HOW I GOT MY FIRST GAME STUDIO JOB - ADVICE FROM A SELF TAUGHT ARTIST

[@blendtecrocks08]

I'm in my last quarter of undergrad for Game Dev. I hope to be an environment artist for Bethesda one day. It may not be my first job, but I hope to come back to this video someday and say that I got the job. I wish all my fellow designers, artists, and programmers good luck in the pursuit of their careers!

[@drew.deguara]

Hey, how are you doing 3 years on? I'm at the very beginning of my career and I'm overwhelmed with the lack of 'junior' position opportunities. What're your thoughts?

[@blendtecrocks08]

@@drew.deguara Hey Drew, I think in general in games these days it's few and far between for any jr position just because studios would rather have someone who has x amount of professional experience. which makes it an even more competitive field to get into, its becoming a lot more of who you know vs what you know. Not to fret though if you're on the art side a lot of those tools and skills you've gained can translate to other mediums. for instance I received an opportunity to work for a Global Digital marketing agency, and my day to day was working on cars. but consistently I was in maya, substance painter, and in unreal or unity. So the tools you learn do translate to other careers outside of games (honestly pays better too shhhhh). But don't be afraid to apply for a position you might not think you're qualified for or have the experience for. Now I'm not saying hey apply to be a director or a principal artist, but the mid level and sometimes senior levels (if thats currently what the studio offers) is a good way to atleast get eyes on your work. In those situations I'd write a part in my cover letter explaining that while you may not be at the level of the position you can pick words out of the job description and correlate it to your portfolio or workflow and solidify why you would be a good fit. Even if they say no its worth reaching out and asking for feedback on your portfolio or resume. Sorry for the text wall, tldr, Jr positions are few and far between so don't be afraid to apply to a mid level or senior level opportunity, we want eyes and feedback on how to push your portfolio and resume further and in time (which sucks but patience is necessary) you will find that first foot in the door. 'Dinusty Empire" discord is where a lot of fellow artists go to have their work critiqued me included, I'd get in there and start posting your work in the critiques channel and see what feedback you get. I'll say this, just have a little thick skin, they're not trying to trash on your work but more giving you constructive feedback on how to push things further. have at least 5 solid pieces on your portfolio geared to what you want to do in the professional realm when you apply, 4-5 strong art works will show you know what you're doing and will strengthen your opportunity chances. if you want we can talk on discord as well

[@drew.deguara]

@@blendtecrocks08 Hey Rob! Thanks for the prompt feedback and advice - ill definitely use that CV line as I've been struggling to justify myself unless I'm a perfect fit for the job. I joined that discord server you suggested and its a gold mine - Thank you!!! My username is 'nokklu' if you'd be down for a chat on there. Would love to discuss career directions and just listen to/learn from your story.

[@Mike-hp7lv]

you are def one of my favorite youtubers at this point, your videos are so on point with how it feels to do this, just have to keep moving forward. Thanks again man

[@PolygonAcademy]

thats all it is, just keep on grinding!

[@patrickguilbeault1516]

Patience is key! Lately, my struggle has been the insecurity that takes over even though I know deep down I'm on the right path and I just need to be patient and work on my skills. Watching your videos gets me going keep at it! Besides that, I wish to be an environment artist as well.

[@PolygonAcademy]

awesome, thanks for watching Patrick, glad the vids help :)

[@TheMADmk]

Keep fighting the good fight my man

[@Krasov92]

Great when you live at Vancouver, or in north america in general, where i live you won't go anywhere unless you're Thor Warwick.

[@PolygonAcademy]

yea it can be tougher when you are not in a gamedev hub, but if you get really good and have an awesome portfolio, you can usually get freelance or remote work for props, characters, vehicles etc. I know a few people living in lower income countries like china and india, making a fulltime western salary just off freelance work. but you need to portfolio to sell your skills first :)

[@Sha6955]

Thank you for sharing this story, but most of all thank you for encouraging us like that ! I really love your videos. If I could choose, I would definitely choose to work at Naughty Dog, as an Environment Artist or Environment Texture Artist. It will happen one day!

[@PolygonAcademy]

I have no doubt it will :) thanks for the awesome feedback Charlotte!

[@ashleykettle343]

Not to get off topic, but does my dude have cauliflowers? This guy just gets more and more badass with every video

[@PolygonAcademy]

Hahha yea but from my brother hitting me with a ps1 controller so even that is a bit nerdy 😂

[@AZTECMAN]

This could change (given I am a corporeal being), but I would like to be a technical artist at Adult Swim Games.

[@espressojoe]

So you started out working in a baby shop, and Im working in a headstone manufacturing shop. Something about the circle of life and cg jobs going together.

[@PolygonAcademy]

haha yea for sure! doesnt matter where you start out, just matters where you end up, and i guess that job probably made you think about that once or twice haha :P

[@ClaireSalati]

I would love to become a surfacer for Ubisoft Montreal. I am also interested in environment design but I need more practice with that

[@PolygonAcademy]

do a deep dive into substance designer then, I would highly recommend daniel thigers or josh lynches tutorials :)

[@3dsorcery228]

Just recently found your channel. very nice. I would love to work at Naughty Dog, sony Santa Monica, Ubisoft Montreal...basically any studio that is going for that hyper realistic look. Currently in Ryan Kingslien's GAI Character Artists Boot Camp.

[@PolygonAcademy]

Awesome :) ubi montreal is a good spot, ND and sony as well are super inspiring :)

[@peacelover5729]

Just have around 4 months of experience currently, but if I could I would probably work at FromSoftware, Square Enix, Nihon Falcom(Trails and Ys series). as a level desinger, btw what's the difference between evironment artist and level designer, I also saw a level artist position at Ubisoft, what are the specific roles?

[@PolygonAcademy]

Environment artist and level artist are similar roles where you are making the art sets and dressing the levels to visually look good. Level design a lot of the time is working with greybox/simple assets and is more focused on things like the navigation and flow through a level, as well as the combat spaces size and cover positions etc. They are more focused on the gameplay side of things and not the visuals

[@desgreciao]

Awesome video man, I got really motivated thanks to you. Keep up the good work! New Subscriber thats for sure. I'm currently 20 years old, working every single day to reach my goal and answering to your question, I would love to work as an Environment Artist at Bethesda.

