[Plouffe]

I hope you wont be mad at me for posting this but i made a search of this forum and i havent found anything that answered my questions. Anyways here goes :

I havent been drawing the past year at all unless it was for my art class which takes most of my time also i have other classes which gives me NO time at all to draw. Well i can graduate this year but i decided to do one extra year of highshool ( it doesnt take me back one year I live in canada ) So basically i have one year and half to build aportfolio from scratch which is a long time but now long enough considering my tight schedule. I need to start one from scratch since i think the exercises we do in my art program wont be what they expect to see if i want to be a concept artst of 3d artist and such but im sure i got a few things to put in . My questions are that I would like to work as a concept artist / illustrator / 3d artist mostly anythign in the gaming industry But i have no clue what degree or what to study in school? i have been looking at schools but i havent found a program that looks reasonable for me. I mean i could go into the illustration program but then again i dont want to screw mysekf and find out i need more school. I could do the 3d program but then i dont have any traditionnal/ figure drawing/ "original art" id like to go concept artist but WHAT program . I know vortx did a industrial design program but i dont think we have similar stuff to that in canada. Last of all what do Schools expect you to have in your portfolio exactly ?

I dont want to be cockey or full of myself but i personnaly know i have the skill/ talent/abilities to make it as a concept/3d artist/illustrator. sorry i never posted any finished picture or anything at all since i come here very rarely because of the time i spend on my art projects i havent hand time to make a webpage. I go to a specifically visual arts only school so since i started highschool grade 9 i have been through an intensive art program where the teachers pushes you sooo hard. You at least put up to 20 hours on each project. This is alot considering u have other courses and stuff. The art program is 2 classes of art each semester.

Sorry for writting so much i guess all this had to come out some time since i never post. Hope you can answer my questions

peace
ben

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"An artist cannot fail; it is a success to be one."
-Charles Horton Cooley

[This message has been edited by Plouffe (edited December 25, 2000).]

[Loukus]

Sorry I can't help you out to much but check the digital illustration area on loki's webpage. Don't let the title fool you, it's about the field, not his art.
http://www.calframeups.com/~loki/

hope his page help, assuming you haven't been there.

Go figure, I responded to your post while you were to mine.

Good Lunch errr, luck

Joel Loukus

[This message has been edited by Loukus (edited December 25, 2000).]

[Plouffe]

yeah i have seen that page before but it doesnt really talk about what to study i mean i dont really want to get out of HS and start paintig until i get a job you know hehe. I guess i want a peice of paper prooving that i have a background in somethign specific.. you know what i mean... Thanks for the help.

Oh and i answered your post hope i wasnt to hard on it...

[M Cuevas]

To Plouffe

Wow, that is a tough question. To tell you the truth, I wouldn't know since I didn't take any design classes until after I arrived in the videogame industry. I have, however hired a great number of people so I thought I might tell you what kinds of things I've looked for in artists. First off, let me start by saying that I'm a big fan of 2D art...period. I'm wholly interested in those who can convey their ideas in a comprehensive fashion, regardless the amount of schooling they've had. However, I must say that the majority of applications we receive are either from Art Center in Pasadena or Cal Arts in Valencia. Everyone from industrial design, graphic design and traditional character animation has passed through my desk. On the flip side, I've also brought on board a great deal of people with great ideas and unrefined technique, ie those with hardly any or no formal art training. I actually perfer these people the most since they are usually the most excited and dedicated to making it in the video game industry. Does that help out at all? If not, I say finish out a couple of courses in illustration and design and see where it goes. As far as 3-D goes, remember it's just a tool like anything else. Get familiar with one of the more popular programs and just teach yourself the basics if you can. You'll be suprised how sufficient it'll be.

[TheMilkMan]

OK, Here is the first problem. You don't make time to do art. I got in the game industry because I drew all the time . I modeled all the time. Even if it was just a 1 hr a day. I can tell you all the classes in the world are not going to teach you to be an artist. You have to practice everyday all the time. Ohh sure you can take classes to get guildence but when it comes down to it your portfolio does the talking. I personaly work in the game industry and I never took one college class. I drew my own comic books and published them . My drawing skill alone got me in the door. I think it would be easier for use to tell you what to do if you posted some of your artwork that is going in your final portfolio . If you say you dont have any finished art you better start working long and hard because there are guys here at the board who actually hire people in the game industry..and they can tell you if you are on track or if you need to work on something. So post some stuff when you get it done.

[anticz]

Traditional skills are most important. If you can't draw with a pencil, you can't draw with a computer. Take as many Life drawing classes as you can. Draw, draw, draw, then draw some more. Often, I've met people that claim to have extensive experience with life drawing, when in fact, they've only done the minimum requirement at their colledge (I don't claim to be an experienced life drawer). It takes time and dedication to become skilled. As far as what to study at school, that depends on what you want to do. If you looking to go into concept design for the video game industry, I'd suggest looking into an Idustrial Design degree. If you'd rather be an animator then you'll want to concentrate on life drawing and pick up a few good books on the traditional principles of animation. I highly recomend The Animators Workbook by Tony White, Digital Character Animation by George Maestri and The Illusion Of Life if you can find it. If it's modeling you're after, maybe try a few sculpture classes. The important thing to remember is, Studios look for artists first. Does knowing software package X help, sure it does, but Studios don't hire software pilots or button pushers either. If you've got a good set of traditional skills and some color theory, you'll probably be able to get hired on somewhere and learn as you go. Studios can teach software, but they can't build the basic foundation you'll need to be successful in this industry. It would just take them to much time.

