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Game artist or designer

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by gdog105, Aug 10, 2015.

  1. gdog105

    gdog105

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    Eventually when I go to school for my degree, should I go for game artist or designer. I've been drawing all my life so i'm obssesed with art and story behind characters, but I heard you can can be a game designer and still do art so which one should I do?
     
  2. Not_Sure

    Not_Sure

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    DON'T GO TO ART SCHOOL!!!

    Seriously, it's a colossal waste of time, money, and youth. All art schools do is cash checks and corral you from class to class until they give you a 100% worthless piece of paper.

    If you want to be an artist get lots of books and spend a lot of time practicing. Like a 10,000 hours worth. Do eyes over and over and over. Do hands over and over and over. Do poses over and over and over. Do everything until you can bring down the draw time to less than a minute for each part.

    Learn software. Learn to draw with your arm. Learn how to get yourself out there. And do something on your own, parallel to working at a job.

    But whatever you do:
    DON'T GO TO ART SCHOOL!!!

    There are WAY too many art students that think they're owed something just because some school gave them a piece of paper and a bunch of teachers filled up their ego. When in reality, something like 95% of them have no business trying to make money off of their sub industry par skills.

    Seriously:
    DON'T GO TO ART SCHOOL!!!

    The cliche jokes about art school graduates working at Starbucks exist for a reason. Don't be a cliche joke.

    DON'T GO TO ART SCHOOL!!!
     
  3. wccrawford

    wccrawford

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    I'm not going to say not to go to art school, but I will say that Portfolio matters more than any other piece of paper you can come up with.

    If you go to art school, you'll need to make a portfolio. A great school will force you to make one. Most schools will not.

    If you don't go to art school, you'll need to make a portfolio. Nobody will force you. You'll have to do it on your own.

    My advice is to get started helping with projects now. Go to the Collab section and just start helping people. You will learn a ton, get experience, and have stuff for your portfolio.

    Also, go sign up on polycount.com/forum and start posting your work for critique. It's going to be painful at first, but never argue with them. Just accept their advice, improve your work, and it will definitely be worth your while.
     
  4. 3agle

    3agle

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    It's not as though a university would have made them bad artists though, so they wouldn't have made anything of themselves regardless. Just saying 'don't go to school' because you buy into those stereotypes isn't great advice if you can't say why.

    I'm not an artist and I know nothing about art courses, but nothing in your post actually says why you believe you shouldn't go to school to learn game art.

    Also, back to the OP, Game design and art for games is quite different, with unique sets of skills. I'd do research before jumping into one or the other.
     
  5. Not_Sure

    Not_Sure

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    Actually, that's EXACTLY what I'm saying. From what I've seen most art schools (especially Art Institute) instill this idea of false accomplishment and reward mediocrity when in reality people could spend that time more constructively practicing the craft.

    I'm not trying to be an ass about it. But there is a brutal reality waiting for a LOT of would be artists that get over inflated egos.

    And yeah, over inflated egos are definitely another characteristic of the barista/artist cliche'. And it comes from a long line of art teachers who tell you you're the best, when really you could use some reality checking.

    That's not to say that I don't think that people shouldn't strive to be professional artists, what I'm saying is that art schools have very little to do with reaching that goal.
     
    Last edited: Aug 11, 2015
  6. 3agle

    3agle

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    Surely this is just the difference between a good and bad school?
    Like I said, not an artist, so no clue. As a programmer who went to university though, I feel like it's completely the opposite situation for my occupation. It seems bizarre to me to have such expensive courses that achieve nothing.

    I do realise that generally degrees aren't a requirement for top art positions like they are for programming though, so granted there are significant differences. I'd imagine that you'd need significant technical knowledge in a top art position in a games studio, which surely a decent art course would give.
     
  7. gdog105

    gdog105

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    Thanks guys I've been looking around and see, plenty of people have gotten jobs without degrees it just matters what you have to show I guess.
     
