Portfolio: www.darekzabrocki.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/darek.zabrocki91
Instagram: http://instagram.com/darekzabrocki
WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE(S) OF ADVICE YOU CAN OFFER STUDENTS THAT YOU WISH THEY HAD TOLD YOU IN ART SCHOOL?
Work hard, Play hard. If you feel in your guts that art is what you love doing the most, never give up and never let anyone put you down. There are always obstacles and problems on the career path but listen to your heart and do what you love.
ASSUMING THAT THERE ARE NO SPACE-TIME PARADOX’S INVOLVED… IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME 10 YEARS (KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW NOW), WHAT WOULD YOU TELL YOUR YOUNGER SELF TO DO DIFFERENTLY?
Haha good one! I would probably say: Darek if you make the effort to become a professional artist, then be prepared to develop hardworking habits, sleep less, but don’t forget to take breaks.
WHAT DOES “SUCCESS” MEAN TO YOU AND, WHAT ARE AT LEAST THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO DO IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE IT?
Success is combination of fan’s appreciation of what you’re doing along with ability to make living out of it I guess. I am not crazy about success because I always strive to do my best and be better, it’s never enough success for me and I think that’s what keeps me going. To achieve it you need to be Stubborn, Stubborn and Stubborn once again. Nothing and no one should be able to stop you at doing what you love.
Website: http://artofphilwohr.blogspot.com/
Educational background: The Art Institute of Dallas, Degree: Associate of Applied Arts, Pre-Visualization. Graduated 2005
Number of years in industry: 10 yrs (since 2005)
Shipped titles/ Projects worked on: Call of Duty Advanced warfare Havoc DLC, Borderlands, Halo Wars, Castle Ville, SteamBandits Outpost (Steam early access), and many more.
WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE(S) OF ADVICE YOU CAN OFFER STUDENTS THAT YOU WISH THEY HAD TOLD YOU IN ART SCHOOL?
Definitely work on what you find inspiring but also remember that you want to be creating work that is going to be relevant to the industry and the jobs you want. A portfolio full of manga art or furries probably won’t get you a game job working on a realistic first person shooter. Most of the time you can find some crossover between the kind of art you want to make and the kind of art that will get you hired.
Also, there will be some companies that will try to take advantage of young talent. If someone is trying to get you to help them on their startup project or kickstarter campaign or whatever, often without pay, just make sure it’s helping you as well.
Promises don’t pay bills, and a lot of indie projects fail. Analyze the situation based on what’s happening right now, not what could happen in the future.
If you are going to do that kind of work to help your own portfolio or to make some money just don’t sacrifice too much making art you don’t like, or doing work based on some future promise that may never come true. That can be a hard lesson so, if at any point you feel like it’s not working for you or you aren’t benefiting then move on, even if it’s just to work on your own portfolio some more.
…You have to be the one who guides your own career.
ASSUMING THAT THERE ARE NO SPACE-TIME PARADOX’S INVOLVED… IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME 10 YEARS (KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW NOW), WHAT WOULD YOU TELL YOUR YOUNGER SELF TO DO DIFFERENTLY?
I don’t even know that I’d want to change anything. I certainly wouldn’t want to relive some things, but all the hardship (and even the things that I would have avoided at the time), have made me the person I am. I don’t think I’d appreciate where I’m at today without the struggles of yesterday.
Don’t compromise on your passions!
If you are working on a job, and most (not just some) of the work you are doing is stuff you aren’t passionate about, or you can’t use most of it in your portfolio; then leave that job as soon as possible. I definitely had some situations that if I had gotten out of sooner I’d probably be a better artist today.
WHAT DOES “SUCCESS” MEAN TO YOU AND, WHAT ARE AT LEAST THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO DO IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE IT?
Success for me is following your creative passion and using those passions to create works of art that keep you inspired, while inspiring and entertaining others.
It’s easy to say, but acting on it can be difficult when “following your passion” doesn’t seem financially viable. It’s also easy to end up compromising yourself by staying at a company just because it’s “safe”, or out of fear of the unknown, or just for financial reasons. In the end though, I think passion breeds hard work- and hard work brings money, (but you have to be in the right position to take advantage of this). If you find that home is the only place where you are ever able to follow your passions, even while working at a “good” studio, then it might be time for a job switch.