[@PolygonAcademy]

awesome, glad you like the video! thanks for subscribing :) I have some friends who work at bethesda montreal and it sounds like a pretty cool place to work!

[@sudokun9738]

Hi Tim. I love your videos. Is rare to find good and detailed videos about Environment Art for games for free like yours. I wanted to know if is hard to get a job abroad as environment artist with few or none experience but a good portfolio being 30 years old?. Because in my country, the job offers for 3d artists are very rare, so I have no choice but work in another country. However, the working visa is always a problem. I feel I have no future here as 3d artist. Any tip, advice or experience about that?

[@PolygonAcademy]

yea it is totally possible with a great portfolio, age is pretty irrelevant. I have worked with ppl who are 20 and some who are 50, and everyone works together well. Just focus on building your skills to a high level and if there are no studios around you, you can always freelance, or make marketplace content packs etc. lots of ways to make money from an environment art skillset.

[@Jackoasta]

Honestly, my dream is to be an Environment Artist for a company like Naughty Dog or Ubisoft. I'm on the route of photorealistic environment art so I would love to work for a company that specialises in that kind of art. I'm currently at the point where I'm working at a bookshop and hammering down on my art during the week (my job is during the weekend) so I'm hoping that I can aim to get a job before I turn 23.

[@PolygonAcademy]

awesome! ubisoft is a great place to work, I really enjoyed my time there. Sounds like an achievable goal for sure!

[@bradleyscheer3831]

Awesome video I'm always excited to see some inspirational academy videos! and Environment artist at Ubisoft Montreal for me.

[@PolygonAcademy]

nice choice :)

[@robbie_]

I keep reading about how game studios are toxic. I've got no idea why anybody would want to work in one. There are many, many developer jobs out there that aren't (I have one) and that pay better. If you want to make games, I would say become an indy.

[@PolygonAcademy]

It depends on the studio. I have worked at about 5-6 of them and never really encountered any place super toxic. Even ubi montreal with 3500 devs in one spot was really good at work life balance. Ironically one of the more toxic places i have worked was a smaller studio. Glassdoor is a good resource to get an idea of a studios culture, and of course networking and getting the actual word on the street from fellow devs.

[@vladimirkhadyko8304]

Glad I was subscribed already - can't make your heart broken)))

[@PolygonAcademy]

thanks!

[@oliveiraluis3540]

I failed a art test a few weeks ago. Felt bad... Shitfaced bad. But ya know, ya keep going. Thirst to learn and passion cant be a mistake. Cool story by the way.

[@PolygonAcademy]

cheers! good luck on your next art test, even if you failed the last one, just keep going, you get unlimited at bat's in life!

[@kurtnose7242]

My dream is to be an Environment Artist at CDPR or Naughty Dog. Working for it every day

[@PolygonAcademy]

hell yea, both would be super fun and rewarding places to work. top notch games for sure ;)

[@WolverineMKD]

Hahaha the scene with the car and you sayin you were cool kind of felt like nope you didnt! Awesome job. 🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔 - 10 potatos for 1000 Likes!!!! Keep it up!

[@PolygonAcademy]

Hahah thanks! Will do :)

[@markprecious]

'Patience' is my favorite point and really resonates with me, thanks.

[@PolygonAcademy]

it is so underrated yet so important :D

[@chillyczeify]

This is strange...I painting few years alot and now i finnaly choose my specialization...Enviroment 3d..... I bought lessons last week (3dmax,substancePainter,brush,Unity) ... Since that day, I've been learning to model 12 hours a day and the idea that I could wait 6 years is crushing ..

[@PolygonAcademy]

Everyones speed is different, but if you enjoy the process its easier, the time will pass anyways, might as well spend it doing something you are into ;) looking back for me, the last 15 years of my career flew by hahah. Good luck on your journey 💪

[@chillyczeify]

@@PolygonAcademy I enjoy the process and a lot.... I am quite adicted on it. :) I really enjoy composition, lights, modeling, construction. (UVs, technical porblems les) But training it with work is hardcore, thanks for reply.

[@grayjackgaming1746]

to answer your engagement increasing question at the end of the video... lol my answer would be Rockstar. The relentless pursuit of perfection that was put into RDR2's environment is something I would be insanely proud if I were a part of that team.

[@krutarthshah2634]

MOTIVATED AF after watching this. 22 year old starting in this field . My dream is to become a level artist at Sony Santa Monica.

[@PolygonAcademy]

hell yea! glad it helped. SSM is also one of my top places I would want to work!

[@xIPoisonCobrax]

OMG you worked for Socom confrontation??? That's my best game ever. I played it since the day was launched til the servers got shut down! I'm now recreating the maps to be played on H-Hour World's Elite as a workshop map on steam.

[@PolygonAcademy]

PoisonCobra hahah yea that was my first shipped title :) was a fun project, totally messed up launch but doing the art for it was great! I worked on frostfire, nightstalker and vigilance, plus a small area in the russian train station map

[@xIPoisonCobrax]

@@PolygonAcademy you've done a great job! I hope I can find a job in Canada happy to relocate from Sydney Australia.

[@behradbehzadi9662]

thanks for sharing your great story and spreading this positive energy

[@PolygonAcademy]

Cheers! Thanks for watching :)

[@BersArsamakov]

You know, I’ll tell you what it takes to be a 3D artist in the gaming industry in Russia. No Bears and Vodka are needed. In general, Superman would be fucked up by the number of demands in Russia. You should read minds, at least. After all, you are a "specialist and artist." You must simultaneously be an artist in the environment, props, special effects, characters. To be able to texture, do rig, animate, understand game engines. In this case, it is desirable - for free or for a symbolic amount of 30,000 rubles. Or $ 469.50 a month. How do you like Ilon Mask? And what’s the most awesome thing, everyone, his mother, an idiot in Russia, walks with a special meter of creative level, and is not averse to measuring your skill while not understanding the essence of the matter.

[@PolygonAcademy]

Yea I have certainly seen a TON of really talented artists coming out of Russia. Some of the most skilled people I follow on artstation blow me away with their content. It's crazy that the pay is so low unfortunately :( I would consider freelancing as another option to bring in a higher income from a western based studio, or creating content to sell on marketplaces like unity or unreal where you are selling in USD at higher prices.

