by Hector Ruiz | Feb 12, 2016 | Resources
An Interview with concept artist Jonathan Guzi
This week ending 02/13/16 we have gathered a YouTube interview from concept artist and designer Emmanuel Shiu. In this interview, he talks to concept artist Jonathan Guzi about how to get a job in concept art. Jonathan goes through his early stages of working while going to school all the way to building a valuable mentorship that ultimately gave way to a job in the industry. If you are starting out or wondering about concept art, check this video out and see Jonathan’s journey. Enjoy!
Click on the link below:
How to get a Job in the Concept Art: An Interview with Jonathan Guzi
Also:
Check out Feng Zhu’s podcast on landing a job in concept art by clicking on the link below.
Landing that Job
Want to help us grow our resources section? If a resource has helped you greatly please e-mail it to me or any suggestions
to: me@eliottlillyart.com. I will be keeping this list updated as I discover new entries. Thank you--
by Eliott Lilly | Feb 8, 2016 | Interviews
Kalen Chock is a concept artist and illustrator working in the video game and entertainment industry.
Professional Portfolio
Check http://www.robotpencil.net/ to learn about Kalen’s mentorship opportunities
Visit http://gumroad.com/k04sk for Kalen’s affordable art tutorials
Educational background:
Number of years in industry: 9
Projects worked on: Pirates Treasure Hunters , Dust , various Film Pitch Projects , various TV commercials .
Kalen Chock’s current portfolio examples:
In this first part of the interview, we asked Kalen Chock specific questions about what it’s like to be a concept artist in the entertainment industry, discuss some of the one-the-job challenges, as well as his educational background. Here’s what he had to say:
HOW OLD WERE YOU WHEN YOU DECIDED TO COMMIT TO BEING AN ARTIST? WHAT WERE YOUR MOTIVATIONS/ INSPIRATIONS?
I was kind of late to “Concept Art”- I didn’t know I wanted to pursue it until my last year of school. At my school we only had one class of digital painting (which was background design) and although I enjoyed the class, I was still exploring alternate skill sets (mainly modeling, animation, vfx, etc.). Ultimately, I realized that I liked painting on a tablet and concept art was something that I really enjoyed. It also helped, that I was pretty much surrounded by passionate artists all the time; Anthony Jones, Edgar Cardona, Nino Aguilar, and Mio Rosario, to name a few. They were the best in the school.
WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES ABOUT YOUR JOB?
I think the biggest challenges are usually non art related. I always say: “Art is easy- life is hard”. (Which I still think is true).
I was young when I had my first art job (about 22, I think), and it was a challenge learning how to be a professional, networking, and adjusting to studio life. Everything from taking art direction, making mistakes and then getting scolded by the boss, to dealing with office politics, and even things like paying back student loans, taxes, balancing my personal time, were all life lessons I had to learn over the years.
It wasn’t easy, but I guess that’s just the pressure that comes with being an adult. The only solace that I can find is that I’m not the only person who is going through this. In fact, some people closer to home have also experienced a similar sort of thing than me. Most of the time it comes down to student loans, and some of my friends have had to get creative with how they pay it off. Most of them decided to look at this article from GoFundMe, (https://www.gofundme.com/c/blog/how-to-get-rid-of-debt) to see how crowdfunding can help them to get back on track with their finances. And it’s a brilliant idea if you ask me. Why didn’t I think of it? If it helps you to focus on other things, like art in my case, then why shouldn’t you try it?
I got through it eventually, but it wasn’t easy that’s for sure. Those lessons were tougher to adjust to, as opposed to learning color, perspective, texturing … etc.
CAN YOU SHARE A PERSONAL STORY, ABOUT A HARD LESSON THAT YOU LEARNED (ON THE BUSINESS OR ARTISTIC SIDE OF THINGS), THAT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED, HAD YOU BEEN BETTER INFORMED?
I have been rather lucky for the most part and haven’t had too many crazy hard lessons that I had to learn.
