ART DIRECTOR TIPS FOR STUDENTS / GETTING INTO THE GAME INDUSTRY - GameDev Q&A Ep 03 pt1

Part 2 is up!: • GAME STUDIO INTERNSHIP...
Be sure to check out Lincolns Channel for resources and tutorials: / @artoflincolnhughes
Lincolns Artstation: www.artstation.com/lincolnhughes
Today we go deep on your questions again, and this time I am joined by my best friend and talented art director, Lincoln Hughes. Tips for breaking into the game industry with zero money, working on gamedev team and advice for anyone wanting to become an art director in the video game industry.
Resources mentioned:
Peter Tran's ArtStation: www.artstation.com/petertran
Lincolns presentation: • Telling the right stor...
Free UE4 lighting presets + Tutorial : • UNREAL ENGINE 4 LIGHTI...
The Best video card for Gamedev: amzn.to/45Ev6Cu
The Best Budget Video Card for Gamedev: amzn.to/45Lxck0
Backup your work! SSD I use: amzn.to/45s0y7m
The Mouse I use every day: amzn.to/3qRN4Td
The Laptop I use for remote Gamedev work: amzn.to/3Ed07li
The Camera I use to film my videos: amzn.to/3Pf0bHL
Follow Me on Artstation for more: www.artstation.com/pixelmasher
About me: I am an environment/lighting artist who has been working in the game industry for 12+ years at studios such as Ubisoft, EA, Relic, Capcom and United Front. I have worked on games like FarCry 4, Watch Dogs 2, Splinter Cell, Sleeping Dogs and Spacemarine.

[@GINGERninjaBEN]

As someone working a part time job at McDonalds and working on my portfolio the rest of the time, this really hit home. Thank you guys so much!

[@PolygonAcademy]

Linc worked at mcdonalds back in the day too. Just keep working towards your goals and you will get where you wanna be :)

[@ArtofLincolnHughes]

GINGERninjaBEN haha yeah... McDonald’s... I know your pain lol. Was actually a pretty decent place though to get some xp for working at a corporation and with a team.

[@ButtyArtist]

As an artist, that's still debating whether or not upload my hot garbage to Artstaion this is actually super encouraging. Thank you for the video! It will definitely make me reconsider a few things.

[@PolygonAcademy]

hahah "hot garbage" I'm sure its fine! just do it and get over the fear of putting your work out there :)

[@hypersapien]

Thanks for answering my question (Should you play the games of the places you apply to). I've been working as an environment artist for an arch viz company for 13 years, and I remember the job search before I found this job involved contacting about 100 studios looking for work. In that regard it seems impossible to play a game from each of those places, but I suppose I could wait until I get an interested response from a studio before I actually dive into their past work.

[@PolygonAcademy]

exactly! just play the ones when you have an interview set up and you will be good :)

[@SimplyCrazySid]

This was a great watch. Appreciate all the information, really needed to hear this. Thank you Tim and thank you Lincoln!

[@PolygonAcademy]

our pleasure, it was super fun!

[@ArtofLincolnHughes]

you're welcome!! happy you liked it :)

[@joaquinbrunella7809]

thanks for this! Really excited for the second part

[@PolygonAcademy]

awesome, its gonna be good :)

[@Roozy_Persepolis]

Hi Lincoln and Tim. I showed you two to my mom and I showed lincoln's Landscape Material and what it does. My mother has 0 knowledge of game design,but she was amazed. This duo is amazing.

[@PolygonAcademy]

thanks Roozy! thats awesome feedback to hear haha. if you can get your mom on your side on what you want to do, you have won already :D thanks for watching!

[@Roozy_Persepolis]

@@PolygonAcademy I have people like you 2 on my side where I can look up to and learn from.Thanks.

[@ArtofLincolnHughes]

Roozy 85 wowww thanks man!! Stoked that she likes it haha

[@charles4100]

Appreciate you doing this video guys, thank you!

[@PolygonAcademy]

you're welcome Charles :) stay tuned for part 2 tomorrow!

[@ArtofLincolnHughes]

you're welcome!! hope you liked it

[@AXLplosion]

Great video again, thanks for answering my question!

[@PolygonAcademy]

AXLplosion you’re welcome :)

[@Weeartbook]

Really enjoyed this Q&A!, Really helpful tips for life at the studio! - Looking forward to Part 2 :D

[@PolygonAcademy]

hell yea! its gonna be a good one as well tomorrow!