[@BersArsamakov]

@@PolygonAcademy now I tried to go with Unity market, but it looked like Russian ruler game. But for this I need good PR.

[@NocteStudios]

Cool stuffs man. Didn’t skip any part of the video. Just one thing that i want to ask tho, you said there will be phone interview, and some other interviews. You see English is not my main language. And if we could see each other on the street i wouldn’t be able to speak with you. Speaking is whole another level you know. My question is that would it be a huge problem in this industry? By the way about your question, i always wanted to see myself at Ubisoft, not sure what would be the position yet, as you said i’m trying everything for now. And this is just because each one of the positions are so excited to work with you know. Thanks for the all of these good contents man. Keep it up!

[@PolygonAcademy]

Nocte english will definitely help, but there are studios all around the world! Ubisoft has like 10 studios from canada to india to eastern europe. Whats your native language??

[@NocteStudios]

Polygon Academy It’s Turkish, i don’t think Ubisoft has a studio in here haha. Game industry is not a common thing in here unfortunately

[@Zkay360]

This is so true. I got started in 3D last year because I was literally bored at 4AM, and it immediately felt super good. I mostly stopped gaming because I was working in my skills in 3D or finishing projects, and as you said, I sacrificed a LOT of time playing or with friends for 3D, focusing on hard surface and game art. Early this year I got a message from an outsourcing company that wanted to have an interview with me, I literally couldn't believe I was having an interview for something I started doing a year ago. I had another technical interview and after a couple of weeks of the never ending waiting, I heard back from them saying that it went well but they're still looking for a project that would fit my skills. That was about 3 week ago and I'm still waiting for the opportunity and I'm also learning a LOT of new stuff, including environment art in the meantime. I'd love to work with this company, but I'd also love working with Ubisoft or EA in the future. Thank you so much for the advices and sharing your experience!

[@carlizancho2]

I would love to work at Nintendo or From Software as a level designer, but since they only hire japanese designers, it would be great to work at Ubisoft or Crystal Dynamics.

[@PolygonAcademy]

I think nintendo does hire international talent for sure! or you could work for a studio like next level games who makes content for them, like luigis mansion 2, it was made in vancouver!

[@carlizancho2]

@@PolygonAcademy thank you, I totally forgot of that!

[@brandontromp6967]

Any chance you would look over portfolio work? :)

[@PolygonAcademy]

Id like to but i get about 5-10 requests a day for that and dont have enough spare time unfortunately. I might open up a portfolio review service in future, but i would suggest posting on polycount asking for a portfolio review, you will get feedback from other industry pros, and i do dip in there from time to time ;)

[@Video.Game.Company]

Hey Tim, I'm interested in learning foliage but I'm wondering if there is any value in learning it when a person/studio could just use Quixel Megascans for their project and get amazing results quickly?

[@PolygonAcademy]

Lynden Sylvestre it depends on the studio, or maybe the project could have a stylized art stylr etc, so knowing how to make it is still a valuable skill. Some studios have in house vegetation artists go create specific biomes that megascans does not have etc. I do think people will rely on photoscanned stuff more and more but you never know when you are going to need those skills. Its best not to become reliant on using megascans without developing the core skills first ;)

[@Video.Game.Company]

@@PolygonAcademy Okay, awesome! Thank you!

[@adrikito]

I have to say THANK YOU to post these kind of videos, they give me strength and motivates my inner artist. I want so bad to be a character artist and work in the videogames industry, and sometimes i feel that awkward sensation of the never ending process of learning. Thank you and keep it up, i really loved the unreal japanese enviroment videos.

[@PolygonAcademy]

thanks for the awesome feedback, I really love it! haha 11+ years of doing art every day almost and I am still learning, it never ends :)

[@AtomicNightHawk]

I would love to be in a position where I just place the assets that are made into the scene. I guess like a world builder. Naughty dog or Blizzard would probably be my favorite.

[@PolygonAcademy]

cool, thats basically what I was doing as a level artist at ubisoft on farcry and watchdogs 2 :)

[@AtomicNightHawk]

@@PolygonAcademy I have been having a hard time with modeling as I don't enjoy it that much. Not sure if there is a good job for me out there in that sense as I feel there are a lot of places asking you to have modeling experience. Maybe I just need to bite the bullet?

[@AadilSharifDotNetDeveloper]

Hi Tim, This is really amazing. Your words reflect the efforts you made during those 6 years. Happy modeling.

[@PolygonAcademy]

thanks!

[@khayyamal9207]

Well til recently i wanted to join a big studio as environment artist... But now that i think about it... The way that these studios treat with gamers... Ea with those gambling and micro transactions.... Ubisoft with those very violent and aggrasive games... And literally all of these big studios have some problems... So i might make my own studio to make the games that i want.... Or i use my skills and knowledge in diffrent industry like animations.... Or to do advertisement for diffrent companies

[@PolygonAcademy]

khayyam Al yea! Just find something you enjoy doing and a studio that is in line with your own personal goals/morals :) thanks for watching!

[@khayyamal9207]

@@PolygonAcademy yea... Tbh its easy to find a studio that matches with my goals... Main problem is publishers...they decide to put micro transaction and other stuffs

[@Quick5Picks]

I'm also just getting started. I surely can say that.. As a 3d artist it's really a challenge to stay motivated (even I love these stuffs very much). I just easily give up when I fail( actually when I think I fail).. And also you are my mentor I just learned many things(still learning).. I have now just a few months experience but I will be a good environment artist (it's a self challenge basically) In the end, I want to say thank you so much for your videos. Keep making them.

[@PolygonAcademy]

You’re welcome! I have a video on feeling like a failure that could help! Thanks for watching :)

[@Quick5Picks]

@@PolygonAcademy I did already 😅

[@QuietSnake-xs5vx]

how is it that when people move back, they go to the basement instead of their own room?

[@PolygonAcademy]

haha my room actually was in the basement in this case :)

[@yanhu]

Very usefull advice, thanks for the speech. My problem is if i learn more i found their is so much more things to learn. I don't know how to planning my time after work. To learn a new software like Zbrush Or improve my UE4 skill Or just use my little skill to bulid my firse indie game? Sometimes i just waste all night to play games and i so hate myself.

