Seven 3D Artists from our 80 Level Talent Platform have agreed to share some information about themselves, their ways to become better artists, and what software they usually use.
What is Your Dream Job?
Work in the videogames industry as a 3D Character Artist would be my jackpot in life because I love videogames, I play a lot of genres of games like FPS or action and I've always been creating characters, it has been the way to express my art since I was little.
How Do You Upgrade Your Skills?
I started drawing as a hobby, then I decided to try to sculpt and now I'm in digital as a 3D Artist. I think that knowing how to draw is a big help for this work. Now, after the ArtHeroes program, I'm following some tutorials on YouTube to learn other tips or even new programs like Marvelous Designer, for example. I'm also planning to follow other courses, like the Likeness program, also from ArtHeroes because I also want to do realistic portraits.
If You Could Choose 3 Software for the Production, What Would Those Be?
My "never without" are ZBrush, for me the best for doing organic sculpt, Blender, it is free and has a lot of functions and a good renderer, and last but not least Substance Painter because it is indispensable for texturing.
What is Your Dream Job?
I’d love to work on the Red Read Redemption series! They’re such inspiring games to play, especially for an artist. I’ve spent so many hours in-game just admiring the environments, models, and textures – it has some of the best art direction I’ve ever seen in a game. How cool would it be to be part of that creative process!?
However, my dream job would be to make the sequel to DEATHPIT 3000 which is the first title a friend and I released on Steam under the name Cyberlamb Studios. It was a project we started just to learn how to make games but it turned out to be the most satisfying and rewarding creative project I’ve ever worked on. There’s nothing like the excitement of brainstorming new ideas, implementing them, then seeing it all come to life while playtesting – that creative freedom is second to none! And with the new skill, we’ve developed since then, and the lessons learned from the first game, I know the sequel would be just awesome!
How Do You Upgrade Your Skills?
I like to work systematically, so I use a project management tool – in my case Trello – and define a roadmap for my learning. I have a list of assets/environments I’d like to create, and another list of the skills I’d like to develop. Then I match the skills to different assets and choose the ones which "A", I’m most excited about creating, and "B", will demonstrate the skills I want to appear on my portfolio. Then I start learning by following online tutorials and reading artist breakdowns (like those on 80 Level), then I start experimenting with my own ideas and implementing the new skills I’ve learned, then I solve any problems either by reading up on the forum, or failing that, by asking the incredibly supportive communities on various platforms like polycount.com.
It can be overwhelming, the number of skills you need to develop and programs you need to learn to become a digital artist, so here’s my advice considering what I know now and my knowledge from my past life as an educator:
- In order to learn and retain new information, you really need to be interested in the subject matter – so focus on what’s fun for you!
- Don’t try to learn ‘everything’ at once - just focus on what you need for your current project, everything else will come in good time.
- Don’t worry about learning every modeling or texturing package out there, just use what’s accessible to you and focus on the skills required to use them well. For example, when modeling you need to know about good topology and how to unwrap good UVs, whether you use Blender, Maya, or 3ds Max.
- If you know what kind of artist you want to be (e.g. Environment artist), make a list of the skills you would need if doing it professionally, and make sure your portfolio shows those skills – this will give your learning direction.
- If you don’t know what kind of artist you want to be yet, refer to step 1. Be ready to ‘let go’ of the development of certain skills as you become more focused on different areas. An environment artist working for a medium-to-large studio won’t really need to be able to rig characters using the latest programs (though if you’re one of only a few developers on a project, you might need to!).
- Keep your learning focused – if you want to be a hard surface modeler, don’t spend a lot of time making foliage. Be ready to use assets that are already available. In any game studio, you will be expected to integrate other assets rather than creating everything from scratch because there simply isn’t enough time. So get used to doing it, and remember to credit those artists when you use their work.
- Get involved with the community. Spend time reading 80 Level articles, scour ArtStation and make lists of the artists you like, listen to related podcasts, and engage with sites like Polycount and DiNusty Empire. It’s all inspiring and will help you grow as an artist in ways that aren’t always so obvious.
If You Could Choose 3 Software for the Production, What Would Those Be?