[@deathb4decaff]

Thanks for taking the time to our answer questions. Awesome to have Lincoln on the show as well. Would love to see more guests.

[@PolygonAcademy]

indeed! it makes for a fun dynamic :)

[@ArtofLincolnHughes]

ohhhh i'll be coming back. Mainly for the whiskey though...

[@deathb4decaff]

@@ArtofLincolnHughes I mean, who wouldn't. :P Thanks again guys

[@Hot18Shot]

Totally relate working a crappy job while spending leftover time and money on learning and devoting to creating art for my portfolio. I worked ten hours overtime the other week, and despite that, I still found time to work on these things, guess I do have some passion for this career path!

[@PizzaOMC]

soo much info that will help a lot of people. thank you!

[@PolygonAcademy]

you're welcome buddy! thanks for watching

[@mikkelmelby]

pure gold

[@PolygonAcademy]

thanks!

[@Omar-Abdelaal]

Thanks a lot for this useful video. keep creating man

[@PolygonAcademy]

you're welcome, thanks for tuning in :) part 2 tomorrow!

[@fu_films1479]

great video, very informative! I had vague impressions of how relocation worked but this video clarified it fully. thanks!

[@PolygonAcademy]

cheers! glad it provided some insight :)

[@The_Eno]

Another awesome video! And boy is 3d a small world, it blows my mind. I was exchanging emails with this guy last month wishing him a fun honeymoon after finding his top quality landscape material solution. Now it turns out he's a mate of yours. Of-course Canadian johnny sins knows everyone, he's in "the industry" 👊.

[@ArtofLincolnHughes]

hahaha Canadian Johnny Sins, almost searched for what that was at work until Tim told me... Also, thanks for the well wishes on the honeymoon man, it went great :)

[@PolygonAcademy]

haha yea small world, the game industry is a pretty tight knit community compared to massive sectors like finance or e-commerce etc. never know who you will run into!

[@Victor-oc8jh]

SCOTCH WITH ICE?! Tim, we need to talk

[@PolygonAcademy]

i mean....it's just crown :P the good stuff neat, this engine cleaner? ice it up hahahah

[@WizardReel]

The best point was being able to go to the art director or senior artist and work together to done. Communication is really important to keep the project going.

[@PolygonAcademy]

hell yea, communication is vital to most project's success and quality of life during production.

[@zarkeven]

thanks for coming on, Lincoln! as a learning level designer and environment artist, I was wondering a lot of these questions that were answered today. thanks for answering these!

[@PolygonAcademy]

cheers! thanks for watching! keep on learning :)

[@The_Eno]

I'll need some environmental artists/level designers next year to help with a project. If you're interested, link your art station!

[@ArtofLincolnHughes]

you're welcome, was my pleasure :)

[@jonjo3d]

Looking forward to this! Cheers for sitting in Lincoln :)

[@PolygonAcademy]

thanks for watching! part 2 is gonna be good too... :D

[@ArtofLincolnHughes]

Of course, was super happy to be there :)

[@Arxontas10]

Woohoo!! yet again

[@PolygonAcademy]

you know it :D

[@CommandCentreWargaming]

Great vid, Scotch, Art and Arnold.

[@PolygonAcademy]

hell yea :D

[@ShieldSniper]

>Be Yourself >Be that cool guy sorry! no can do!!!

[@PolygonAcademy]

pfffff you got this! cool is subjective too. We work on a D&D project and thats "cool" in this group, here is lil tip, being really passionate about something usually makes you cool to the group of people that matters most to you!

[@ColdKei]

Well, that's the whole point. "Do what's really drive you" is the best advice for people who have that drive, but don't have sure. If you like doing things that bring no money, then life is painful waste. For me personally, I can only choose between things that I don't hate. So I came to science field. But after 6 years of study at Uni and relocation to another country for better education, when I'm near my Master degree in chemistry, I found that 3D art I don't hate either. For such a lazy human to be doing this choise... Real struggle. So envious for people who can use your advices.

[@KUBE.archvis]

Thank you. 😘

[@PolygonAcademy]

you're welcome :)

[@MohamedEssam-gx9vh]

hi! why you don't make a series for reviewing your fans portfolio and guide them ?

