Home General Discussion

do you ever feel like you wont catch up?

1
Hey all,
do any of you 3d artists ever feel like you wont "catch up" to the skill level other artists have?
I have been modeling for almost 4 years and I feel as if my skills have only grown so/so.

Do you ever feel like how I have felt these last few months, that I am just not growing or capable of growing as a 3d modeler?

I have been modeling mostly hard surface stuff but after all this practice it seems as if my stuff will never sit in the same ballpark as alot of the guys here on polycount.

I want to be a 3d artist at a game studio but I feel as if Im just not getting something right..
I guess Im looking for some inspiration.
I have completed the famous millenia's weapon creation tutorial and mine didnt come out remotely close to his.

Replies

  • Kwramm
    Offline / Send Message
    Kwramm interpolator
    Consider that many people on polycount are professionals with quite some practice under their belts. Also, the attitude of getting to "pro" level and then joining a studio is nonsense.

    There's no "pro" level that you suddenly reach, and after that you're done. As artist you have to continuously work on your skills, and at some point while working on your skills you'll be good enough to get your first studio job. And even there you have to consider that one studio's most awesome artists may be considered just junior by another studio's standards.

    I remember my art sucked, but I got better, kept applying, and eventually someone gave me a job based on my folio. Even though I didn't quite feel ready then.

    With that in mind, I'd say keep practicing, know your strengths. And based on your strengths aim for an entry job that lies within your reach. Just because your first job ain't at Blizzard <insert other big studios here> doesn't mean you may not have a chance to get there in time. Especially given that you will learn soooooooooo much on your first real job :)
  • Torch
    Offline / Send Message
    Torch interpolator
    A lot of people practice thinking they're going to hit a point in their career with some kind of 'artist enlightenment', where they can go "I've done it, I'm finally a master", but it never really happens that way :D more than likely after loads of practice you'll look at your art one day and be like "Whoa, how'd I get here?"

    Just keep hammering away at it and be honest with yourself, make sure you are fully dedicating yourself to it, remove distractions that will slow you down, etc.
  • GrevSev
    Offline / Send Message
    GrevSev polycounter lvl 9
    Nope BUT i feel like it'll take a long time before i get where I want

    Hearing talks from the fellas thats been in the bizz for a while say they've been at it for 15+ years pisses me off

    Nothing I can do about it except get back to work though.
  • Joost
    Offline / Send Message
    Joost polycount sponsor
    Technical skills can be learned quite easily by just doing things repeatedly. Some people will pick things up faster but in general anyone can get to a high level. I think the art side is a lot harder to master, and that's what sets the top artists apart.
  • PyrZern
    Offline / Send Message
    PyrZern polycounter lvl 12
    I guess you also gotta ask yourself if you are working hard at it, or just counting days by. Are you working hard ? Say, putting a few hrs into 3d daily ? Are you also working smart ? Like, joining contests and challenges or do studies/tutorials ? Are you getting helps ? Posting your WIP threads helps. Or Facebook groups like Lunchcrunch and such.
  • dzibarik
    Offline / Send Message
    dzibarik polycounter lvl 10
    I sometimes feel like this but then I remember that I don't really have a choice. It's either I'll make it or do some other job that I'll hate, will do poorly and then die early of heart attack and no money left.
  • hellyze
    First of all, you should gain knowledge and skills in that field.
  • Dean
    Offline / Send Message
    Dean polycounter lvl 9
    Definately.
    PyrZern wrote: »
    I guess you also gotta ask yourself if you are working hard at it, or just counting days by. Are you working hard ? Say, putting a few hrs into 3d daily ? Are you also working smart ? Like, joining contests and challenges or do studies/tutorials ? Are you getting helps ? Posting your WIP threads helps. Or Facebook groups like Lunchcrunch and such.

