Seeking career advice

[fieldscarecrow]

Hey!

(Don’t let all the text scare you away!)

I am a full time Game Art student from the UK and would really love to get some advice preferably from a professional, but I‘ll appreciate all the advice I can get :)

Since I started my course I have given this concern a lot of thought. I’ve broken things down for myself and I understand things quite clearly from my own perspective, but it would be nice to run it through some professionals and the rest of the CA community to get some feedback.

I aspire to become a professional Concept Artist, and my course strongly encourages those of us who have such aspirations to break in to the games industry as a 3D Modeller first and then work our way towards becoming a Concept Artist.

I don’t agree with this because my passion for creating 2d art is far superior to producing 3d models for games, so I think it would be a waste of my time preparing to become a 3d Modeller, then working as one for however long it takes to make the transition into a Concept Artist; for all I know it could take years considering how busy I’d become!

I understand that there are much fewer jobs for Concept Artists than 3D Modellers. Perhaps in the past the chances of a graduate scoring their first job in the industry as a Concept Artist was near impossible, but I think that’s changing because I’m constantly finding more and more jobs advertised by game companies willing to accept relevant education in place of experience. I am aware that the competition is fierce! And even to be considered I’ll need to be the best of the best. I know that I will need 3d skills too, but that’s not a major concern because my course has strong emphasis on developing those skills.

I believe that between now and when I graduate I’ll be able to develop all the skills I need to become a professional Concept Artist. I know that might sound outrageous considering I’ve only started learning to draw seriously in the past year, but I’ve got the fantastic resources of a good visual design tutor, the wonderful community here, plus all the treasures floating around the rest of the internet and more legendary books on drawing than I could carry.

I like to think I’m a fast learner and capable of excelling at something if I truly want to, and I can’t really explain how passionate I feel about this on here but I can assure you it’s more than very.

To put things in to a scale of time I’m already working towards this every day, I roughly have around a year and a half to study with few other commitments besides my social life.

I’m not asking anyone to believe in me because I’ve got my own belief, I guess ultimately what I want to know is if YOU think this is a realistic opportunity for me to become a Concept Artist or if I’m blindly chasing a pipe dream? Based on everything I've said.

It's all good having my own belief but I don't think it's enough; I want to be as realistic about this as possible which is the purpose of this post. My story probably sounds exactly the same as many others on this forum, but that’s why this community exists right?

Thanks everyone :D

[UrsusArctos]

I'm sorry I am not a professional concept artist but I can give you my two cents from my perspective.

I strongly believe that its what you study and do on your free time, outside of school, that leads you to your career. I went to a state university that had a very strong fine art bent- no ilustration program or courses, nothing in digital painting or concept art, nothing, nothing, nothing. But I did what I could with it, took Life Drawing 2 three times (seriously, one 2 life drawing courses in the whole university, rank 1 and rank 2- no opportunity to study clothed figures) and took graphic design courses over and over so I could master photoshop and illustrator. I, by the way, want to do childrens illustration, which was strongly looked down upon at my school, except for by my graphic design instructor.

I'm now out of college and working at a job doing some graphic design, and persuing illustration on the side. I've received several small assignments and am currently researching and doing more work to make my first book. I am quite aware that I'm not performing at the top level, but I am confident that if I continue to push myself I'll reach a high level of expertise in a few years. I am also continuing my education at a community college because they offer some courses I think could be helpful, even though it made me swallow my pride a bit to go back to a CC after being accepted to an MFA (which I cant afford).

Anyway, my point to you is that everyone is going to have an opinion of the RIGHT way to do things. They will be quick to point out what is too hard, or unrealistic. Here I am having never taken a single illustration course in my life, technically able to say that I'm a working freelance illustrator. It's because I didn't listen to everyone else and worked (and continue to work) my butt off.

Now as per your particular situation- It seems to me that a strong background in concept art is what would make strong 3D models... so yes, in a way, it seems a little backwards to me. It seems that a thorough understanding of form and proportion would come before anything else. My suggestion to you is to stick towards your program and work your butt off at home doing as much concept art stuff as possible- so that by the time you are done with college you are able to work both. You might not get your dream job right out of college- thats a very strong reality that is there for most graduates- BUT you may be able to find a related field and work your way in there. And worst case scenerio- if you never make it as a concept artist- with a concept artist's training, you would probably render excellent 3D figures, which may help you advance in that position. So there is no reason not to keep pushing yourself!

Good luck in all your endeavors!

[fieldscarecrow]

Thanks Ursus! I agree, my degree course is pretty intensive and has quite a hefty workload but I like to try and see it as the tip of the iceberg and my self study being the major part of my learning.

It's true having a strong foundation in understanding form and proportions is essential for 3d modellers, which I personally find is best developed through drawing.

I guess the ultiamate goal is to become a great 3d modeller and an extraordinary concept artist. I can easily understand why people think that's an over-ambitious task to achieve in a relatively short time but I like to think that each new generation should be able to learn a lot faster with what previous generations have left behind.

I guess basing it on what previous students have achieved it's unlikely my first job will be a Concept Artist, but I'm willing to put myself forwards and attempt to show that it can achieved by those who push themselves enough to excel, I have that faith.

But as you said even if I prove to be wrong the benefits are really worth it, there really is no reason not to keep pushing myself!

Thanks for your kind wishes, I really appreciate the feedback!

I hope others will have the heart to lend their thoughts on my situation :)

[Maxine Schacker]

What does your course of study include? Among other things, you'll need developed traditional drawing and painting skills. It seems to me that concept art and game design are two separate majors. However, i agree that there are and will be many possibilities for concept artists. The lack of courses of study that teach the necessary skills will make those individuals who have them more valuable. I'm not in the industry, but I direct a school that has a concept art diploma program, so I've done some research. There definitely is a market for concept artists.

[fieldscarecrow]

Here's a break down of my course:

GAME ART DESIGN
Game Production
Visual Design
Critical Game Studies

Game production focuses on the creation of 3d models for games. Visual design is the fancy title for drawing and we do digital and traditional, mostly traditional. The Critical Game Studies basically involves talking and writing blog posts about a wide variety of game topics ranging from the mechanics, the industry, and much more that I haven't really got a full grasp on.
We have guest lectures from industry professionals on a weekly basis when term time gets busy, which is probably one of my favourite parts of the course because they really open our eyes to what's currently out there.

That's just to summarise things anyway.

I think the market for concept artists is growing, as the games industry is generally always expanding, and employers are beginning to turn to graduates in search of something innovative.

Thanks for the reply Maxine. :)