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

More tips in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/joGafZZpbbOUm8U
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My 7 Part environment creation tutorial: kzbin.info/aero/PLBi3xvwvY3dncU0vlOi7gov3AFmXhRTOm
Follow Me on Artstation for more: www.artstation.com/pixelmasher
Today I go into how I broke into the video game industry and got my first job as an environment artist over 10 years ago! 3 Important lessons that you can apply to your own journey! What is your dream studio to work at??
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About me: I am an environment/level artist who has been working in the game industry for 10+ 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.

[@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

[@markprecious]

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

[@PolygonAcademy]

it is so underrated yet so important :D

[@TheGreatArlei]

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

[@hossienasadi7063]

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

[@westbarbary923]

Super motivating, thank you :) just finished my first environment and doing a little post project self assessment, still so much to learn but loving the process!

[@KUBE.archvis]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

[@granatengeorg]

Yes, more anecdotes please.

[@PolygonAcademy]

Lars Pfeffer will do ;)

[@franvergara8314]

Hi Tim, I loved to hear that story! Hopefully, I can find my first job soon and this kind of video gives me a boost! Thanks for share

[@forestpump3]

Thanks for sharing Tim! Very inspiring

[@PolygonAcademy]

PatrickZ thanks for watching patrick :)

[@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!

[@jasonyikai6443]

Love this content! Thanks for taking your time to do this Tim!

[@PolygonAcademy]

Jason Yikai thanks for watching, happy to hear you like the content :)

[@Tim4Tat]

Thanks for sharing your story

[@Mustafa_Hussein.]

Man This is awesome!! Hearing that you are self taught and your story makes me so excited.. Thank you so much for sharing and giving motivation!

[@lucasszymanski114]

If you want to work in video games, you have to be self taught. Everyday you deal with issues that you have to figure out yourself.

[@behradbehzadi9662]

thanks for sharing your great story and spreading this positive energy

[@PolygonAcademy]

Cheers! Thanks for watching :)

[@chaseums0967]

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

[@Diego_Borda]

Awesome! Inspiring, never give up!!! thank you very much!

[@PolygonAcademy]

just keep grinding and you will get there eventually :)

[@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.

[@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😅

[@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

[@BigZiegel]

Very inspiring, thank you!

[@PolygonAcademy]

BigZiegel cheers :) was hoping this would inspire a few of you guys!

[@alexeygarmash5819]

Really admire your dedication and motivation to the self-education!

[@PolygonAcademy]

Alexey Garmash thanks :)

[@AadilSharifDotNetDeveloper]

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

[@PolygonAcademy]

thanks!

[@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 :)

[@WizardReel]

Awesome video. I like the message of perseverance and getting a better portfolio and networking for the job opportunities

[@PolygonAcademy]

yea its a marathon not a sprint, and if you are young you pretty much have unlimited time to hit your goals, as long as you keep grinding you will get there!

[@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 :)

[@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.

[@bradleyscheer3831]

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

[@PolygonAcademy]

nice choice :)

[@MrUchihaguille]

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!

[@rickeymcgowan5938]

Thanks for this video. Being someone who has been striving to get in the industry for the past 6 years has given me the motivation to get that job in the game industry. Gotta keep grinding.

[@PolygonAcademy]

you're welcome! keep up the hustle and grind :D

[@georgesfredericgubert3236]

Trully inspiring talk!! I recognized a lot of myself in your journey, opened Blender for the first time at 14 not having a single clue what I was doing. I'm working on 3D modeling, photograpy and drawing on my own, and fortunately it will get me somewhere, and more specifically, REMEDY. Thank you so much for sharing this, because there are game design schools where I live, I tried, and it wasn"t for me, felt more like lobotomy than actual knowledge, and even in France, they are indeed really expensive. You are amazing!!

[@PolygonAcademy]

Georges Frédéric Gubert cheers! Yea everyone has their own way of learning, just gotta find out what works for you :) remedy is a great choice, cant wait to play control!

[@PropheticGamesProductions]

Thank you for this video, is very very encouraging.

[@PolygonAcademy]

you're welcome :)

[@amirfuture57]

Just AMAZING!

