Neil Boyd

1
10 essential skills for budding game artists

• Neil Boyd
• Senior Teacher
• AIE Canberra

Eve Penford-Dennis Senior Teacher AIE Melbourne
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Dont be a tool

• You are an artist, not a software technician
• Dont decide that you prefer only one type of
  software
• Should be aware of the basics in at least one
  other package (ideally 3dsmax, Maya or XSI)

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Network

• Mailing lists (dlf, etc)
• Forums (sumea, polycount, etc)
• Most programmers are human
• Keep IT people on your good side
• Keep in touch with classmates and teachers
• Games industry is very close knit and you never
  know when you might need a foot in the door
• 50 of jobs never advertised

4
Communicate Effectively

• Find out exactly what you have to do and by when
  (clarification)
• Save yourself time and effort
• Good communicators get the good jobs faster
• Communicate well visually- doing the best concept
  art means everyone builds your stuff- not vice
  versa
• Be concise and specific

5
I can do it!

• Be versatile
• Youre being paid to do what someone else wants,
  not what YOU want
• Murphys law says you will be working on the game
  you didnt find interesting
• Challenge yourself to design / model / animate
  texture things that are not your particular style
  or out of your comfort zone

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Ideas

• Be original
• Keep up the traditional art skills
• Concept art is important
• So many studios have seen lots and lots of
  clichéd artwork- ITS BEEN DONE!

7
Keep your reel current

• Keep updating your reel
• Get copies of your work
• Render off work- dont rely on having all the
  files later
• You could find out about a great job elsewhere
• Company could go bust

8
Texturing is tops

• If you cant find a texture that suits a
  model-make it from scratch!
• Texture budgets- they are called budgets for a
  reason
• Get a digital camera and take it with you
  everywhere
• Unique reference and textures
• walls, grass, roads , concrete, rust, signs,
  faces, skies, graffiti, vehicles

9
Save W.I.P.

• Show the process you went through to create that
  fantastic model.
• Understand the process you went through to create
  the model
• Prove that the work is yours
• Find the arm before you made it an amputee

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Make It Better

• Make it better if not as good than other games
• Ask others advice, take criticism, practice and
  improve.
• Keep up to date with new developments
• keep honing the skills on stuff you already know

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Play games

• What is the fun stuff in every genre?
• Why do some games work better than others
• Play the best games of all time
• What game has the best
• Characters design
• Character animation
• Level design

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Other Tips

• Dont use tutorials in your reels
• No excuse for poor file management (telling
  people youve lost work)
• Once youve got the job keep impressing people
  thats when youve really got to prove yourself
• Nothing offensive in your reel

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Questions

• What was that young grasshopper?