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  8. Games-Foundry

    Games-Foundry

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    We hire freelance artists exclusively on portfolio strength and style match alone if they are remote working. A probationary period let's us know if the productivity is there to match the quality, and if their personality is a cultural match. Resumes never get opened.

    If you were a programmer, that would be different. We'd be looking for a maths or physics degree combined with programming experience either as a games or asset developer.
     
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  9. gdog105

    gdog105

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    Thank you for telling me that and is the artist the guy who animates also.
     
  10. Kiwasi

    Kiwasi

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    The artist does everything that is not code. The coder does everything that is not art.

    To be a competent game artist you should have a working knowledge and be able to make a passing attempt at every part of the pipeline. From concepting to modelling to rigging to animation. From characters to UI to environments. Its perfectly okay to specialise in something. Big companies often want specialists. But you should know your whole pipe line.

    The same principle applies on the coding side. Game designers have an even rougher road, they need a decent understanding of both art and code.
     
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  11. Kiwasi

    Kiwasi

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    Someone is rather impassioned about this. My general understanding is there are far more unscrupulous schools in the US then the rest of the world.

    A good degree programme will leave you knowing the stuff you need to know or force you to fail or drop out. Do be wary of school programmes you can't fail. However there are plenty of art degrees focused on computer graphics or graphics design that are actually valid ways to get into the industry.
     
  12. Not_Sure

    Not_Sure

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    Growing up I was obsessed with art. I have boxes and boxes stuffed with sketch books. And I watched friend after friend go to school for art.

    And all of them had this delusion about their skill that was down right cult like.

    I on the other hand was never content and always saw room for improvement. Mean while one friend would spend 2 hours drawing one very poor illustration and days plastering it all over the web.

    That's when I decided that art school wasn't for me.

    And you know what? I know more people that went to school than I have fingers and toes. But not one, NOT ONE, is now a professional artist. Not one.

    Art schools are a racket that ruin lives.
     
    Last edited: Aug 12, 2015
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  13. LaneFox

    LaneFox

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    The only good thing about art school is an immediate group of peers and that is not worth the price of admission.
     
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  14. SnowInChina

    SnowInChina

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    well, i would not put it as harsh as Not_Sure,
    but from what i have seen, read and experienced, he is right

    art schools won`t make you a good artist
    they will teach you basics
    you still need to put in all the time practicing and you will need to learn all the advanced stuff for yourself
    (yes, there are some schools or courses, that are pretty good, but its a minority and they are pretty expensive)

    from the knowledge perspective its propably easier and faster to learn all this stuff by yourself
    there are a lot of tutorials and explanations on the internet for free
    and there are also sites like http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/ where you can buy online courses from real professionals who currently work in the industry and know their stuff

    the upside of art schools, at least if you do something like a bachelor, would be that you can also work outside of your country more easily
    and there are still jobs which require some sort of diploma, simply because the people hiring don`t know any better
    but for gameart it really comes down to your portfolio in 99% of the cases
     
  15. PolyPixel

    PolyPixel

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    100% agree with this. We have one employee straight out of art school who performed better than a veteran. Don't be afraid of competition out there from people more experienced than you. Most of the time newer artists are more up to date with the latest tools while veterans are stuck in their old ways.

    If you're going to be a game artist, don't even touch Unity until you can make great 3D models in blender/max/maya first.
     
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  16. chingwa

    chingwa

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    This is some golden truth right here.

    I would also recommend not going to art school. It is a waste of time and energy if what you want is to get into the art profession. The truth that no art school will tell you is that NOBODY CARES IF YOU WENT TO ART SCHOOL. Nobody. Your future boss will not care. Your future boss will only care about what you can do.

    Now, what you need is to be able to do better than others. You need to draw better than others. You need to know how to work with color better than others. You need to show in your portfolio that you have enough skills so that they will hire you instead of the hundreds of other people at the door. Some of the people at that door will have gone to art school(even fancy famous ones that cost a lot of money) and they will think they have an edge over you. They don't. The only edge is what's in the portfolio.