[@PolygonAcademy]

thanks :)

[@ghostess2878]

hi tim! I know this video is a year old, but I just wanted to say thank you. i'm probably one of your younger viewers, since i'm thirteen, almost fourteen. I always have adored beautiful games and their complexity, but just entering highschool now is when I first considered this could be a career path for me. this has been such a motivation. this has been my dream job since i was young, but i was afraid of how competitive the industry is. i haven't gotten into 3d yet, but it really want to wow other people like I have been in the past with beautiful art and cutting edge worlds. i want to get into 3d as soon as possible, but i dont know where to start. even if this is the case, im polishing my current skills and starting into some other 2d things just to drabble around into other art creations like characters and environments. so i will say this again: thank you. this has helped to show me that the profession is even a possibility. you're and inspiration, -a viewer

[@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 👍

[@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 :)

[@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

[@RyanSizemore]

Thank you for sharing, I always enjoy hearing other people's stories of how they got into the games industry. I wish I had this motivation when I was in college, but I've started making changes and it has already paid off. I would love to work for a studio like Sony Santa Monica, but honestly there are several studios I would be happy at. I'm an environment artist and this year I really want to focus on bringing my portfolio to a professional level. GDC really inspired me so I'm going to get on that.

[@PolygonAcademy]

Ryan Sizemore sony santa monica is one of my dream jobs too haha but then i probably wouldnt enjoy playing god of war as much if i worked on it for 3-6 years haha

[@pancake_pancake_pancake]

Great story to share Tim, it's super motivating haha. More anecdotes would be so cool for future contents! There are so many studios out there that I look up to, but if I had to chose one, it would definitely be Kojima production. Death stranding looks so mysterious!! Also because it's in Japan haha

[@PolygonAcademy]

ohh good choice, their fox engine looks amazing :)

[@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!

[@jamieh6199]

Thank you, this was really helpful and inspiring! I'm currently waiting to hear back from a game design program I've applied to and I'm getting more and more nervous as it does have a pretty strict selection procedure. It helps to hear these types of stories from an industry professional. Also, I can't believe you don't have more subs. Your vlog series has helped me out so much!

[@PolygonAcademy]

thanks Jamie! don't sit around waiting, just dive in and start creating art and learning from wherever you can, just start building that habit of sitting down to make art or designs and then when you get into the program you will really hit the ground running!

[@jamieh6199]

Thank you, that was exactly what I had major problems with for a bit! Every time I tried to sit down and start working, I started stressing out instead, leading me to procrastinate to avoid that feeling lol. Your series actually got me back into the habit of setting goals and working towards them. The workflow you used in your videos really helped. Funnily enough, now I don't feel stressed at all when I'm focused on my design work. ^^

[@PolygonAcademy]

@@jamieh6199 awesome!

[@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 😅

[@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!

[@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.

[@007anmolking1]

I really enjoy your videos !! More more !! My dream job is Environment artist at Ubisoft Toronto

[@PolygonAcademy]

Anmol Singh nice, i love toronto :)

[@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!

[@PizzaOMC]

love your videos. as im going to university next year your videos really help for a head start for big project scopes that will be usefull in the industry. im going to do game design and production if anyone is wondering

[@PolygonAcademy]

Pizza awesome thanks for watching, have fun in your program 💪

[@jamesmcelroy414]

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

[@danjirinnn]

Recently felt lost with my career path and my future, but this video definitely helped me put things into better perspective and helped with my anxiety over lots of things. Can't say enough how much this has helped me man, thanks so much.

[@PolygonAcademy]

cheers! thanks so much for letting me know, I am happy to hear it helped you out :) long term perspective is so important!

[@danjirinnn]

@@PolygonAcademy Where you said you had to go back home to your parents, damn I felt that and I'm gonna bite the bullet for my own betterment. Will DEFINITELY be looking to you and your channel to help me find my way. Thanks a whole lot!

[@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!

[@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!

[@robertmarquez6084]

thank you for sharing some of your knowledge i've learned so much stuff i didn't know and depends on the games i like scifi and i like to do like futuristic military cars and mechs so probably because of cyberpunk 2077 cd project red is going to be a favorite studio

[@PolygonAcademy]

Robert Marquez hell yea lotsa cdpr fans watching, definitely an awesome looking game!

[@mikkelmelby]

your back!

