Ritual is at it again! (concept artist)

[BoBo_the_seal]

Ritual Entertainment is looking for a well rounded concept artist or two. Ritual currently has two Triple A titles in development (Star Trek Elite Force 2 and Counterstrike Condition Zero) and is gearing up for our next set of titles (note: we are going to be doing an original, extremely twisted, ip so this will be a great opportunity to spread your wings!).

• Applicants must demonstrate the ability to create character, environment, and weapon concepts in both black & white and in color.
• Industry experience is a plus but is not required.
• Unfortunately this is only available for U.S. citizens.

If you are interested, or would like additional information, please feel free to email Rob Atkins. roba@ritual.com
I will forward all legitimate inquiries to my art director Rob Atkins
Thanks and I look forward to submissions, :)

Brian Jones
BoBo the seal
Character Artist
Ritual Entertainment
http://www.ritual.com

[tarwater]

Plus you'll get to work with the lovely........drum roll please......
me.....
yaaaayyyy!!!!
We can't talk much about our next major project, but trust me, it's awesome. I'm having a blast working on it.

[absinthe]

Hey, im really interested in sending in my work to you all...Would it be easier through email or regular mail?

thanks, mark s.

[BoBo_the_seal]

We prefer applicants to email us a link to their online portfolios or email us samples that best illustrate the above categories.

Thanks

- BoBo

[absinthe]

thanks for the info bobo....and tarwater i see you went to an art institute as well :) im up in the denver one...and i graduate in june :D i cant wait to get the hell out of there :chug:

[Verithin]

Can you answer the question as to why this position is available to U.S. citizens only?

Just curious...

Thanks

[BoBo_the_seal]

The response has been extremely great. I appreciate everyone who’s interested in the position and has submitted work. I do however need to list a few specifics of what we are looking for.

* This is an in-house position and relocation is required.

* Submissions without examples of work will not be considered.

* We are only hiring concept artist at the moment. We always welcome submissions for other positions but know that we do not have slots open for anything other than a concept artist at this time.

* We need someone who can demonstrate a wide array of abilities. So the following are what we will be looking for in your portfolio:
• Character concepts – we need to see that you are versed in character and creature design.
• Environment concepts – You must be able to concept anything from chairs to entire hallways/rooms. At least five examples are required.
• Weapons – a minimal of three weapons
• Color art – We need to see examples of both color comps that can be handed to a modeler/skinner. Full production illustrations are a plus.

Quite simply we are in need of a badass. We are looking for a person who can build a style and look for our next set of projects. Our upcoming projects are extremely exciting and we need the best we possibly can get. I’m not trying to scare anyone off. If you feel strongly about your work please send it in. We would love to see it.

Thanks,

- BoBo

[wallychairmover]

man, thanks alot for the checklist!

[Verithin]

Sounds like a GREAT gig... too bad it's a little out of my range, location wise. +, I'm Canadian eh!

good luck with the project!

[Phait]

Recently I've decided to spend some time - couple years.. working on my art skills. I've been drawing since I was 5 and I have the potential to be better. From an honest standpoint, I have some talent, it just has room to evolve. I'm hoping to be satisfied with my work enough to apply as a concept artist in the games industry - thats the direction I want to go (aside from texture artist/level design being alternatives)..

I already realise the need for a concept artist to be diverse in what they can conceptualize - this seems like a hinderance to me - it means alot more work and research for me - but I am going to keep pushing on and through.

Anyway, I wanted to ask if you had any input on this - a big question of mine is if most game developers require an art degree - or would they consider an artist if they had a strong portfolio? I realise that is possible - but has it become the norm?

And lastly is there any things you may be able to detail / elaborate on that I should know? Thank you very much, I appreciate it!

[Verithin]

Phait...

I was in charge of hiring art teams for Mainframe Entertainment (ReBoot, Beast Machines, Action Man etc.) as well as being a concept illustrator / Art director / production designer and I can tell you that IMHO... a GREAT portfolio is ALL people want to see...

If you can draw, come up with original concepts and have a wide range of skills... you'll be in much more demand. That being said there are a tonne of great schools out there that teach the approach of conceptual design and coming from those schools may add some weight to any portfolio...

Still... it's the work that matters.

As far as being great at only one style... I don't think that's too limiting... I mean, look at Pixar... all of their shows pretty well feel the same / look the same. There are house styles...

As well, most people, when reviewing a portfolio, are looking for a strong stylistic lean because they want their project to stand out, feel unique... don't beat yourself up chasing every possible angle... believe in yourself and your abilities. Try and get as much professional experience as you can and be open to critiques and growth opportunities...

