by Eliott Lilly | Nov 9, 2015 | Questions
Quesion submitted by Joe z
I’VE BEEN WORKING CONSISTENTLY AS A REMOTE CONTRACTOR ON A CONSOLE GAME FOR ABOUT 7 MONTHS NOW… WHAT KIND OF STEPS SHOULD I TAKE TO SECURE FUTURE EMPLOYMENT WHILE I AM CURRENTLY WORKING ON A PROJECT?
If you are working on one project, and want to secure future employment on another, then here is what you should do:
4-6 months before the project is scheduled to end:
Figure out if you are on the right career path. (Do you want to stay in this same line of work?) Figure out what other studios you might be a good fit for. Assuming you want to stay in the same area of concept art, then on your own time, create a new body of work in the same vein of what you have been doing for work. If you want to change paths (going from say environments, to characters) then you will need to create THAT body of work instead. Begin posting these online for people to see (your portfolio website, forums, galleries, etc). You will need to generate at least a handful of new solid images.
3 months before the project is scheduled to end:
Start putting out feelers to the people you are working with to gauge if they will need you past the end date, (perhaps for DLC content, or a second project). See if they would be interested in retaining your services with a long term contract for the future. If you want to light a spark under their butt, then say something like: “Hey, so-and-so wants to hire me for their next project, but I wanted to confirm with you first to make sure that you will not be needing my services past X date”.
2 months out:
Start sending your tailored portfolio out to the other studios who will need your talents. Tell your fellow concept art buddies that you are looking for work and ask if they know who is hiring. Send them the new body of work as well.
Ideally, by the time your current project ends, you will already have your second project lined up. (Unless you want a vacation in between).
I hope those steps help you plan for future employment.
-Eliott
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. Thanks.
by Eliott Lilly | Nov 2, 2015 | Articles, Resources
Vertex is a series of free E books featuring articles and workflow tips from some of the leading 2D and 3D artists in the entertainment industry.
With this latest installment, Vertex 3 offers information ranging from modeling & texture workflows to tips on working as or with outsourcing. This eBook features articles from studios such as Bungie and EA, Ubisoft and Creative Assembly as well as tips and tricks from various freelancers in the movie and video game industries. This is another must read for any artist whin the entertainment industries.
While there, check out the first two issues in the series Click on the link below to download your copy today.
by Eliott Lilly | Oct 28, 2015 | Articles
Kotaku has just published an excellent article discussing the common myths about video games and their development. If you have read “The Big Bad World Of Concept Art; An Insider’s Guide For Video Games” then you have already heard me talk about some of these myths and misconceptions, but it is always good to hear from other sources. Hopefully, hearing other video game developers tell their own stories will give you a well rounded picture of the video game industry and video game development in general. We already have an abundance of blogs and guides, some of the Best summoners war runes guides in fact! But although people talk about games and how to play them, sometimes people might wonder what the different opinions are on the concept itself, as a whole!
Click on the image below to be taken to the article. Enjoy.
If you have any questions regarding this or any other topics, feel free to send an email to me@eliottlillyart.com. We love hearing from you.
by Eliott Lilly | Oct 26, 2015 | Articles
Hey everyone, Eliott Lilly, Author of: “An Insider’s Guide for Students“, here.
I am in the middle of writing my second book: The Big Bad World of Concept Art for Video Games: How To Start Your Career As A Concept Artist” (Working Title). It offers advice on how to break into the industry and stay there. Here is a quick rundown of topics so far:
• The importance of developing long-term goals.
• How to develop your artistic “voice” as a concept artist.
• How to determine what makes your work unique.
• How to ace the interview process.
• How to find the right like-minded studio.
• How to market your portfolio.
• Why you should nurture an online presence.
• How to create a brand.
• How to price your talents as a concept artist.
• How to negotiate contracts.
etc.
I want to make this THE DEFINITIVE, GO-TO BOOK on this subject, but I need your help!
If you have suggestions for additional topics, or if you have a burning question that you would like answered then send it to me@eliottlillyart.com. If you are personally struggling to break into this competitive industry, and can’t figure out why, then I want to hear from you. Send me an email stating your issues and a few samples of your best work (or a link to your online portfolio) and I will do my best to address your issues.
Thanks in advance for your help and continued support in the Big Bad World OF Concept Art..
-Eliott
by Eliott Lilly | Oct 19, 2015 | Portfolio Advice, Questions
Question Submitted by: Sandy
FIRST OF ALL I WOULD LIKE TO SAY: ‘THANK YOU’ FOR YOUR BOOK- IT HELPED ME GAIN A GOOD INSIGHT INTO THE INDUSTRY. I’D LIKE TO KNOW IF IT’S POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE TO UPLOAD SOME PHOTOBASHED IMAGES TO MY PORTFOLIO?
Hello Sandy. I’m glad my book helped you out.
There is no right or wrong answer when dealing with photobashed images in the portfolio. It all depends on your implementation and execution of the photos in your images. If you incorporate photos successfully, (meaning your image is coherent, tells a narrative and shows off your design abilities) then it may be a positive addition to your portfolio. If however, you have used the photos poorly and the image is suffering because of it, then you may not want to include that image in your portfolio.
If you are unsure of how successful your photobashed image is, then show it to a teacher, or industry professional (you can even send it to me). Depending on the feedback, you may be able to use it as-is… or some additional modifications may be necessary.
Remember: The whole point of a portfolio is to build confidence with an unknown client by impressing them with your abilities and skills. For example, how did you build your Career in childcare? Why did you choose it? What makes you special and skilled in this industry, and if you are going to be using images, you should really be asking yourself: “Does this photobashed image represent my skill set to the fullest? Is this photobashed image accurately demonstrating my abilities as an artist?”. If the answer is “yes”, then the image will make a good addition to your portfolio. If however, your image looks like this:
… then the answer is a “No”, and you shouldn’t include this photobashed image in your portfolio since it is hard to read and understand.
One last thing to remember: Maintain a constant level of quality throughout your portfolio.
If you don’t have other images that use a similar photo bashing technique, then the one image you do have may feel out of place. The problem there, is that it may make the other images in your portfolio seem “weaker” since they are not as realistic as the one image that uses photos.
To be safe, I would survey your entire portfolio and decide what the best move for it would be, before including the single photobashed image.
Hope that helps.
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.