[@PolygonAcademy]

back at it :D

[@vladimirkhadyko8304]

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

[@PolygonAcademy]

thanks!

[@jamiew4814]

Inspiring

[@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

[@armanchahal1]

Inspirational

[@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 :)

[@angelaengle12]

I'm pretty much at the start of the grind process in advancing my 3D skills. I feel the gravity of that hill for sure. However, I always wanted to remaster an old favorite game of mine and give it a fresh new look. I'm not giving up, this has been my dream since high school. Thank you for your story, totally smashed that sub and like button! =]

[@PolygonAcademy]

awesome! thanks for the sub, I really appreciate it! Do a fanart scene or character from one of your favorite games, it can be a great way to get some studio attention to your work ;)

[@bretttheillustrator]

This is awesome to see! I am actually shifting from 2d to 3d. I have not gotten much traction in the 2d field outside of freelance. But your videos are def giving me a path of what to learn. I really am glad I found this channel.

[@PolygonAcademy]

cheers! so happy this helped you out. thanks for watching, hope you enjoy the rest of the content :) how did you find the channel?? im always curious haha.

[@bretttheillustrator]

@@PolygonAcademy Honestly I have a friend that works at Hi-rez in atlanta. And I showed him a model I built to help me with my Illustrations and he asked me if I would ever be interested in being an Environment artist. I pondered it, and decided to search and see what that entails. Came across the Art station challenge tutorials you put up and from there I got hooked. Now I have a layout of what I need to be doing. Already started on the graybox phase and will teach myself in that order. I followed you on art station as well and look forward to the next video. www.artstation.com/wbmarchant

[@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.

[@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 👍

[@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

[@adils4604]

Late, but I used to be put off by these tutorials because of a personal past with a former prof of mine who's doing something like this but behind a paywall. I decided to watch your trimsheet videos, and now I'm in love with your tutorials because they helped me a bunch, esp the trimsheets and the blockout videos teaching me and all! To add on from the previous comment, you can also consider Twitter and Discord as new forum based sites. Twitter to show case your work with hashtags (not a success so far but I did get Senior Artists complimenting so I know it's a start) and Discord, join local communities like a Game Dev discord server based in your country/province/state, befriend people go to meet ups, sure it isn't AAA it's at least meeting someone who will be willing to pay you to do 3D, which should count as a job. Here's to hope I one day work in a studio and accidentally bump into you in person as an equal

[@adils4604]

touched blender 16 in like late 2012 but I didn't consider my journey to start until 2017 in my final year when i realized i had to function as an adult. I started to notice improvements in mid to late 2018 and by 2019 I had my Ryokan set up

[@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.

[@lucasszymanski114]

nice video bro.

[@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 :)

[@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

[@Stevenverx]

Thank you for the story! I am currently in my senior year at college. I will graduate this July and I don't have a plan yet where I want to work. I always thought Rockstar would be an awesome company to work for. But I learned that just working on big titles doesn't mean you enjoy the work atmosphere. So I am clueless, I think I will just apply to the companies and look what company has a great work method

[@PolygonAcademy]

yea thats why networking is important, you can hear word of mouth how the vibe is at various studios :)

[@robertschroer5794]

Thank you for your time making these great videos :) Love the mood of them a lot. It is very relaxing and energizing to watch them. Would love get a position as an Enviroment artist at Cloud Imperium Games.

[@PolygonAcademy]

HEROIC doci ohhhhhh CIG makes some badass art for sure!

[@pouyasaad7218]

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

[@xroman_]

Awesome and motivational video! My dream position would probably be in Ubisoft or CD projekt red :) However I just can't decide what do I like more - environments or characters. I always find myself jumping back and forth between them. By the way thank you for your content, I love it!

[@PolygonAcademy]

Roman thanks for watching. Just keep making art and look at which one you spend more time doing ;)

[@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 😂

[@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!

[@Demyxit]

I just wanted to say that you have really inspired me to start as a enviroment artist more that character artist or prop artist. I would really like to work at Supergiant Games in the games industry or in a animation series like The Dragon Prince. I really like these videos so it would be interesting to listen to other stories from yout experience in the 3D industry!

[@PolygonAcademy]

thanks for the feedback :) I will share more soon haha

[@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!