    Everything you need you can teach yourself, either through online/book/video resources, or by socializing with other like minded individuals that will push you to excel. But mostly what you need is to push yourself. Practice everyday. Practice when you don't want to. Don't accept the last thing you did, make it better. make it faster. make it, then trash it and make it again. You can always do it better.

    Also, there's always someone out there that can do it better than you. Don't get discouraged. Just get yourself to be better, all the time. Embrace your failures and learn from them. Trash your successes and learn from them. It's a long road, but plenty of people have gotten there and you can too.

    source: Me. I spent nearly 20 years as a graphic artist in NYC. Worked with some amazing artists, some who didn't go to art school. Worked with some total crap artists, most who went to art school. I didn't go to art school.
     
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  17. Not_Sure

    Not_Sure

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    I don't know if it's about being "better" or "worse" than competing artists. What it comes down to, at least for me when I was shopping around, is there are artists that can and there are artists that can not.

    And the artists that can not are over whelming in numbers, making the artists that can hard to find.

    Then once you have a nice selection of artists who can, then it really comes down to whoever is going to be a best fit for the project with their art styles, personalities, availability, and cost.

    But the biggest, most important, number one thing I need to see in an artist before I'd hire them is to see that they have a passion for the project.

    If they don't have that, just forget it. You'll get lazy work sent in late and squeezed for every penny along the way.
     
  18. Not_Sure

    Not_Sure

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    @gdog105 - Sorry, I kind of got WAY off topic there. If you are serious about being an artist you should do the following:

    1) Spend at least 20 hours a week of "delibrate practice".

    Delibrate being the key word here. One big mistake that I made was doodling WAY WAY WAY too much. What doodling does is instill bad habits. In my case, drawing from the wrist and not the arm, and using sketchy lines rather than clean ones.

    Delibrate practice means that you set up a frame work of skills to work on and go through the actions precisely and in full again and again and again to get it in your muscle memory.

    And above all else you need to learn speed and abandon fear of screwing up. Spending hours on one drawing and getting sucked into the time invested, inhibiting your willingness to make changes or do it again? Not good. You need to get to the point where you can draw something fast, then feel nothing if you were to throw it away because you know you can do it again.

    An artist like that is an artist that "can".

    Here's a really good video on how to practice:


    2) Build a freaking resume!

    Always, always, always be doing SOMETHING. Work on your own project. Go do a collaboration. Go to a for-hire site. Make assets! Anything, really!

    Real world experiences are just as important as a portfolio.

    3) Make a proper portfolio site. Dot-com and all.

    Sell assets on it. Sell gear on it. Give examples of costs for hiring out. Provide a portfolio and a resume. Make all points of contant go back to that site.

    4) Get out there! (And by "there" I mean the right places).

    The worst places to social network are art sites like Deviant. They're good for screwing around and wasting time, but suck for building a business presence. People who hire artists don't hang out on Deviant, and usually give up on looking for people to hire after a couple of hours of shoveling through crap (which those sites usually have a lot of).

    Instead go to placed like, well, here and other game dev sites. Or go to sites in other fields that use art.




    Anyway, that's my advice as a failed professional artist.
     
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  19. Polywick-Studio

    Polywick-Studio

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    Or... You can do both - be a technical artist.
    Be a coder and artist together...

    Then you need both an awesome portfolio and degree.
     
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  20. 3agle

    3agle

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    Not sure if there are many jobs that specifically require a 2 in 1 deal :p
     
  21. Kiwasi

    Kiwasi

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    Ever written a shader?
     