    I'd like to add to this that in case "or just counting days by" holds true for you Tony (which I would define as putting in work but not passionately and with vigor), then ask yourself if this might be the case because you aren't having fun with it. If so, it might be helpful to experiment and keep it light and fresh. Try sculpting if you're fed up with texturing for example. Or get that positive feedback loop going by doing small projects that you can finish quickly, capitalise on that "honeymoon feeling" that you get with a new project. Finish it before it fades. Furthermore, doing a really big project with lots of elements that you don't understand yet might be too discouraging and erode your sense of progression because you keep running around trying to learn new things and putting in extra effort to get it right (which might fail in itself), preventing you from achieving a state of flow. It can thus result in you not hitting the milestones you need to hit and having fun while doing it because all the work and time you put into it just seems to disappear and sink away because you're not able to finish anything the way you want it to (thus you feel stuck). Instead, as I mentioned, maybe do some small ones to conquer the individual elements and get those under your belt. Lastly, stress in your personal life can throw you off.

    I'm making a lot of assumptions here to be able to make any relevant suggestions as I don't know your background and circumstances, I hope that's alright. I'm in the same spot as you are, and am only recently starting to crawl out of the slack by making an effort to understand myself better. What am I struggling with? Why? How does this relate to me as a person? How can I fix it? What works for me? What do I like? Can I capitalise on that? Find a way to get "flow" going, and things will take care of themselves. Get into a state of play, don't look at it as a chore.

    Figuring out who you are, what makes you tick, and what the underlying reasons are for your issues help you grow both as person and an artist. I hope that doesn't sound too condescending, I'm merely talking out of personal experience and what helped myself.

    Anyway, I'll stop now. Just my 0.02$ worth of personal ramblings, hope it helps! ;)
  • Fefs
    Offline / Send Message
    Fefs polycounter lvl 3
    dzibarik wrote: »
    I sometimes feel like this but then I remember that I don't really have a choice. It's either I'll make it or do some other job that I'll hate, will do poorly and then die early of heart attack and no money left.

    This is so true, I'm laughing here! But all that you guys are saying is also true, we have to keeping working hard because that is the only way that it will worth what we want in future.
  • heyeye
    Offline / Send Message
    heyeye polycounter lvl 6
    To compare yourself to a industry professional is really doing yourself injustice.

    You don't compare your body after 3 months at the gym to a body builder, why do it with any other passion?

    It's a grind.
    It really is.
    3D modeling combines the left and right brain; technical and art, and sometimes you only have passion for 1 of those, making the other side a bitch to get through.

    Now personally, I love to spend more time on the areas of the pipeline that fulfill my passion the most. It becomes a lot easier to get better at something when you truly enjoy doing it.

    As for stagnation, I'd say that's tied to your passion. Do you truly enjoy this? No, seriously, is it like Christmas morning where right when you wake up, you run down stairs to your desktop to find a fresh viewport ready to encapsulate your imagination?

    I'd argue passion is what gets me over the hump 9 times out of 10. The other 1 is pretty much coffee and energy drinks.
  • EarthQuake
    I've been doing 3d modeling stuff for 16 years, yet, there are still a near uncountable number of people I look up to, respect, and feel bad about myself when I compare my work to theirs. Its a thing, and its very common with artists especially.

    In general, this is a good feeling to have, it means you're not full of yourself/an egotistic twatburger, and it shows that you're capable of being self-critical, which is the most important skill to have when it comes to improving at basically any task.

    Now, you may simply be in a rut, in which case I think you should challenge yourself to do something new, something outside your comfort zone. Its easy to get stuck doing the same sort of stuff that you're used to doing over and over, but I often see the most improvement in my work when I tackle new challenges.

    Another thing, you haven't posted a thread to show your artwork on Polycount in over a year. Hiding your work from people who could give you advice on how to improve will never do you any favors. Post threads, implement critiques and post updates, rinse and repeat countless times and you will see improvement.
  • SuperFranky
    Offline / Send Message
    SuperFranky polycounter lvl 10
    heyeye wrote: »
    To compare yourself to a industry professional is really doing yourself injustice.

    I don't think that's exactly true. I think it's a good idea to compare yourself to industry level artists. But you don't just compare, you acquire a certain goal, like "this is what I want to do in a year!". Comparing yourself to other should not discourage, but inspire instead. It's not "I will never do something as good", but "How can I achieve something as good?". If they could do it, why can't you?

