Game Concept Art - Week 15

Game Concept Art - Week 15 - Dec 3, 2019

The Business

 

Resume:

Write a clear & concise resume with accurate contact information all on one page. 

Cover Letter:

Write a cover letter explaining why you want the job and why you are the best candidate for the position. Sell yourself and your abilities. List your availability and the various ways you can be contacted.

Business Card:

Show your potential employer that you are creative and unique by sharing some of your art work. Do something that stands out from the stack of business cards. 

The best business cards can be made at: Moo.com

Portfolio:

Spend every moment you have putting together the visual story of your abilities. Nothing is more important. Start with a summary of your resume. The first page of art should be your best work and the last page should be even better. Art & more ART!

The best place to assemble a portfolio is: SquareSpace.com

Blog:

Update an art blog regularly to show your working style and thought process. Don't post anything you aren't proud off or you wouldn't want your mother to read. Anything you say CAN and WILL be used against you in your career! Art & the thinking behind your art, influences, theories, etc. 

Blogger.com is very easy to use.

Register a Website:

Come up with a domain name (that is professional) and register it. 

Go Daddy! is an easy choice and one of the largest providers in the world. 

You can find their website here: GoDaddy.com

Portfolio Website:

A multimedia version (or addendum) to your printed portfolio. What is it about your works that makes you different? Find out and exploit that. Update your online portfolio regularly and after every production is completed. Take advantage of security settings to show restricted designs to potential supervisors. 

Linked In:

The Industry standard for an online resume and work profile. Every studio or employer will request a link to your profile so make sure it is professional and use it only for contacts and recommendations. Keep friends off the site, that's what Facebook is for. 

LinkedIn.com

iMDb:

Your online list of professional credits from film & television. The Industry standard for credit verification.  

IMDb.com 

Professional Organizations:

- ATAS - https://www.emmys.com/

 - AMPAS - https://www.oscars.org/

 - NCS (National Cartoonists Society) - https://www.nationalcartoonists.com/

 - ASIFA - http://www.asifa.net/

 - VES - https://visualeffectssociety.com/

 

Looking for the Job:

The Gig Economy:

 

The Animation & Art Directors Guild:

TheAnimationGuild.org

TheArtDirectorsGuild.org

 

Zerply.com - https://zerply.com

 

Attend Conventions/Get Lunch/Show Your Work

 

Lawyers, Agents & Representation

 

"Its Not Who You Are, It's Who You Know" 

 

"Its Not Show-Friends, Its Show Business"

 

Contracts

The Job Description

Benefits:

1. Salary & Raises
2. Position
3. Work Environment
4. Location
5. Studio History
6. Credits
7. Project or Director or Both 
8. 401k
9. Health & Pension
10. Bonuses
11. Vacation/Sick Days
12. Frosting

Working the Job:

 - Hours

 - Tools

 - Software to know

1. Photoshop - https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html
2. Illustrator - https://www.adobe.com/products/illustrator.html
3. Sketch Up - https://www.sketchup.com/
4. Maya - https://www.autodesk.com/products/maya/overview
5. Microsoft Word
6. Quicktime

 - Salary

 - Rules of the Industry

 - How To Be A Better Artist

1. Life Drawing
2. Weekend Sketching
3. Watch Movies 
4. Read Classic Stories
5. Learn to Paint, Sculpt, Weld, Sew
6. Take Acting Lessons or Comedy Workshops
7. Travel 
8. Experience NEW Cultures
9. Visit Museums, Galleries & Comic Book Stores
10. Study Architecture, Interior Design and Costumes
11. Listen to Classical Music
12. Visit the Opera, Musicals and Stage Plays

- Professional Art is a Vocation, NOT a Career!