So the road map to success is simply to work on the kind of art that you are passionate about, find a job that has overlap with what you like to work on that supports those passions, then push hard in the direction of your dreams without too much compromise.
If you can stay with your passions you’ll be much less likely to burn out, and it will be easier to work hard. If you do find yourself stuck at a job you aren’t happy with then make sure you find your passion outside of it because it takes a lot of work to build up the momentum to get a portfolio together when you aren’t making any portfolio work on the job. If you are in that situtaion, stick with it though, it’s definitely possible to dig out of that situation. And when you are in school it’s kind of the same thing. You are working hard towards building a collection of images that when other people see them they can immediately tell that you really care about the work you are making. And when they see that extra effort and care that you put in and if it lines up with what they need, then with any luck you’ll get the position.
If you would like to read more from Phil Wohr, check out his full interview. In it, we ask him 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, discuss his educational background, how he markets himself in the industry and more.
All images used with permission by the artist. ©Phil Wohr
Jason Felix is a self taught freelance artist who has been working in the video game and entertainment industry for 25 years. Known for his digital photographic manipulations, Felix’s works have been showcased internationally and have directly inspired numerous Hollywood projects. He has been involved in visually establishing computer games franchises & films such as Magic The Gathering, Starcraft, Dead Space, Prince of Persia, Battlefield, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and many other projects.
Website: http://www.jasonfelix.com/
Checkout his books: Salvaged:The Art of Jason Felix and Mail Order Monsters
WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE(S) OF ADVICE YOU CAN OFFER STUDENTS THAT YOU WISH THEY HAD TOLD YOU IN ART SCHOOL?
Being an artist and creating is a life style. Not a choice, either you live to create or you don’t. Every professional artist that I know, this is always true.
ASSUMING THAT THERE ARE NO SPACE-TIME PARADOX’S INVOLVED… IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME 10 YEARS (KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW NOW), WHAT WOULD YOU TELL YOUR YOUNGER SELF TO DO DIFFERENTLY?
Hmmm… nothing really. Life is about overcoming obstacles and working thru hard-times. It’s invaluable to experience what life has to offer which is all the good and all the bad. People of all walks of life say “I would do this, buuuut….”. When I hear this, its an excuse of why they stopped doing something. Or never became the person they wanted to be or have the job they wanted. Its a personal choice, so make the ones you want and be prepared to fight for it if need be.
WHAT DOES “SUCCESS” MEAN TO YOU AND, WHAT ARE AT LEAST THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO DO IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE IT?
Success is objectionable, really depends on personal outlook. My outlook is being able to create a living doing what ones does. A job that does not feel like a job. To achieve requires:
1) Hardwork.
2) Passion.
3) Patient & Persistence.
All images used with permission by the artist. ©Jason Felix
Websites:
Educational background:
Number of years in industry: 4+ years in concept design
Shipped titles/ Projects worked on: Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One, Star Wars 1313, Star Citizen, Guardians of the Galaxy (animated), Assassin’s Creed 4 and 5
WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE(S) OF ADVICE YOU CAN OFFER STUDENTS THAT YOU WISH THEY HAD TOLD YOU IN ART SCHOOL?
A. There are no rules. There is no right way of doing things
B. What you do besides art and design will define you as an artist and designer.
ASSUMING THAT THERE ARE NO SPACE-TIME PARADOX’S INVOLVED… IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME 10 YEARS (KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW NOW), WHAT WOULD YOU TELL YOUR YOUNGER SELF TO DO DIFFERENTLY?
Nothing! There are no regrets. Every decision I have made led me to this point now. I wouldn’t change a thing.
WHAT DOES “SUCCESS” MEAN TO YOU AND, WHAT ARE AT LEAST THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO DO IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE IT?
In the traditional sense, it’s mostly about discipline and smart learning, however as I get older the meaning changes a lot. At the moment, I define success as becoming a better human being, which doesn’t have much to do with success in the traditional sense.
