[RESEARCH] Twitter, DeviantART and Linked In

Twitter

Link to my Twitter Page

Twitter is a great way to get your own name out there, whether you’re well known or no, you will always get people very interested in your own work. There are always options to link your blog, art page or even website to feed and tweet automated messages so that other’s following you will be updated with the latests works of yours.
What this means is, if professionals are looking for your work and want a quick preview of what they are putting themselves in for, they can easily click on the links provided on the Twitter page, or just research into what you tweet about and so-forth. The bad thing about Twitter is the unfortunate back log you may find as you follow more and more people. Some information is glorious and interesting, but at times, you can get much rubbish information which you really don’t need if you want professionals to approach you.

Linked In

Link to my Linked In Page

Linked in is a very professional website, that has many knowledgeable people that lurk around, very interested in your own work themselves. This is a more direct approach, and takes on the style of what Facebook does; it’s a social media for the working class/career based employees that are looking for (possibly) more work.
What you do is you fill in your details of the things you are, the things you have achieved, and the things you want to become. This way, when people look at your profile, they examine your qualities and the things which you have going for you, and they can then realise that you could be the person they were looking for. When that is the case, there is a way to contact through a personal message to the person you wish to speak to. From there, millions of things can happen. However, you have to be careful for whom ever is contacting you, because you never know what would be in store for you.

DeviantART

Link to my DeviantART Page

DeviantART is my personal approach to getting my own name out there. If you are artistic and want to make it easier for people to view your forms of media and get to know your own work better, DeviantART as a great set up system for both portfolios and image hosting. Millions of contributors place and post their news, images, write-ups, stories and many more every single day, and is one of the biggest running media websites.
DeviantART is full of great contributors  however you must be careful for what you search for, and what you use from this valuable website. Art Theft is quite common from this website, as it is with many others, but you can add your own mark on the images to stop that from happening. There are also groups and so many forums which you can join. It’s a great community, with unlimited image postage.

[DEVELOPMENT] What does it mean to become a Concept Artist

I thought I would make a blog post about my own personal approach to becoming a Concept Artist, and what I understand needs to be done to become one.
From a very young age, I have always wanted to become some one who creates something for another, to illustrate and define a world to a significant other. When you create and shape a world, it makes a something very personal to you, without realising it yourself, but people will remember you as that ‘person who made that world’. That is something special. That even applies to characters, weapons and all sorts of creations which make it into a final product of a story (or in this case, a game). Even if you are part of a team, part of a community, you will still get that satisfaction of saying that your part of the artistic side of a game will influence some one, just like it did for me.
Being a Concept Artist is hard, and I understand that. I have never been one, neither have I  worked for a huge company filled with professionally trained employees. But to have an impact, to have a say in the design or creation of something so big is such a lot of work, which requires a lot of thinking and processes that can lead from scientific research into design or just plainly creating a character with an enormous back story. You also have to have a consistent change in style to match and meet the requirements of the job, and to make great work of the style around the final product so that others can review and take notes from your own creations. Confidence is also something which you must have in your own work, so that you won’t be so frightened to express ideas fluently to other team members but also not stressing about how great the idea is. When having an idea in design, you will have to change it into something which resembles to the project any way, however it can then change how the creator sees the character and possibly keep some features from the idea itself. Finally, you must have such a keen interest in artistic values and design, even the media. Having this edge, this interest, boosts your confidence to create other things, other illustrations which have a different and moulded taste from something which you’ve been told to be influenced by.
I will admit, knowing all this information really daunted me at first, but when you think about it, when you have a long way to go, you can enjoy the flow of the ride that leads up to your dream. May it be harsh times or fantastic transformations in your life, you are going to find it hard either way you see it. Dreams are called “dreams” for a reason: they are hard to get to, but it isn’t impossible to achieve. To get that placement or even offered a chance to be interviewed and show off your most amazing pieces in your portfolio is a chance in a lifetime. Not only have you placed your foot through the door, but you have interested the very best in the great chain. This is something inspiring for many, but just remembering that something like this is not impossible, it will make things a lot easier for you.
But this isn’t why I want to become a Concept Artist. Just creating pieces of artwork to be used towards the final stage of a product is a great, but influencing some one, changing some ones feelings and thoughts on game play or a game itself is an achievement. To inspire many, like other fantastic artists have for myself, would be something quite dear to me. Inspiration is something which I have always lacked of, as a child, and even now I still struggle to push myself to move forward with my own ideas and designs. Yet, when you have some one which you look up to, when you have some one who will always be there to inspire you, to give you courage and determination. So much that you want to become that person when you grow up; that is the magic of art itself.