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Mike B. - Supervising Janitor
anticz.com
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[This message has been edited by anticz (edited December 26, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by anticz (edited December 26, 2000).]

[A]

Hi there Plouffe,
I too have worked in the video games industry, for a total of about eight years.

As a junior artist (before there were any 3D graphics!), I got the job based purely on my ability to draw (all paper-based, I'd never even used D-Paint, the tool of choice at the time). I also have no formal training. As you know yourself, it's the folio that counts.

As the senior artist reviewing candidates for jobs at the company, I always looked for two things - outright, raw talent, and a keen interest in games and the genres of games we made. Ability with 3D was less important than being able to demonstrate what I call "traditional art skills". Techniques can be quickly taught to the willing - talent cannot. Many people from the design field could lay out nice brochures, design pretty web pages, and illustrate exploded diagrams of clocks in excruciating detail - but this does not recommend them for the job as well as someone with a background in Sci-Fi or fantasy illustrations, and so on.

So my advice is: go with the folio. Everything you do at school should be towards that one aim: get the BEST POSSIBLE FOLIO. When you get to applying for a job, if the art director sees your pictures and goes "Whoa! Amazing!", you're in. The folio must show your technical skill, but more importantly your imagination and ability to get your great ideas out of your head and onto paper where they can be shared with others. Lastly, make sure the images in that folio are something with relevance to the games industry.

Hope that helps, Cheers, A.

PS: Post your folio ideas if you like, and some of us can help you to develop them. That might just give you the insider help you need to get to the top.

[-HoodZ-]

ok what should be in the folio? and who do i show it to?

[Dameous]

OK!!! First off, I'm a bit aggrivated by a few of the reply posts, however that is not the reason for mine. Here's the REAL DEAL! First: The most important thing is your dedication, and your passion.

Second: Do NOT let someone BASH you, if they do, give them a boot to the head! You can do whatever you put your mind to. And to be quite honest, companies want ppl who know what they are doing, where they're going, and that they won't let anything stop them, that shows determination.

Third: Don't worry about what schooling you'll need as much as what you need to do PERSONALLY to ready yourself. If you want something bad enough, and are willing to do whatever it takes, and never stop moving toward it, you'll get there!

Your work will get you what you want, the old saying goes, " You sew what you reap"
you will get out of it what you put into it!

I know what it's like with the time issue, i've been there. SO do small simple things taht show your skill, just as complex, just smaller in scale, this way you can get them done faster, without taking away form the quality. Also, stick with what you know, rather than trying to always learning all the new stuff, and if you are worried about creating a style of your own, don't think about it. It will develope itself jsut fine without you even realizing it. One day you will look back and compare everything, and you will see what i mean.

***Our acheivments are fueled by our ambitions, our ambitions our fueled by our past acheivments...*** Dameous, 12/26/2000

[Plouffe]

Wow didnt expect to wake up thi morning and see a bunch of people answering. Funny that no one gave me any Crap about posting this topic. Thanx.

M Cuevas: Thanx for the advice.

TheMilkMan: um kinda disturbing reading what you posted .. hmmm I know i need to work on my art and stuff and like i mentioned im in a HS for ART STUDENTS. We do twice as much work on refining our technics. We work on color theory and stufff like that. We learn different painting styles oils and acrylics. These classes are teaching me to be an artist. outside these classes i dont have much time to work on personnal art. But next semester and this summer i will work hard. Um im afraid that once i get out of HS that i wont be able to find a job so i feel safer to get a diploma is a specific place just incase i cant find a job in gaming. I wish i would be able to work on my personal art everyday every minute lol but i simply dont have time and SOMEWHERE DEEP INSIDE OF ME there is something holding me back which mean lack of pushing myself of starting my portfolio for such a job ALSO i think that IM AFRAID TO FAIL. For some reason this is why maybe i dont push myself. Thanx for your post.

anticz: I can draw with pencil that is my best medium. In HS we get naked models twice a week to come in so we can draw them. which is kinda nice. Before i go into a course in illustration or industrial design the college i want to go to has a one year program for fundamental art which is figure drawing. Industrial design degree sounds interesting to me but i cant seem to find a school in ontario that teaches such program? Well thanx for your comment

A: the problem with the folio is that at my school i dont think they consider GAME ART or just plain characters As art same for digital art. The whole point of the school is to work on your portfolio to get into a art program not to get a job so that why im looking to going to college. Maybe going there will give me an opertunity to work on my ideas learn new technics and produce something professional. Instead of going out of highschool trying to look for a job right away which is very scary since with what is in my folio right now. the gaming industry would laugh at me heh.

well thank you all for the comments.. keep them comming if you have something to share with me... your experiences ect...

peace
Plouffe



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"An artist cannot fail; it is a success to be one."
-Charles Horton Cooley

[Rinaldo]

quote:

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Originally posted by Dameous:
Also, stick with what you know, rather than trying to always learning all the new stuff

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errrrrr........whatever