[@PolygonAcademy]

Yan Hu sometimes playing games all night is what you need, its ok to take a break :) i would say try and set some goals, and then focus on the main skills/software needed to achieve those goals, and learn the rest after. There is no rush!

[@yanhu]

@@PolygonAcademy thanks for the reply.you are awesome.

[@Sikik1313]

Amazing I would like to work in Naughty Dog as env artist for the TLOU 3 :D the 2 is coming this year (maybe) so it's kinda hard xD, or also at ID software because of Doom the 1st game that hooked me for hours on my pc, and by the way I just did a full Substance designer doom corridor (www.artstation.com/artwork/EVEod2) :). And once again not heroes wear cape's, keep up this amazing youtube page you have inspiring me to push myself to go that more step a little further, namasté.

[@PolygonAcademy]

João Pereira thanks dude! Yea i love the doom games, spent a ton of time with the last one, super badass!

[@TheVacay]

Hello, this video was great I really appreciate the word work yore doing and the help that you're giving everyone including myself. keep doing what you are doing basically Im just gonna cut right to the chase.. I want to drop out of college and I will tell you why. I'm not here to just say it bc I want to. I just want to here yours and everyone else's opinion on this. Ill tell you everything on why I want to do this and how I decided to pursue to become a 3d environmental artist. I actually recently decided a few months ago to actually become a 3d environmental artist that is what I want to do. I've had experience with art in high school and was never really good at until I kept taking art class every year which then I got a whole lot better at it so I kind of know most of the fundamentals of art. After high school I went to a community college not know ing whtat I should do. after my 2 yrs In community, I decided I want to pursue to become a 3d environmental artist. reason being is that ive always been invested in video games just by playing them but also the actual environment as well. I would always appreciate it and not only just in games but in real life as well. I know I wanted to do something with art and have interact with the things I like so that's why im deciding to pursue to become a 3d environmental artist. and now im just starting to learn blender and im just learning really trying to learn the fundamental blender (which is the current software im trying to using now) and just excel at what I actually want to do. college is distracting from learning how to use blender, every time I am here my gut and feelings are just telling me that im not suppose to be here. to me it just doesn't feel right for me to be here. I just want to do things my way and not waste anytime by doing hw assignments and going to lectures when I could be progressing in learning blender and becoming who I want to be. I feel like I am wasting time and there are too many things distracting me from what I want to do. I know the amount of hard work I need to put in,, I know that Im gonna be taking sacrifices. my instincts are telling me that I should do this I don't see myself really progressing if I stay in college, but I see myself working on my own terms and not wasting anymore time being here. This is a ginormous risk that I am taking but I know for me this is a risk that I want to take Thank you

[@PolygonAcademy]

Hey! thanks for watching, happy the content is helping you out. I would say if you think you can go the self taught route, go for it, you can always go back to school later. Depending on your location in the world however, a degree will probably be required if you want to work abroad, so keep that in mind. It might be annoying to spend the time getting the degree but if you need it for a work visa, then it could be worth the investment. You sound super motivated which is great, use that to maximize your output in your free time. At the end of the day that's a decision you to make but it is possible to get into the industry if there are studios in your home country without a degree. good luck on your journey!

[@TheVacay]

@@PolygonAcademy Thank you for the response it really does mean a lot to me!

[@samvaillancourt5216]

Hey Tim, I've watched all of your videos and follow you on Artstation like a hawk haha. Needless to say I'm a really big fan of yours. I moved from Ontario to Vancouver almost 4 years ago now, learned modelling and everything involved with it, only to find out that I really don't enjoy it much. I did however, find that I LOVE lighting and I CAN'T GET ENOUGH! It is so fun and satisfying. Although I feel like I wasted 3-4 years and a ton of money, hearing those words of "6 years" coming from you felt like a huge weight off my shoulders. I'm finally on the right track to what I want my career to be! I'm starting to post everywhere, working on self projects every night for at least 1-2 hours minimum (which is hard having an insatiable gaming appetite), getting critique from anyone and anywhere I can, etc. I can feel it, great things are coming. I can't wait I'm so eager. You only inspire me further, thank you. PS: Santa Monica Studios. I want to stay in Canada so I'll probably never get there but damn that would be the dream job. Thank you for everything you do, you're incredibly insightful, inspiring, and motivating. I'm totally sucking up but just know it's completely genuine. We only need more people like you. PPS: Sorry for long comment:) Cheers!

[@PolygonAcademy]

Sam Vaillancourt comments like this are the reason i do this sh!t! Cant express enough how much i means to me to read stuff like this, it means what i am doing is working and helping people :) If you love lighting, go all in on it and try and get a lighting job, good lighting artists are hard to find. You will alwys get way better at the things you enjoy the most. I literally just signed a deal to become a fulltime lighting artist and its because i took my own advice and went with what makes me happiest and what i want to go deep in. Keep on rockin’ 💪

[@samvaillancourt5216]

@@PolygonAcademy Almost got a tear in my eye there Tim, stop that! In all seriousness, thanks again. On a side note..I, like most people, have endless questions to ask, where would be the best place to ask them? Are you planning on doing another Q&A for example at some point? I'm also moving to Montreal in the next year or so, it's always been the plan to go back East. Friends and family are there, plus I'm french and really miss speaking it. I've had no luck getting any junior lighting positions here in Vancouver. Any advice there? Just keep on trucking and it'll all fall into place is where my head is at at the moment.

[@PolygonAcademy]

Sam Vaillancourt yea ill be doing more q&a soon, twitter is probably the best place to get in on that, or just keep your eye on the community tab of the channel :) cheers!