- Blender: I love this program because it’s just so powerful. I’ve used it for modeling, sculpting, texturing, rendering, animating, and video editing, and it’s FREE! I’ve actually paid for some plugins to improve my workflow, like HardOps and BoxCutter, MeshMachine, ZenUV, and Photographer 4, but you don’t ‘need’ these to do the job. There’s also so much help available online – any problem you might have, no doubt someone else has already had it and the solution has been offered on some forum.
- Unreal Engine: This is a hard one because I also love Unity! But from an artist’s perspective, UE has cleaner and more efficient workflows. As a game developer though, and as they’re both free, I’d encourage anyone to make something in each as you’ll never know what engine a studio you apply to might use, and it will only help to have something relevant to say about them in an interview.
- Substance Painter: It’s so good for texturing and, in my opinion, still ahead of the game compared to Quixel Mixer. There are also so many tutorials available online, especially their own on Substance Academy. Though it’s primarily subscription-based, you can get your hands on it for a one-off payment through Steam.
What is Your Dream Job?
To be an Environment Artist at a AAA studio working on stunning environments and game levels that people would remember for years, like the first time you enter the Vault of Glass in Destiny, this is a feeling I want to create for players.
How Do You Upgrade Your Skills?
I follow pages such as 80 Level, The Rookies, different subreddits, many YouTube videos, and the best is definitely talking directly to other artists and learning how and why they do their things.
If You Could Choose 3 Software for the Production, What Would Those Be?
What is Your Dream Job?
My dream job would be to eventually be an Art Director in either my own creative studio or another company in the film or video game industry.
How Do You Upgrade Your Skills?
I usually have 2-3 personal passion projects going on at any given time to try and level up my skills and experiment with new techniques. If I feel I am stuck on one project, I take a break from it and work on the other ones. I almost always find that I can borrow solutions or be inspired from one project and apply that knowledge in different ways.
If You Could Choose 3 Software for the Production, What Would Those Be?
I'm always trying to learn new tools and techniques to try and better manifest my ideas, however at the moment my top 3 software are Blender, Substance Painter, and Photoshop!
What is Your Dream Job?
My dream job is to be a Concept or Character Artist and be a part of a project where my work can inspire emotions in people.
How Do You Upgrade Your Skills?
I upgrade my skills by watching hours of tutorials. Recently I've participated in the ArtHeroes Stylized Program, and that was a huge boost.
If You Could Choose 3 Software for the Production, What Would Those Be?
If I had to choose only 3 software for production, I would choose ZBrush, Blender, and Substance Painter.
What is Your Dream Job?
Being able to work creatively in any way is already a dream job at its core for me. I love to develop and visualize ideas, transmit feelings and messages. Since I´m more of a Generalist, I enjoy working on a variety of different projects from 2D to 3D conception, illustration, and animation.
How Do You Upgrade Your Skills?
I always try to challenge myself by trying out new features or new software to find quicker or optimized solutions for different tasks, either by myself or with the help of other artists and tutorials. That also includes stepping out of my comfort zone from time to time in order to keep an open mind to different approaches and perspectives.
If You Could Choose 3 Software for the Production, What Would Those Be?
The first one is Blender, no doubt. I am really amazed by the Blender development and all its continuous improvements and new features. Additionally, the Blender Community is really great and there are also so many add-ons available that can improve your workflow a lot. As for a second one, I have to say After Effects, since it´s great for compositing, animation, and visual effects. And the third one would be Procreate for digital drawing. But since I´m always eager to find and try out new software, this list is not carved in stone.
What is Your Dream Job?
My dream job would be working as an Environment Artist in a AAA videogame production (especially on titles with stylized graphics). At the moment I am teaching 3D Fundamentals in a Digital Art Academy based in Rome.
How Do You Upgrade Your Skills?
Besides my current employment, I keep myself updated thanks to platforms like ArtStation, Gumroad, 80 Level, Experience Points and working on my personal projects improving my workflow, constantly testing new pipelines and software. I'm also an active member of the Italian CGI community, gathering with many other people passionate about 3D on Discord, Facebook, and Instagram.
If You Could Choose 3 Software for the Production, What Would Those Be?
If I could choose 3 software, I would probably go for Maya (modeling), ZBrush (sculpting), and Substance Painter (texturing). Just because they are the software I grew up with as a 3D Artist and because they are definitely a part of the current game industry standard.
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