  22. 3agle

    3agle

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    I have, and I'm the least artistic person you'll ever meet :D
     
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  23. adur

    adur

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    Hi, I'll throw my perspective into the mix. I guess it never hurts to have as many informed viewpoints, right?
    I'd have to say, depends. It really depends on what type of person you are, I mean, you know yourself best so you probably know what type of learner you are. I know myself, and I knew that I needed someone to light a fire under my ass to do anything. I needed the pressure of assignments, the sense of commitment to a class. Having the commitment of having to go to figure drawing class everyday with a live nude model to practice was great. It definitely is not the same as drawing from a photo on your computer. Plus, if I was on my own, I might have thought, "crap, I don't want to do more gesture drawing today, I'll work on a cool spaceship" It's easy to be tempted to skip on those foundationtional, usually boring things you have to do in order to become a solid artist. Some people are great at motivating themselves, and they can learn well on their own. Some people aren't and really need guidance. It really depends on what type of learner you are, only you know that, so be realistic.

    Another thing I think a lot of people overlook about this is the importance of feedback and mentoring. It's very easy to spin your wheels and not progress as an artist when you're working in a vacuum. You need feedback, you need to be told what you're doing wrong and what you're doing well. And, honestly, sometimes the feedback you get online is not the best. You don't really know who it's coming from and if that person really knows what they're talking about.

    A few more things to consider, one of the great things about going to a school is the contacts you can make. Usually you learn a lot from your peers. They can give you little tidbits on information that you might not catch from a tutorial. How many people on these forums write to ask about something they can't get working from a tutorial, etc... Sometimes it's something obvious but for some reason you've overlooked it. Also, as your classmates move on into the industry they can help you with job leads, etc. (A lot of jobs are never listed anywhere.. they are filled by recommendations)

    You're in a great position, now there are so many resources out there that if you have the drive and discipline, you can learn just about anything. Even if you do go to a school, the people that excel are the ones that go out and seek more information, more resources than what's given to you in class, so you're going to have to seek out those resources anyways.

    So anyways, I wouldn't say that going to a school is a waste of time and energy like some here are saying. There certainly are some schools that are terrible and would be a waste. There are some really good schools as well. So if you are going to go to a school, do your research very carefully. Maybe look up artist you admire and find out where they studied. Nothing is ever a one size fits all solution. Think long and hard about your future and then give it your best. It's really all a mix of talent, hard work, and luck.

    Best of luck to you!
     
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  24. adur

    adur

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    Another quick comment..

    I will agree that no one will care that you went to an art school. In the end, the results are the only thing that matters. You need a killer portfolio. And it's not about being better or worse than anyone. It's being really good at what you do and being at a level that is production ready. Look at the best games around. Can you make art that could fit with what's there? You need to be at that level to be considered.
    You mentioned you don't know if you should go into art or design. That makes me wonder if you already do art. If you don't, then it'll be harder for you. Anyone can learn to draw and do art, but talent does play a role. Either way it entales A LOT of work. Constant practice, every day. You could consider being a technical artist like some people mentioned. That would be people that do rigging, some coding, creating tools for the art team to use, pipeline integration, etc... The thing is, game artist is a pretty general term, but it usually means a person that models, textures and usually rigs. A lot of times they'll do FX, like particle work, etc.

    I've worked at a number of different studios, from huge places like EA and Ubisoft, to small indie studios and startups, and in a small studio you're gonna have to be a bit of a jack of all trades. You'll model, rig, texture, and probably do matte painting as well. At a bigger place it'll be more compartmentalized. Usually animation (what I do) falls outside of this. We're more to the side of things and usually all we do is animate, and occasionally rig. Only at smaller places have i had to model or texture. UI also usually falls under a different umbrella. I've never worked anywhere where a game artist also has to do the UI. Even at small 10 person studios.

    Again, I agree that there are a TON of subpar artists out there. There is a lot of competition, so if you want to be employable, you need to work hard and be able to create stuff that is as good and better than what you see in commercial games. If you're not already artistically inclined, i'm not sure if i'd follow that path. Game Design, on the other hand, is a nebulous career, and you'll need a lot of different skills for that. Definitely coding. I've never met a game designer at a studio who didn't go to a school (university, college...)

    Sorry for the long rant, just throwing my two cents out there.
     