Only thing I can think of is save your work . You never know when a studio might lay you off and you will have nothing to show for it . If you can’t save your work then do a bunch of personal work on the side.
A few of Kalen Chock’s student examples:
-
-
high school work
-
-
1st year of college
-
-
1st year of college
-
-
3rd year of college
DID YOU STUDY OR TAKE ADDITIONAL CLASSES/ LESSONS, OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL? IF SO, HOW FREQUENTLY? ARE THERE ANY CLASSES YOU TOOK WHICH SURPRISINGLY HELPED YOU IN THE LONG RUN MORE THAN YOU THOUGHT THEY WOULD?
I attended the Concept Design Academy while I was also enrolled at The Art Institute (during in my last year). I believe that we are students of art until the day we die, so I am always open to learning when I can. In fact, I currently go to life drawing at least once a week, try to practice traditional painting every other week, and I even take online classes to up my skills. It’s also important to do things that are non art related as well. To help clear my mind, I play lots of soccer and basketball when I can. Or I’ll run with my dog every morning, or do some martial arts when I can. Staying active mentally and physically is a good thing.
DID YOU HAVE ANY OUTSIDE HELP PUSHING YOU ALONG WITH YOUR TRAINING? FROM A MENTOR, PASSIONATE TEACHER? FAMILY? FELLOW STUDENT?
Yes; I have been lucky enough to be surrounded by amazing people and have had mentors, teachers, family and friends all impacting my life in a positive manner. No one gets to where they are without some help. Though it’s not necessary to have a mentor, they can be pretty helpful to have around; especially when it comes to seeking guidance for life problems.
My motto has always been: Prepare to walk this road alone if necessary, but take help if it is offered.
HOW VALUABLE WILL GETTING AN EDUCATION FROM A UNIVERSITY OR COLLEGE BE FOR ASPIRING ARTISTS WHO WANT TO BREAK INTO THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY? SHOULD THEY ATTEND A REGULAR SCHOOL WITH A LIBERAL ARTS PROGRAM? A 4 YEAR ART SCHOOL? OR JOB SPECIFIC TRADE SCHOOL (LIKE GNOMON, CONCEPT DESIGN ACADEMY, FZD, ETC). OTHER?
I get this questions a lot and to be honest it really depends on the type of person you are .
NOTHING is guaranteed in art. Therefore, going to art school will not guarantee you a job, just as being self taught will not guarantee you a job either.
To me it really just depends on on your personal circumstances and how you like to learn. We are fortunate to be in a time where one can take many different paths to get to the same destination . I think if you talk to a self taught artist who is successful vs a university art student who is successful. Chances are they will have very different backgrounds and upbringings which awesome, but one thing you will find similar across all paths of successful artists is that they worked super super super hard. Granted some paths are much cheaper than others but to me I don’t really think about the price -I simply think about if it will help me get to my destination and if it’s feasible.
This concludes Part 1 of our interview with Kalen Chock. In Part two, we discuss with Kalen his Dos and DONTs of portfolio building, how he branded and marketed himself in the beginning, and much more. All images used with permission by the artist. ©Kalen Chock
by Eliott Lilly | Feb 8, 2016 | Interviews
Kalen Chock is a concept artist and illustrator working in the video game and entertainment industry.
Professional Portfolio
Check http://www.robotpencil.net/ to learn about Kalen’s mentorship opportunities
Visit http://gumroad.com/k04sk for Kalen’s affordable art tutorials
Educational background:
Number of years in industry: 9
Projects worked on: Pirates Treasure Hunters , Dust , various Film Pitch Projects , various TV commercials .
Kalen Chock’s current portfolio examples:
If you haven’t already, be sure to check out Part one of this interview, where we asked him specific questions about what it’s like to be a concept artist in the entertainment industry, discuss some of the one-the-job challenges, as well as his educational background. Here, in part two of this interview, we ask Kalen Chock specific questions about building his portfolio, marketing himself in the industry and more. Here’s what Kalen Chock had to say:
HOW DID YOU STRUCTURE THE PORTFOLIO THAT LANDED YOU YOUR FIRST GIG? CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE TYPE OF WORK YOU HAD IN IT? WHAT STUDIO/ CLIENT WERE YOU APPROACHING- DID YOUR PORTFOLIO CATER TO THEM SPECIFICALLY? OR WAS IT MORE GENERAL?
