From padawan to jedi, am i ready for freelance?

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1) I think you may be overestimating the cost of a PC.

You're looking at $600 of parts, $200 for peripherals, +$100 for OS for a machine more than suitable for U3D work. If you be smart about it, you could probably shave off another $100 or so at the cost of some longevity.

2) If you're considering both, then you'd get a mac mini + windows laptop from a cost perspective. Total cost would be ~ $1500 pending on what performance you need.

3) Your work does look acceptable - but you need to be able to handle clients, put out consistent quality work with deadlines.

That's my 3c, I'll invoice you later

 

Do you have some other models to show not just cartoony?And for how long have you been modeling?

 

1) The pc is a Dell XPS 15inch laptop and i cant realy buy a desktop for the same reasons as the mac mini.

2)the main problem with that is needing a network drive to hold my Unity file on as i dont wanto have to shift it from device to device.

3)Thanks Im actualy quite quick at making stuff so as long as i only have one client at a time i think i would be able to do it in a tight timeframe I guess ill only know if i can deal with clients if i try.

 

The question is can you deliver quality while still being fast?Can you do next gen modeling?Can you model characters?Make rigs and weight paint?

 

I would say your not ready to freelance for money.

Some problems with the above images:

Your hand painted textures are all very muddy (i.e a lot of the same colours, no real definition and no contrast)
Take a look at the following example, the top texture is an example of a muddy texture, the bottom adds a bit of contrast and colour to it and instantly the textures pops more and looks better.


Also:

http://www.tmhunt.com/pics/wood_tute.jpg

Your wood at the minute is kind of stuck in stage 2 of the above image, you need to push it to stage 6.

http://wiki.polycount.com/Texturing...ew&target=handpaint_more-color-saiainoshi.jpg

Your 1.5k poly model would also be impossible to animate, (for example, moving the arms should stretch the shoulder area, because of your poly flow yours would stretch the whole of the chest area and the neck) Same issue with the legs.
If you are building game models it is not just a case of thinking of poly budgets but also how the model will animate, you need to think in terms of edge loops.

Some links:
http://www.cgmascot.com/design/modeling-animation-test/
http://www.cgmascot.com/design/modeling-for-animation-body/
http://www.cgmascot.com/design/surface-flow-matters/
http://www.cgmascot.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/docs/model_animation_ready_body.pdf

 

Ive been modeling for three years, but thats with google sketchup, ive been using wings 3d for around one year and that is what i use. I dont realy do manny realist models but even if i did show some i wouldent be happy doing relistic models as i dont have verry much experiance in that field.

Realisticly i wanto make a portfolio in unity with all my low polly and all difernt kinds of models but im in quite a rush to get a new computer.

@Varedis, thanks for your advice ill defently take it into consideration

 

Don't think you're quite there yet. The textures don't pop nearly as much as they could - hand painted is more than just flat planes of colours

You're obviously using a LOT of the smudge brush, which makes everything look a little wobbly and muddied. You'd be better off with a harder, more opaque paint brush and ALT+clicking mid-ground colours to blend things together.

There's very little in the way of colour variation in the textures or attempt at surface texture or lighting definition.

Check out : http://itchstudios.com/psg/art_tut.htm

Also, for stuff this low poly and low res, it shouldn't be hard to find a PC or a Mac for cheap that can do anything you need. You're not doing 8mil poly sculpts for CryEngine models or anything like that.

 

But it also has to suport the unity editor, programing, physics and gaming i dont only 3d model.

Those hand painted textures are for a quite grungy place so i think having eye popping colours will make it not look so dark and it wouldent fit the environment, but thanks for the advice

Hmm did i post this in the WIP section or did it get moved hear? its not realy a work in progress im just asking.

 

Well then you're overestimating laptop price - you can get dell laptops for $700-900. If you want a high performance, low cost laptop then I'd look around:

Light and portable:
http://www.mln.com.au/product/?itemID=3665&typeID=special

More powerful, and costly:
http://www.mln.com.au/product/?itemID=3581&typeID=23

I'm not saying you shouldn't got with a mac book pro - but your data isn't accurate. This could lead to poor decisions

In windows at least setting up a network drive takes < 10 mins. Then all you have to do is spend 1 min copy and pasting the project before work begins. If that's too time intensive get some syncing software and it will happen in the blink of an eye without needing your intervention.