    Last edited: Aug 12, 2015
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  25. zombiegorilla

    zombiegorilla

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    Maybe not 'need', but doesn't hurt. Though I only have half of an art degree, and I'm a TA.
     
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  26. zombiegorilla

    zombiegorilla

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    My team has 3, my previous team we had 5. TAs are in demand, and hard to find.
     
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  27. 3agle

    3agle

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    Might I ask what the job actually involves? And which side is the more prevalent (code/art)?
     
  28. antislash

    antislash

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    my take on that :

    i created a 3D art school, that is still running fine... i left it as it is only a MONEY PUMP to catch money from all those kids that dream to become game designers or game artists.....

    so , as said : DON'T SPEND MONEY ON THAT !
    learn, practice, work aside, there are enough quality free ressources for that.
     
  29. Games-Foundry

    Games-Foundry

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    No, they are separate disciplines. Animators are considered technical artists, with their work involving skinning, rigging and animating. Little to no modelling or texture painting is required, although it helps to have knowledge/experience in them when discussing inputs from artists.

    Likewise, a texture artist is generally a separate discipline. It helps if they can model and layout UVs, but by far the most important skill is their artistic ability.

    The larger the team, the more specialist each role becomes, as adur mentioned above.
     
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  30. ostrich160

    ostrich160

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    Game design schools always sound very dodgy to me. If its at a reputable uni, check what you learn. If you learn game development, coding, art, ect.., go for it. If you learn game design, stay well away.
     
  31. Kellyrayj

    Kellyrayj

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    I gotta make a plug for the university because it did a lot for me.

    I whole heartedly agree that it was useless in terms of teaching me what I needed to know to get an animation job. But I was lucky enough to have mentors that drilled this in to my head. The more work you do, the better you become and the more hirable you become. No one can teach you to be good at creative work. That's on you.

    That being said, college is where I found my life long friends. And rivals for that matter. They are the people that push me to be better. They do something cool, so I need to do something cool to out do them. One of those projects that I did on a whim was the piece that landed me my current job.

    Forced practice. I'm not a self starter. (Not to say you aren't) But if I did this on my own, I would have stopped practicing. But, I invested a couple thousand dollars a semester and that gave me the teeth to keep churning.

    One last consideration. Two job applicants have excellent portfolios. One has a degree and one does not. To the person choosing which resumes to continue on with, a degree shows that you committed x number of years to a goal. It may be the only deciding factor.

    Degrees open doors. But you better work your ass off out of class and in class to make sure you are prepared for when those doors swing open.
     
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  32. Deleted User

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    Exactly, in a lot of companies I've worked or if I look to employ an artist type the tech artist will always get first dibs. They don't necessarily need a degree, actually over here everyone pretty much has a degree and little practical experience. Not always, but in most cases they're not worth the paper they're printed on..

    But anyway, a tech artist is always desired but decent one's are rare.
     
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  33. antislash

    antislash

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    so true (at least in France) unless the school has an immense reputation (very few, very hard to join)
     
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  34. zombiegorilla

    zombiegorilla

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    Indeed. We have been trying to add a few more and finding good ones are tricky. In fairness, we had a hard time coming up with an accurate job description.

    In my experience a good TA usually evolved into that role. Ours all started their careers on one side of the fence or the other and later became one through application/ need. And even then we have specialist roles/areas of expertise. I think it is often hard to define, but when someone is one, it is very obvious.
     
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  35. aer0ace

    aer0ace

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    Haven't read the entire thread, but I'd agree with "Don't go to art school". Sounds like you already have the creative drive to learn and direct yourself towards experimenting with different branches of art, as well as establishing your own artistic style. While art school can help with that, I feel that it'd be more worth more your time and money to go to school for something else.

    I was also heavily an artist leading up to college. Still proud of my 5 in A.P. Art =). My parents wanted me to go into engineering. I rebeled, took some art classes, but eventually made the decision of going the more difficult route of a computer engineering degree.