To be honest my portfolio was terrible and had no structure; To this day I am not sure how I got hired . It was mostly just random environment paintings that I thought would be cool. I had only been doing it for about 8-9 months when I graduated so I was barely starting out. I did have a couple of characters and props, but for the most part it was all environments. Like a noob when I created a portfolio I didn’t know anything about tailoring my portfolio towards certain studios and clients. At that time I just focusing on creating paintings that didn’t suck.
HOW DID YOU HUNT DOWN YOUR FIRST JOBS IN THE INDUSTRY? FRIEND/ WORD OF MOUTH/ APPLIED ONLINE? IF YOU WERE JUST STARTING OUT TODAY, AS AN INTERMEDIATE DIGITAL ARTIST, WHAT TACTICS WOULD YOU EMPLOY TO LAND A GIG INTO THIS INDUSTRY?
Like most fairy tale stories of people who went to art school, when you graduate you have a portfolio show – which, if you’re lucky, a few employers will come and check out the fresh talent. I was lucky enough to meet a guy named Chad Lichty who was the producer of small startup game studio at the time. He saw my work at the show and a month later offered me a part time job (which eventually turned into full time work) He was the guy who gave me my first shot in the industry. To this day I owe that guy the world for believing in me enough to give me work even though in my mind I was not ready. Same thing goes for Brian McRae who was my art director at that time.
If you are an intermediate artist starting today, then my advice is just make good work, post where people can see it, and go to industry events to meet people. Usually those 3 things will land you work in some capacity. From there you just have build on it.
HOW DO YOU CURRENTLY PROMOTE YOUR ARTWORK? (WEBSITE ONLY? ON SOCIAL MEDIA? BOTH?) DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR ASPIRING ARTISTS FIRST STARTING OUT, WHO NEED TO PROMOTE THEMSELVES.
I just create work, post it where people can see it, and be an active member in the artistic community. That last one is where I feel most people fall short. Most artist will post stuff and just wait for the applause and likes, but won’t “comment” and “like” other peoples work. I also see a lot of artists who get caught up in “status”, meaning they will only talk and be friends with an artist if they work at a big studio or can somehow help them elevate their own career. Most people can see right through it so being genuine is a big thing to me.
I think giving back is important, so make sure you’re active in the community; whether it’s connecting with artists, going to events, helping other artists, you should want to help create a better environment for the community of artists and in turn, yourself.
Don’t be afraid to let others in on your art journey, people love to see improvement. Its OK if you’re not amazing at the moment, no one is. If you constantly improve and post your work, then people will notice it and they will always look forward to your next “leveling up” moment.
WHAT QUALITIES DO YOU ASPIRE TO THAT DISTINGUISHES YOUR ARTWORK FROM OTHER ARTISTS? WHAT LED YOU TO DEVELOP THOSE QUALITIES? (FOR EXAMPLE: DO YOU PRIDE YOURSELF ON YOUR RENDERING ABILITIES? DESIGN SENSIBILITIES/ STYLE? BRUSH WORK? ETC). WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR ARTIST WHO WANT TO OBTAIN A “STYLE” TO THEIR LOOK.
Personally, I think “style” is something you develop when you’re much older and after you have lots of experience under your belt. You’re taste and mindset will change over time so I know if I do a style now, then I probably won’t like 6 months from now . Therefore, I am constantly exploring anything and everything. There isn’t much I really pride myself on at the moment, but I have been told on few occasions that people “love” my color choices, so I guess I can go with that one for now.
This concludes Part 2 of our interview with Kalen Chock. if you would like to read more, check out Kalen’s Words Of Wisom. All images used with permission by the artist. ©Kalen Chock
by Eliott Lilly | Sep 30, 2015 | Interviews
Sebastian Gromann is a freelance Concept Designer working in the entertainment industry currently living in Berlin, Germany.
