GAME STUDIO INTERNSHIPS, INDIE DEV TIPS FOR BEGINNERS & INTERVIEW TIPS - Gamedev Q&A Episode 03 pt2

If you missed part 1 of this series: • ART DIRECTOR TIPS FOR ...
Today we wrap up this in depth Q&A interview with art director and awesomely talented artist Lincoln Hughes. we go into portfolio and game studio interview tips, advice for beginner indie developers starting out and looking for funding, and some WOW moments from our careers.
Lincoln's KZbin channel with tutorials: / @artoflincolnhughes
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
Free UE4 lighting presets + Tutorial : • UNREAL ENGINE 4 LIGHTI...
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.

[@ArtofLincolnHughes]

i can actually tell that i'm more drunk in this video than the last....

[@PolygonAcademy]

oh yea me too. was gettin' all amped up hahaha.

[@DanyGates0693]

Hey Lincon is nice to get you know in a more relaxed chat situation, you're killing it dude! so funny. Tim good work man, you're growing fast :)

[@mrbrookah4117]

I just noticed that your left eye refuses to look into the camera. :)

[@PolygonAcademy]

@@mrbrookah4117 haha i think hes looking at the monitor screen and not the lens. atleast thats the excuse I will make for his drunk ass....

[@ArtofLincolnHughes]

@@PolygonAcademy HAHA asshole. Yeah that's definitely it... Couldn't have been the whiskey...

[@valentinepavliuchenko7309]

Heh, the part about age not being an issue is a balm for my elderly 32-year-old soul :-D It's not so much breaking into the industry for me, though, but rather scoring a job somewhere in Europe. Still, the age thing applies and was bothering me somewhat. Thank you for clearing that up. And overall great video. Very relaxed and fun to watch, yet informative. Thumbs up!

[@PolygonAcademy]

thanks so much! yea I used to have issues with my age as 30 approached, but after a while I realized I had the whole rest of my life to enjoy the journey and just to keep learning and expanding. glad you enjoyed the video :D

[@MrGSmith2k11]

Just noticed you're a hitman fan Tim! Great vid guys, super informative and has helped me alot! I finished Uni and got a BA Hons in Video Game Art but the quality of the university wasn't great, taught by tutors that didn't have any experience or relevant qualifications. I took a year off after finishing the degree as I ended up burned out and I'm six months into rebuilding and retraining my skills thanks to people like you, teaching the right stuff in the right way. Thank you so much.

[@lizlin6596]

Thank you both for the session! All the informations are super helpful and inspiring. Can't wait for more of these coming!

[@PolygonAcademy]

Liz Lin you’re welcome :) thanks for tuning in :)

[@kallymihova6232]

When Lincoln was talking about making a stylized portfolio in a city full of realism focused studios and Tim looked at the camera :DDD I felt very attacked ;D Awesome video guys thanks again!

[@PolygonAcademy]

hahahahh awesome! just rewatched that moment, haha . thanks for watching, you are welcome :)

[@taylorbrown129]

Watched part 1 before bed and woke up to part 2. Nice! Thanks for the quality content guys

[@PolygonAcademy]

you're welcome bud!

[@hemingway8671]

Thank you for getting your videos out in the morning so that I can watch with my coffee! Two days in a row is so awesome! . Still too soon for whiskey tho!

[@PolygonAcademy]

Hemingway come on...with a name like hemmingway you should be half a bottle deep already in the morning 😂 thanks for tuning in, hope it makes that morning coffee session extra special 🤛

[@furlerer]

Ahhaha - Comparing the sobriety of the start of part 1 to the last couple of minutes here 😂 Your enthusiasm is super contagious, love it guys!

[@PolygonAcademy]

furlerler no idea what you talkin’ about 👀😁 hahaha

[@ArtofLincolnHughes]

haha the rambling of this one versus part 1... lol

[@CameronTHughes]

Lincon's been a huge inspiration for me for a long time. So, I super appreciate the collaboration and incite. You guys are amazing.