Good luck!

[Phait]

Appreciate the input, Verithin! Thank you :)

[R_M]

Originally posted by Verithin
Can you answer the question as to why this position is available to U.S. citizens only?

Just curious...

Thanks

me too...
I am not on the hunt, but might be in the future...

[BoBo_the_seal]

This position requires relocation. It's simply much easier and more practical for us to work with someone who is already in the states.

I wish this wasn't the case. There are a lot of people I'd love to work with that are excluded because of this.

- BoBo

[Verithin]

Thanks for the reply BoBo...

Yup... always frustrating when you can't bring in the people you'd like to. In Canada productions are given tax credits by the Government IF they meet a proffessed Canadian content # within their key-creative group... so there were limits as to where you could place a non-Canadian... regardless of their talent...

Needless to say I found myself in the same boat as you... wanting to hire that perfect person but the situation wouldn't allow it...

[Nimrod]

Im here in Dallas (Denton actually), and am very interested in this position. However, since I am still in school and planned on living at home in Houston over the summer, I was wondering what availability this job would require? i.e. When would work start and what are the hours? I am willing to do whatever it takes to stay here for the summer if that's required, but I'll need some time to line something up; and for the fall, would it be impossible to accomodate a college student's schedule? Thanks in advance.

[R_M]

thanks Bobo

[CleptoCat]

Any idea how long its gonna take for someone to hear back from you guys

[BoBo_the_seal]

Originally posted by CleptoCat
Any idea how long its gonna take for someone to hear back from you guys

I'm extremely sorry it's taking so long. We were caught up in the E3 preparations so we had to put a hold on the concept artist search for a few weeks. We are back and are going through the submissions. I plan to reply to everyone who submitted once we've made a decision, so please be patient. In the mean time we are still accepting submissions so please get them in if you haven’t already.

Just some general tips for submitting work to a company for employment:

• Keep it simple. We would rather see a small sample of your BEST work then be bombarded by a large body of mediocre work. The more an employer sees, the greater the possibility they can pick apart and notice the flaws in your work. If the employer is interested, they WILL usually ask for additional art. For an example (as well as an example of what we are looking for) check out James Hawkens thread here:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6635
With a few images he easily illustrates his skill set and shows that he can concept a variety of subject matters.

• Research. Use the company’s track record to your advantage. Look into what type of product the company produces and adjust you portfolio to fit. For instance, keep in mind that we (Ritual) primarily make First Person Shooters and 3rd Person Action games. If you submit work make sure that you have examples of art in a style that is relevant to the types of games we produce. This doesn’t mean that every image has to be in this style (showing that you can adjust your work depending on the type of game is a good trait to show), but a good body of them should be. It wouldn’t really make since to send us a portfolio that ONLY consisted of cartoon styled art that would be more suited for a Platform game.

With that said, for those that have already submitted and would like to submit work more in line with the above criteria, please fill free to send in any updated work you'd like us to take a look at.

We have a great set of projects that are starting up soon. We need someone who can illustrate anything we throw at them and have the ability to completely drive the style and look of these projects. This is very much a senior position so only serious applicants please.

Thanks,

- BoBo

[CleptoCat]

Thx for the update Brian.

Ill keep an eye for the reply and will be sending you guys some more pics.

Cheers

[tegehel]

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6649

Also, one reason for US only is that dealing with Green Cards (or working permits) can be a massive PAIN in the a$$, not to mention expensive, frustrating, etc... it's not always the case, but when it is, O boy!

I say that because I had the "privilege" to have to deal with that issue (I was getting a working permit - followed by a Green Card - to get a job...took forever, had complications, lotsa paperworks, had to deal with the INS, etc...)

Don't get me wrong, some people will get a working permit very easily (Canada for instance), and some won't have any problems at all, but most companies don't want to take a chance if they don't have to.

Unless you're a genius, in which case they will make and take the time, most companies will keep looking for an individual within the country, or where the administrative work will stay reasonable.

From my personal experience.

C.

[bfaubion]

did anyone ever receive word from them about finding some artists or not? cause I took at least 8 hours to do some test pieces, which the art director wanted me to do... i thought it would have been nice to at least been kept up to date, or a simple "sorry, we've found someone else, thankyou" would have been appreciated. surely ritual has already hired somebody by now, but i guess it still bugs me since i spent that time to create some nice work, and i never got a response on their situation. is that how it usually goes with gaming companies? i'd actually forgotten about it, but i was browsing through here and it reminded me.

