info for candidates : Graduates
Advice for graduate artists and animators
So, you want to be a games artist?
Creating computer games art may seem like a dream job, but how do you actually become a games artist? On this page:
- CV advice and general tips
- Demo portfolio advice
- Sample work from some of our previous candidates
- Current vacancies suitable for graduate / entry-level artists and animators
CV advice and general tips
Be committed! Are you mad about games?
Firstly, having a passion for games is absolutely crucial. Only the best candidates succeed and these candidates are totally committed. You need to be passionate about games. Your skills may well transfer into the world of TV & Film or product design, but if you want to succeed in games it must be games that you want to make. It may seem as though every job advertised requires industry experience, but there are a limited number of places for candidates who have not worked in the games industry before.Still with us? Then..
Make your CV scream games!
Make sure your CV screams out your objective of getting into the games industry! Write this at the top in your Objectives, Profile or Career Aims section to grab the reader's attention. Then, in the rest of your CV, emphasize anything you've done which is relevant and/or shows your enthusiasm for and interest in games - e.g. sketches, 3d modelling or even level design or game mods you've done in your spare time.Your hobbies and interests section is a great opportunity to show how keen you are. What type of games do you like? Any specific examples? Why? Here is the place to say! When you are playing think about what you like and don't like - in an interview you'll need to be prepared to talk about anything in your CV.
Use Agencies
Don't be frightened of using agencies. Pick an agency which has a longstanding reputation in the games industry. A good agency will know exactly which companies are looking for what type of candidate. One call to an agency can save you many hours of time contacting every games company in the country. They are also an invaluable resource. Agencies look at CVs every day so they know what CV will get an interview and what won't. Ask their advice. Openness and honesty are crucial. Your agency is working for you; they should keep you fully informed.At Datascope we now send our candidates a username and password for logging in to our website so they can see how their applications are progressing. Once you have registered you will be able to see the names of the companies we have sent your details to, and any interviews in the pipeline. (We will of course phone and/or email you if a company would like to see you - the web login feature is in addition to this!) We believe we are the only agency to offer this service.
Prepare examples of your work
A portfolio is essential. For more, see below..Artists and Animators - Demo portfolio advice It sounds obvious but it's worth stating that to get a position as a games artist, you have to demonstrate your talents through an appropriate portfolio. Games companies will not interview a candidate without first reviewing a sample of their work and your work should reflect both your artistic talent and enthusiasm for games. The competition is tough and your portfolio should demonstrate something that sets you apart from other candidates. Appropriate qualification will help demonstrate academic and technical ability but your artwork is the key!
There are a number of different areas of art within the games industry, some jobs may involve a number of these and others may be more specialised - you should be aware of your strengths as an artist and emphasise them. The areas are:
Concept Art - Texture Art - 3D Art - 3D Animation
The majority of roles will involve the use of a 3D graphics application the main ones being Maya and 3D Studio Max. Obviously a good working knowledge of one of these application will be a real benefit, however your ability to create exciting, believable 3D objects is the most important thing whatever software you use. The types of work we'd expect to see from candidates are:
- Traditional Artwork - Companies will always like to see examples of your hand drawn artwork
- Textures & 2D Artwork - If you've done textures for 3D models or digital 2D work send them as separate images
- 3D Models - Wireframes as well as rendered images of low/high poly or NURBS models will show how you've constructed them
- Animation - This is a specialist area in which you'll probably have some training.
You can find lots more info on the web - a good starting point is the Developer Resources - Art section of our Gateway to Games page.
Also some relevant newsgroups: comp.games.development.art, comp.graphics.animation, comp.games.development.industry, comp.graphics.misc and comp.graphics.apps - these links go to Google Groups.
Artists and Animators - Sample work
 climb.avi (272 Kb) |
 jump2.avi (711 Kb) |
 push.avi (369 Kb) |
 work_in_progress.avi (2 Mb) |
These are DivX video clips - try installing the DivX codec if you have trouble viewing them.
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Paul used 3D Studio Max and Photoshop.
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| ravi2.jpg (73 Kb) | ravi3.jpg (361 Kb) |
Copyright notice: The original authors retain copyright © of all demo and sample work here, and it is published with their kind permission. You may download material from this page for your own personal, non-commercial use only.
These vacancies are suitable for graduates or other good artists who do not have games industry experience. They are also posted on our main games artist and animator jobs page.
If you are interested in any of them please quote the ref no(s) and send your CV and examples of your work for the attention of Paul.
Highly skilled Animator (asap)
Surrey, £Contract rates
They create 3D Animatics company doing pre-vis for adverts. It’s fun work that’s multi-disciplined with short project durations and a lot of creative and technical challenges. We’ve been trading for over 5 years now and have doubled in size every year with a strong and growing client base and excellent cash reserves. We have a US studio and are looking to expand into the far east in the next couple of years but with a one company feel so we regularly post artists out for “working sabbaticals” – ideal for young people interested in seeing the world. Our emphasis is on quality in our work coupled with speed as an artist may be expected to complete an animatic in 5-10 days.
This London based studio is looking for an excellent animator to do a couple of days freelance with them. Something more permanent may go from there.
There may be a full time appointment but it’s dependent on whether this works for them or not.
The studio has cited that a lot of experience professionalism is not the highest need.
Efficiency and speed are important, but talent in creating believable expressions, ideas and emotions are key.
3DS Max knowledge would be ideal but if someone is sufficiently talented we don’t mind too much.
The requirement is pretty quickly so either end of this week for two days or beginning of next week for a couple of days.
Surrey £Contract rates
Contact: Matt Ref: 29826
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