And that is why I want to become a Concept Artist, to inspire aspiring artists, no matter how skilled they are.

[DEVELOPMENT] Writing a Cover Letter

What I will be doing for my cover letter is basing it around a job which I have found through the internet.  It will be mainly for a dream job of mine, but it is just good practice to do and learn from it.

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Senior Concept Artist (Insomniac) – Gamasutra

A senior position is quite a hard one to get into, and in fact, requires you to have quite a lot of skill and talent that has been gained from previous, very big, positions. Insomniac is a very tongue and cheek company, but you still need to be as formal as you possibly can with a cover letter to get your own point across (even if it is about yourself).
I made sure to put down everything which I could have achieved during this appearance of job, and listed the key things which would hopefully get the attention of the person reading.

[RESEARCH] The Industry and Me

Section 1: You & The Sector

What is your specialism?
My specialism is Concept Art, or Character Design. I hope that some day I will be able to become a Concept Artist, so I practice and hopefully will build my portfolio into something which attracts quite a lot of attention to potential employers in years to come.

What work based experience do you already have?
I have worked in retail for a few years, which really builds up your communication skills towards customers/clients, and how you should address yourself towards a person. And also, production skills and imaginative skills are also required in retail; placing products in viewable areas where a customer would be attracted to, creating obvious plans which distracts and portrays advertisement to a certain product.
During secondary school, I did work in a Graphics Design company (KallKwik) and learned a vast amount of design tips from the designers. What I learned was very interesting, and has changed the way I look at digital art: How images are different on screen then on print, the tasks need to be completed to fully finish a product for a client (colour, illustration, alignment, etc.), and how there’s only a certain amount of colours which can be used for products.

What kind of Work Based Learning would benefit you the most?
Any art based sector would really benefit the area which I would like to get into. May it be illustration or a designer, it would really help on becoming the concept artist I want to be. I believe that just learning about the art and design industry could really peak my interests and bring more knowledge into my own work and portfolio.

Section 2: Research

What have you learned about the area of the sector specifically relating to your specialism?
Going through various blogs of Concept Artists, I realise that having quite a grand range of styles which you can flip back and forth on, and a understanding to how images are created and portrayed into games themselves as a whole.
This is a standard way of approaching concept art, as when you go from client to client, there is no doubt going to be quite a change from the previous job; it’s always worth being able to bend your own artwork to meet others needs.

What have you found out about the sector with specific reference to job/career opportunities?
What I did was look at a range of job opportunities which lurk around in the games industry, break them down into smaller pieces to see the requirements necessary for an artist. With this information, I have combined a list together to relate to when I’m trying to think of new ways to improve myself:

• Practice with various styles. Concept Artists, specially 2D artists, do not stay to one style consistently.
• Speed sketching is key. This is a small one, however it’s good to be able to get your whole idea across quicker then just making the designers wait around for your final ‘sketch’ product. 
• Learning various skills. Including technical skills, or even some coding. This is so that you can easily expand your ideas and show many ways in which you approached your task.
• Having experience. This one is tricky, as it requires you to have already had some experience in the industry (and very hard to come across). However, shadowing someone is also showing you have had experience some where in the field.
• Confidence. A common mistake which is made by many artists is that they’re not confident with their own work. Having confidence will push your work further in Concept Art (because people will then critique) and will enable you to learn new skills.