    I know that'd probably be pretty extreme for the OP, but as for going to school for Game Design, most likely you'll enter the real world looking for QA jobs and Producer jobs before you even touch Designer jobs.
     
  36. PenguinEmporium

    PenguinEmporium

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    Regarding the other question about designer, what type of designer? Game designer may be a bit of a stretch since you'd be better off studying similar fields that apply to game design and could be applied to a resume' when you wish to leave the industry.

    As for me, I've only just left high-school and landed myself into a nice studio bug testing, fixing, and occasionally asked to do other odd jobs. Wasn't because I had a degree, I just took the time to develop my skills. If I have a degree (which I do wish to get for CS, not GD), I'd use it for resume' primarily when I don't have a lot of personal experience with a field.

    (And yes, collab whenever you have the time. Experience is worth so much more than a class that only tells you what to do.)
     
  37. Teila

    Teila

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    I disagree with a lot of folks here....go to college, not art school, but an actual college/university. Get a BA, take classes in things you enjoy or might need, such as digital arts, animation, history (useful for making games, trust me), english so you can communicate, psychology, business, etc.

    Once you have that BA, you will have something that you can use. I have plenty of friends, young and old, with BA's in something, art, illustration, graphics art, digital art, advertising, business...and that degree will open doors for you. Even if you end up in a day job that has nothing to do with your degree, you will be less likely to hit that glass ceiling and it will be a short move to teaching or tutoring others.

    I have a teen daughter who has been drawing all her life...actually two of the, but the other wants to be a biologist. :) Anyway, it scares me a bit to have a kid who wants an art degree, but she is good, very good. She takes private art lessons and will be selling some of her work at an upcoming art show, along with her sister. She is getting her name out there at a young age. So...maybe she could skip college...but no way. Not only will she become a more well rounded person but she will learn things that will enhance her art, allowing her to draw from her new knowledge for subjects as well as research.

    So...I am not so scared for her anymore. :) These guys here have done fine without college, but if you can afford it or get financial aid, do it.
     
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  38. wccrawford

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    She'll be selling her sister!? j/k ;)

    College can definitely help someone round out their skills, but it's got to be up to the individual whether they need that or not. Some people learn better from free-form studies, and others learn better from classes.

    I'm definitely not an advocate of this "everyone should go to college" thing that has happened in the last few decades. It puts a lot of people in debt for no good reason, even if some of them are getting their money's worth. It need to be an individual choice, instead of just the expectation for everyone.
     
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  39. tedthebug

    tedthebug

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    I haven't sat on selection panels for art or games but I have been on technical panels for IT positions. When push came to shove & personality & experience were equal we always took the person with the degree for mid to senior jobs as they were likely to have experience with teams & groups from college/uni. They'd probably be bored at the junior levels & only be looking at the junior positions as a way in so they could move internally as quickly as possible so wouldn't last long enough in those roles to actually do what we needed. So for the junior jobs we took the ones without the degree as they had the drive to get the experience & learn what they could so would be willing to work hard & take the time to learn the companies business as they worked up the ladder & learnt to handle teams.

    That doesn't help with your choice but hopefully it adds a bit of a business perspective to the choice of a degree or no degree.
     
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  40. Teila

    Teila

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    Problem is...15 years later, the ones with the degrees are taking jobs that the ones without degrees want. I was able to get jobs that other's couldn't simply because I had a master's degree. A college degree narrows the competition and puts you an a smaller category.

    I imagine art students are a bit different from IT. If an artist is good, has the skills, and a decent portfolio, the college degree most likely won't keep them out of junior level jobs. That said, there are some very good 2 year programs at the local community colleges here that teach digital art. They are affordable, many covered completely by grants, require little debt, and can be transferred to a more advanced degree. I was talking to a dad last night about his artistically inclined daughter. I recommended he avoid for-profit schools due to the cost and enroll in the local college. They also have a Technology Manager bachelor's degree which might be a good fit after she finishes the art program.

