How to get into the industry?

[Warhead82]

Hi, i am 17 years, old close to 18. I have a great career goal i want to do. I would like to be a conceptual artist, for a game company. I want to get into the industry.

My question is:

Can i get into the game industry, by being self taught, getting good by training myself with all these great tutorials, everywhere, help from people, pros, etc.. And just build up a hopefully strong, portfolio and hand it in??

- Also what is needed in your portfolio, to get into the industry, what are the requirements to have on it, what are they employers looking for etc??

Can someone please help me, it will be well appreciated.

Thank you. :)

[otis]

Be the best you can be, and you will hit your goal. It doesn't matter how you got so good, you just have to be it.

Just be warned: Work as a concept artist is not in high demand, making it even harder to find work. Hopefully this will change.

[Warhead82]

I heard, different, one guy from radical entertainment, when i was going to go test games, he said lots of kids want to get into gaming, but, we really need the artists.

:D

[otis]

Artists are not the same thing as concept artists. "artists" are usualy production artists like modelers, textures mappers, animators, etc.

Concept artists are Pre-production artists.

[dyoung]

Hey Warhead82-

Otis is so right, it's like the fine print of the Game Industry... Artist=3D... Unless it says concept artist in big bold print, then you need to know 3D... and even then knowing a 3D program will help.... As for being self taught... The pres of Scion Studios told me once that it's not important how the product got to look so good, only that it looks good... take that for what it's worth...

But anyways... pickins are slim these days for concept artists... like otis says, hopefully that will change...

dyoung

[otis]

Dam, that guy sounds like a jack ass.

[dyoung]

Hey Otis,
I hope that wasn't refering to me... I hope I didn't offend anyone or sound rude... If you were referring to the guy at Scion, nah he was cool... he was just trying to help me understand that it really only matters what the end product is. Everything else is irrelivant. It's a sucky thing though... LOL

anyways best to you Warhead in breaking into the industry. The absolute best thing you can do it learn a 3D program like 3D Studio Max or Maya... but keep up your 2D skills too. The absolute WORST thing you can do is give up... It gets tough... believe you me... but you can't doubt yourself.

hope that helps.

dyoung

[Leopoldo]

Yes, Warhead, you can. That's the exact way I did it.

I'm self taught and I've been in the industry for circa a dozen years now.

Go for it!

/L

www.fabpics.com

[otis]

of course I wasn't referning to you dyoung. But this is why I hate the game industry. Typically in any other business you value your employees becuase you invest alot in them. But since the game industry is so volitile, and chaotic, people have just gotten accustomed to moving from job to job, and companies just have to find new talent all the time. . IMOP, these companies don't last long and far and few are succesfull becuase of this ideolgy. No wonder so many games suck nowadays.

[dyoung]

Otis-
Sorry for the misunderstanding... LOL Amen though on your comments. You raise some excellent points. Volatile and Chaotic are great ways to describe the industry. I'm so new to the whole scene though that I haven't had the exposure that you and the others have. But I believe what you say, the people I have talked to are always talking about how they move around from place to place. I don't know how people can support families that way but that's just me.

Kudos my friend!
dyoung

[dyoung]

Otis, by the way nice website, I just checked it out. Your work is friggin amazing.
dyoung

[Warhead82]

Leopoldo


Hey - Thanks man, thats what i was hoping to here, i was starting to worry there. My uncles friend got into electronic arts, by just handing in a portfolio, he didnt go to school or anything.


And all you other guys thanks also for responding.

[thecrow]

I am living proof of that. You need to have a solid back ground in art.
Watch momvent, colors in nature. Have a sketch pad with you at all times.
MOST OF ALL!! Lisiten to others crits of your work. Get a hard skin, because if you dont you will run a way crying. Never give up..work hard, the way I look at it, others are doing it so I know I can to.

Best of luck
Crow

[Hagac]

If you want a fast way into the industry, develop your 2d skills as much as you can. Your goal should be able to paint and draw as well as Craig Mullins, to model as well as Bay Raitt and to texture better than anything else out there.

These people are our competition.

Learning 3d is key. You MUST learn 3d software, but not neglect your 2d abilities. The company I work for gets tons of reels. Lots of really talented 2d artists. Lots of really talented 3d artists. They're all sitting on the floor.

Do you know who's reel they're interested in? The people who do both...

[dyoung]

Hey Hagac,

That about sums it up in a nutshell... I wish that they had told me that when I was going through Art School... now I'm trying to play catch up... learning 3D while keeping my 2d up all the while applying to anywhere and everywhere while working a regular job! LOL it's quite a balancing act, but I'm sure the end justifies the means.

dyoung