[@PolygonAcademy]

potentially in future if I have some extra time :) I want to focus on tutorial content but as the channel grows that could be something I do :) thanks for the suggestion!

[@TheCiuchcik]

Hi Tim!, I watch Your KZbin tutorials,Q&A etc. Is there a posibility, that u make a video with tips how to sculpt rocks in zbrush? There is a plenty time-laps videos, but nobody explains it, like u did in Your Wood sculpting tutorial./ Awesome and worth watching video as always, Thank u Guys! :)

[@morrisabramian2276]

such a great and informative video! unfortunately, I learned most of these stuff the hard way, the topic that was interesting to me is "when to speak up" or when or how to act, for example, you see that another artist or lead or even a supervisor doing something completely wrong or the hardest way possible, how would you act in that situation, again this was just an example.

[@atkaygee]

dope dope dope

[@Roozy_Persepolis]

Hello Lincoln and Tim . I have a small question. I have been tasked to create a big mansion,where I will be given all the models,with no UVs and textures, and I have to kinda kitbash them together , given a concept art,and create it in 3ds max and then texture everything,take it into UE4 and go all the way to final render. I was wonder if I can use this in my portfolio,even though I did not make the models myself? (obviously I will mention the source/artists that created the models). Basically,in a nutshell, what goes in my portfolio, does everything has to be made 100% by me,or can it be a collaborative work?

[@PolygonAcademy]

Roozy 85 collab work is totally fine, just say what you did and credit the other artists. Half my folio is collab work for games and relighting of others scenes haha

[@Roozy_Persepolis]

@@PolygonAcademy Thank you. another thing I have to work on is a complete scene created in 3ds max in Turbosquid,and I was asked to do all the things I mentioned above. is it fine if I buy scenes from turbosquid and do as I mentioned above,and as you said, say where the source was?

[@alexbellato]

Another awesome video Tim! The only thing about the part you guys talk about moving to Montreal and if your portfolio is solid you will get a job. This is not 100% true. If you are Canadian, that is one thing. But if you are from Brazil, as you guys mention, that's is not true at all. To move to Canada with a work visa is not that easy. It's not impossible, but it's super hard. I'm saying that as a Brazilian living in Canada. I just don't want people thinking that they can buy a ticket to Canada and think they will be fine here. Without work-visa companies cannot and will not hire you .

[@PolygonAcademy]

yea I think we should have been more clear. I think if you were just to come visit here for a while on a tourist visa it would still create opportunity for job interviews, say you came here for 2-3 months to study or just on "vacation", your proximity to studios would probably mean they would be more open to bringing you in for an onsite interview. you would definitely need a work visa but the company can help with that after a successful interview. but yea, you are right its harder for sure, but not impossible.

[@alexbellato]

@@PolygonAcademy Yeah. Come here to study is the way to go, since you will have the right to work part-time during the time. If you have the financial conditions to do it. That's the way. Keep up the good work man. Cheers

[@NocteStudios]

Hey! Another great topic. I appreciate that. One request if that is possible, just started to work on my game and i was wondering how to create in-game cinematics like dialogue like a proffessional. Thanks in advance!

[@jessesquire6454]

Whats your budget

[@NocteStudios]

@@jessesquire6454 Umm, no budget? I mean ofcourse i can spend some cash for voices but i think i can handle UE4 cinematics.

[@PolygonAcademy]

I would say look into sequencer if you are using unreal engine but I would probably recommend going for text conversations or something super simple if its your first game. maybe even cut conversation systems unless it is critical to gameplay. but you can do cinematics with sequencer pretty easily with camera setups etc. just keep it simple!

[@Video.Game.Company]

31:30 LMAO! l fucking love this guy!

[@PolygonAcademy]

hahah hes a character thats for sure... :P

[@herbf2700]

I'd like to see you address the subject of remote contractors working from home.

[@PolygonAcademy]

I talk about that in one of my last videos: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nneTk4mNmN53fNU

[@Daniel-tj6mc]

Guys wait tables while you're learning. Depending on the restaurant you can make $75-200 in tips in 4 hours of work. Plus you learn social skills and time management. And tons of free time to learn

[@PolygonAcademy]

thats a really good suggestion :) server/bartender would probably be my go to if I was restarting and needed quick cash. good call!

[@Daniel-tj6mc]

@@PolygonAcademy thanks. It's not a bad gig, shoot i made $140 Since I posted that. Now time to get on the computer and work, its texturing Tuesday!