[@adel1986]

great video. I would love to work at Ubisoft doing UX Design, 3D modeling, VFX, or Lighting... I have some experience doing UX but not in the game industry

[@SynisterGatess07]

A bit late to the party but i ll ask anyway and home u see the comment . What would you call industry ready for a prop artist ? I ve been practicing modelling and texturing for exactly a yezr now and i ve been working with an indie dev studio remotely from home for a couple of months but the question here is all i know is how to model stuff and texture it in substance painter . When it comed to trim sheets, modular modelling, rigging, animating . I know none of that . I wanted to be a level designer at first but i dot have the eye for that artistic studd i ve always been a more technical guy than artistic . So i settled for modelling props and i enjoy it . For a prop artist or a modeller etc what do you think the skillset required for industry is ?i m easily lost in what i should learn . Some people say tileable textures . High poly modelling others say low poly modelling . Some say modular modelling . And i m here having no idea what to do . X)) k owing what skills studios look for in a junior prop artist would help alot . I hope you see the comment and thanks for your videos

[@PolygonAcademy]

for a prop artist I would say go look at the Elite3d artstation, they are a really good outsourcing/prop studio and they also do full environments. I would say if you want to do props, then it would be a software package like max/maya, some zbrush skills and then also substance painter would be your go to skillset. Just be aware that most props are outsourced to china more and more because of the cheaper cost, so prop artist jobs are going to be harder to get depending on your location. if you are wanting to work in the western world, then maybe environment and level art skills would be more useful, in which case tiling textures and overall scene/level layout skills are more important.

[@SynisterGatess07]

@@PolygonAcademy thank you for eeplting . So i see for normal props like weapons and vehicules etc tiling textures can be overlooked and focus more on learning substance painter normal texturing . Great i ll start to get into level design a bit but anyway what i want is to freelance online . I live in tunisia where 400$ a month is considered a good salary so my goal is to work online with westerns and live in here . Thank you for your video s really great content subbed right away

[@granatengeorg]

Yes, more anecdotes please.

[@PolygonAcademy]

Lars Pfeffer will do ;)

[@peterfranzi643]

ubisoft.

[@333Andyboy]

I'm super into the stylized art style so would love to work somewhere like Rare or Blizzard, amongst many others. I've been doing concept art and 2D illustration for about 3 years but have recently been getting into 3D Environment art and feel like it's more my thing. As well as decorating levels and environments with 3D assets, I also thoroughly enjoy doing the lighting and creating the atmosphere with the use of effects and particles etc. Do environment artists have the opportunity to play with lighting as well? Or is that strictly for lighting artists?... Thanks!

[@Meikarr]

I would LOOVEE to work on Games, I love to draw, to learn about making videogames and all of that. Sadly here in Germany to most job offers you'll get you must have worked like 2 years in the industrie. Or have gone to a Game School that is private, so you must pay like 21000€. And i with my 20 years rlly dont have that XD So unfortunately i think it must stay a hobby :/

[@markrennie86]

I guess it helps living in Canada where, y'know....there's actually a game industry there ;) That said, I just moved to Estonia where it seems to be growing a little (and it's right across from Finland which certainly has a games industry) so there's hope yet, I guess!

[@PolygonAcademy]

nice, heard great things about Estonia, especially as an awesome option for digital nomads and people who work remotely. there is always freelance work out there for good artists as well :)

[@markrennie86]

@@PolygonAcademy Not wrong at all! It's a tech hub but I guess because it's such a small country (with a real small population) it takes a minute for things to grow! All in due time :)

[@PolygonAcademy]

@@markrennie86 yea it looks cool there, it's been on my radar since i saw ben browns vlog from there a couple years ago. kzbin.info/www/bejne/g364oXefft10kNU

[@AadilSharifDotNetDeveloper]

I would like to be an environment artist for UBISOFT as i always wanted to see the creation of Assassins Creed and Prince of Persia.

[@PolygonAcademy]

yea I love prince of persia, I wish they would bring it back!

[@ayushkumar4922]

I'm currently in 12th grade and I really like the concept of game design. My specific interest lies in programming. Can you give me some advice on how to proceed. I'm 16 years old and I live in Chandigarh, India.

[@PolygonAcademy]

nice that is a good age to get started! I would say start by going into the unreal development forums and reading through the programming or development areas and start asking questions there. I am not super familiar with anything programming related, but I would say just find where the programmers hang out online or search for tutorials on programming on youtube and start making things :)

[@ayushkumar4922]

@@PolygonAcademy I've started game development in unity. I really like brackeys videos and refer to them for learning new things. Can you make a video to help guide people (like me) trying to become indie game developers?

[@PolygonAcademy]

@@ayushkumar4922 yea brackeys videos are great! I will try to cover some topics like that but my real area of knowledge is lighting and environments, not so much game design and programming. But I will definitely put out some more high level game industry topics in future videos :)

[@chaseums0967]

Yes please, revive your channel and upload more about getting into the industry! Awesome story bud. Keep up the awesome work.

[@Younggamer123]

Thank you for sharing this, your story was really inspiring! It really gave me hope that I have a chance at working in the gaming industry as a self taught developer. I knew I wanted to be a video game developer back in 2010 ( I was 12 at the time) and I started learning how to model in Blender and develop games in Unreal Engine 3. For years I made smaller games for practice but they never saw the light of day because I felt that they were not quite right. I started working on a horror game in 2015 and this time I was determined to release this one and now I'm hoping for a release date sometime this year! I'm on my last year of college as an English major just as a backup plan and unfortunately my game development had to take a back seat to school. My dream job is to either create my own studio/work independently or work at either Red Barrels ( The creators of Outlast), Netherrealm Studios, or Respawn Entertainment. Thanks again!

[@PolygonAcademy]

Younggamer123 awesome, its never too late to get back into learning gamedev and making your own game too :) Red barrels is actually here in montreal, heard good things about that studio 👍

[@razzz2141]

I'm a final year student as a games design student. I graduate in December its the middle of June now. I’m working on my projects as the deadline is in August. I want to start applying for a job so should I apply for Qa tester jobs or look for internships/junior positions 3d artist. I focus on environment art and I really don't know where to start applying for jobs. Like you said it is hard to find a job right after graduation. I was thinking of honing my 3d skills and work as a qa tester. Is that a good idea?

[@PolygonAcademy]

if you get a QA job you probably wont have a lot of time to work on your 3d skills. QA tends to do a lot of overtime and can really burn people out. If you want to do environments/3d I would find a job that you can work as little hours as possible to get by cash wise, and then devote as much of that extra time to developing your skills.