    It also helps to have friends in the industry, put a face to your goal and you quickly realize that they were noobs once too. And suddenly your burden is not that difficult and your goal is not that far away.
  • EarthQuake
    I don't think that's exactly true. I think it's a good idea to compare yourself to industry level artists. But you don't just compare, you acquire a certain goal, like "this is what I want to do in a year!". Comparing yourself to other should not discourage, but inspire instead. It's not "I will never do something as good", but "How can I achieve something as good?". If they could do it, why can't you?

    It also helps to have friends in the industry, put a face to your goal and you quickly realize that they were noobs once too. And suddenly your burden is not that difficult and your goal is not that far away.

    Yes I agree, its very important to compare you work to others, especially professionals, if your goal is to be a professional. Being able to give your own work an honest assessment is hugely important, and you can't do that if you hide in your bubble and never compare your work to others.
  • ghaztehschmexeh
    EarthQuake wrote: »
    Now, you may simply be in a rut, in which case I think you should challenge yourself to do something new, something outside your comfort zone. Its easy to get stuck doing the same sort of stuff that you're used to doing over and over, but I often see the most improvement in my work when I tackle new challenges.
    So much this. I recently was told I should do some environmental art to boost my folio. At first I was reluctant, but oh god it really refreshed me. I got so pumped to learn an engine and a new way of making art. Once I've got decent at this I'll go back and improve my plain hard surface stuff with a fresh look on them.
  • Alphavader
    Offline / Send Message
    Alphavader polycounter lvl 11
    120629072141-oscar-pistorius-march-2012-story-top.jpg

    No one starts as a pro - if you really want to be a good artist/programmer or even a runner - you can achieve it, no matter what! Just don't loose focus and practice hard.

    If you're on a right way - "doors" open very easely! Just follow that path!

    Cheers,
    Alpha
  • MagicSugar
    Offline / Send Message
    MagicSugar polycounter lvl 10
    tonyd927 wrote: »
    I have been modeling for almost 4 years and I feel as if my skills have only grown so/so.

    I recommend hiring a pro mentor or get involved on indie projects that already have stronger (in terms of skill) artists than your current level. Have a thick skin and let them push you to level up. Also find out how you can distinguish your art apart from others. If you keep modeling the same stuff everybody's done already i don't think your folios going to be competitive when you use it for job hunting.

    I mean you could use a handful as filler material if they're good techniquewise but you'll also need unique pieces to get the attention of lead artists, directors, "gatekeeper" artists involved in hiring.

    OR, focus more on networking if you plateaued and need more time to redo your folio material but also need an in.
  • Matt Fagan
    Offline / Send Message
    Matt Fagan polycounter lvl 9
    I agree with MagicSugar^ about the indie projects with higher level people. (If you can...)

    The best things I find is switch off your mental intellect, and just do the work. Happy accidents do happen more often than disappointing ones when you start making stuff. Even if you don't necessarily feel like doing so. The catch is, don't try too hard. Anyone who tries too hard at what they want to accomplish, never does. True story.

    As Magic also said, you have to really train your eyes. Without an artistic eye, you're just a book filled with knowledge who can't execute on doing the things you aspire mentally for. So more practice, and again more practice! Also learn to be lightly biased of your own works to those who are getting paid top dollar (to the respected genre your work relates to...)
  • Jeff Parrott
    Offline / Send Message
    Jeff Parrott polycounter lvl 19
    Every day. I've been doing this for 12+ years I think. I keep learning and adapting and growing as an Artist. The good thing is I look at my old work and see growth from what I'm doing now. So that's always promising.

    About 5 years ago I found myself in need of a job. I hadn't worked on my portfolio outside of work and it was harder to find work. That experience made me really really humble (probably too much though it's not really humble to say you're humble I guess...ugghh back on track). So I constantly work on at least one portfolio project. It may take me months to finish and I might not put in my portfolio at the end. Or I might do paintings for a month or two. But it's all growth.

    It's also called grit I just learned. I always thought grit was something football announcers say during halftime shows about players. But non athletes can have grit too. There's a good article in Men's Health of all places about it.

    http://www.menshealth.com/best-life/got-grit (pop ups just a warning)

    Basic summary of it is to:

    Set goals for yourself
    Practice all the time
    Learn to be optimistic
    Expect issues to come up

    That pretty much sums up my attitude change years ago. Its also really helped motivate me. Now when I see awesome art instead of feeling like I can't compete or won't catch up it makes me set goals to get there someday.