[@yaboyarnold2216]

you forgot to link peter's artstation :D

[@PolygonAcademy]

on it! thanks!

[@mattjaksa]

good lookin out!

[@WraithDesignz]

Curious question, What if somebody knew a lot in say 3DS Max, not Maya, Unreal Engine 2 - 4, a lot in Photoshop, Substance Painter but not so much in Designer, Revit Architecture, Speed Tree, and say some video editing programs like Sony Vegas Pro? You think a company would have a spot for somebody with a jack of all trades kind of experience? I just find having to know all the software in the industry just to maybe get a chance is a bit discouraging as for me, it is hard to learn some aspects over others and then being able to day in and out be able to better all my skills is hard when you gotta pay the bills and work a normal job. I'm self taught since 2012 and even after all these years I find I seem to have skills in many programs, but not a master at really any of them. Would say making online tutorials or demos of your work in a workflow be a good idea? Create a art station, etc? I do know a lot about baking textures in a few programs and specialize in Lightmapping UVs as well. Thanks for any info you can provide!

[@PolygonAcademy]

I would say it might be hard to know what to hire you for. usually studios are hiring for a specific role, and skills, not nessecarily software. like if you want to build environments, knowing how to construct a scene and use proper layout and composition etc is more important than max or maya. your portfolio should show you know how to output awesome environments or characters/props/weapons etc. what software you use to get the end result is not usually the most important part. so I would say focus on building up a focused set of skills on one area and your chances of getting a job will go way up because your portfolio communicates that, and yea your portfolio should be on artstation.

[@mrbrookah4117]

Hi Lincoln, you're famous now! ;)

[@PolygonAcademy]

normally I dont let rats appear in the videos, but in his case I had to make an exception ;)

[@ArtofLincolnHughes]

@@PolygonAcademy hahah thanks brooker.... you too tim...

[@mrbrookah4117]

"Don't be a dick." Ah, I see where I've been going wrong now ;)

[@Roozy_Persepolis]

Hi Tim and Lincoln. I was wondering, how many portfolio pieces do you consider enough to have on my artstation before looking for a job and sending resumes? some say at least 3,some say even 1 can land you a job.What do you think? What if I have 1 large environment that covers everything,from trees and foliage,to roads and buildings and vehicles, to lighting and vfx and water,to Photogrammetry and old school sculpting and modeling,and so on,all in 1 scene. Will that work or is it better to break it down to 3 smaller scenes?

[@PolygonAcademy]

Roozy 85 it is totally subjective but i would say 3-4 smaller environments of different subject matter would give me a good overview of an applicants skill level, but more is better and can show consistency + passion. 2-3 portfolio pieces a year isnt too hard of a target output really. Its all subjective but it should all be your best work/current skill level.

[@Roozy_Persepolis]

@@PolygonAcademy Sorry for asking too many questions. I was wondering,do you recommend to use Raytracing in my portfolio shots in UE4 or not? it seems like it is not something games use,at least for a while now.

[@PolygonAcademy]

Roozy 85 you could but i would say it’s not super relevant to games at the moment. I would go with a more standard setup, and when raytracing becomes more common, just upgrade those existing portfolio pieces to use rtx :)

[@Blastphemer]

So in honest words, an Art Director has to repeatedly tell the junior artist to make shit finally look good and hit the dead line xD .....

[@PolygonAcademy]

haha yea, and work with them to train their eye to know what looks good and what the difference is between halfway there and actually final quality. training them up actually makes my job easier in the long run and their results better/ self confidence grow :)

[@JoysticksJournalsPodcast]

Hey need help want to do do art and 3D model but I can’t stop play Game but really want to spend time doing 3D and art but don’t know why I’m so lazy to doit ?

[@PolygonAcademy]

force yourself to do 3d art then. if you really want it, it will happen. or uninstall all your games and make it hard to play them. it takes some self discipline to get to work, but once you start, it's easier!

