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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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 I had to choose only 3 software for production, I would choose ZBrush, Blender, and Substance Painter.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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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