one when a proper CD will do). Websites are cool too. However, a solid submission (cover letter + CD or similar) can be filed away and pulled out when required.
What do you NOT want to see in a portfolio?I'm always really keen to see peoples' work, but it's amazing how difficult that can sometimes be. I really dislike anything that gets between me and someone's work; I don't like tracking down crazy codecs or the latest version of flash. Generally, I prefer to see a clean collection of standard file types.Having said that, it's great when people include a HTML interface, or some other documentation, but unless you are applying for a position as a flash artist, a flash menu just gets in the way.Finally, I do NOT want to see models of real world guns. I'm sorry, but if you're going to model a gun, make something new.
What kind of skillsets do you like seeing in a portfolio?I love seeing all sorts of stuff in portfolios; I have received portfolios with photos of hand-made jewellery! So I love it when I receive something that isn't guns and spacships.However, not all skillsets are relevant to our work. 2d character/environmental art, animation (2d or 3d) and game friendly modelling and texturing and level design are all appropriate.
What sets apart a good portfolio to one that you'd toss to the side?This is a very difficult question to answer. The only portfolios I have ever tossed aside did not work on any of the three nearby CD drives at work or my two at home, OR were simply terrible (juvenile or carelessly put together). To clarify, I am not saying the work was simply terrible, but the portfolio and presentation of the candidate.
What are the common mistakes that applicants make in their portfolios that you have seen?Spelling and grammar - None of us is perfect, but we all have access to spell-checkers, so there is no excuse. A rushed or shoddy portfolio - Submissions that are poorly presented or organised look awful to a potential employer. If you include comments in your work, never include things like "I worked on this until I got sick of it" or "I just whacked this together to pad out my folio." These things may be true, but an employer is trying to gauge YOU by your portfolio. They (we?) want to know that you are hard working, organised and committed, so don't raise any red flags to the contrary. Including something you drew when you were five - I am a strong believer that your portfolio should contain your 5, 8 or 10 best pieces. DO NOT INCLUDE EVERYTHING you have ever created. Credit where credit is due - This is not something I see often, but I have seen portfolios that include fan art, or pieces based on an existing character, that assumed I knew the character. I do not know all characters from all movies, games and comics. Please enlighten me if you include any cool fan art.
What is the general opinion of the standard of work sent in from applicants?Generally good. Most are well presented, include cover letters, resumes and are easy to navigate and enjoy. I very much enjoy looking at portfolios, and enjoy the opportunity to give feedback to applicants regarding their work.
What areas do you think need general improvement?The only thing I haven't really mentioned already is the style of the work itself. Try to vary the style of the pieces in your body of work. Include a model of a cartoon character, a fantasy wizard, a space marine and a super cutesy character straight out of the mushroom kingdom. By covering different styles, you increase the chance of appealing to your potential employer. The developer in question may be working on a cel-shaded cartoon fighting game, and need a character artist. You may be a character artist who can easily adapt to different styles (including toon) but unless you show some evidence of this, you could be passed by.
How important is it to have a tertiary educational related to a career for a game artist?I have a pretty average tertiary education. However, I have the ability to manage myself, work successfully in a team, write a document (if need be) and get my work done in an efficient and timely manner. In my experience, these are the qualities required by an artist in the games industry. On top of these criteria (and usually AFTER these criteria) an artist must have very good skills in their chosen field AS WELL AS the commitment to work on a title (like it or not) for 12 or so months.
What tips can you give for aspiring game artists and future applicants?Make it easy - If someone has 5 minutes to look at your work, will they see your best stuff? If you have game specific work to show (levels for the latest FPS) - include them, BUT ALSO INCLUDE SCREENSHOTS for those who do not have the game.Don't pigeon hole yourself - try to show how flexible you are. Show different art styles, mention the different art packages, level editors and modelling programs you have learnt.
Remember, your aim should be to show the developer that you have the skills they require as well as address any doubts or concerns they may have (your age, your education, your skillsets, your industry experience).
David King, Games Development Consultant for Discreet
I am games development consultant for Discreet. Prior to this I was art director at Microforte Sydney for six years.