Portfolio: www.sebastiangromann.com
Art Station: http://www.artstation.com/artist/SebastianGromann
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sebastian.gromann
Sebastian Gromann’s Current portfolio examples:
If you haven’t already, be sure to check out Part 1 of this interview, where we asked Sebastian Gromann specific questions about what it’s like to be a concept artist in the entertainment industry, dispel a few common misconceptions that aspiring artists tend to have about the field, and discuss his educational background. Here, in part two of this interview, we asked him specific questions about, building his portfolio, marketing himself in the industry and more. Here’s what Sebastian Gromann had to say:
HOW DID YOU STRUCTURE THE PORTFOLIO THAT LANDED YOU YOUR FIRST GIG? DID YOUR PORTFOLIO CATER TO THEM SPECIFICALLY? OR WAS IT MORE GENERAL?
In 2011 I was contacted by the amazing Tobias Mannewitz (whose concept work for the Game Of Thrones series you have surely seen already). He was browsing the artwork I posted on a German forum called digitalartforum.de and invited me to their Studio KARAKTER. At that time I was beginning my studies at a university in Berlin and hadn’t thought of applying anywhere since I felt that my works weren’t reliable enough. Speaking of which, at the time, I hadn’t set up a proper portfolio as I have now.
If time allows I always try to match my portfolio to the client’s needs. I also remind myself that my portfolio is only as good as the worst image displayed.
HOW DO YOU DISTINGUISH YOURSELF FROM OTHER ARTISTS? (RENDERING ABILITIES? DESIGN SENSIBILITIES/ STYLE? BRUSH WORK? ETC). WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR ARTIST WHO WANT TO OBTAIN A “STYLE” TO THEIR LOOK.
This is a tough one, Eliott. I read about the style question a lot and I think that artists, myself included, shouldn’t worry about obtaining a certain “style” too early. Style is something that develops over time, it´s kind of the essence of an artist reflecting his aesthetic beliefs and preferences. I wouldn’t recommend copying someone else’s style. Instead, figure out why you are so attracted to this particular way of painting and analyze the artistic influences.
You should concentrate on painting the stuff you like the way you like. Style will rise slowly but steady, no matter what.
Speaking of myself, I like to see “style“ as being a traveling case labeled with stickers. My preferences change quickly depending on the subject I’m currently into and with each studied topic I’ll add a sticker. Right now, for instance, I love to study cinematic framing and let that flow into my daily work. This way my stickers are constantly stacking and determining the look of my travel case – therefore my artistic style.
This concludes part 2 of our interview with Sebastian Gromann . If you haven’t already, be sure to head on over t o Sebastian Gromann’s Words of Wisdom to read more..
All images used with permission by the artist. ©Sebastian Gromann
by Eliott Lilly | Sep 30, 2015 | Interviews
Sebastian Gromann is a freelance Concept Designer working in the entertainment industry currently living in Berlin, Germany.
Portfolio: www.sebastiangromann.com
Art Station: http://www.artstation.com/artist/SebastianGromann
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sebastian.gromann
Sebastian Gromann’s Current portfolio examples:
In this first part of the interview, we asked Sebastian Gromann specific questions about what it’s like to be a concept artist in the entertainment industry, dispel a few common misconceptions that aspiring artists tend to have about the field, and discuss his educational background. Here’s what he had to say:
AT WHAT AGE DID YOU COMMIT TO BECOMING A PROFESSIONAL ARTIST? WHAT WERE YOUR MOTIVATIONS/ INSPIRATIONS?
I was always passionate about being creative and was filling some blank papers here and there in my early childhood. But I only started to take art seriously when I received my copy of the Guildwars artbook back in 2008. I was totally amazed by the artworks of Daniel Dociu, Jamie Jones and Richard Anderson (flaptraps), to name a few. I found out that creating that imaginary stuff I loved is actually a job called concept art, which you can do for a living.
