by Eliott Lilly | Oct 14, 2015 | FAQ, Questions
I’M THINKING OF DOING A GRADUATE PROGRAM OR GETTING MY MFA. DO I EVEN NEED AN MFA DEGREE? WHERE DO YOU THINK IS A STRONG PLACE THAT I CAN GO?
First ask yourself: “Why do I need an MFA?” (In this industry, no one checks for school credentials; only portfolio and job experience). If you need an MFA for the degree (Perhaps you will want to teach at a college in the future) then that’s one thing. If however you simply need more time after college to develop your portfolio, then an MFA might not be the most viable source as it may not focus on targeting your work towards a job in the industry. Instead, I would recommend attending a concept art focused school for a year or two. Either way, check out the recommended resources page for a list of reputable schools.
If anyone has their own questions, please feel free to send an email to me@eliottlillyart.com, and I will do my best to answer them.
by Eliott Lilly | Oct 12, 2015 | Portfolio Advice, Questions
FIRST OF ALL I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE YOU A SPECIAL THANKS FOR THE GREAT ARTICLE ON ART STATION:
10 THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU APPLY FOR A CONCEPT ART JOB
I REALLY ENJOYED IT AND FOUND IT VERY USEFUL. MY NAME IS HASAN SALAMAH AND I LIVE IN KUWAIT. I JUST STARTED STUDYING 3D STUDIO MAX ON MY OWN SINCE THERE ARE VERY FEW 3D SCHOOLS/ INSTITUTES WHO TEACH 3D MAX HERE. I STARTED BY DESIGNING SIMPLE CHARACTERS BECAUSE I ENJOYED IT, BUT WHAT I WANT TO ASK YOU IS: HOW CAN I DISCOVER WHAT I NEED TO STUDY IN 3D MAX? ALSO, WHAT SHOULD I STUDY IN 3D MODELING? CHARACTER OR ENVIRONMENT DESIGN OR … ETC?
THANKS.
Hey Hasan, I am glad you liked the article on ArtStation.
If you are having a hard time finding a school in Kuwait that specializes in 3D modeling, then you will have to go elsewhere to learn. While schooling can be extremely beneficial, a lot of the same information can be found online at various websites for free. Luckily the internet is your friend. Head over to my Resources Page and check out the “Schools” and “Tutorial” sections; they should get you pointed in the right direction. Just remember: self studying can be a great way to learn, but you need to remain diligent and focused in your studies, otherwise you may end up “plateauing” artistically.
While I think you should practice and learn as much as you can in all areas of 3D modeling, at some point, you will need to focus your portfolio to land a job in this industry. The good news is that you are already asking yourself the right questions such as: “What do I want to specialize in- hard surface modeling or characters?”
Everyone gravitates towards character design naturally, but the reality is that there are fewer jobs available for 3D character modelers than there are for environment modelers.
That is because in any game or movie, there may only be a handful of characters on screen, but may be 3 times more environments. That means that studios have a greater need for environment artists than character artists. As such the competition for these few character jobs is extremely high and unless your modeling skills are amazing, then you likely wont get the job. Therefore, you may want to start building your environment and props portfolio.
For a more in depth look, I suggest you check out:The Big Bad World of Concept Art For Video Games; An Insiders Guide For Students It is a guide book for students just like you and answers ALL of your questions and more. It is written for concept artists, but every word in the book holds true and is relevant for anyone who wants to be a 3d artist. Chapter 1 is an overview and describes what its like to work in the industry. Chapter 2 discusses which schools you should attend, what you should be studying and how to make the most of your education. Chapter 3 talks about the things you should be learning outside of school to cultivate your talents, and Chapter 4 discusses how to build a portfolio to get the job you want in the industry. Chapter 5 offers words of wisdom and insight from some of the leading concept artists in the industry. There’s even a recommended resources chapter in the back of the book to get you started.
I hope that helps.
by Eliott Lilly | Oct 7, 2015 | Questions
Question submitted by Devere, W.
CAN I USE THE FREE VERSION OF GOOGLE’S SKETCH UP FOR COMMERCIAL PROJECTS? IF SO, WHICH ONE?
Hmm, I’m not sure- you’d have to check with their user guidelines. (I wouldn’t want to give you bad information. Each program and company sets their own end user agreements and guidelines. You will have to read their fine print). In the past, I’ve only used Sketchup for my personal work, I found it helpful when making environments and such, but I have since moved on to other programs. (Like Modo/ 3DS Max, etc.) It is amazing to see how you can progress from the free options to more powerful programs on the market, though.
For what its worth, I generally don’t use free software on commercial projects. Many people do, though, and there’s no shame in that. It is why sites like Fileproto.com exist, after all. Still, I personally believe that if you are making a living as a professional, then you should support the people who make your software, so they can make a living too. As such, I own licenses for the software I use commercially. If you are a student, however, you can take advantage of all kinds of free, or severely reduced cost software. For example, take a look at the free fonts on https://www.fontspace.com/commercial-fonts that are specifically designed with commercial projects in mind. You may want to check with your school, or software manufacturer directly to discover what kind of discounts you are eligible for.
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