What is your preferred way of receiving a portfolio? e.g CD, Video, Website?It absolutely must be a CD for animation. Dont forget to have your movies in several formats incase the machine your showing it on is slow or lacks codecs. A website folio is a must! Dont forget to clearly label both the disk box and the disk itself... make sure your phone number and email is on both too, and in your movies. Video tapes are ok, but just remember to send the right format to your target company (us companies need ntsc for example).
What do you NOT want to see in a portfolio?Flash interactive menus. Anything longer than ten seconds to load and it gets binned. Most people close autoruns and just look through the folders.
What kind of skillsets do you like seeing in a portfolio?Freehand drawing, lifestudy artwork and sculpture. Its reassuring to know the artist can actually communicate ideas visually. I also like to see original designs and the process sketches and thumnails that went into creating them, so I can guage how the artist thinks through design problems.
What sets apart a good portfolio to one that you'd toss to the side?If I see comic characters I recognise then it goes into the bin, frankly. One guy had this awesome folio, but I recognised every image from comics I had read... he had traced 'em. The very first thing I see must be just plain 'wow'.
What are the common mistakes that applicants make in their portfolios that you have seen?They think that ten minute mood peices are a good idea. They also cram in all their old work instead of focusing on a few good things that sell their skills.
What is the general opinion of the standard of work sent in from applicants? What areas do you think need general improvement?On average we used to bin 19 out of twenty showreels before the reel had completely finished! There is a lot of bad work going around out there. Fortunately the awesome talent of some people make up for this, and you get a showreel that you have to play over and over.
How important is it to have a tertiary educational related to a career for a game artist?Absolutely not important at all... there are three qualifications in this field. 1) What you can do (your showreel) 2) What you have done (your experience or previsou titles) and 3) what people think of you (your interview skills and industry gossip about you). Everything else means squat unless you have learnt from it.
What tips can you give for aspiring game artists and future applicants?Yeah, have a blast guys. Its a cool job.
Roy Tessler, Studio Manager and Steve Middleton, Lead Artist - THQ Studio Australia
THQ Studio Australia was founded in January 2003 as a wholly owned subsidiary of THQ, Inc. The offices are located in Queensland, Australia minutes away from downtown Brisbane. The growing studio currently employs over 25 highly skilled people with technical and artistic backgrounds. The studio is currently working on multiple high profile titles for Sony Playstation 2, Microsoft X-box, Nintendo Gamecube and Gameboy Advance and PC.
What is your preferred way of receiving a portfolio? e.g CD, Video, Website?For artists and designers, it's always good to have a CD to browse and study. Websites are handy too, but good quality images, animations or documentation can be clunky this way.
What do you NOT want to see in a portfolio?With art applications, we prefer to see a degree of specialization. So, we don't really want to see a totally mediocre home 3D movie, with average animation, no real textures and inappropriate modeling. We don't want to see standard free-with-Max or Maya textures either, or heavy use of procedural materials when going for a modeler/texturer role.
For designers, we don't really want to see all your work relating to one genre. A degree of design flexibility, the ability to think outside the square, is highly valued. So having all an applicants' interests focus on the FPS genre when we're doing console arcade action titles is a big no. A good designer should be influenced by a number of factors and not be blinded by one particular genre or existing title.
What kind of skillsets do you like seeing in a portfolio?Designers should, as mentioned above, have an open mind and be able to bend their skills to any genre that might pop up. Some technical literacy is required to deal with ever changing tools and numerous development pipelines, file formats and technical documentation. Having experience with script or programming languages is a huge advantage. Designers need to be able to write clearly and creatively, communicating ideas.
If you want to animate, concentrate your folio on animation, even if the models are boxes. Artists should demonstrate great models or textures (people who can do both are extremely valued). A strong illustration background is recommended so we know the applicant can communicate an image quickly on paper. Graphic design, architectural, industrial or packaging design are good backgrounds for the differing roles an artist might take in a game; from level creation and composition, to front end UI design. Another area that is increasingly important is video production, an area for which some graphic and web designers seem suited. Of course, Maya knowledge is a bonus.