[@razzz2141]

Thanks pal Your videos help alot ✌🏼

[@PolygonAcademy]

@@razzz2141 happy to help :)

[@3Drave]

Bro love your channel. It would be awesome for learners like us to see what did you create for your project for some inspiration. If it's possible please share a link Thankx

[@zinzolin14]

Thanks for sharing your story, and it's incredible how you were able to break into your career path at 20! I'm almost 30, been an artist my whole life and only in the last few years I decided to follow my true goal of being a concept artist. I'm currently learning 3D while also improving my art on the side. I hope I'm anle to achieve that someday.

[@vetor1982]

I know that nobody likes to hear the boring part of the story but pay attention, he spent about 1 year studying straight practically every day! I know you have to really enjoy the process because just with motivation you get tired.

[@TheGreatArlei]

Thank you so much man, I appreciate you sharing your story! Very inspirational.

[@yurani]

I studied illustration and I did an internship as a game artist in Amsterdam. Unfortunately out there it is more difficult than I imagined. Many applicants for small job offers. I wish I could live with my parents but that’s not an option, and I need to pay bills 😢 I have a video game portfolio and formally six months of experience in this field. I wonder if it is easier to get these types of jobs in Canada.

[@romaingauthier8648]

Very interresting feedback, that's great to share this one with us. That's always motivating to hear a profesional who had same difficulty that us.

[@rickysargulesh1053]

Took me a while to finally get around to this video. Great video. I am 32 and still not there although I have a full time job as 3D artist. Just not in the Game Industry.

[@plagues90]

great video :) And I'd like to be hired as UI Artist. May I ask, what are the activities of Level designer?

[@challoww]

Hi, thank you for your video! I'm a student who is going to graduate soon. Your words really helped me a lot as it made me realise that in the worst case, even though I can't find a job in game right after I graduate, I can still stay at home and working on the things I love (modelling of course). I was facing a lot of stress because I'm an international student, and I was so scared that I would have no income to pay for my living. But what you said in the video really gives me the courage to concentrate on my work, to create something because I like making it, rather than because I want to get a job. Thanks for the great content again!

[@PolygonAcademy]

thanks so much for the in depth reply! yea just keep working on your stuff, you could even be making packs of assets to sell on the unreal marketplace to get some income going while you keep working towards breaking into the industry!

[@eightmiles3401]

Man its so frustrating! Ive been doing architectural 3d stuff for a decade and im having a hard time adjusting in gaming industry. Its so frustrating I cant find a job right away even if im just applying as intern.

[@edsonsengo2684]

This video just got my motivation levels high asf. I'm from Mozambique and unfortunately art in my country basically has little to no value at all. Making comic books, videogames and all that is just a mere dream that seems impossible to achieve hence many people end up giving up but I decided to do different. I decided to quit my architecture course has it's leading nowhere and decided to focus on what I REALLY desire. Being a concept artist/animator and I hope im able to achieve that dream.

[@PolygonAcademy]

awesome! super happy to hear you are chasing your passion. it can be a long hard road, but if it is what you love, it is worth it in the end! good luck, thanks for watching :)

[@GuilleLT3D]

Your videos are awesome. You really show the passion for what you do for a living and explain things quite good. I've been improving my portfolio and job hunting for more than a year after finishing my 3DSchool program and still haven't got a job. But videos like this one keeps me motivated. Thanks!

[@PolygonAcademy]

Guille LT just keep pushing :) happy to hear you enjoy the content!

[@guillermogalaadmora9217]

Thanks for this video man! I just failed an art test and I was kind of frustrated but failing that test really change my way to see things and focus my self in order to improving my craft. I really liked when you talk about the time it actually takes to learn the necessary skills for a job. My dream job would be as a hardsurface artist at Bungie😅

[@abidsultan1682]

i havent seen any video from you since months so i wanted to watch this one again for motivation XD man u should be a motivational speaker for artist XD btw i would love to work in CTP for sure as an environment artist :D

[@kicbocsir]

awesome story, i am glad things worked out for. as for me i mess around with 3d art as a hobby.. i am trying to make a g.i. joe animated film.

[@PolygonAcademy]

Frank Shaw that sounds like a fun project! Thanks for watching :)

[@hypersapien]

When I was in school for animation in the early 2000's, Blizzard was my dream company. Since then, both Blizzard and myself have changed and I can't see myself being happy in that environment. I think my dream job would be to start my own small indie company, or join one that I really respect.

[@hossienasadi7063]

Thanks a lot dear Tim, As always, you learn me great point and I am so grateful.

[@SimplyCrazySid]

Super inspirational video. I would really love to be an environment artist at IO Interactive and Naughty Dog. I'm at that point where I'm constantly learning and working hard to get my foot in and get that Junior Environment artist position and make my way towards being a good environment artist! Please do make more of these kinds of videos, absolutely love this one.

[@PolygonAcademy]

SidSmarthouse i love IO’s games (i have the hitman logo tattooed on my arm haha) glad to hear you liked the vid, thanks for watching

[@jurandfantom]

As somebody who have family would be nice to work from home or at least in same country...

[@cursenova]

My favorite KZbin channel :) Thanks for sharing your wonderful story!

[@PolygonAcademy]

DanielH wow that means a lot! Thanks so much :) happy you are enjoying the content

[@minase246]

Thank you so much. You inspire me to work hard and hustle everyday. My dream job so to be an environment artist at a Japanese game studio/company (Capcom, From Software, Kojima Productions) since I love the culture are want to live there and be an environment artist. I have been working on my 3d skills for over a year now and working on my Japanese for over 2yrs. I'm working everyday to make that a reality. Thank you again.

[@PolygonAcademy]

awesome! I always love hearing when my videos help someone :)

[@SasuraChan]

My dream position is working as a Lighting Artist for Naughty Dog :)

[@PolygonAcademy]

Sasura thats one of mine as well ;)

[@SasuraChan]

@@PolygonAcademy Perfect! So you go first and I follow you in 8 years or so ;D I'm still a noob. But your videos help me alot. Thank you so much for that

[@V-95K]

How good do you need to be to join VALVE? And is it possible if you live in Europe?

[@garrytalaroc]

Man I'm jealous you started early in your life. I just started this year and I'm 24 and I felt so behind. Every day 24/7 I've been building up my portfolio for video game industry. I hope i can make it by the time I'm 25. Wish me luck. Thanks for this video, it encouraged me so.