    Try reading

    http://www.amazon.com/Outliers-Story-Success-Malcolm-Gladwell/dp/0316017930/ref=la_B000APOE98_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413560743&sr=1-1

    and

    http://www.amazon.com/The-Dip-Little-Teaches-Stick/dp/1591841666

    Those two also helped me a ton.
  • Ruz
    Offline / Send Message
    Ruz polycount lvl 666
    I am only now just learning the ins and outs of facial structure after years
    of trying. I think there are so many artists out there batter then me but if I am
    determined I will have my 'golden hour' as it were
    yeah the worst thing you can do is rest on you laurels or rest on your behind in other words
  • Muzzoid
    Offline / Send Message
    Muzzoid polycounter lvl 10
    Alphavader wrote: »
    120629072141-oscar-pistorius-march-2012-story-top.jpg

    No one starts as a pro - if you really want to be a good artist/programmer or even a runner - you can achieve it, no matter what! Just don't loose focus and practice hard.

    If you're on a right way - "doors" open very easely! Just follow that path!

    Cheers,
    Alpha


    Nothing like using an inspirational image of a man that killed his wife with a gun thinking she was a burglar.
  • Kwramm
    Offline / Send Message
    Kwramm interpolator
    I'm not worried about the quality work I can pull off, but I would be worried about my work speed. Like it's hard to tell if I would be ready or not for to work at a big studio as a 3D artist. Could you guys give us an estimate of how much time it would take you to model and texture a weapon, environment prop or game character in a professional environment?

    good luck finding a number. We do outsourcing for AAA, and some hero characters got weeks/months, and other characters got just days to finish. It really depends a lot what sort of asset, what platform, and what the client wants to spend and what their "it's good enough" threshold is for accepting work as done. Some studios want it "pixel perfect" while others care less (or want to spend less)
  • heyeye
    Offline / Send Message
    heyeye polycounter lvl 6
    Kwramm wrote: »
    good luck finding a number. We do outsourcing for AAA, and some hero characters got weeks/months, and other characters got just days to finish. It really depends a lot what sort of asset, what platform, and what the client wants to spend and what their "it's good enough" threshold is for accepting work as done. Some studios want it "pixel perfect" while others care less (or want to spend less)

    Yea this is where finding the right studio for how you work is important. Its hard to do when you're first starting out, but you'll soon realize which work environments you strive in, and which work environments you die in.
  • Kevin Johnstone
    Offline / Send Message
    Kevin Johnstone polycounter lvl 18
    yes. most of the time.
  • Amsterdam Hilton Hotel
    Offline / Send Message
    Amsterdam Hilton Hotel insane polycounter
    I'm not worried about the quality work I can pull off, but I would be worried about my work speed. Like it's hard to tell if I would be ready or not for to work at a big studio as a 3D artist. Could you guys give us an estimate of how much time it would take you to model and texture a weapon, environment prop or game character in a professional environment?
    It really depends on the specifics, but it's not something to worry about IMO, deadlines are (if you're lucky) set by people who manage many artists and have a realistic sense of how long things should take. Just always set more aggressive goals in your personal work than you expect to face professionally.
  • beefaroni
    Offline / Send Message
    beefaroni sublime tool
    Yep.. Almost every day. I get anxiety from it every once in awhile. It's pretty lame
  • Isaiah Sherman
    Offline / Send Message
    Isaiah Sherman polycounter lvl 14
    I used to feel this a lot when I was younger.

    Eventually I realized it doesn't matter and you just create art because you love to.
  • tonyd927
    Ok there are way too many people to quote and reply to, but to each and every one of you. Thank you!

    I've been struggling with bipolar disorder and anxiety throughout my 25 short
    years of life and it affects me alot but your encouragement has really helped me.
    I joined the game pretty late, I started taking this more seriously when I turned 21. I graduated late in 2008 from
    highschool and had no intention of going to college until I realized I wasn't going anywhere in life.
    I started going to school to school in 2010, left in 2012, and resumed this semester and I graduate May 2015.
    This kinda set the pace for me because now I "feel" like I havto do good in this.
    I didnt realize I wanted to do game art until about 2 years ago.