If you would like to read more from Jan Urschel, check out his full interview. In it, we ask him 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, discuss his educational background, how he markets himself in the industry and more. .
All images used with permission by the artist. ©Jan Urschel
Scribble Pad Studios under the direction of James Paick has been responsible for creating some of the most memorable designs and moments in entertainment design. James has developed many projects within the gaming, film, theme park, illustration, entertainment space and advertising fields.
Websites:
www.BrainstormSchool.com This is a school specifically focused on design and job placement for students in the video game industry.
Educational background
Number of years in industry
Shipped titles/ Projects worked on: League of Legends, the Uncharted series, Titanfall, Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, Transformers 4, Maze Runner, Universal Studios Singapore, Magic the Gathering, Shadow of Mordor, and many many more
WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE(S) OF ADVICE YOU CAN OFFER STUDENTS THAT YOU WISH THEY HAD TOLD YOU IN ART SCHOOL?
Never allow yourself to say, I wish I tried harder
I was exposed to this quote during my youth, and living by it really allowed me to push myself to my limits as much as I could.
ASSUMING THAT THERE ARE NO SPACE-TIME PARADOXES INVOLVED IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME 10 YEARS (KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW NOW), WHAT WOULD YOU TELL YOUR YOUNGER SELF TO DO DIFFERENTLY?
I would have to say I would tell myself to be curious, ask questions, and have fun!
WHAT DOES “SUCCESS” MEAN TO YOU AND, WHAT ARE AT LEAST THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO DO IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE IT?
To me, success means: effective problem solving that goes above the clients expectations. Three things to do are: listen, problem solve, and execute. This is what every concept artist in the commercial industry should focus on and is something I try to do when working on projects for games like League of Legends.
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If you would like to read more from James Paick, check out his full interview. In it, we ask him specific questions about what it is like to be a concept artist in the entertainment industry working on projects for games such as League of Legends, dispel a few common misconceptions that aspiring artists tend to have about the field, discuss his educational background, how he markets himself in the industry and more.
While still in high school, LuVisi was hired by German Acony Games, prompting him to decide against college and instead, immediately follow his obvious calling. He has since created a name for himself and is known for his extremely versatile style. Besides concept illustrations, LuVisi has become an expert in character and costume design, matte painting, storyboards, posters & packaging design and generally welcomes new challenges within his field.
Website: www.danluvisiart.com
Number of years in industry: 12. Currently freelancing and developing his own Intellectual Property.
Shipped titles/ Projects: LMS: Killbook of a Bounty Hunter, Your Highness, They Came From Upstairs,
DC Comics - Secret Six, Nemesis
Clients list also includes: Hasbro, Ignition Interactive, and Microsoft
Educational background: Self taught (never attended college).
Check out his book: Last Man Standing: Killbook of a Bounty hunter. It's LEGENDARY!
Follow him on social media: Instagram: DanLuvisiArt - Facebook: DanLuVisiArt
WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE(S) OF ADVICE YOU CAN OFFER STUDENTS THAT YOU WISH THEY HAD TOLD YOU IN ART SCHOOL?
As someone who didn’t go, the best advice I ever received was from my father, and this can be applied to any artist:
Every day you’re not working on your craft, someone else that wants it more is catching up with you. And it’s true. I see a lot of talk, and no shop.
ASSUMING THAT THERE ARE NO SPACE-TIME PARADOX’S INVOLVED… IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME 10 YEARS (KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW NOW), WHAT WOULD YOU TELL YOUR YOUNGER SELF TO DO DIFFERENTLY?
Don’t be scared. Be brave, be yourself, don’t ever succumb to weak people.
WHAT DOES “SUCCESS” MEAN TO YOU AND, WHAT ARE AT LEAST THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO DO IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE IT?
Working alongside with my friends, and knowing they’re all fed and happy. To achieve it:
1. Keep my mind on the game, stay focused and on target.
2. Don’t allow negativity to separate or destroy ones hope.
3. Get back to work.
All images used with permission by the artist. ©Dan LuVisi
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