[@PolygonAcademy]

Glad this video helped! 24 is still super young, just chase you passion and enjoy the journey 💪 best of luck!

[@grunerd]

Great video. I'm currently struggling with my overall situation and if possible, I'd like to ask for your advice on what my very next step could (or should?) be. Regarding the question of which studio to work at: It used to be Ubisoft all the way. But in 2012, a ton of mismanagement happened when handling the community for Ghost Recon Phantoms. Some GMs and CMs misbehaved and even talking to their superiors only led to unjustified bans for constructive community members. It was pretty harsh and a terrible experience to see on both ends - the dev / publisher side as well as the community side. There was a time I wanted to work for Valve, but since they seem to scrap a ton of great ideas on the inside, it's not the place to be at the moment. So in the end, I guess I just want to shape the world of Hitman (or throw all my skill into a new Freedom Fighters) at IO Interactive. But to get there, I still have a bumpy road ahead. :)

[@PolygonAcademy]

Alexander Grunert i love IO and hitman, haha i have the logo tattooed on my arm

[@MichaelMHD]

I appreciate u a lot. the story was really inspiring i learned some important notes of ur story. u mentioned on a really important thing : PATIENT. And upload ur Arts in everywhere not just on one platform. u r right who knows? THANK U. I would LOVe to be an Environment Artist and be senior someday . I would love to get register on "R* Game studio "

[@PolygonAcademy]

thanks for watching, I am happy the video was useful :) good luck on your art journey!

[@ItIsNathan3D]

Let's jussssst jump into it. Also damn, all we were introduced to in highschool was macromedia flash.

[@PolygonAcademy]

Nathan Elliott hahah my first art portfolio website in highschool was made in flash 🤮 never again!

[@ItIsNathan3D]

@@PolygonAcademy I was pretty convinced I was going to have a full time career creating stick man cartoons.

[@Diego_Borda]

I would love to be an Environment Concept Artist at AtomHawk, Blur, ILM or Guerrilla Games...Hopefully one day...

[@PolygonAcademy]

Juan Borda very cool choices, ILM would be amazing 👍

[@TheDudiest3Dude]

Thanks for vid, great advice. one thing, i find the music is often too loud and distracts me from listening to what your saying

[@PolygonAcademy]

ash mellor yea hear this before, i toned it down in my latest vid and will keep it in mind for future ones too :) thanks for watching!

[@phantomapprentice6749]

Hey dude, if you decide to put music alongside your talk at least make sure your voice is loud enough... have to put my speakers to max just to hear you proper and the music doesn't make it easier.

[@PolygonAcademy]

Phantom Apprentice yea sorry, the audio mix on this one was messed up, i toned it down in the latest video and will keep it in mind for future :) thanks for watching!

[@Wintermute67]

I'd like to work at Naughty Dog or Crystal Dynamic as a environment artist. Love the naturalistic and environments in their games like TLoU, Uncharted, Tomb Raider. Also Arkane studios would be a close 2nd, even tho they are stylistically different. They just have the coolest art style and the games are just outstanding!

[@PolygonAcademy]

hell yea, love the tomb raider and uncharted games! such gorgeous art

[@MichaelKendallMrMk619]

Naughty Dog I would love to work for.

[@PolygonAcademy]

such a cool studio, always inspiring me with their games we well!

[@MichaelKendallMrMk619]

@@PolygonAcademy sAME HERE

[@dow647]

Hey Tim, thanks for your story, listening in to your journey sounds motivating and inspiring. I'm completely new to the world of 3D, I must have been sleeping under a rock for the longest time because now my eyes are open to this world of creativity, I just can't get enough. That being said, I'm also very confused on where I should begin in terms of modeling. I really enjoy the idea of using Zbrush but is it best for hard surface or character modeling? I'm not really a gamer but I've also started looking at Unreal Engine and the posibilities of using it to make films, is it possible? What would you suggest is the best place to start developing thoe's modeling/sculpting skills? I'm from Toronto, currently on the self teaching route at the moment, but not afraid of checking out some courses, if you have any suggestions on any of the above questions please share. Thanks in advance and keep up the great work.

[@PolygonAcademy]

Bob M i would say start learning basic modeling in max, maya or blender (free) and get a hang of the basics on creating 3d meshes. Zbrush can do pretty much anything from environments to hardsurface but the workflow is way different. Unreal had been used for shots in rouge 1 and animated shows in the past, so definitely you can create cinematic content in there, not just games. Thanks for watching the channel!

[@jamesmcelroy414]

Your videos are cool man pls keep going we'll be watiting ;d

[@icecookie2953]

Hey so, I currently face a problem I struggle with and I'm hoping you could help me out. I want to become an environment artist like you and thus switched to an art highschool a year ago. My original plan was to teach myself the necessities about game creation. However, and here's the problem, my family is dead poor and I'm their youngest child out of four. My other three siblings already moved out and my parents expect me to leave soon too. The computer I got can't handle much, its over 10 years old. The games I can play are as old. To summarize, I got no money, can't work cuz I'm female (parents geez) and no equipment. If it's knowledge, I've got the internet to obtain some. One of my hobbies is language studying actually, very easy to do for free nowadays (english f.e.). But for practical experience I don't have the means. To be fair, Blender runs smoothly on my pc. Which brings me to the questions, what would you do in my place and would I be able to get into the industry with Blender? If anyone else got ideas feel free to answer, I'm grateful for every bit of advice. Thanks a lot in advance.