What opportunities have you found for work placements/experience/etc?
Most of the opportunities have requirements for very skilled artists, which need a lot of experience before hand in other artistic duties. This results in needing to complete other job roles to finally fold into the ones which are being advertised. Here is the research I conducted to find out certain qualities you need to have to become an artist:

Concept Artist in Dublin (Link): Looking for an artist who has a range of skills and techniques which can be used as reference outside and inside the creation of the game. Also wanting the ability to problem solve and complete tasks at a certain date with no exceptions.
To gain these abilities, you would have to practice each day, endlessly, to gain experience of different styles and techniques. They are in need of some one very skilled that requires no training, unless needed for a specific area, which is always required in a place quite high up in the employment chain.

GUI Author/Artist in Guildford (Link): Working closely with the overall games design and technical side to the art. As the game is focused very much on artistic vision, there is need for very technical experience as well as a artistic touch. You must be very experienced in design.
Having a vision in design, you must have had other experience in art and design before approaching the subject. This experience could come from education or a work placement, but you also need to meet the requirements of a great artist who is skilled in technical jobs. Having a wide range of skills in hand could be handy if ever faced with a job like this.

Lead 2D Concept Artist in Germany (Link): To be lead, you have to have power and knowledge. Quick sketches and full illustrations to show a team what you would like for the final concept art product of the game itself. (This also includes story boards, characters, vehicles, etc.)
When being a lead in a design team, it’s quite a hard job at first. It’s not something which I want to become, but it would be nice to have input into something very detailed. Being able to take control and ask everyone whether they are okay with an idea you have created is a very big job role. It requires more research, more determination and charisma (as well as a full understanding of art).

Section 3: Conclusion/Next Steps

In relation to your research into the sector and opportunities, what have you learned about your current and potential position within it?
What I have learned from my research is a three main things; experience, confidence and artistic potential. There is a lot more then that, I know, but to become some one like JenZee (Concept Artist for Bastion) or even Gilles Beloleil (Concept Artist for Assassin’s Creed III) there requires a lot of skill and potential involved in your artwork. Is there a way you can bend your style to a way the lead art director would like it to be? Can you make many unique concept sketches in under 10 minutes? Sometimes these things really don’t matter, as the employer some times will go only for the one style they want. However, to have multiple styles and skills under your hat, makes you more flexible if the product ever changes course.

As a result of your research, what do you now think will be the best form of WBL experience for you?
It would fantastic to learn in a team, or possibly shadow a skilled artist whom is already in the industry. Having the knowledge passed down to you, and shown in front of you (I feel) is much more better then reading step by step what Concept Art requires you to do.
However, the job could consist of anything. Following an illustrator through different stages of drawing and research, a designer going deep down into folding out the plans which they have created; any artistic area will help me benefit in learning something for the industry.

What will your next steps be in securing a placement/ project/ etc. for next year’s WBL?
Search for places that will take on people for work experience, preferably close by so that it’s much easier to move between home and job. Whether this searching will consist of asking others or searching on the internet; hopefully there are a few (which could help me learn exactly what is needed from an artist in the industry). Or: I am willing to create a project with a group to help another company with their business (which will boost my team building skills, and learn how to work in a team, following orders on what should all be done).
I feel both will help me develop my skills, or help build myself to feel more confident in working in a team.

[RESEARCH] Researching the Sectors in the Games Industry and the Connections

When researching for jobs of the industry of your choice, it’s always good to keep in mind the requirements to become part of that industry. However, you don’t have to look specifically at what you want to become, and search for jobs which most likely will help you improve your skills, get you more promoted, or just having some experience in certain areas will help.

I am quite interested in becoming a concept artist or a music designer in video games. So I have decided to have a look at the jobs that are available and what is required to do them.