    Im gonna try something different, maybe play around in zBrush for a while and post some WIP

    Thank you guys. I cant explain how much this means to me.
  • Two Listen
    Offline / Send Message
    Two Listen polycount sponsor
    I realized a long time ago that my lifetime won't be nearly long enough for me to learn all of the things I want to learn. I will work my entire life trying to get better at the things I do, as well as trying to learn all manner of new skills, and I may very well die feeling like there's even more I don't know than is the case now.

    There's always going to be someone better, someone who spent their life years on a topic or following a method different than the one you chose, resulting in skills that you lack or can't match. Everyone has a better - but the best people are the ones that realize that fact and keep on going regardless.

    For me, it used to be really depressing. I'd be 20 years old and see someone who was 18 who was already applying at art studios, or would have won some award, or what have you and I'd feel like I'd wasted time, like I was behind and that I was some sort of huge fuck up for not being where they were or beyond. Even now at 25, I see people younger than me - here on polycount, who have far more relevant work experience, and a far greater skillset than I do. But the more I learn, the more I feel like the gap between me and artists I admire is getting smaller - and the more I feel like the real goal is beyond us all, because none of us can do everything.

    I do think it's important to compare your work to the work of those you admire - people who are at or beyond a level you want to be with your craft; that's one major way to improve. That being said, I wouldn't consider "catching up" to be an important primary goal. Learn from others and their work what you can, but the main goal should be for you to reach your potential as an artist and a person. I think if you're able to see progress in that, doing it for you and because it's what you love, things will turn out much better.
  • Lamont
    Offline / Send Message
    Lamont polycounter lvl 15
    Not catching up? As long as you're moving forward. Life throws you curve-balls or things just "happen", but as long as you keep working on your craft when you can and keep learning...

    You should be more afraid of being stagnant.
  • rino
    Offline / Send Message
    rino polycounter lvl 11
    i never felt like that. usually when i see awesome art i get inspired and i say to myself "i'm gonna be better than this dude", that's what kept me going and i never had any doubts.

    its maybe weird thing to say, but that's how i motivate myself. at the end of the day, i love doing this and i wanna be best i could be at it. when i see a good artist, i view him/her as competition.

    i'm not an optimistic person, i just have goals that WILL be realized one way or another.


    i personally think you have to really love what you are doing otherwise you'll eventually slow down and never reach your goal.
  • JasonLavoie
    Offline / Send Message
    JasonLavoie polycounter lvl 18
    I will never catch up but in all honesty, that is ok. Pushing yourself and having a good time doing so (while working with / talking to talented peeps) will get you where you need to go.

    Just keep pushing yourself and have fun doing so :)
  • sushi
    you just have to keep on working. If any top artist here showed you their first 3d work you would understand
  • Farfarer
    Every goddamn day. But don't let it keep you from trying.
  • pior
    Online / Send Message
    pior grand marshal polycounter
    Post a picture from an artist you admire, representative of what you would like to achieve ; and also post a picture showing your best attempt at matching that quality.

    Only then will we be able to discuss constructively :)
  • Jakob Gavelli
    Offline / Send Message
    Jakob Gavelli interpolator
    I can relate to the feeling whole-heartedly. I kind of embace it though, driven by the anxiety. Probably not very healthy but it gets me working! I'm sure we all will "catch up" because of communities like Polycount. Because people post breakdowns and show how to avoid the problems they've already faced. They are clearing the way for everyone else. Frankly I want to be one of those people that shoulder a bit of the burden and makes it easier for new artists to get into the scene.

    I'm not even in the industry so my advice may not be the best, but just keep doing something! Anything art related that you find fun. I for example like having 2, max 3, projects on-going at the same time so that I can bounce between them. Works for me and I always have something to work on. It's when I'm between projects that I'm the laziest.

    As for having bipolar disorder there's really nothing I can say except that I have a brother and a cousin who are both diagnosed with it. So I've only seen what it's like.