The ability to get on well with others is often overlooked, but critical in a team's success, so highly talented individuals can be refused a role simply because they are difficult to manage.
Finally, please play games! It never ceases to amuse and amaze the amount of applicants wanting to get a break in an industry they have never truly thought about or understand. It's like wanting to be a chef but never having tasted anything other than chips!
What sets apart a good portfolio to one that you'd toss to the side?It's always good to see applicants have an appreciation for competitive product (i.e. a game they admire) and how they're striving to understand what makes them tick (design wise or artistically).
A good folio will have a cover letter that is specifically written to the company you're interested in. It is always good to get an applicant that really knows your products, your history and wants to share in the future and not just pay the bills. A well written, positive and interesting letter is an invaluable first impression to the potential employer, showing good communication skills (critical in designer roles).
Good portfolios have a passion for gaming across platforms, with the ability to quote several games they've enjoyed. Artistically we like to see which games have been influential in your love of games; either because of feel, subject matter, art direction or narrative. Having examples of relevant work is advantageous; providing us with the knowledge that the applicant can produce a commercially viable asset. In raw talent terms, excellent texturing with great modeling is always going to land a job here, as well as a great eye for movement and timing when it comes to animation.
Design-wise, a good application will include a game design document with some evidence of thought about the basics; motivations, what the player actually sees, does, how that changes from the first 10 minutes, to the first hour to the last hour. Documentation and diagrams about controls, level differentiation, sub-games etc. are all worthwhile and prove that this person really wants to dissect the subject they're getting into.
What are the common mistakes that applicants make in their portfolios that you have seen?As you can guess from the suggestion above, failing to hit any of these is common. A more worrying mistake is the failure to include gaming references. You don't need to know that much about them to get involved, but you really should exhibit some passion to get into it.
Both art and design folios can suffer from too much irrelevant content. This can work, where we can see a natural ability and are convinced that the applicant will really suit the position, but it is more difficult and often reserved for more mature, experienced applicants.
Generic letters, a lack of understanding of the company and the style of product we're working on are all big mistakes. These just make it very easy to say no thanks.
What is the general opinion of the standard of work sent in from applicants? What areas do you think need general improvement?We do receive a number of great applications from a variety of different types of people. From experienced industry veterans and high-end render specialists to recent graduates and the garage enthusiast. Sometimes the standard is high, but not relevant to games. Other times you can sense a degree of naïveté, as if the applicants haven't really judged there own work sufficiently. However, this is often offset by the really enthusiastic and hard working individuals who just want the break and any information on how to do it. These can be difficult, because you'd love to give them the chance, but we're in the business of producing commercial product, so you always have limited scope to provide the level of support many of these applicants require.
Generally, potential artists and designers need to look at their work from an unbiased point of view and imagine it sitting alongside a competitor. We'll take on those inexperienced applicants when we see that they really have what it takes to be competitive.
How important is it to have a tertiary education related to a career for a game artist?We have had some experience with artists from such courses, and usually, each season there are one or two standouts; those that really have a love of gaming and an affinity for modeling, texturing or animating game-relevant content. When these courses have small teams work together on a game project, it's great, because they get an idea of the relationships needed to create a game and the dependencies involved. So, they can serve as a great source of talent and a good introduction, but we still look for that inherent passion for games, both creatively and technically.
What tips can you give for aspiring game artists and future applicants?Well, I think everything I've written here is a tip of some sort, so hopefully it can be taken and used in some small way.
Alister Lockhart, Art Director, Micro Forte
Okay, so you're a young digital artist, bursting with ideas and itching to get in to the game industry, so you can blitz the field, make the game you always wanted to play, and thereafter rule the world. Good for you.
First of all you're going to have to get in the door, and what your prospective employer sees first when you go knocking will be all-important to getting over that threshold.
Fear not, for armed with my all-purpose-guide-to-getting-the-attention-of-the-art-director, you'll exceed expectations, and land the interview. After that, you're on your own.
And who the hell are you?
My name is Alister Lockhart. I began my career as a freelance artist, working in advertising, commercial signage, book-covers and animation backgrounds. I also did a little work for an Australian games company called 'Strategic Studies Group'.