Concept Artist in Dublin

Here is a concept artist position in Dublin, Ireland. You are required to have quite an outstanding portfolio which catches the eye and is quite inspiring. Needing a full understanding of artistic aspects; lighting, colour theory, anatomy and perspective. Having skills of 3DS Max, Maya, Zbrush and Photoshop. These are the normal standards of the requirements for aspiring concept artists.
Then, you need a range of skills which are pretty self explanatory which is team building skills, being able to communicate ideas and concepts. Also having an imagination really helps you understand the concepts which you are required to do.

Sound Designer in Warsaw

I would like to become a sound designer as well as a concept artist. You must be quite fluent in musical design or have understanding of musical terms and assets, but sometimes there is a software used which has it down all for you and you just have to piece it all together in a respectful order. Music is very important in game because it can set the scene and create tension between both the character and the player. However, it’s not just all about music and the way it all works, it’s also about sound; Footsteps, doors opening/closing, rain, water, etc. For that, you are also required to walk around and capture as many sounds as you can and use your own knowledge to make those sounds into something recognisable.

Illustrator for a Children’s Book in Edinburgh

This job may not be involved in the Games Industry in any way, but it is certainly something which
connects well with becoming a Concept Artist. Being an illustrator, you will have to take on the story of the book you may be drawing for and draw it accordingly to your own perception of the scenario. This can be extremely hard as it may take a few tries in creating such an in-depth piece, which is why you need quite a set of skills and styles to match up to expectations. You also have to have a style which attracts children to it, grabbing their attention; quite like artwork made for games.

Audio Production for iOS in New Zealand

I couldn’t find many jobs which had a Music Artist involved with anything other then games. Other either consisted of actually being in a band already, already knowing a lot about musical genre’s and being able to play all of them, or just having way to high of a musical background. However, this is key because there are high expectations from employers who would like you to have quite a musical background before letting you into their sights, because they want to know what they’re getting themselves in for. The reason why I chose this job instead of all the others, is because this is what I would like to set myself into. I want to become some what of a short melody/sound developer if the chance ever arose.

[DEVELOPMENT] Making a Current and Dream CV

To get a place in the working industry, you need a great CV to grab attention of potential employers. Without it, you could still get some where, but then the employer would have nothing to document you by and they are unaware of who you truly are. It is always worth making one because you are never sure to whether it will come in handy or no.
I researched many CV’s, and doing so helped me gain confidence in writing my own one. It needs many facts like Skills, Educational value, Achievements, and other great stuff which is always important.
But also, it is always good to aim high, and make up a dream CV. What the task was, was to specify what exactly we have done now in a current CV and then accumulate that into a CV into something we would like to be or have in the future.

My Current CV

I know there is quite a lot blurred out on this document, but here is an example of my own CV. I know there is a lot to change and work on. I could include a better personal statement, which explains my achievements more clearer and the skills which I have obtained. My experience could also have a taper down, maybe just include a few things which are required in the job which are important (key skills which would be required in the new job I am going for). I’m happy with how the education is ordered and how my name and details are placed.

 

My Dream CV

Here, I took everything I placed on my current CV and revised about what I could achieve through the current talents and skills I have. I have always dreamed of becoming a concept artist, and I am still striving to become one, so a lot of the information on here consists of achievements, skills and areas which are necessary for a concept artist. You must be multi-skilled also, just in case you are unable to get the job you want straight away. It’s always advised you learn multiple things, because you also may find that it will help you climb to where you would like to be in time.

[PCAD 100] Writing a Personal Statement About Yourself

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Write a personal statement about your goal

My goal in life is to become a Concept Artist for Games. It is going to be a long road to get as good my most favourite artists, but with enough determination and learning I believe I can make it. I find the job so inspiring, and has great potential and input into games we see today. Art and games tell a story that we some times never forget. I hope to one day make the same gesture to other aspiring artists like other concept art pieces (and games) have to me through my life.
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Write a personal statement about your immediate goals and how you intend to achieve these.
Include: Action needed, deadline dates and how you will know you have achieved these.