Best of luck

 

Thanks for all that information ive never done a network drive so i wouldent know.

 

I find that a little rude... your impling that my textures look like they have only been put up "Loosely smear in some light and dark smears for your grain shape"?
Im sure you dident mean it like that but i find that rather insulting.

Maby this is more what you are looking for but you must not forget that there are difernt needs for difernt things.. ive been told my textures look nice for the environment(In my signiture the Creation Of Adam) and i think that a texture like the one in the picture would be not fitting for it.

This is one of the first hand painted texture i did(is not actualy a texture) maby it is more of the style you are thinking of?



It would be great to get some results on my sprites to see if there up to scratch

 

In my (maybe not so humble) opinion, anyone still living with his mum is not ready for freelance work. Working as a freelancer requires a lot of experience, knowing how to deal with clients and how to deal with people in a good way and solve your own problems. People living with their parents do not have these skills.

And I have to agree with previous posters that your stuff is not up to the level of quality people expect when they hire freelancers.

 

That's just an excuse for either lacklustre texturing skills or laziness to be honest.

No one is saying make the table electric pink and the chairs neon blue, but if everything is just another shade of brown with now highlights or colour variation then your scenes are going to look drab, boring, muddy and uninteresting.


Notice the difference after the hits of colour are added, the details pop more and it makes the texture more interesting and life like.

 

i suggest you join a group with a good idea for a game but are offering no pay and attempt to make bank on that.
i also unfortunately agree with everyone else that nobody is going to hire you until you get a bit bettrr

 

If i was going to work without pay it would be on my own projects

it would be great if some "non" artists would comment as there have only been 2 and then its 50/50, im not sure if fholm is just a programmer but i think NSPFS3000 is.(sorry if im wrong)

 

Well, I'm not an artist, I'm more a level designer at heart so maybe my comment can help you out. I've been following your progress for a while and like you I'm just starting to learn art so that I can make a game by myself. I also think that your art is not quite at the level of freelancing, but you shouldn't let that get you down. Fortunately, game is NOT only about art assets! That's why I think making a game by yourself is the best way to go for you now. Your game might not be the most beautiful thing to look at, but it can still be fun in terms of gameplay and inspiring. Everything you do, you learn it and it adds up. The next game you make will be better than the last, and that's because you put love into it. For the money for a new pc, I'm sure there is always solution (part time job, sell old stuff on ebay, anything).
Anyway, I hope this helps.

 

Good enough to sell, the rest isn't.

 

Me 'just a programmer'?

I'm an Entrepreneur, IT Consultant, Programmer, HO&SB Network Guru, Bronze Medallion, First Aider, Forum Troll...

But yes, I'm mainly a programmer and overall knowledgeable IT guy

However I disagree with fholm in that while you certainty won't be a professional or make a living soon - you should be able to earn a decent pocket money if you can deliver lots of art assets, in a reasonable time frame, at very low costs.

I've seen people with similar or less talent make some money on Deviant Art.

For example, and this is by no means an offer [I'm very particular in who I spend money on], I could easily so myself asking someone of similar skills and slightly larger portfolio to create me a room/level with say 10-20 small items for say $50-100. The hourly rate might work out to be but you gain experience and should be able to cover your costs [software laptop].

The most important thing is to listen to the criticism that is being given, and embrace it - I'm no expert but it does sound like it will make you more $.

Charlie, while a special case because he does have innate talent, has moved himself up the ranks. FYI so I have I. I used to earn <$2/hr, learnt a hell of a lot in doing so, and have a going rate that is an order of magnitude higher.

 

Colour variation doesn't need to be vibrant - subtle colour variation can keep things looking interesting and varied. Grungy stuff actually tends to warrant more colour variation because it's got all kinds of dirt and defects in the surface.

My point is that the texture reads as very plain. It's... here are the big chunky outlines - they are this darker colour, here is the base wood - it is this colour, here is some wood grain - it is this colour. You've basically got 3 very distinct colours slapped on and you're mistaking hand painted for big areas of flat colour.

You can see in Varedis's example that the single colour crate looks good but boring and an extra splash of colour variation makes it look a lot more interesting. There's also an amount of lighting "baked" into the texture, which hand-painted stuff tends to need a bit of it to sell the surface texture.


Ultimately, though, if someone is willing to pay you for your work, then go for it. There's not some magical threshold beyond which you are eligible to do freelance work.