After a while, I was invited to take the position of art director, and over the course of five years with this reputable team, I have worked on titles such as Warlords: Reign of Heroes, Darklords Rising, Reach for the Stars, and Battlecry 1 and 2.
I have since moved on to Micro Forte in the same role, working with an awesome team of artists on the long-awaited 'Citizen Zero'.
So where do I start?
Hot Tip #1: YOU GOTTA HAVE A WEBSITE.
Obvious maybe, but you might be surprised by how many artists don't.
Logging on to your web page is the simplest way for the art lead of your target studio to see your work. Knocking up a website is free, can be done in one weekend with your copy of MS Word, and is invaluable to showcasing your talent.
Your website should be simple, legible, easily navigable and contain only the best of your work. While presentation is important, do not waste time designing cute animated sequences for every little button or link. These become very tiresome, very quickly. Also, remember to keep the samples reasonably small. Your future art director is a busy person, and won't enjoy the wait for your 50M mpeg to download.
As well as your website, it is best to prepare a well-organized CD portfolio, with a wider range of samples and sequences showcasing the full spectrum of your work. These files can be as large as you wish, as long as they show your work off in the best possible light. VHS cassettes are a bad idea, as they can be inconvenient to view.
When approaching a company, simply send an email addressed to their personnel officer, with a short letter of introduction, a link to your website, and a full résumé of experienced, attached as a word document or PDF.
If and when they contact you, offer to send them your full CD portfolio. Best-case scenario: they'll ask you to bring it to the interview.
What should I NOT put in my portfolio?
Very often, promising artists will damage their chances of being noticed by burying their best work amongst large amounts of superfluous crapola.
Hot Tip #2: DON'T PAD THE JOB
Your portfolio should contain only those samples of your work that showcase your talent in its best possible light. Even if the amount of work you have to show may be light, padding out your material with samples you're not really all that proud of, for the sake of volume, is a bad idea.
A tidy, consistent presentation style is desirable, but is of secondary importance, especially if have to get your folio together quickly. As with your website, what's most important is a clearly showcasing your skills and talent.
Many artists cut together a showreel piece featuring examples of their work. These can be a good way to show a varying range of styles and projects, and to introduce the rest of your folio. But, often these tend to be overly lengthy, contain unnecessary animated title sequences and inappropriate musical soundtracks.
If you are putting together a showreel, make it of a duration no more than 30 to 90 seconds. Include only the best of what you have to offer, not everything you've got. You may include the rest on your CD; if your future art director is particularly impressed, he may even go through it all.
Titles should be included at both the beginning and end of your showreel. These must clearly legible, and include full contact details. A lengthy animated intro showing off your personalized spinning logo is unnecessary and annoying. Your potential art lead already knows you can use Flash- it says so in your resume.
OK, what kind of skillsets should I be showcasing?
Everything that you do well. Again, this may seem rather obvious but, where in broadcast or film you might be expected to specialize in one particular role, in a games studio this may not be the case.
Hot Tip #3: DON'T OVER-SPECIALIZE
Even though you will probably be applying for a particular role within a games team, displaying a range of related skills to this role will only increase your chances of acceptance.
For example as a modeler, while a reasonable level of proficiency in low and high-poly character modeling, mapping and texturing is essential, you may also wish to display your skills in concept art and character design.
As an animator, as well as some modeling skills, a high level of skill in rigging would be required. But, some technical expertise in animation scripting will put you ahead of your competition.
The main skillsets that a games company will be looking for are:
Low and high-poly character and architectural modeling, mapping and texturing.Low-poly character rigging and animation.Conceptual art, storyboarding, character design and architectural design.World-building, lighting, and knowledge of gameplay mechanics.
Most employers will also be more keen to take on those who make a point of emphasizing their love of gaming, and knowledge of the medium.
Depending on the role, the full range of your skills may not be required during production, but knowing you have a range of skills, and can work in a range of styles will stand you in good stead with a potential employer. And, a strong grasp of technical issues, as well as artistic talent, is a highly sought-after asset.
