Help me find my perfect art related job

[Christian223]

I am thinking to get an art related job, I am a programmer and graphic designer, but I do not enjoy those things, so I would like to try something like a career change for a while. I would like to start making a portfolio, but I do not know what to focus on.

I have worked freelancing as an Illustrator in the past for very small projects, I liked it, but freelancing is very hard and unstable, specially for me because I am not focused in anything in particular, I would like to know if there are more stable choices for me, in the most suitable art category that fits my preferences and personality.

I am not into comics, I would not like to do concept art for video games because I am not into realistic style I think, too much of the same for me I guess. I am not into animation either.
I thought of making book covers, but I think my abilities are very below what is required for that.
Vehicle/objects design intrigues me, but I have never done it.

What options do I have?. Thanks a lot in advance.

[Farvus]

I would not like to do concept art for video games because I am not into realistic style I think, too much of the same for me I guess.

Actually if you go to http://www.gamedevmap.com and try to visit links there you'll find out that maybe 80% of game developers focus on stylized/cartoony games. The ones that do games with realism are pretty rare.

[Christian223]

Actually if you go to http://www.gamedevmap.com and try to visit links there you'll find out that maybe 80% of game developers focus on stylized/cartoony games. The ones that do games with realism are pretty rare.

Well, I don't know about percentages, but there sure is a market for cartoony styles in games. I just wanted to say I am not really into realism anymore, that's all. Cartoony styles may be an option for me, only if the style is interesting.

The other problem I have is that I have been studying with discipline for so long that I really have forgoten to do it for fun, so... that makes it more hard to find what kind of job I would want.

Any advice?.

[M-Kaibigan]

The art industry is a serious profession as any other. Wallowing around the mirth isn't enough to land yourself a stable job in the current climate. I know some exceptionally talented artists that have been out of work for several years; and their abilities are much above average, in all styles.

I suggest you enter some serious study to advance your skills instead of looking for a job that fits (what appears to be) a limited skill set. *You* should be the one adapting to current demands. You can't afford to sit and wait for a job that matches what you do.
Survival tips in the favour of those that adapt to drastic change.

You also won't be the one choosing what to draw; the art director, client, etc. will be choosing for you. You should be prepared to work in all styles and all mediums. Declining an assignment isn't really going to work.

[Christian223]

Thanks for the advice. Getting better as artist to be able to get jobs sounds like a good advice, but as you said "exceptionally talented artists that have been out of work for several years", so that's though... I don't know what to think.

I have heard good advice too from awesome pros like Greg Manchess that says that you should actually be focused on certain stuff and make a portfolio for that specific stuff to be able to be hired, and not aim for every kind of work. Like for example a client does not care if you can do cartoon if they are only interested in vehicle design. And that not only applies to art, it seems all other careers seek focused people, at least most clients do. I have seen some clients asking for people who can do almost everything though, but not so many.

So my question/problem is: I do not know what specific skills to get in order to get the job I want. And I do not know the job options that fit my preferred skill set.

[M-Kaibigan]

Well the advice on focus is something I see a lot in the 3D art industry (eg. the Polycount community). I'm not sure whether it applies completely to the concept side of things, but for 3D, yes, employers will be looking for specific artists. Vehicle artists, character artists, prop artists, etc.

I'm quite sure that for concept art they'd like to see more coming out of a single employee, partly because they expect the concept artists to get things out faster than the 3d artists.

I still suggest you work in all styles.
'Unrealistic' or 'cartoony' styles are built upon a foundation of knowledge. The masters of these art forms take an expansive wealth of study and choose to represent life's their work in that specific form not because they cannot create realism, but because they want to stylise. A good cartoonist, in my opinion, should know much about gesture and form, and anatomy, to be really great.

But I'm not sure the perfect job exists for you at this current point in time.

Unless you decide to employ yourself and work solo. Kind of like what Zun did but, unfortunately, none of us have access to whatever he was smoking.


Not detract from this site but I suggest you try asking the polycount community. You should get a better response than I can give faster over there (they deal with many of these types of questions).
- And they also hand out inspiration.

[Baron Impossible]

I'm not sure it's helpful to ask these questions at such an early stage. You need to do what you want to do, as a hobby, study and research, work hard at it, and a few years down that road look at the career options as relate to your skills and requirements. Unless you're committed to the process it won't happen. I say this because your OP is full of negatives - you don't like animation, or comics, or concept art, or realism, and you're not good enough for this, never done that, and so on. Nothing there suggests any passion for art, and without passion you won't get anywhere.

[Christian223]

When I started to study art, art was so mysterious to me, like magic, I always wondered how people could get so realistic drawings. Also when working as a graphic designer I got to do some illustrations, and I was easier than working as a programmer or graphic designer, so I thought maybe I could get more jobs illustrating. That was like 5 years ago.

So I set the goal to learn how to paint, after all, I always enjoyed drawing as a child/teenager.
I used to enjoy drawing as a teenager but I do not enjoy it anymore, I don't know why. I have been pushing myself to learn up until now, I can motivate myself with no problems, but I have no natural passion for it. It is rewarding, but there is no real passion. To tell the truth, I have not thought about if I do it for passion or not until now. I do not do it for passion, I do it because I set that as my goal.

But it is true what you say, people who hire are always looking for people who are passionate about their work, and in the interviews I have been I think that they can notice I am not passionate for that work, but I just want to work.

Maybe there is a category in arts that I have not found yet that maybe will fire my passion, I just have not found it yet. I feel I have learned a lot until now, having in mind I was/am a programmer, why waste all that learning?. If i could find that "hidden category of art" I would just focus a little more and get a job on it.