From that day on I spent most of my free time learning how to draw and paint. The popular website conceptart.org was an enormous influence and motivational boost for me.
WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES OF YOUR JOB AS AN ARTIST WORKING IN THIS INDUSTRY?
The job of a concept artist brings a daily dose of exciting obstacles. It’s fun to solve creative problems every day and come up with interesting visuals, but at the same time this is also one of the biggest challenges. It’s tough to come up with something new every time, making stuff work and appealing and find a balance between your standards and the requirements of your client.
CAN YOU SHARE A PERSONAL STORY, ABOUT A HARD LESSON THAT YOU LEARNED (ON THE BUSINESS OR ARTISTIC SIDE OF THINGS), THAT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED, HAD YOU BEEN BETTER INFORMED?
One very important lesson I learned and am actually still learning is how valuable time constraints are. This is actually referring to both mentioned sides, the artistic and business one. My first month working at a studio I struggled a lot with finishing my daily tasks. I sometimes caught myself noodling around and repeating a known method without giving myself a specific stopover. I didn’t know any better since the artworks I created for myself at that time were formed by very organic workflow decisions. Furthermore, personal works don’t have any deadlines, which means that I could basically jump from one unfinished spot within the painting to another until I was satisfied with the overall result. This isn’t always a bad thing though, but it’s kinda obstructive when you need to finish a given task within a set time frame, remembering that time is still money. I now know that there are Powerful tools for artists that are available and can help you with all aspects of the job whether it be invoicing or time management. I have learned to utilize all that is available to me.
I personally need to plan ahead and write down small goals I want to archive within a certain time. Writing steps down also forces me to make up my mind on how I should tackle each step. This increases my overall efficiency to a considerable degree.
Sebastian Gromann’s student work from 2008:
IN THIS DAY AND AGE OF INEXPENSIVE AND EASILY ACCESSIBLE ONLINE TRAINING MATERIALS (YOUTUBE VIDEOS, GUMROAD TUTORIALS, ETC.), HOW VALUABLE DO YOU BELIEVE, GETTING AN EDUCATION FROM A UNIVERSITY OR COLLEGE WILL BE FOR ASPIRING ARTISTS WHO WANT TO BREAK INTO THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY?
Generally speaking there’s no need for an aspiring artist to graduate from a university or college, because no one is going to ask you about your degree.
Your portfolio and skills are the verification that counts in this industry.
I would also say that it tremendously depends on the individual person. There are numerous concept artists who are fully self taught and broke into the industry with the help of online resources and self-sufficient learning only. Others might need motivational boosts from like-minded people participating together in various art classes.
From my point of view one can always benefit from attending a study program, even if it’s not one’s direct passion or pursued job. For example: the study program I graduated from focuses on game design, (it’s mechanics and process) rather than on game art. As a result, I have learned the basic requirements of game development, and I understand what the guys coming after me in the production pipeline will require of my concepts.
Sebastian Gromann’s student work from 2010:
DID YOU HAVE ANY OUTSIDE HELP PUSHING YOU ALONG WITH YOUR TRAINING? LIKE A MENTOR, OR PASSIONATE TEACHER?
I didn’t have any personal mentor, but I was always surrounded by amazing colleagues and likeminded friends. We were always making sure to help one another and to push each other to the next level.
You’ll get an enormous knowledge boost if you surround yourself with people who are better than you.
Sebastian Gromann’s student work from 2012:
DID YOU STUDY OR TAKE ADDITIONAL CLASSES OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL?
Quite frequently my colleagues and I would attend life drawing sessions with a live model or go straight into the wilderness to draw from nature. It was very refreshing to step away from the computer for a moment and concentrate on real life objectives. Having an evening chat with friends while refining your drawing skills is always great fun, too.
This concludes part 1 of our interview with Sebastian Gromann . In part two, we discuss his Dos and DONTs of portfolio building, How he branded and marketed himself in the beginning, and much more. Head on over to continue reading.
All images used with permission by the artist. ©Sebastian Gromann