Summer Work.

Some of the work from over Summer… I hadn't planned to post any work up on my blog, but as personal stuff has been banned from Facebook, I may as well pop it up on here.

A cloud formation from a science encyclopaedia I have had for years.  I had some great fun stretching my colour theory for this one.

A coastal scene. This was an attempt at using different strokes to show the wave movement and textures in the rock.
 

A shameless copy of a reference photo here, but it was for my friends birthday gift and I think it’s a pretty cool picture!

Dreams!

 

Hello again, blog!

I feel a little apprehensive about writing again. Especially when we have been asked to have a second look at our previous years work. I find it all a little bit.. embarrassing?

About mid way through last year oodles of personal things happened at once, to be honest it went a little topsy turvey. Looking back on it now, I am disappointed with how I dealt with it – my motivation simply evaporated. I just kept fabricating excuses to make myself feel better which made it incredibly hard to find my feet again. Now I can recognise the dip in work flow as I flick through last years pieces – it all started off well, and finished on a high too. Half way through is all just substandard. When Mike mentioned the second year slump I had my doubts, all of the symptoms sounded very familiar! Surely I won’t have to battle through it all again?!

I think I found the root of my first year slump... I kept all of my worries to myself and ended up feeling isolated and distracted. I have experienced what a true lack of motivation feels like, but I also know how to bring myself back round again. I feel so much stronger for it! Even though that phase created a large dent in the quality and quantity of work I produced, I’m still here and that gives me truck loads of confidence in my ability at defeating my own demons.

So yeah. The second year is looking good. I feel motivated and already recognise a huge improvement in my work ethics. So now I have over analysed the past, I feel prepared to peep into the future!

I have some idea of what my dream job is. I would love to work as a concept, environment or texture artist  for a studio like Team ICO, Naughty Dog or Lionhead. I love the feel of the games these have created – the Uncharted series have some of the most beautiful environments I have ever experienced!

 

Though I know (from the contextual studies pep talks and online research) that this dream is pretty much unobtainable it makes sense to have something to aim for…

 

So to get where I want to be, I am going to have to seriously up my game this year. I decided to put things in perspective and found this brought me straight back down to Earth. After the brief panic attack, I made a mini list of what I believe are my strengths and weaknesses:

Strengths:

Fairly good social skills, get on well with a range of people.

I’m confident I will work well in a team (the group projects will be a great indicator!)

Good problem solver.

I have a fair grip on drawing in both traditional and digital art.

Keen learner and a hard worker.

This list boosted my confidence a little. I had to get some help coming up with positive things to put down (as childish as it sounds my mum gave me a hand) but looking at the list, I agree with them all. I recognise I have the potential to be a good manager at some stage in my career, I think I would find organising other people and planning projects a very rewarding job.

Weaknesses:

Low in confidence and have little faith in my own work.

Drawing is not up to the standards of the industry. Yet.

Nowhere near good enough at 3D modelling to be employable in the industry. Yet.

Easily distracted.

The 3D and 2D work simply comes with practise. I just need to do more! I need to squeeze in as much drawing and modelling in as I physically can without running myself into the ground. I need to speed up both, and concentrate on quantity rather than quality. The quality will come with time. I also need to stop over criticising my own work, and just ENJOY it. I’m doing something I love, this should and could be EASY!

As for the distractions, I have finally got my own office to work from which helps an awful lot. Both of my flatmates are in their third year, so hopefully they will be working just as hard as me (for once?!)

Yay! I’m going to get straight back to work…

Innovation…

 

I love the warm glow in that apartment. I think I’m going to go and repaint my room.

J'ai fini

So here we are!  All done and dusted.

What an experience! This course has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. I have learned so much in the space of a  year that I can barely recognise myself.

I think the thing that has made this course so successful is the passion. Both the tutors and the students are just bursting with ambition, it really begins to rub off on you. I have enjoyed visual design the most. What I have learned has helped  me endlessly in improve my technique and speed. Just having the constant pressure to draw more has been a pleasure. I love to draw! I never realised how rewarding sketching thumbnails could be!

Product design has been a battle, but oh boy was it worth it. The bin was a nightmare, it took me days and days to work out how to texture the bugger. Now I have the ability to build a gladiator… and a house… anything I want really. I can honestly say I am looking forward to creating my own projects over the summer. I still have a very long way to go, but I am up for the challenge. Bring it on!

