Personal portfolio development 1 cont'd

Personal development plan- 100179359

Industry roles- Choosing a specialization.

At entry level into the games industry and within a creative studio there are multiple roles which a post graduate will be able to fill. I would hope to display specializations as a character artist primarily, with strong skills as a concept artist, in my portfolio I believe character artist and animator have transferable skills like rigging/ skinning but advanced techniques with scripting and working with physics engines.

This being said I’ll create dioramas for show piece characters that will also display skills as an object artist and environment artist, as my initial role within a company may require the generation of numerous assets of all game art disciplines, especially in a small company.

Realistically I will not be assuming roles such as game user interface artist, SFX artist, technical artist, or vehicle artist, as I have no technical or graphic design training.

The skills, experience and qualification I’ll be displaying in my portfolio will be.

Bachelor's degree and related experience- focusing on characters.

Advanced understanding of digital software e.g Photoshop, game engines and 3d modelling tools (Maya, 3ds max, and Zbrush).

A good level of drawing skills, understanding conceptualization, colour theory, anatomy, scaling, and composition.

 

Character artist

A character artist requires a skill set that seems pretty standard and what I expected in the role, including.

Referencing http://www.gamesindustry.biz/jobs/lockwood-publishing-ltd/uk-and-europe/3d-character-artist-id65025

• Several years professional experience in 3D modelling, preferably in the gaming industry
• Completed degree or equivalent training in a 3D art related discipline
• Skilled in one or more 3D art packages, preferably Maya and ZBrush
• Skilled in one or more 2D art packages, preferably Photoshop
• Ability to learn new processes and tools quickly and effectively
• Ability to receive and provide art critique and direction, with a keen eye for detail
• Self-motivated, with a proven track record of meeting deadlines with consistency
• Ability to work well in a collaborative environment – linking in with Programmers, Animators and Management whenever necessary.

  The following skills are desirable, but non-essential:  

• Unity 3D experience
• Experience liaising with external vendors to produce outsourced 3D assets

In overview of these requirements, I need to diversify the software that I use but will need to adept to any working environment quickly whatever the situation.

Concept artist

The creative process involved in this area of games development requires a general skill set displaying imaginative and flexible design of characters, weapons, and even bizarre creatures depending on the needs of the company. Furthermore, a concept artist has to look at the environment in which any of these would exist and be able to adapt the concept to be in with the overall keeping and theme of the game. It falls on the concept artists to solve problems with the visual implementation of environmental objects and provide a constant source of inspiration toward other aspects of the project, and having the ability to identify inefficiencies in the concept-to-production process and help formulate resolutions and setting global quality/detail targets for production with an in depth knowledge of market trends.

A concept artist requires a deep knowledge of traditional skills.

Referencing http://jobs.zenimax.com/requisitions/view/122?source=Indeed.com

Responsibilities:

• Create the look of the game by working with the Art Director to establish a consistent visual direction for mood, environments, characters, weapons, etc. by creating inspiring concept art that focuses on dynamic visual elements that maintain accurate scale, established architectural standards and character/creature anatomy that will be used to create in game content.
• Collaborate with the Art Director to implement the vision for the game
• Produce work in an efficient and timely manner, on schedule
• Work closely with colleagues to foster a highly communicative, coordinated team effort
• Ensure quality of related assets by maintaining responsibility over your work throughout the project's development

Requirements:

• Excellent traditional artistic skills with a strong grasp of composition, anatomy, colour theory, perspective, lighting, environment, architectural, creature/character, costume and graphic design.
• Proficiency in life drawing (drawing from life and reference) as well as a strong imagination and a willingness to push the envelope, to innovate within the parameters of the game's world.
• Strong communication, excellent visual storytelling and written skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills-able to interact with team members of different disciplines.
• Good positive attitude and outlook, self-motivated, and a great team-player.

In truth, these are the things I love doing, concepting and creating characters in particular. Ultimately this is a competitive industry with thousands of graduates every year as well as industry veterans from the numerous studios that have folded in the last few years. Experience will always be preferred, but as someone who has had a fair amount of interviews for jobs I’m inexperienced in, (lab technician in particular) enthusiasm and passion counts for a lot.