    Great topic, I think alot of people can relate to it and I feel better hearing that I'm not alone with these thoughts! It's also good to see that you've started a thread in the Showcase & Critique forum!
  • Torch
    Offline / Send Message
    Torch interpolator
    Sometimes when feeling down due to a lack of progression, its good to remind yourself that we're working in an awesome industry, our jobs are fun, things aren't that bad :D

    Quick hypothetical - If you were to just drop working in games right now and take up another job that you loathed, say stacking shelves in a supermarket, crunching numbers in data entry, etc. Would you be upset that you couldn't work on art? If the answer is 'yes', then you know where your passion lies. When you gain clarity you realise failure isn't an option, you'll get to that level because you want to make it happen :)

    Again as others here mentioned, its important to be honest with yourself and the amount of time you're dedicating to your work, seeing what distractions you can cut out. If you're like me and your mind wanders every so often, e.g. "Oh yeah, I could add this to my amazon wishlist" etc. you might want to disable the Wifi during work completely. Helps a lot with cutting down on wasted time.
  • Joopson
    Offline / Send Message
    Joopson quad damage
    So so often. And I have a job in the industry. I look at things artists I admire do, and I can't even fathom how they did it sometimes. Sometimes I feel like I'll never get where I want to be (which is, of course, true with the arts, but you get what I mean)

    Even once you're in the industry, imposter syndrome is pretty common; that is, the feeling that you are where you are by some mistake or oversight, and not because of your skill, and that at some point someone will realize it.

    We're artists, lots of us. And that can mean a lot, a lot, of self doubt. The important thing is to keep going, if you really want it.
  • CougarJo
    Offline / Send Message
    CougarJo polycounter lvl 6
    Yep.

    I always found people younger than me who surpass me a million times, when I'm not in a good mood it's depressing :)

    But I also look down on my old work and can say ''Yes, that was bad. It's better now. I can't wait to see what I'll be able to do in X times!"

    Giving up don't make sense. And I'll quote Torch here :

    "Quick hypothetical - If you were to just drop working in games right now and take up another job that you loathed, say stacking shelves in a supermarket, crunching numbers in data entry, etc. Would you be upset that you couldn't work on art? If the answer is 'yes', then you know where your passion lies. When you gain clarity you realise failure isn't an option, you'll get to that level because you want to make it happen"

    This is so damn true!
  • Mstankow
    Offline / Send Message
    Mstankow polycounter lvl 11
    Yeah and who gives a crap? There are a million people who are better than me and there are a million kids who will be better than me. All I care about is becoming a better artist.
  • d1ver
    Offline / Send Message
    d1ver polycounter lvl 14
    Sorry I didn't read the entire thread, but I assume everything worth saying was already said, so I just wanted to link this:
    http://www.poopinmymouth.com/tutorial/analytical_thinking.htm
    Working smarter could be way more important then working harder.
    Cheers
  • Beinahruga
    Offline / Send Message
    Beinahruga polycounter lvl 3
    3,5 years employed in studios and I still feel like this all the time. From what I've seen, most of the artists I really look up to also still feel like that. I don't think it'll ever really go away, so harness it positively for always working hard and never stopping on the path of self-improvement.
  • valuemeal
    Offline / Send Message
    valuemeal polycounter lvl 6
    Catching up is confusing because on one hand,
    some people want you to catch up in one way and become a meat dude, others a low poly paper fellow, and others a vfx dude and their advices are completely different.

    But if you follow one advice and not the other people will become upset and you try follow all the advices, things won't go as well.

    So this is a loaded topic.
  • Dazz3r
    Offline / Send Message
    Dazz3r polycounter lvl 12
    There are so many awesome artists out there, younger, older, wiser, less experienced, more experience...I tend not to focus on the artist and more on the art and hence aspire to create work as good as that one day. I also know that even if I don't reach that level, and just get as close to that level of awesomeness as I possibly can, I will be happy. If I get to be half as good as some of the top peeps I look up to, that will still inevitably result in me becoming an awesome artist one day.