Critical studies have been a welcome break. I have learnt a lot about self discipline, motivation and inspiration from those little Wednesday sessions. Each one has left me feeling invigorated, and filled with a new passion to get on with it. The blogs (in the end) have become a joy to write. I can feel my self easing into them more now, they are no longer a chore.

So what would I change? I am happy with the balance of traditional and digital art - it is up to the student which path they take for any given project. I wouldn't mind seeing some more tutorials for both though. I am still a complete novice at digi painting and I intend on doing online tutorials over the summer. My traditional painting will always need improvement, all of it is self taught and I have no idea if I am using the stuff correctly.

I would love to see more game production tutorials on Blackboard. When I get stuck, it is a pain to have to spend hours looking up tips on the internet, or having to wait to go into uni to talk to a fellow student. But that could just be me being lazy and impatient. I think in the future I may record Heathers tutorials on my phone, so I can refer back to them at any time. When I tried taking written notes, it just confused me even more!

I LOVE the idea of more sculpting. That has been one of the highlights of my year, I never would have though I would enjoy it so much! I feel like it is a graceful balance between VD and PD – it helped me get my head around the 3D space in max. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and would love to get my hands stuck in even more :D

Overall it has been a fantastic year. I have grown in leaps and bounds; both with my work, and personally. I have met inspiring people, and look forward to another year surrounded by them again.

 

Thank you to all of those who have supported me when things got rough…

You will probably never realise how much impact those kind words had on me. They meant an awful lot.

Week off? Lets look up at the sky.

This cosmic beauty is the constellation Cassiopeia. The striking colours you see are glowing gas and dark dust clouds.

According to the source, this picture would span about 70 light-years across. Mind blowing don’t ya think?

Game Developers Conference

 

Designing for Co-Operative Play in an Open World

Speaker: David Bowring (Designer, Volition)

I have always been intrigued about this concept. I can imagine trying to incorporate co-op in a sandbox game must be pretty difficult. The potential is very exciting though…

The Psychology of Game Design (Everything You Know Is Wrong)

Speaker: Sid Meier (Director of Creative Development, Firaxis Games)

I find gaming psychology ever so interesting. I want games to mess with my head, they need to be more clever and creative!

Rising to the Top: How to Land a Triple-A Job

Speaker: Tim Johnson (Recruiter/HR Generalist, Epic Games), TJ Summers(Senior Partner, Digital Artist Managment), Kevin Fanning (Manager of Strategic Staffing, Harmonix), Jeanette Ercila (Manager, Recruitment & Programs, Disney Interactive Media Group)

For obvious reasons…

Five Ways a Video Game Can Make You Cry

Speaker: Richard Rouse III (Narrative Director, Ubisoft Montreal)

Another fascinating topic. Games have so much potential to create intense emotion, especially in the realm of characters. I get easily attached to characters though, so getting a little misty eyed is a common occurrence for me. Not recently though… I haven't been attached to a character since ICO.

A peek into the future…

 

So what do I want to get out of university?

Um.

When I was doing my A-levels, and then my foundation, all of my friends had plans to go on to university. I was the only one who hated the idea. I was terrified of leaving home, I couldn't imagine living away from my parents and friends and did not want to share my kitchen with dirty students. So now I sound all snooty  and spoilt, but hey, I’m just telling the truth.

I sat down and looked at job prospects… in Dunstable. Oh boy, did my mind do a U-turn. The thought of working in Asda for the rest of my life made me feel sick to the stomach and to be frank, Dunstable is a dump. So I want a better future. How can I make that happen? By being as employable as I possibly can be. Which leads on to my next point…

I want to be in an industry where I can be creative. To be honest, I just want to draw. I picked a game art course because it had the most potential to make my portfolio accessible for a range of employers. I haven’t got my heart set on the games industry, as of yet. Don't get me wrong, the games industry sounds like an incredible place to work. The creativity needed is just astounding, and I love the thought of working with like minded individuals… But at the moment I am happy trying to be the best I can be. If that leads me into another creative job, you won’t hear me complaining.

To do this, I know I need to put my all in. I want to take this opportunity and run with it. I want to build my confidence in both my work, and myself. I want to be able to work efficiently, and create my own distinctive style.

So many wants…

I feel like I have so much potential. I am really excited tbh.