 

You seem to only model one type of genre, that is cartoony looking characters. Are you able to model in other styles, like this space fighter for example? If you aren't being locked into one style will limit the amount of work you are going to get.

 

No, based entirely on your responses to these posts here. I find that feedback is generally not welcome to new freelance artists, which has been a huge problem for me. I can't afford high quality guys and most of the new guys are so damned full of themselves that it's impossible to get anything done. When you are doing contract work for people, it's important to remember the golden rule: he has the gold, makes the rules.

Also, as noted before, timely delivery matters very much (another problem I've experienced with every artists I've tried to work with). I don't know how long any of those pieces took you, but you should let people know. One artist I work with costs $100/hour for short-term work, but his time is so limited and we work in tandem, which hurts total output, but in that hour he can get a lot done (more than what takes days for others in my experience). There is nary a peep when I ask him to tweak something one way or another. I wanted to hire him full time, but there are family issues at stake for him.

 

Similar to JRavey's first paragraph, I believe that you are not taking this criticism very well. Your textures are not up to a professional level, and they are just trying to help you get there. There is a lot of good feedback in this forum (not just this topic) that I feel you are not taking to heart and are ignoring completely. Based on your responses to other people alone, I would not be able hire you, and based on your art, you are not ready yet there either. Keep working at it because there is potential there and you're so close.

 

Your skills are definitely coming along. The criticism in this thread is also very useful, and I'm sure you'll take it all in and do what you can with it.

Freelancing may require a broader portfolio (different styles).... but you are definitely demonstrating talent. Have you considered creating asset packs for the Unity store? I would strongly suggest you compile themed packs while you build your skills up... and you may want to take the unique edge of gearing these packs towards prototyping. Assets off of the asset store are often difficult to match to other purchased assets, but if you gear your art assets to be useful in prototyping (open file formats like .blend so users can add their own anims) etc I'm sure you'd draw a bit of attention, and put some money aside while you hone yours skills in other styles and broaden your portfolio. It will also get your name known around the community for quality products...... which definitely can't hurt your chances of securing freelance work.

Anyways, your work looks good, keep pushing yourself. And lastly, never underestimate the desire for programmers (read: non artists) to have access to quality, flexible art assets for testing out game concepts.

 

You probably need to practice more and be able to churn out work with consistency. Speed isn't always the issue. Consistency is. You show too little work for someone to evaluate your skill. You need to show more.

Bookshelf looks good and show you have a feeling for shape. Color and presentation is lacking. You should try present even wireframes and screendumps as pretty as possible. Check out blizzard and how they present their stuff. Copy and learn.

To freelance as a modeler/texture artist requires a bigger portfolio. Usually people will want you to try a character or a piece for free for them to evaluate you. If you would be able to sit next to a pro, you would learn really fast, so consider interning somewhere for free for a while to learn basic production skills ie. follow instructions/design requirements and learning that making something good means doing it over and over and over.

The personal information/rant is irrelevant to you looking for work. Remember that people will google you when you are a freelancer. You dont want to come off as a crying little kid. Use facebook for rants, forums for facts and you will do well.

Your sprite-work looks good and doesn´t require a new computer. You could use 3d as a basis for sprites and then repaint them/ touch them up. A lot of sprite based games are being made with unity.

Focus, Grasshopper!!

 

Agreed with many in regards. Your art is increasing in skill, but the title is a little over the top. Padawan to jedi? Long ways to go to harness that kinda power. Also, i think some amounts of humbleness are a good trait when going poffessional. If i have a choice to work along-side one person of two personalities, Humble professional - or absolute eliteist *im the best* kinda guy, no questions asked, Mr Elite will get sent packing.

One thing i have seen over and over again, is no matter how good you are, someones bound to be better. So there is always room to seek, and learn in an ever changing tech industry.

 

Ok ive got a plan the plan is to continue working on my game and my portfolio for the next seven weeks then if my games done by then ill see if it sells well and if not ill make a package of all the assets from my game but its more cerebral then that and it involves multiple games

 

If you are keen to make money sooner rather than later, maybe focus on one aspect of art. Sprites, 3D props, texturing, whatever. Personally I think your sprites show the most promise, but you would need 10 or so samples in a range of style to make me consider paying for your services.

 

Won't know till you try, keep a freelance thread open with examples of your latest work. Let your business grown organically with your skill.