How to Build a Portfolio and Get a Job as a Gamedev Artist
Are you an artist looking to work in gamedev? We’ll help you avoid portfolio pitfalls and assemble a collection that will get you hired at your dream job!
For artists looking to break into the gamedev industry, there are some burning questions floating around: What kind of portfolio do I need to get a job with a gaming studio? What do recruiters and art leads value the most? How much content should my portfolio have? How can I avoid the red flags that make companies say «no»?
Hello there! We’re Olga Demina, Recruiting Manager at MY.GAMES, and Anton Lunkov, Creative Direction at MY.GAMES. In this article, we’ll answer the questions above and more. If you’re an artist who has always wanted to break into the gamedev industry, read on — you’ve come to the right place!
What should my portfolio look like?
If you want to secure a job as an artist working at a gaming studio, you should take creating your portfolio quite seriously, and you must present yourself as a professional.
You need to determine the genre relevant to you and the most comfortable style. It is also advisable to choose the studio you want to work for and prepare a portfolio specifically for them. This will greatly increase your chances of success.
There are a few general requirements to consider when selecting projects for your portfolio. Each work should have an idea behind it: that is, a peculiarity, a thought, a story.
Strive to ensure that your drawings and models comply with the graphics standards accepted in game development. (In other words, your art should look like it could actually be used to create a game.)
If your portfolio contains mostly unfinished drawings, this can be a red flag for gaming companies! It’s difficult to assess your real skills based on such examples, but the shortcomings stand out loudly.
The first five works in your gallery should be the most beautiful and representative — these are displayed first on ArtStation (On Behance, the first six). Therefore, everyone who is looking for your profile via these resources will see these pictures first. If they match their search criteria, then the recruiter will want to look at the rest, so make sure they do.
Considering the above, it’s vitally important that your portfolio contains at least six pieces of art. If any less than that, then employers will simply not be able to truly evaluate your skills.
Let’s look at an example that doesn’t really cut it. This portfolio features two totally great images. But how did this person get there? What is his background? What related tasks can he solve? It is difficult to draw any conclusions from just two examples.
If there’s a video in your portfolio, don’t make it too long — 30 seconds is enough for one video. If you have a lot more to show, just make several videos, so it’s easier to watch them all.
And don’t forget to actually fill out your profile on ArtStation and Behance: this means a completed description, links to other social networks, projects, and so on. The more information, the more professional you look. You can upload game art and models on these sites, and put everything else on your social network or personal pages.
It’s also good if you use a real photo as an avatar, since this helps recruiters establish a kind of first contact with you.
If you have taken art courses, you can add art produced during your studies to your portfolio. (However, bear in mind that during the learning process, a mentor’s feedback can greatly affect the final look of the drawing. So, after the courses, try to put the knowledge gained into practice. Create a similar project on your own to show how you use the obtained information — this quality is especially important for juniors. It will also highlight your ability to work independently.)
Additionally, your portfolio may contain drawings that you created just for fun — this shows that you’re able to develop and learn on your own. Fanart and projects you created inspired by someone else’s style are also valuable. This is a standard practice among artists, which allows you to learn someone else’s artistic style and find a new path for your own creativity.
Check out the example above. This is an almost perfect example of a portfolio. There is catchy art right in the header, the “About Me” section is filled out, and subscriptions to specific artists highlight the candidate’s professional interests.
If for some reason you do not want to make your portfolio public and share a link to it, don’t make it some difficult quest to get there — don’t hide your portfolio in a hard-to-reach archive that you’ll also forget to update. The easier to access, the better.
Presentation is key
With traditional art, paintings are placed in frames to further highlight their importance. And for digital art, presentation is equally important.
Be sure to show different variations of your characters, objects, locations. Lastly, select one option that will go into the final render. The overall design increases the value of the art and gives the recruiter a signal to take a closer look at your work.
You can make a small series of pictures, based on one concept which will clearly communicate the characters’ background and world. This will prove that you perceive your art in a complex way and employers will appreciate this.
Reading recruiters’ minds
Let’s break down what recruiters pay attention to the most.
First, it’s important to match the style of the project where you want to be hired on — recruiters pay attention to this at the very early stage when they have a first look at the portfolio. Although they are not involved in the creation of art content, they’ll still be able to roughly assess whether the artworks match the style or not.
The next criterion is the software you work with. Often, certain programs are used on game projects. If you do not have experience with them, then your portfolio may be rejected.You shouldn’t focus on just one program. It’s worth mastering at least a few that suit your specialty!
The quality of the work and the progress of the artist are no less important. When there are only three artworks in the portfolio, all uploaded on the same day, it’s difficult to understand how the artist’s skills have developed.
Don’t forget to write a resume detailing your previous experience — this is not as important as a portfolio, but it’s still essential when applying for a job. Your resume should briefly retell your entire professional path: where you studied, what experience you have, what you have been doing. All of this matters.
(Resumes can also be placed in the “About” section on ArtStation. This offers a convenient way for potential employers to immediately understand an artist’s journey, skills, the software they use, and ways to reach the artist.)
Keep in mind that recruiters are trying to find out more about you — they’re looking at your early projects, social networks, and your footprints on various resources. The more an employer knows about your artistic path, the better. That’s why we recommend that you try to add all the relevant links directly to your resume.
Even if you’re not currently looking for a job, it’s better to keep your resume up to date. A resume is like an umbrella — you never know when you’ll need it.
Olga Demina, Senior HR Manager at MY.GAMES.
Required skills
The more relevant skills you have, the better.
A “do-it-all person” is incredibly valuable on the job market, and in-demand for any team. For example, at BIT.GAMES, 2D artists learn how to model — if they understand the specifics of creating a 3D model, artists can draw a concept in such a way that modelers won’t have any problems. Often, the artists themselves create the model, and some go even further and make the animation rigs.
Still, each specialist has particular skill sets:
- A character artist needs to know anatomy — without a proper understanding of the body’s form, you won’t be able to correctly draw characters, not even stylized characters.
- It’s important for an environment artist to monitor the overall composition of the level, its lighting, and its aesthetic appeal.
- For 3D modelers, it’s especially important to pay attention to the topology of objects; this role demands a high understanding of the rules of meshing. Also, the ability to apply the character map is important in order to understand whether you can work in a real pipeline or will need additional training. (Don’t forget to show the concept art you modeled the object from. This will show how good you are at transferring other people’s ideas into 3D. It’s also worth attaching a rendered model — this will be an additional point for you.)
- Animators need to learn the 12 principles of animation. It is especially important to pay attention to the weight of objects: for example, if you animate a formidable character and it flutters like a butterfly, it will look implausible. A good rig quality will help you get the job.
- For UI artists, it’s important to understand scale. A small icon should not be stretched to full screen. You should show the intended scale of that icon. Brevity and knowledge of theory are also important, and in general, you need to understand how interfaces are drawn.
A portfolio is the face of the artist. Hiring Managers evaluate it first and foremost, so when you decide whether to add new art or a model there, think about the story it tells about you.
Carefully choose your portfolio projects. For example, if you want to develop as a character artist, you should not focus on location concepts, because this will confuse potential employers.
Try to achieve conciseness and brevity in your work. Evaluate your own work from the game development point of view. What kind of projects are they suitable for? Do they match any style? Do they have an idea?
Answer these questions, you can quickly find flaws and fix them to increase your chances of getting a good job. If you do that, and follow the advice above, with a little persistence, you’re sure to find success in short order. Good luck!