    As the parent of teens, we are looking at different things for our kids. I won't leave out college though...too many experiences. But I do agree...going into debt from these for-profit schools is crazy. Don't do that! Find a state college or community college if you live in the U.S.

    Again...if you can't find a job in your field, that degree will open other doors for you. An artist with a degree might be able to teach, work at in a therapeutic setting, work for a non-art company doing their graphics (my hubby works for a major defense contractor and they have graphic artists on staff), and many other opportunities.

    Not to mention...your salary will probably higher. :)
     
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  41. Gigiwoo

    Gigiwoo

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    @zombiegorilla tells it straight. And, I recommend starting on one path or the other. Yes, Technical Artists are in demand. They also require a STRONG mix of both skills, which requires a lot of experience. Pick one, build a portfolio, work toward excellence.

    Gigi
     
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  42. Not_Sure

    Not_Sure

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    Heh, got to love the forums. The OP looks like he's gone inactive way before this thread did. :p
     
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  43. zombiegorilla

    zombiegorilla

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    Interestingly, a solid path for landing the coolest job in games (TA) is indie development. My Art director isn't a fan the term technical artist, He likes the term Developer. Meaning my folk are the ones who most likely can build a game ourselves. Most of good ones I know come from an indie background. It's also a fantastic place for those with ADHD. );
     
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  44. Ony

    Ony

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    Interesting all this talk about Technical Artists. I started off in the AAA studios, then spent fifteen years running my own game dev company, and now it's time to rock the boat once more.

    For a long time I thought I just didn't like making games anymore (witness several of my posts from a few months back) but then I realized I just needed a change of pace. Fifteen years at the same company can do that, I guess.

    Back when I first started, TA wasn't really even a thing. I'm happy it's become something over the years because It fits me perfectly. I've just recently put together a new resume and I'm going to start actively applying for TA positions this week. Very excited about the future, and really happy to read this thread as it's given me an even bigger boost of confidence. Awesome. :)
     
    Last edited: Aug 21, 2015
  45. Gigiwoo

    Gigiwoo

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    @Ony - When we put out our ad for a TA a few years back, we searched the net to see what others were looking for. And, we found very few other companies were specifically hiring TA's. And, we also got a LOT fewer resumes than we normally get for either artists or devs. It's bad and good.

    TL;DR - as a TA, you'll see fewer job openings. And, at the same time, there is less competition for each of those slots.

    Curtiss
     
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  46. Ony

    Ony

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    Thanks @Gigiwoo, yeah I don't expect to see a whole lot of TA positions open but I'm not in a huge hurry. Just going to start putting the feelers out and go from there. :)
     
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  47. TheAlmightyPixel

    TheAlmightyPixel

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    As someone who's planning on applying for a college that teaches 3D animation and modeling, I'd say art school could be worth it. Not necessarily in the get-a-job-immediately-after-graduating way, but it could be worth it as an experience.

    I actually asked quite a similar question on another forum, and a lot of people told me that going to art school has given them experience of the industry that they most likely wouldn't have gotten, as well as lots of contacts from studios etc., that have helped them build a reputation and get a job.

    Obviously the price of an art school (or any school for that matter) is something that may change lots of people's minds about applying. Luckily I don't have to worry about this, as education in my country is completely free ;)
     
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  48. elmar1028

    elmar1028

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    Add this to your signature
     
  49. Kryger

    Kryger

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    Computer games art, only your past work is of interest. If you are applying for a grants for doing crazy Art stuff installations and galleries, you better have some credentials. But it is probably not enough for a livelihood anyway.
     
  50. TheGraficalOne

    TheGraficalOne

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    Coincidentally I was mulling over art school, or not a few months ago when a woman visiting my parents suggested that I go Fullsail. I ultimately decided to go to my local uni.

    Like the op, I loved art all of my life. When I was 14, I picked up a love for writing and game programming as well. Now I'm just wondering which is more important a BA, or a BS in computer programming.

    I'm asking this as someone who has no group experience whatsoever.
    As a TA who do you work with the most? The programmers, or the Artist?