So what's going to set me apart from a folio you'd just toss to the side?
Generally, if address your resume to the personnel or human resources officer, then I'll be required to look through the work properly; it's part of my job.
Hot Tip #4: GO THROUGH THE CORRECT CHANNELS
Other members of staff will also need to see your folio, such as the producer or lead artist. If you address your application directly to 'the art director', it'll land on my desk- maybe I'll look at it, maybe I won't. I may forget all about it, and find it again months later.
Again, the people you need to see your work are very busy and won't have time to make a special effort on your behalf. If you go through the proper hiring channels, all concerned parties will be required to check out your folio, and give the personnel officer an answer. Either way, you'll be informed in good time, instead of waiting endlessly for a reply; while your awesome work lies uselessly at the bottom of a drawer.
Nice. What are the common mistakes that applicants make in their portfolios?
Firstly, the worst mistake an applicant can make: taking credit for work that isn't theirs.
Hot Tip #5: YOUR REPUTATATION WILL FOLLOW YOU
Sometimes an applicant will supply impressive looking work that they had very little to do with, and in some cases, nothing at all. Some may even claim expertise in areas they have no experience in whatsoever, in an attempt to 'get a foot in the door'. To do this may have disastrous effects on your career.
The games industry in Australia may be growing, but it isn't big enough to hide in. If you attempt to take credit for the work of others in your application, and are discovered, it will not only eliminate your chance of landing the job, but will also become known to others in the industry.
Worse, if you are hired on the basis of skills you don't possess, this can have dire consequences for your employer's production pipeline. This can only make you a very unpopular person indeed, and news of your stupid mistake may follow your name for a long, long time.
If your portfolio contains work that was the result of a group effort, you must always provide details of how you contributed to the work, and credit the other contributors in full. It's a professional courtesy that can only stand you in good stead with your peers in the industry, for many years to come.
Other things you should avoid:
Show-casing work of incompatible style: the producers of Halo 3 don't want to see the work you did on 'The Powder Puff Girls Do Vegas', if that's all you've got.Including unfinished work: the untextured head-and-torso of your newest character only serves to make you look sloppy, unless it's part of your 'modeling progress reel'.Self-deprecating letters of introduction: be confident in your work; your potential employers will make their own judgements.Using odd file-types: use only common file-types for images and movies such as jpegs and mpegs; searching for obscure codecs will test your art director's patience.
And lastly, the most common mistake an applicant can make:
Not including your full contact details on every part of your submission.
How often have I received a submission with a beautifully designed cover-slip, containing a DISC WITH NO MARKINGS? When the two are separated, the disc is very likely to be lost.
To maximize your chances of a reply, you should have your full contact details on your website, your resume, references, on your CD, CD cover, on your showreel (at the beginning and end), and on the envelope you send it in. In a busy working environment, anything with no markings GOES IN THE BIN.
Ooo-kay... so how important is it to have a tertiary level education related to your career as a game artist?
It can't do but help. Training is important for developing your talent, and giving you the blend of technical competency and artistic sensibility that you'll need. And, because the technology of gaming never ceases to change and grow, it will also imbue an applicant with the all-important ability of how to learn how to learn.
And what's the general opinion of the work that you've seen from applicants?
Excellent, and improving all the time. The standard of work coming out of this country is world-class, and although the occasional pretender pops up, only those committed to creating the highest standard of game art have the wherewithal to put together the kind of presentations we've been seeing regularly at Microforte.
Very often, it's extremely difficult to choose between applicants, based on numbers of vacancies alone.
Hot Tip #6: PERSONAL INITIATIVE COUNTS
Industry experience is a plus of course, so if you don't have this, then related material done at home and out of your own initiative will help you immeasurably. A pet project or demo put together with friends is extremely positive, or work with existing game technology such as level editors and engine mods: these will demonstrate motivation and teamwork.
What areas do you think need improvement?
Truly great texture artists are rare. While texturing is a skill in which most 3D artists will need to display competency, really outstanding texture work comes from strong artistic sensibilities, and a thorough understanding of illustrative techniques, as well as practical knowledge of 3D modeling tools.