[@PolygonAcademy]

cheers! yea he is constantly inspiring me and teaching me new stuff as well. straight up baller!

[@ArtofLincolnHughes]

wow thanks!!!!

[@redProxy___]

Great videos. Thank you for sharing!

[@PolygonAcademy]

you're welcome, thanks for watching :)

[@damiandevic1015]

Thank you guys ! awesome Q&A! :)

[@PolygonAcademy]

Damian Devic you’re welcome :)

[@narutomoonkun]

Thank you so much for all the cool information! Great to watch when I have to wait for my lighting to build. Hahaha.

[@PolygonAcademy]

nice! good use of your time hahah :D

[@CaltropArt]

Thanks for these videos guys, really inspiring to listen to. Looking forward to more in the future!

[@PolygonAcademy]

hell yea! glad to hear you are enjoying them :)

[@KUBE.archvis]

You guys are great.

[@PolygonAcademy]

The Archiviz Wiz thanks! Now you are gonna make me blush 😂 seriously tho, thanks for watching!

[@jordandavenport2805]

Little late on the question but I’ve found your videos and now I’m HOOKED. So my question to you is, I have created a game on PlayStation. My first ever title, solo indie dev journey, I have won the Unreal Dev Grant in the past for it. It even sold a couple thousand units and it’s been almost 9 months now. The only reason I mention this is because are things like that important inside of the industry when applying/submitting portfolios? Or do most companies look at what you want to do specifically inside of their studio? Level designer, 3D Artist, etc. thanks and LOVE your videos!

[@PolygonAcademy]

oh hell yea stuff like that really helps, it shows you are super passionate about gamedev and have a deeper knowledge base you can bring to a team. that being said, that is like the steroids to your core skills you are being hired for, like for an art job you still have to have a great portfolio, or level design examples but having that in addition to your prior experience and success will put you way above the competition in most cases. You can also create a bunch of content documenting what you have learned, your mistakes and experience etc and that will help build you personal brand and help you be seen as an expert in your field. just having this youtube channel has already given me a TON of visibility and opportunity I wouldnt have otherwise had, just from random people at studios finding my stuff. food for thought! finally, thanks so much for watching the videos, I am stoked you are enjoying the content :D

[@jordandavenport2805]

Polygon Academy amazing! Again thank you for taking the time to respond, huge boost in both confidence and inspiration!

[@dreidrey]

I've just turned 40 and I planning a career change into 3D Environment. I just want to enjoy what I'm going to do for the rest of my life.

[@PolygonAcademy]

hell yea, go for it! never to late to chase happiness :)

[@vn2025]

Awesome, go for it! I worked as a goldsmith apprentice and my sensei had found out what he loved to do at age of around 55 which was to be a goldsmith. Never too late! I was fortunate enough to find out last summer at age of 26 that 3D game environment is what I want to really do, after scouring around numerous different schools and jobs. Now I'm learning the heck out of 3D environment design and all these different softwares! I'm glad there are people like these guys who make possible for us to take massive leaps forward. I wish you The best of luck to your journey!

[@benjaminwargo7942]

great series guys.

[@PolygonAcademy]

thanks Benjamin :)

[@LokeshJb7]

Thanks for this session Tim & Lincoln. I'm gonna start myself with your UE4 tutorial and try to fill my currently empty Artstation portfolio. Giving myself a year to build a solid portfolio before I start applying to studios.

[@PolygonAcademy]

sounds like a solid plan! have fun :)

[@Arxontas10]

Ah, my favourite youtube notification.

[@PolygonAcademy]

thats what I like to hear :D

[@atkaygee]

38:38 - Lincoln's baller art piece: www.artstation.com/artwork/LQoDK

[@PolygonAcademy]

you got it!

[@st.kamnakis]

Great video! Thanks for answering my question! Got more questions now to be honest! :P

[@rori3dura]

drunken Q&A's are the best!