[@PolygonAcademy]

hmm sounds like a tough situation, but not hopeless :) I would say if blender works on your computer, then use it! there are skills like modeling and uv unwrapping that are standard across game development, even if the software is different, so spending the time to develop the eye for what looks good and works for environments is what matters, not the software. at some point you hopefully can get a bit of experience in 3ds max or maya but that is not what is going to get you a job. in terms of money situation, you could use blender to create some asset packs and sell them on the unity and unreal marketplaces, even some collections of basic props or modular kits for environments could bring in a bit of extra cash each month. or use your other hobby of learning languages to tutor people and make some cash like that maybe?? I would say make the best with the tools that work for your current computer and focus on learning the important skills like composition, color theory, and making a balanced image, even with super lowpoyl geometry or textures. you could target the mobile market as those assets are not as heavy to make in terms of needing a powerful pc. hope this helps a bit! best of luck :)

[@icecookie2953]

@@PolygonAcademy I can't earn money for legal reasons. we're getting financial support from the government. I tried, my parents are against it. Even if, my language skills are lacking. Anyway, thanks a whole lot for your suggestions! I'm lucky enough to have gotten into an art school which already taught me some of the basics plus drawing. The rest, well, your videos are awesome and they teach me a lot. I'm glad I found your channel, I admire you. I'll go try out some lowpoly tutorials. Thanks again!

[@PolygonAcademy]

@@icecookie2953 I would also say, now that you are in art school, maybe document the creation of your art projects on instagram/artstation or youtube or something like that. start building an audience of people who also enjoy art similar to the stuff you are creating, and by the time you are done art school you will probably have a good head start at having connections at game studios, or an audience you could sell your artwork to or create tutorials for etc. this works for physical art mediums like sculpture or painting as well :) I highly recommend documenting your learning process in some form, as it will help create opportunity for yourself :)

[@icecookie2953]

@@PolygonAcademy Have you done something of the sort yourself? I might try that approach, not sure how dedicated I am to keep up a social media account. This might work, I'm good in editing images so I'm fine even with poor image quality. That's a brilliant idea actually. You're trully amazing. Do what you do, I'll be watching and looking forward for more!

[@PolygonAcademy]

@@icecookie2953 yea thats pretty much what I am doing with this youtube channel and my artstation at the moment, I have an instagram for polygon academy as well, but I wish I started all of this way earlier, it would be even bigger :) time and patience though!

[@MJPDesigns]

I'm going indie. Thanks a lot for sharing this. I would love to see more videos like this. As far as the question goes, I don't have a studio I'd like to work at really. Also my art doesn't fit anywhere I don't think.

[@PolygonAcademy]

Malcom Ponder no problems in doing your own thing! Thanks for watching

[@orothus1079]

Could you show your portfolio, which let you work in game industry? You told, that your first employer was interested in some of your works. Could you present about which specific projects he liked the most? 🙂

[@PolygonAcademy]

unfortunatley all that work was done over 10 years ago, so I dont have screenshots or portfolio work from back then saved any more. It wouldn't be really relevant to what is the new standard these days anyways. Just look on artstation for peoples portfolios who work at studios, that is the quality bar you need to be hitting pretty much.

[@glitch0320]

Man this video is so inspirational, over the past two years or so I’ve been dabbling in blender and made a couple custom maps and really enjoy it. Now I’m about where you were at the start- I’m focusing my free time on developing my skills as an environment artist.

[@PolygonAcademy]

hell yea! just view it as a long term journey and set goals and you will do great things :)

[@Yehoogame]

Great video as always Tim! I have a bachelor's degree in Game Design with 3d speciality after 3 years of medical school and 2 years of engineering schools. It's been 9 months now since I've finished school and I've had one internship as a 3D Srtist and now I'm back at my parents' to work on my portfolio and find my first job in the industry. It's quite hard here in France to get a job in 3D since there's a big competition especially when there's a lot of confirmed 3D artists with a lot of experience. So I'm taking my time to get a skill set and when I'm comfortable enough I'll be able to take tests. But I'm also applying whenever I find an offer. My dream job would be at Sony Santa Monica and work on a God of War game (my favorite franchise of all time). And my goal is to become a game or creative director one day.

[@PolygonAcademy]

Midogame haha awesome! Yea sony santamonica would be a dream for me too! Such a badass studio 🔥🔥🔥

[@pouyasaad7218]

Niceeee, i too, i started when i was 16 and now im 18

[@ogarga666]

Again, thank you for this, it really helped. At the moment I'm working on my game portfolio, I'm self taught, 10+ years as a 3D generalist and scenography. I don't have any xp in AAA games, and I live in Brazil, but I will try a position anyway. Your videos inspires me. Thanks!

[@PolygonAcademy]

Gabriel Garga thanks for watching dude! Got a few subscribers from brazil, and lots of badass artists down there :) i gotta visit one day 👍

[@smileyfaceltd]

Doing prop modelling at ID software would be super amazing.

[@smileyfaceltd]

(also great video dude, it was genuinely really inspiring)

[@Bloodbow]

Well it's good to know that my current plan to get a job at a Game Studio has been successfully executed, too bad it's gonna take longer since I work at a datacenter. Hopefully by 21 or 22.

[@PolygonAcademy]

Bloodbow Games there is no rush man! Just enjoy the process and you will get there with consistent work :) best of luck on quest for a job :)

[@chrisspears4794]

I just finished school after spending about 4 months creating a game. I am very excited to get into the industry but I know that I will always need to sharpen my skills and practice all the time. Leaving school and finishing up the project I need to drive and push myself every day. Thanks for the video upload, this really helped calm my nerves about the future! Time to make accounts on every site and show my progression !! Cheers,

[@PolygonAcademy]

patience is key but you will get there if you are consistent, just enjoy the process of what you are doing, the results will get better!

[@kironikolov6668]

I can really relate to the excuses thing when getting feedback. Do you think there's a line though between excuses and "this is really not what I'm going for"? Sometimes I'll get feedback that's a little over the top or would drive my piece in a very different direction than what I wanted or simply doesn't fit with the idea I have. Do you think in cases like this you'd get a better piece from sticking to your artistic vision or from taking a leap and making something different than what you had in mind? Love your videos btw, keep it up!

[@PolygonAcademy]

thanks! yea there is the original artistic vision and then there is also just general feedback on what looks good, like if someone is telling you the scale looks wrong or the proportions seem off, or the lighting makes it hard to see things, it's probably worth listening to. If it's something they recommend changing the art style completely or something like that, then maybe ask why or look deeper. I do find people cling to the excuse of "thats how I wanted it to look" a bit too much as a way of avoiding feedback or protecting their ego, but if you have a set vision for your project, it is your job to communicate what that is at the start, maybe via moodboards or references of something similar you are trying to achieve :)

[@Tim4Tat]

Thanks for sharing your story