[@JoysticksJournalsPodcast]

Ok I think be delete all games I go chose a hard password which can’t remember and block all the game website thanks

[@ImanPanahi]

I want to start but I’m 25 now do you think is it too late or not cause you said it took 9 years

[@PolygonAcademy]

Never too late to start, i know plenty of people who got into the industry in their 30s and with todays learning resources it can shortcut that learning time by quite a bit. Just go for it :)

[@ImanPanahi]

@@PolygonAcademy Thanks for the motivation , I’m passionate about it could you please tell me where to start ?software or something… I appreciate it

[@PolygonAcademy]

@@ImanPanahi I would figure out what part of game art or art you are most passionate about, either characters, environments, lighitng, vfx like explosions etc and then focus on learning how to make that stuff. start with some basic tutorials on youtube based around that subject matter. blender is free and great for learning as there are a ton of free tutorials on it. software seems like it matters when you are starting but really they are just tools used to create an outcome. there are many ways to do it and picking one and moving forward is way more effective than worrying about having made the perfect software choice :) maybe start making a level in unreal with some of the free assets and stuff available on marketplace like megascans to get a quick feel for building in 3d and take it from there :) good luck and thanks for watching!

[@gamedevartist-k9622]

😱 you look like max branning off eastenders 😂😂

[@TheRuloff]

Hi Tim, is it just me or when you leave a game studio for going to a better job position it feels like you are betrying those peopple that relaied on you and trusted you a position in their team?

[@PolygonAcademy]

not really, most people are sad to see you go but you will most likely cross paths in future. most artists stay at a studio for a couple years then move on, it's just business, any boss who holds a grudge or thinks of it as a betrayal is a horrible business person and leader.

[@TheRuloff]

@@PolygonAcademy Make sense but what if the company invested on you, I mean they paid for your relocation for you and your family and other thing like medical insurence , How long have you be there before leaving to another job without offend anybody

[@PolygonAcademy]

@@TheRuloff it really is situation dependant. when ubisoft relocated me there was a thing in my contract where if I left before the first year I would be liable to pay back a portion of the relocation costs. but if you are miserable or its not a good fit at a job, staying is not doing anyone any favors. People jump for better positions or pay all the time. if you like where you are at, and want more money, go and get an offer on the table and give the current employer the chance to match or exceed it, if they want to keep you on, they will. But i really wouldnt worry about offending anyone, most people are professional enough to get past that. and if they aren't....i wouldnt want to work with them again anyways.

[@Js103036]

Am i not the only one who feels a little angry about this. Nine years to get into the corporate shytshow of this industry? Holyshyt are you kidding me! It takes about a month to go through a financial crisis where you find yourself getting evicted and going back to live with mom and dad or loud-as-hell roommates. Also, what's going on in the business world where businessmen and shareholders are the main designers of the game. The cycle of more better graphics, repeating what people like in trends, and doing nothing new using UX design is getting old very fast. Why isn't there more risk and original or new ideas? That's how games were in the 90s to early 2000s. I feel like that was the golden era of game design. It seems substantially much more easier to get a job in the industry back in those days also. I remember when Timegate used to visit our community college looking for people. That was about six years ago. I wonder if the game industry will have another golden era where devs are crazy about working on more interesting titles and new hardware.

[@Js103036]

@Lincoln Hughes I started in the 90s with game maker. Everything has come a long way since then. I've been in the indie game industry for six years. I've been around many senior devs and even with a junior to senior-ish level of experience (knowing 3dsmax for about twelve years) and a small network I find it hard to get into the industry. I mostly do realistic 3d art, but I find my greatest passion as a general game designer. After about four years now I decided to look into other occupations because there wasn't enough feedback or understanding on why I couldn't network my way in. It seems reasonable that without a extremely outstanding portfolio or senior level experience, the resume sites are unfortunately useless. Also looking at how game companies treat devs and the ongoing debate about unionizing the industry, it seems like an industry that's very unappealing and too corporate-ish. I think it sucks the fun out of game development when policies and shareholder or business strategy influences game design. Moreover, today, making games is just another hobby of mine. I've got a few game under my belt already but nothing to be proud of. I find more of my passion in making origional game ideas. I make game design documents just for fun with complete storyboards, art, scripts, story treatments, and sometimes even full short stories. I have this weird idea that if i get enough money one day I could make these game design documents into a gam, but I'll probably end up taking those ideas to the grave since ideas are considered a dime a dozen. Besides there are no jobs for general designers; just businessmen and the devs the businessmen feel they can trust.

[@MetalGearMk3]

Use Blender it's free.

[@TheCrimson147]

*tries to move to Vancouver illegally, gets caught* it's harder when you're not an American.