[@HandmadeGoose97]

So I have a question, say I want a portfolio in level design, what kind of stuff should I have on my portfolio? Are we talking about making scenes, making entire levels that you (or an employer) can walk through, or are we talking about making an entire game in general?

[@PolygonAcademy]

if you want to be a level designer, then I would showcase some small level layouts done in greybox form that clearly shows things like combat areas/stealth layouts etc alongside clear top down/3 quarter view maps with notes describing each area and the intended gameplay etc. you could also have some level assembled with art assets from the marketplace in a nice/realistic way to show you can blend design and art together in a realistic way or work from actual references while maintaining metrics etc. if you want to be a level Artist, then some nicely composed scenes would be where its at, but designers are more focused on greybox layout and conveying clear gameplay intention.

[@HandmadeGoose97]

@@PolygonAcademy ok thank you for getting back to me!

[@devilichus]

I have the needs for positive conversation and I crave for that being around nice people. I hope I can find internehips in 3A studios or can land from the senior position directly because as I stay unemployed my skills are continuing to grow ahead of a standard Junior... And I live in abroad this is my only chance to change country if some one relocates me from here.

[@lalapachou]

Lol dolphins are kinda mean, so be careful about hiring a dolphin artist :D Amazing episode! you and Lincoln have a lot of chemistry! I really enjoyed the whiskey talk especially the portfolio and interview tips, I'm taking notes to avoid techno ramble from being nervous.

[@PolygonAcademy]

thanks! haha yea me and linc have been buds for like 10 years so we get along well. ill keep the dolphin advice in mind! haha thanks for watching :)

[@josh_swanson]

Thanks for doing these Q&As! I'm 31 and the answer about age was very encouraging. I ended up working in web/film for my first career path but my heart was always in games, I just couldn't find my own way. Its hard for me to settle on specializing in an aspect because I like having my hand in all the process, so I've spent my time making my own games (you can take a peek on my channel ;) ), but I still really want to work in a company. Any advice for someone who wants to do a little of everything, but in a team environment?

[@PolygonAcademy]

yea totally, join a smaller studio! the smaller the studio, the more range of work you usually have to do. large places like ubisoft and EA you are in a clearly defined role, but at smaller or indie studios you might be doing a bit of everything as the project needs change :)

[@xroman_]

Hi Tim. Thank you very much for this series, definitely learned a lot from it. I don't know if you still reading the comments, but I'll try my question anyway :) Where do I get ideas for my first game environment portfolio pieces? Do I just rely on someone else's concept art and just recreate them or do I have to come up with something myself? ( I'm asking because a concept piece obviously can't cover the whole level, every corner etc) How did you built your first portfolio? Thanks.

[@PolygonAcademy]

Good question :) i would say pick a concept from artstation that inspires you! It makes learning a lot easier when you are starting out. And then just make what you see in the concept, dont try and make an entire level as a beginner. In a studio job when you are making an entire level you usually have multiple concept pieces, or you can use a key concept to get the main ideas and then riff on those shapes, textures etc to fill in the gaps.

[@xroman_]

@@PolygonAcademy thank you very much :) so quick reply on a 4 month old video, you are a legend xD

[@notjaydanbhooshan93]

Shout out to Crown Royal eh

[@PolygonAcademy]

haha we are cheap bastards so we go for the basics :D maybe dip into martinis next time :P

[@mayurhedau5930]

hey Tim, should i include only sci-fi and hard surface art in my portfolio or i can also do some medieval,general props and environment. I mean do studios prefer artist with specific art style or they look for artist who is flexible and can to any kind of environment ?

[@PolygonAcademy]

i would say first off, do what you enjoy most, if you like to mix it up, go for it. you can tailor your portfolio to a specific studio with the subject matter, like if you wanna work at respawn, some scifi/star wars would probably be good, but if they can see you are a well rounded artist they will be able to tell from your overall quality bar you are presenting. but always go with what you actually enjoy making!