Immediately I would like to learn confidence in speech. I have never been much of a speaker, and I do stumble greatly on my words, and explaining my ideas and concepts. To inspire others is not all about how the art speaks to you through its colours and development, but how the viewer sees it in their mind and interpret their own unique story. But if some one was to ask me what my pieces of art meant, I would like to be able to explain clearly how I came up with the idea, developed it, and then created it as my own personal image.
I would like to do this by a few months. It won’t be an easy task, but I really want to learn how to relax and realise that my personal projects and work related subjects aren’t that bad to talk about, and people are very interested in them.
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Write a personal statement about your goals for the next 18 months and how you intend to achieve these.
Include: Action needed, deadline dates and how you will know you have achieved these.

I would like to become more self confident and a little less judgemental about my ideas and developments. Unfortunately, as an artist, your confidence tends to drop and you become more critical with your work. However, it’s a big flaw and I would like to work and iron out these problems and become confident and try to understand that everything may not turn out as well as you may think. To do this, I think I should try and search for more websites which enables you to post images and gather comments from others.
I shall give myself till the winter time of the year after next (2014) to really consider when I have actually achieved such a hard task. It’s all about building self confidence and actually saying to others that I like certain pieces I have made, or realising that pieces I have made may be better then my inspiring artists in certain aspects. When I have truly done that, I believe I will realise that I have achieved what I wanted.
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Write a personal statement about your goals for the next 3 years and how you intend to achieve these.
Include: Action needed, deadline dates and how you will know you have achieved these.

To become a Concept Artist after the 3 years of my University Course. This is a big step, and I’m very nervous to become one, but at the same time I am as excited as ever. I have to train my mind, body and hands to be able to cope with the amount of pressure being a concept artist comes with, and being able to push my self to extreme limits to get jobs done. I will learn to do this by setting myself tasks which I can try and complete in an amount of time and see how I get on. And then possibly make it harder for myself so I learn from mistakes.
As I said before, I aim to do this by the end of my University Course. I believe being in this course, however, will strengthen my skills also because there are also deadlines and hard tasks set.
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[PCAD 100] Leading Questions

What are Leading Questions?

Leading Questions are questions that require an answer to it. This can either be a very long answer or a short and sweet answer, normally interviewers will do this to gather information, or find quick snappy information out of you to tell what kind of person you are.
There are different kinds of Leading Questions that will be asked;

Closed Questions
A closed question is a question that can be answered by a single word or a short phrase. Normally it is a ‘yes’ and ‘no’ question.

Open Questions
Open questions are a complete opposite of a closed question, they require longer answer and a lot more detail. These questions are normally asked to get information out of you.

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3 Leading Questions that I Have Made

[1] Do you have any problems with your current boss?
[2] Where do you see yourself in our company?
[3] How many people will be in my team?

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20 Generic Leading Questions

Here are 20 Leading Questions that you would be genericly asked in a standard interview. These are sort of the basics of how to ask a question, and a way for the interviewer to find what kind of person you are, and how you deal with a problem.

[1] Tell me about your college years and what you got out of them?
[2] How did you get your spouse to marry you?
[3] What two cars you’ve owned have been the biggest headaches?
[4] What have you done for your children that your parents didn’t do for you?
[5] What’s your philosophy of life and how does it differ from most others.
[6] What three characteristics do you look for in a friend…and why?
[7] What could be done to improve service at your bank?
[8] How did your two favourite teachers or professors help you most?
[9] Why do you eat out as often or as little as you do?
[10] If you had to be an animal in the zoo, which would it be and why?
[11] If you could do one nice thing for 20 strangers, what would it be?
[12] If forced to take a government job, what would it be and why?
[13] How could the postal office be improved?
[14] Explain the two things you like most about your spouse?
[15] What did you learn as a teenager that you’d like other kids to learn?
[16] Tell me the dishes you prepare best and your main cooking secret.
[17] Why do you keep returning to the restaurant you like the best?
[18] Which American politician have you respected most and why?
[19] Tell me about the two happiest days of your life.
[20] Tell me about another house you’d prefer to the one you have.

