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Game Artist FAQ
At Housemarque we are competing with the best developers
in the world. This means that we have to put some tough requirements
for any applicant seeking to join us. Don't let it put you off if you
have no previous experience on game graphics or no art school degree;
the majority of our art staff consists of motivated self-taught persons
who have gone a long way to develop the skills they have. No BA degree
is necessary in becoming a game artist as long as you are motivated and
can prove your skills!
So what makes a good artist in your view then?
We consider the important factors for a game artist to be:
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An ability to do good art; the examples of your work
should demonstrate a strong feeling of atmosphere and an original visual
style.
Hint: Resumes containing images of furniture, cars, teapots or
other clichéd themes are far too common and will usually end up filed,
UNLESS you make the best looking low-polygon cars and teapots on the
planet. Try to impress us with something that looks original and interesting;
you will have a much better chance!
-
Good Maya and Photoshop skills. For ingame
art low-polygon techniques and patch-modelling (using the "Surface"-modifier)
skills are needed. In-game object resolution usually varies from 200
- 2000 polygons; 1200 to 6000 for characters. 128x128 to 1024x1024
is the usual texture size per object/character. The less you need to
make objects work, the better.
-
At the moment we use photographs for textures, so the
ability and willingness to work with photographic source material is
essential. However, if you can produce impressive hand-painted textures,
we certainly would like to have a look!
-
Knowledge on games: While
making the best-looking game on the face of the earth, you'll sometimes
have to work with harsh deadlines and technical restrictions. The ability
to understand what is important for the game itself will help you to
concentrate on the essential aspects of your artwork; then you won't
spend your time painting beautiful cracks on the back wall of a building
seen a mile away or modelling the undersides of rocks!
OK, OK, SO what should I try to send in to impress you?
Submit a portfolio showing your best work, containing
preferably some rendered pictures. If you sketched it first with a pen
and a paper then submit the sketch also, so that we can see your ability
to execute your own designs.
Things that impress us are a strong atmosphere, an original
style and realism. Try to look at the overall impression rather than
sticking into the small details. Pay attention to lighting. The ability
to make characters and creatures is the most demanding one, so if you
really want to impress us, create a lifelike, believable character or
creature with a distinctive personality.
So, I now got my super-duper-impressive portfolio ready;
how do you want me to send it?
First - all applicants MUST submit a portfolio; we won't
interview you without one.
A good portfolio could be: a cd-rom, a video, or a link
to your homepage. Please do not try to steal someone else's work for
your portfolio as we will find it out anyway sooner or later.
I am not ready for this, but I want to learn!
Recommend some literature to me!
The following is a list of books that we recommend to
all our new artists. Remember, the books can give you only the theory;
it's up to you to put it into practise. Seat yourself in front of 3D
Studio Max and Photoshop and learn them well enough to make it work for
your art!
Computer Graphics
-
Jeremy Birn: Digital Lighting and Rendering ISBN: 1562059548
-a great book that deals with all the major aspects of computer graphics,
not just lighting and rendering. The book concentrates on how to achieve
aesthetically pleasing computer art, not how to use any spesific 3D
package. Good reading for novices and advanced artists alike.
Art books
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Johannes Itten: The Art of Color: The Subjective Experience and Objective Rationale of Color ISBN: 0471289280
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Stephen Rogers: Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist
ISBN: 0195030958
-
Burne Hogarth: Dynamic Figure Drawing ISBN: 0823015777
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Gary Faigin: The Artist's Complete Guide to Facial Expression
ISBN: 0823016285
Animation
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The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation ISBN: 0786860707
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Harold Whitaker, John Halas: Timingfor Animation ISBN: 0240517148
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Richard Williams: The Animator's Survival Kit ISBN: 0571202284
Game Design
-
Andrew Rollings, Dave Morris: Game Architecture and Design
ISBN: 1576104257
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Marc Saltzman: Game Design: Secret of the Sages 2000
ISBN: 1566869870
Cinematography
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Steven D. Katz: Film Directing Shot by Shot: Visualizing from Concept to Screen ISBN: 0941188108
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Joseph V. Mascelli: The Five C's of Cinematography: Motion Picture Filming Techniques ISBN: 187950541X
-
Gerald Millerson: The Technique of Lighting for Television and Film
ASIN: 0240512995
talent@housemarque.fi
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