[@issamaf80]

i have a question so I'm currently working on My Horror game ( the dolls island ) I made the Environment based on that place and need some tips to get the best results ? Best horror lighting ? , and if possible tim if i can contact you to take look at it ? and provide me with your feedback . Thank you Tim and lincoln for the opportunity

[@PolygonAcademy]

sure send me a message on artstation with some screens and I will take a look. I would say look at horror movies and try to emulate their lighting style, they know what they are doing ;)

[@issamaf80]

@@PolygonAcademy okay thank you

[@maxward3264]

Hi Tim, what are your thoughts on photobashing and using 3D guides for digital art? I've heard that it's cheating and cheapens the final product.

[@PolygonAcademy]

i dont think so at all. there are no rules really. I love a ton of photobashed art that looks amazing. hand painting every nut and bolt in a concept doesnt make you a hero..in fact if it takes you 10x as along in a production/studio because you refuse to photobash or paint over a 3d base...you are more of a liability. all that matters is how the end result looks and does it give the people making the 3d version of it enough information to work from. almost every concept artist in studios photobash these days because its just so much faster.

[@maxward3264]

@@PolygonAcademy good points, thank you for the response!

[@PolygonAcademy]

@@maxward3264 you're welcome :)

[@amrel-beltagy6437]

u look like the Imagine Dragons of the 3D community

[@DaMeshMonster]

One thing I have learned in my years of experience is that everyone doesn't not have entrepreneurial backbone. I never tell someone what they can and cannot do. What I have learned from people in the gaming industry like theses guys is that they are always telling people what they can't do with the same type of language. I had people in school tell me that same type of shit and now they are hitting me up on linked-In asking for a job. Guess what I do? Ignore. You can do anything you want if you put your mind to it. Nothing is easy but if you have the determination, you can get that shit done.

[@ArtofLincolnHughes]

DaMeshMonster was more trying to come at it more from the position of analyzing yourself, your interests, your dedication, to truly see if you had the tenacity to stick with it, learn all of the ropes, and push yourself to get to the level required to get into the industry. Sorry if it came across that way :(

[@DaMeshMonster]

@@ArtofLincolnHughes I'm not trying to attack you. I even bought your UE4 shader. I really referring to Tim's attitude. All i'm saying is that there is never a balance when speaking to people that want to come in the industry or inquiring about being in the industry. There is always this arrogance and it the same arrogance I experience when I first started out. When people ask me what I do and I tell them i'm an game developer, I'm always humble. When asked about how to get in the industry, I never present it in a way where its assholish. I'm honest and i tell them its competitive, a lot of instability and you have to work hard. I never tell someone that there not going to make the next whatever because over the years I seen people make games that hit big and more times than often it was from an indie dev. And those games are better than B.S the major studios fail at. I digress.

[@herbf2700]

Ok how about this for a hard question: I'm from America's Wild West, former military, a very good 3D artist/animator and I'm older than your average viewer. I have no interest in participating in modern identity politics or outrage culture. I really don't care about weird gender pronouns. I don't give a crap about social media's big gossip of the day, nor do I think "Orange man bad!". Lately I've been getting a very strong feeling that the entire game dev industry, at least regarding large studios, is swung so far to the left and become so political that to survive in a studio I'd be walking on egg shells every moment. I just want to work on creating worlds and creatures. I have no interest in other people's politics, sexuality, or personal life. I think I'll have to stick with contract work because to me, studios seem like a toxic work environment. I blame the growing culture war (Watch them shriek about Cyberpunk 2077 yadda yadda) for making me think that keeping the industry at arm's length is worth it. What do you think? Do conservatives have any place in a big studio these days? Be honest.

[@PolygonAcademy]

Herb F use common sense and you are gonna be fine. Its not crazy sensitive at most studios, but you do get a wide range of personalities. Learning to navigate that is just part of becoming a professional in any field. The dont be a dick rule applies to this too haha i mostly just try to ignore the culture war and think for myself. The nuanced point is dead in modern media, im just focused 100% on smashing my own goals