10 Change Generic Questions for Concept Artist

To change 10 of these into questions that would be used for an interview for a Concept Artist for Games, you would have to alter the words slightly. Even by altering, it would still make sense and would have quite a great impact.
Here are 10 of these questions changed to sound like questions asked in a Concept Artist interview.

[1] What two drawing techniques tried, have been the biggest headaches?
[2] What have you done for your style that your inspiring artists didn’t do?
[3] What could be done to improve your artwork for our company?
[4] If you had to be a Concept Artist from another company, who would it be and why?
[5] How could the design process be improved?
[6] What did you learn as an Artist that you’d like other Artists to learn?
[7] Why do you keep striving to be the Artist you like the best?
[8] Tell me about the two greatest art pieces of your life.
[9] How did you get to your standard of drawing?
[10] What’s your philosophy of design and how does it differ from most others.

[RESEARCH] Knowing what to Say and what to Do in an Interview

Monster Interview

It’s always best to be armoured with information and understanding when you go into a interview for a job that you know you want. When I was using the Monster Interview to figure out what was a good and bad answer to give the interviewer, I found it easy to learn tips and tricks from the simulation, and made me realise what I should improve on.

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What Dream Jobs are there for me?

Character Concept Artist for Toys for Bob

Here is a Concept Artist position in the industry. They want a wide range of skills and qualities from the artist, and they would like the artist to be quick and nimble with their own ideas and concepts. It really daunts me, because there is so much to be expected of you, specially if you have had no experience in the games industry. But there is always room for improvement and training.
Toys for Bob is a games company that created Skylanders. I think, if I was to go for this position, it would be perfect because I am into quite cutesy and cartoon characters, which are very exaggerated and full of style.

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Questions At The End Of the Interview?

At the end of a Concept Artist Interview, there are a few questions I would like to ask them:

[1] What kind of team will I be working with?
[2] How will my work be used?
[3] Are ideas and concepts accepted openly? If so, what is the process?
[4] What kind of styles will I be working with?

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What Is Good and Bad About Posture in Interviews?

When going for an Interview, you must make sure to have a great posture at all times, or else it will seem as though you have no interest in the job.

What is Good Posture?

[1] Sitting up straight.
[2] Wearing suitable clothing for the job role.
[3] Look confident, smile brightly.
[4] Remain focused and keep eye contact.
[5] Be expressive with your hand, use them to get your point across.

What is Bad Posture?

[1] Slouched and ‘comfortable’.
[2] Nervous and loosing eye contact with the Interviewer.
[3] Chewing or biting anything.
[4] Hiding your face away from everyone.
[5] Showing attitude, crossing your arms, rolling your eyes, etc.

[SMART Analysis] What Can I Do To Progress?

Today I must take two examples of my weaknesses from my SWOT Analysis and do what is called a SMART Analysis. This breaks up the sentence into simple tasks that I can do to defeat the weaknesses I have in a work environment. (SMART means; Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time based.)

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My Weakness: “Things which look too big to handle.”

Specific: When ever there is a big project, I push away from it. It happens like a safety mechanism.

Measurable: If I take big projects by stride, and think of it as small manageable tasks, it will release the stress.

Achievable: In the next big project, I will take note of what is expected of me and make a block list of what has to be done on certain days.

Realistic: I will visualise the task at hand as small pieces of work which I have set for myself as ‘homework’.

Time Based: Having a project in small blocks will make it time managed because I’ll be setting certain pieces of work for different days and different times.

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My Weakness: “Being confident in myself.”

Specific: I have never been confident in what I do, and have always turned down compliments because I don’t feel like I am good enough.

Measurable: Try and take praise as best as I possibly can, and find good qualities about myself that are noticeable.

Achievable: Start talking to people more about myself, be more open and expressive instead of shying away. Think more about the good qualities then the bad.

Realistic: Be slow to introduce what I have done, then gradually feel like I can progress and feel much more better about myself and my work.

Time Based: Take the time to write down the qualities that I feel are important to myself and write more about each one and realise that it is not all bad. Take it all step by step.

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