Animation is also a skill in which many show broad knowledge of their tools and processes, but the standouts are those who can display talents in the art of acting, who understand and appreciate movement and balance, form and weight.
Of course, the most valuable commodity in a competitive business environment is leadership qualities. Every team needs a clutch of strong leaders to drive the project to its conclusion, and get the best from the artists working beneath him or her.
If, in the course of their professional life, an artist can demonstrate excellent communication, organization and people skills, then these may be the people who will take the world of interactive entertainment to its limits, and beyond.
Atari Melbourne House
What is your preferred way of receiving a portfolio? e.g CD, Video, Website?
Video or cd jpgs for modeler/texture/illustrators mpeg for animators
What do you NOT want to see in a portfolio?
irrelevant stuff, TV style graphics are different to game art components. final production renders where the applicant did the odd thing here and there. only the stuff he/she has done....
not everyone is good at everything.... seen many fine mesh/texture objects taken the piss out by crap animation or disaterous lighting :( focus on what you do best....
What kind of skillsets do you like seeing in a portfolio?
the skills required for the application
What sets apart a good portfolio to one that you'd toss to the side?
QUALITY
What are the common mistakes that applicants make in their portfolios that you have seen?
low compression or codec pimping formats makes some stuff unwatchable...if it dont run we eject and grab the next cd ;)
What is the general opinion of the standard of work sent in from applicants?
What areas do you think need general improvement?
quality, flair, individuality ... i hate seeing 'here is a dude like in quake' grrrrr
How important is it to have a tertiary educational related to a career for a game artist?
hahahaha love games + understand the format and learn how to optimize and focus on where it matters, what matters exactly? a school can NEVER teach you ;)
What tips can you give for aspiring game artists and future applicants?
again this order: 0. love games (not just bloody fps) 1.quality 2.flair 3.happy to work stupid hours.
Brad Welch from Pandemic Studios
Hey there guys and gals,
I've read this site from time to time, and I'm gonna try and post here occasionally with some suggestions when I have some spare time, I know its a shit when you are starting out and don't know how to get your foot in the door.
I have been involved in games for quite a while now (about 10 years). I guess that makes me something of an old timer now - although not quite up there with the founding fathers of Oz Games at Melbourne House or in the case of Brisbane the original Gee Whiz/Krome guys...all props to them - the Krome guys are going great guns! 8)
How I got started...
I started doing a game with two or three other friends on the Amiga, while working another job. We did one shareware shooter which was on a UK coverdisc, a strategy game for Manaccom here in Brisbane which got published and several demos which we tried and failed to get deals on (I have the rejection letters and returned discs from every major UK publisher of the day to prove it). All of these were done over 3 or 4 years, but by the end I had built up a decent folio of 2d sprite art, as well as a selection of comic art I had done.
With that I got what I consider my first real games job (i.e. international publisher - Activision) at Auran and worked on Dark Reign, and I now work at Pandemic here in Brisbane. Its funny though, because by the time I started DR I already had work published and been through the whole process.
I guess these days an equivalent is working on mods. Its worth a lot to show you are talented in a folio, but its also worth a lot to show that you can complete work, and have experienced working in some form of team, within a limited time frame. When hiring someone without experience, which we've done a few times in the past, the big gamble is on how professional they'll be, and how well they'll work in a team. Its fun making games, but its also a job. Some team experience helps here.
Having said that, a good quality folio will always get you a look in - we usually know whether we want an experienced or junior person when we go to hire, but great work always stands above everything else with a folio. A few important things with folios...
a) Keep them simple - just a labelled CD with a resume & cover letter is best. If you want to send printed work a simple booklet or binder is fine. Don't send crazy packaging, don't spend hours on flash menus on your CD, because they are not what game companies are looking for - they are distractions from your work. Your best work is what we are looking for...
b) Tell us what the work on your disc is, and what you contributed to it. When I am looking through your work, think of me as an idiot. I want to know what sort of work you've done, be able to easily find it on a CD and if you have worked on anything collaborative - mention exactly which bits you did! We sure have no way of knowing by looking at a screenshot of a game or mod or demo or college project you did something on.