[@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.

[@dimitardimitrov7950]

I'm definitely a hobby worker. after watching this video I will definitely explore options for work in a gaming company. 3ds max is my long time love and yea i am self tself-taught. I have always thought that without a diploma no one will pay attention, but now I see that is not the case. Thank you very much for the advice.

[@PolygonAcademy]

Your portfolio is what will get their attention, i only finished high school haha. If i can do it, so can you 🤛

[@dimitardimitrov7950]

@@PolygonAcademy Thank you i am currently creating game with UE4 and in my game i have different environment Biomes. i will focus on one of the to start creating my portafoglio and in mean time to create my game bay the way thank you for all tutorials you did rally helps me :D

[@ahall1201]

thanks for making the video! I want to be an environment artist for NaughtyDog , or even a Prop artist. But that is where I get stuck because I still do not know which I should focus on first. I enjoy making props and weapons, as well as making environments.

[@PolygonAcademy]

Allante Hall i love naughty dog :) i would just keep making art and figure out what you enjoy doing the most, then focus in on that

[@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

[@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 🔥🔥🔥

[@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!

[@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 :)

[@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

[@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 :)

[@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!

[@raeeskamaar6190]

18:13 Always dreamed of being a level designer and/or environment artist for Id Software or 3D Realms (Slipgate Studios). Always been a huge fan of Doom/Wolfenstein and Duke Nukem (basically any old-school FPS). Every now and then I open 3ds Max and UE4 just to attempt a modern remake of classic levels (Doom's Hangar, Duke 3D's Hollywood Holocaust etc).

[@PolygonAcademy]

hahah duke 3d was one of the highlights of my childhood!

[@IndianaRoy]

I'd love in the future to apply for Physics programmer at Epic

[@PolygonAcademy]

nice choice! love epic, there is a reason I use UE4 all the time haha.

[@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 :)

[@jaredtucson7740]

This video was great. I’m in school to be an Environment Designer too and will graduate in 6 months. I’m eager to start applying since the final months are the career development classes but at the same time I feel like I could use some more experience. I’m definitely going to look into some pro tutorials while I’m on break. I love texturing, it’s my favorite process in the pipeline but I suck with UVing.

[@PolygonAcademy]

Native Designer nice, good luck in your course :) yea texturing and uving go hand in hand so brush up on those uvs skills. My latest video on trim textures has some uv tips and tricks if you havent seen it yet ;)

[@jaredtucson7740]

Polygon Academy thanks I’ll have to watch it

[@plagues90]

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

[@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

[@smileyfaceltd]

Doing prop modelling at ID software would be super amazing.

[@smileyfaceltd]

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

[@MarmaladeMaki]

Dream would be env / houdini artist at Square Enix Tokyo. Learning the procedural ropes as we speak :D

[@PolygonAcademy]

houdini is a valuable skillset to have :)

[@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 :)

[@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

[@vasilmilchev9362]

Great story and I can totally relate with the sacrifices needed to get a job in the industry and the rejections for work jobs. Basically, before like a year and a half I decided I am not happy with my job and wanted to do something I am really passionate about. And that was video games, which are with me through my whole life. So, being a bit older when I started learning 3D (29), having a wife and a back then a 1-year old boy, I had to sacrifice so much family time (basically every day after work I would come home, get some dinner and go study 3D) so that I can watch videos and practice and learn to become a 3D artist. I am so grateful to my wife for being patient and understanding about it. I applied several times for job openings in my city, but of course being so new and with no experience and most of all portfolio I got rejected several times. But, through some luck and patience, 3 months ago, I got a job at an indie studio at my city (Sofia, Bulgaria) as junior environment artist and I couldn't be happier :). And to answer your question, I would love to work as an Environment Artist for Naughty Dog or CD Project Red. Those are my top studios atm.

[@PolygonAcademy]

Naughty Dog would be Siiiiick!

[@vasilmilchev9362]

@@PolygonAcademy Yeah. I honestly can't wait for The Last Of Us 2 to come out :D

[@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!

[@takerefuge3d]

This is my new favorite Channel. Please keep giving the hidden wisdom to us dreamer hobbyists.

[@PolygonAcademy]

will do! thanks so much for the kind words :) more to come soon ;)