    I think someone else mentioned, you have to enjoy the work, and I couldn't agree more. Enjoy the process, enjoy being creative making art and enjoy the journey!
  • GrevSev
    Offline / Send Message
    GrevSev polycounter lvl 9
    valuemeal wrote: »
    become a meat dude,

    A what?
  • Fogbrain
    Offline / Send Message
    Fogbrain polycounter lvl 5
    valuemeal wrote: »
    Catching up is confusing because on one hand,
    some people want you to catch up in one way and become a meat dude.

    Enough with the meat-centric language.
    ________

    In regards to the question; all the time, but you just gotta persist, because I feel alot of the poeople that enter art pack it in eventually and give up with the chase. So really it's an endurance run in a personal way and in a broader way.

    But I always think of a good quote Dan Luvisi posted on his Facebook a while back:
    "Everyday you're not getting better, someone else is beating you at getting better."

    Totally paraphrasing there, but you get what I mean. Keep on the straight and narrow.
  • Avvi
    Offline / Send Message
    Avvi polycounter lvl 3
    This theoretical 'finish line' of super skills is just a 100% potential of an individual. Not a goal, I think, which is to release great games :)
    I mean, we're discussing staying in the industry. The final goal, though (and reachable, multiple times in life) is to deliver memorable experiences to the players.
    Every time an fun/inspiring game is released, this goal is reached. Then, we start again, searching for new goals. (Oculus games, unique styles beyond pixelart, it all waits to be discovered and executed well.)

    The moments I feel I "don't catch up" are when I hear from my boss that our 3D game did badly and the next project is a 2D runner. That means building portfolio after hours, as fast as I can. Bad months, because I'd rather do games. I worry about losing the possibilities to do personal projects or join cool studios that actually make cool stuff that's creative and fun for players.

    BTW. today I came across a portfolio of Jolyon Myers. (I was looking for screenshots of CoD in Radiant, after being surprised that its level are still made in Radiant). This artist is in the industry since BBC Micro pixel art, 1985! :) It was a great, inspiring discovery. http://jolyonmyers.wordpress.com/
    I also admire the work and style of Henk Nieborg. In 2012 I played the Shantae Risky's Revenge on DSi. I went to the internet to check who created the graphics. I discovered that I already knew this artist - I was like 9 yrs when I played Lomax and the art was from the same person. He didn't have to convert to 3D to 'catch up'. He's worked on some of the best looking DS games instead :)
    http://www.henknieborg.nl/gallery_pixels.html
  • valuemeal
    Offline / Send Message
    valuemeal polycounter lvl 6
    Meat dude- tough guy stuff with guns, and rust and dirt. Hyper real so to speak.
    Low poly paper- hand painted fellows, the models look as though they are made of paper, good textures, but they don't look solid
    vfx dude- Making household objects for commercials and mostly using v-ray and things of that nature, with little texture.

    I tried doing characters in the third way for awhile (09-12) got me a few jobs, but that was no good.
  • Torch
    Offline / Send Message
    Torch interpolator
    valuemeal wrote: »
    Meat dude- tough guy stuff with guns, and rust and dirt. Hyper real so to speak.
    Low poly paper- hand painted fellows, the models look as though they are made of paper, good textures, but they don't look solid
    vfx dude- Making household objects for commercials and mostly using v-ray and things of that nature, with little texture.

    Spicy Sausage - Like Meat dude is into tough guy stuff, but mostly works on 3D porn

    *Rolls eyes*
  • MrOneTwo
    Offline / Send Message
    MrOneTwo polycounter lvl 12
    valuemeal wrote: »
    Meat dude- tough guy stuff with guns, and rust and dirt. Hyper real so to speak.
    Low poly paper- hand painted fellows, the models look as though they are made of paper, good textures, but they don't look solid
    vfx dude- Making household objects for commercials and mostly using v-ray and things of that nature, with little texture.

    I tried doing characters in the third way for awhile (09-12) got me a few jobs, but that was no good.

    WTF did I just read?

    So much disdain in your post. Working with you sounds like a joy.
  • Visum
    Offline / Send Message
    Visum polycounter lvl 7
    I was actually certain I won't ever be able to do some of the stuff I see here.
    Thing is I still can't but you know what? That's what drives me :)
    I'm happy where I got so far and I'm not trying to catch a unicorn. Just doing what I love the best I can.
1
Sign In or Register to comment.