[azjohnl]

Yeah thats usually how it is with gaming companies, its nothing personal though its a we will contact you if we are interested thing

[bfaubion]

i've found that's the way it with most of the art job situations.. which i understand considering how many people want those type of jobs and the mass amounts of replies they get. i thought it would be different this time though because of the test work i produced. it's always nice to get a final yes or no.

[BoBo_the_seal]

Let me start by apologizing to everyone who has patiently been waiting for word on this position. Management had been pushing this back for months now and unfortunately I recently found out why. 6/13/03 was an extremely hard day at Ritual Entertainment. A few days after going gold on Star Trek Elite Force II, Ritual laid-off a majority of the EF2 team (myself included). They simply were unable to sign a new title (including the titles I alluded to in the above post) and couldn’t afford to have us sitting around until they could pick something up. For full details check out this thread over at Ritualistic:
http://www.ritualistic.com//forums/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB11&Number=121699&page=1&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1

I just want everyone to know that ALL submissions have been forwarded to Ritual’s owner and art director Rob Atkins. I have also recommended a number of you for the position. I’m not sure when this position will be available but I do know they will need a concept artist in the upcoming months as they finish their current projects (Counterstrike Condition Zero for the PC and Counterstrike for the X-box) and get ready for their next endeavors. I still feel a great deal for the company and if offered I would be back in a heart beat. The guys at Ritual are topnotch and it’s unfortunate that this happened but please don’t let it discourage anyone from pursuing any opportunities there.

All future submissions and follow up emails should go to Rob Atkins roba@ritual.com

Again I’m sorry about this and good luck to everyone.

- BoBo

[Grooveholmes]

Hard times Bobo, Chin up though man.. ;)
I've got every faith in you and know that the industry will be very open to you in any direction you choose to go. Good luck out there, and keep moving forward!

[R_M]

Bummer.

[otis]

This is one thing I really HATE about the game industry. There are too many game developers and not enough business people running these companies. Regular layoffs in ANY other industry is catastrophic, but in the Game industry people now ACCEPT it as a regular thing.
Maybe this is why a good title comes around ever couple of years, and most suck?? I've been in this industry for only 3 years now and employee turnover, not to mention company life-spans are short! I don't see how this industry will last with this kind of track record. Not to mention the blood, sweat and sacrifices people make doing long uncompensated hours for their publishers! I can see why game developers need a union.

I could go on and on, but if you plan on getting into this industry, don't expect stability, or having a life outside of your job. And above all, find yourself a good group of people who you enjoy working with, cause you will be spending your WHOLE year(s) with them. Hell i should post this in another forum, but I wanted Bobo to know that he is not alone, and it happenes ALL THE TIME. ( I don't think it HAS TO.)



:mad:

[Kortez]

I'm sorry to hear about that Bobo. I just wanna wish you the best of luck in the job hunting process.

[tegehel]

otis, man, I can relate.

I know of companies who had to lay off 1/3 of their employees due to economic problems, then once they got their shit together (a new contract or whatnot), had to hire new people to fill the vacancy, then over time, get rid of some others while hiring new ones. Weirdest shit.

It's a _relatively_ standard cleanup procedure that depends a lot on whether or not you can get a contract on time. Unless your company's backed-up by big names (and even that doesn't mean total security), you will have that potential problem of not having a job next month. Games companies are notorious for that.

Now, don't get me wrong, there are VERY successful game companies out there and they will be okay for a long time, mostly because their products do very well, they produce quality and/or because the leaders know their shit (THAT's a big one - not all leaders have a clue.)

However, it always sucks to here people losing their jobs, it's a bust to the ego, if nothing else.

However, other companies ARE LOOKING for talented artists. I don't want to gloat, just making a point here, but I rather regularly get offers as Art Director position or Lead Artist and the likes, so the positions are there. I just don't want to fill them myself, so more room for you guys :)

Good luck to you all,

C.

PS: here's a link (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6649) to the basics of getting a job in the game industry and the basic of what you need to know. I will mirror THIS thread in the other thread just to show the downside of the industry. The more you know, the better prepared you will be.

[bfaubion]

hey brian, thanks for replying. sorry that had to happen to you, i know from experience its a bummer loosing a job that you really like because of budget. thanks for the link tehegal. i guess for me, moving back to texas for a job like this wouldnt be smart anyways, considering what you guys say. and no mattter how cool the work, i must have a life outside of work...to do my own artwork.

[otis]

AMEN TO THAT!!!