c) Its said often, but only put your best work on there, and only stuff that really fits with what you want to do in games. Put in your imaginative concept work, your textures, your models, animations, mod screenshots. If you have done flash/web work, put your best stuff in, but don't overdo it - you shouldn't need to drop twelve example web sites in to your folio. If you pick your best work, and you only have, say, 1 or 2 items, then maybe you need to do a bit more work before sending your folio. More good work says you are interested in your craft and having taken the time to improve it, which is an essential in this industry.
d) Showing good traditional art skills is a *big* plus. If you have the ability to draw and construct images, then there's a reasonable chance that you'll make the leap to 3D well. The opposite is often not the case. You don't need to be Da Vinci, but the more areas of traditional art you have a grasp of, the more impressive the folio. As an aside, you should try and improve other areas of your skill than just 3D - improvements in one area will definitely flow into another.
That's all for now...
Hope that helps you all somewhat.
Maybe next time we have an opening I'll see applications from some names from this board!
Later
Brad
Steve Wang from Micro Forte
I'm a producer at Micro Forte (working on MMOGs), so I can tell you what I look for at least. All the other comments here are also right on the money. Designers are a tricky one, so a few thoughts...
Everyone with an idea thinks he is a designer. That doesn't mean you aren't, it just means its hard to assess. So much depends on a good designer. Design is far more than just ideas. The 'wouldn't it be cool if...' school of design is great for contributing brainstormed ideas as part of making a great game, but certainly does not make for a designer.
Often designers start off as QA staff, involved in the testing cycle. Here they demonstrate many qualities that are needed in a designer, including the ability to analyse gameplay to articulate clearly what doesn't work and why, and what suggested improvements could be made and why. This also helps develop an understanding of what can and can't be done, and what the cost of developing it is. For example its clear that it would be cool if you could be both a male or a female secret agent. Its very clear to a good designer that this means going to a large amount of extra effort to distinguish between them: different voice actors, different cut scenes, let alone (one would hope) different game play styles. Worst case, doubling your effort in producing the game. Its not that we wouldn't want to do it, its just that you need to ask yourself, could that extra 100 man months of programmer and artist time be better spent elsewhere?
A game designer needs to prove they have the ability to design something that is both creative, but buildable with the budget and resources available. They need to have a good understanding of game mechanics and game systems. Game designers also have to be very good communicators to constantly be conveying to the team of programmers and artists the design from an art and programming perspective. They need to be very good writers - they need to write that grabby pitch for a game design to sell not only to publishers, but first selling the ideas internally, as well as a full game design document (ours are often around 100-200 pages). I assume that they will all have plenty of 'wouldn't it be cool if...' ideas. That's the easy part. One final thing. A good designer ideally needs to be able to design a wide range of games for a wide audience. If all you can design is fantasy RPGs, you are not as valuable - and you better hope that the next big thing is not sci-fi strategy.
Its almost essential that the designer has good artistic ability. It's a valuable part of communicating design ideas and a big plus. A good technical knowledge helps with designing things that the programmers can work with, and understand what technical things can best be exploited in game design.
We have only every hired one game designer as a designer with no prior game design titles. Others have entered as QA, or even artists and programmers and shown over time that they have a talent for design.
If you really want to be a designer, the most likely path in is through QA, or level design.
The gamasutra have some good stuff on level design. Search there specifically as it updates regularly. They have resource guides for different areas. The level design one is:http://www.gamasutra.com/resource_guide/20010716/index.shtml
The most concrete thing you can do to prove you are a designer is do some level design. We have applicants who have designed levels for Quake, StarCraft, Jagged Alliance, Counter-strike etc. This certainly shows level design skills (providing they are really top quality from a game play point of view). Starting as a level designer is also a path to demonstrate other game-play design skills through ideas and suggestions. Most successful designers also have a host of their own game designs (such as RPG systems). After initially filtering applications, I like to have a flip through an applicants past designs.
Anyway, just some thoughts. Good luck with everything.
Steve
Thanks again to all these people who gave us a bit of their time to answer those important questions on portfolios!