I'm almost sick of the thought of making Millions of dollars for some other guy. Think about it: When you design a Lead character or ALL the characters to a HUGE successfull title, the artists gets nothing! All the toys, movies, merchandise,.. etc.are property of the employer. WORK FOR HIRE is such Bullshit, but you will never find a company who will hire a concept artist any other way.

Artists have to realize that they are WORTH more and have more value than they realize. I only wish we can someday destroy the whole mentality of work for hire in the game and entertainment industry. I mean you think Geiger (sp) would ever sign some work for hire contract??? And don't single him out "cuase he is Geiger" ..we all are or have the potential to be just as successfull. But as long as artists keep getting taken advantage of, we will continue to make the same amount of money as illustrators made in the 30's, and never keep the right to our creations.


Just a thought..

[tegehel]

It's H.R. Giger (from Switzerland), and they made a game a while back (available on Amiga at least) called DARKSEED that had Giger art in it. The game stank, but it had the cool atmosphere. I don't know what role he had in it, but his name was on the product. Was it work for hire? I have no idea.

C.

[Grooveholmes]

No doubt, too true.
(Not to steer this way off topic) I'm finding a big problem in my area of game companies not wanting to hire artists but wanting them to work for free. Which is just a massive slap in the face in my opinion. I even had one tell me that i would have the "Chance" of winning an xbox in 8 months depending on how hard I work compared to the other people in that time. Tell me how many xbox's i could buy with one paycheck.:rant: Honestly I'm tempted to report the next place who wants me to work for free for software piracy, cause you know if they don't want to pay thier talent they aren't paying for the software. There must be some way for us to protect our rights. Hell maybe a Gamedevelopers union like Otis suggested would be a good idea.

[bfaubion]

Grooveholms... they were offering you a "chance" ?!!! oh man, i cant believe that. i think i had an instructor tell me that the rates that illustrators make hasnt changed much over the last 30 years or so.... considering inflation....that sucks! and now there are the big stock art companies who offer stock illustrations for sell. man... its great if you are buying, but it sucks for the artists over the long haul. can photographers make a living anymore? mmm, probably not, why.stock photography. but people give in, cause it gets harder to make a living doing it and bills need to be paid. so i can either be paid jack for doing something i like, or something else i hate. so businesses know they can get somebody to do it for jack.... all so the ceo's and the guys around the table can "advance" themselves, they are in the business of making money.i could go on forever.... i have also wondered off topic.

[bfaubion]

is there a union for other varieties of artists? i think the animation industry is worse.... eventually, all the animators were laid of and the work taken overseas... i guess the profits just werent big enough. not to mention, after each project is done, time to find another job.

[Muttonhead]

bfaubion - THere is something called the "Graphic Artists Guild" which sets a lot of standards fro freelance artists/illustrators. It is not so much a union as it is a guild where artsists can go to get health insurance or legal advice. They also put out a book every few years which gives you sample documents like invoices, etc, and tells you what you should charge for your work.

It would be hard to have a "union" for artists, because most freelancers work from home and are their own bosses, and there is no salary structure to it.

A couple of thoughts:

Otis - i agree with your frustration, but the whole point of a collaborative project is the fact that the only way it will happen is through the efforts of many people, and a few people who have money. Star Wars would never be made without George Lucas's money, just as it would not be made without all the artists he hires. BUT what the artists get is a stable job with benefits for a set amount of time, and all of the equipment they possibly need.

If you have an idea for a game, you would need to hire people to help you make it. But lets say one of the artists you hired came up with an idea for a acharacter in the game, and then decided half way through the project that he was going to quit, take his character to another team, and make a game based on that character? Would you think that was fair?

I am not happy about turning over my ideas to someone else either, but I can at least see it from another perspective.

Luckily, you CAN make individual illustrations and sell the 1st printing rights to them and retain ownership of the pieces for whatever purposes you want, but that is generally in the advertising/publishing world. You just have to make sure that you send them a contract stating as much.

PLUS, you can often negotiate with employers as well. Actually, I am doing some work for a studio now where I had to sign a Non-disclosure, but the owner put a clause in it that said that once the game is released or canceled, I can use my illos for whatever I want, including selling them for profit.

The other option is selling your illustrations as fine art, publishing your own comic book, which requires far less man-power.

I hate "work-forhire" too, but sometimes it is neccessary on a large project like a movie or video game. Just some thoughts.

-Muttonhead

[otis]

I hear you muttonhead, but I've never come across a company that was willing to offer Royalties, rights to the work after being published. I just think if only one person designs a major character for a movie, game, etc and he is the sole designer, then he/she should get some rights.