Category Archives: Posts

Non-specific articles that talk less about software programs, and more about succeeding as an artist.

Want to become a game artist? Specialize!

When I was looking to become a game artist back in the day, things were easy. Not many people knew the software, and even fewer were actually good artists! Breaking into the game industry then meant I was hired as an ‘artist’ – a catch-all position that meant that I would be doing a little of everything.

Nowadays the landscape is  completely different. Competition for game jobs is absolutely cut-throat. On top of that, 3D art is becoming every more complicated! How can a noob possibly make it?  Continue reading Want to become a game artist? Specialize!

Reader request: character artist degrees versus portfolio?

From reader Ashan, a question about character artist degrees and portfolio work:

I was hoping you could  provide some answers for questions I’ve been having – if I wanted to become a character artist, would a degree in digital art/art be more valuable than a solid portfolio?

So: are character artist degrees more important than a portfolio?

Continue reading Reader request: character artist degrees versus portfolio?

Joints or Blendshapes?

Reader Ric Williams emailed me a raft of questions about animation with blendshapes versus joints, mostly for facial animation. I thought I would post my answers here, as others might find them helpful!

Q1: When is it best to use joints or blendshapes?

Historically, it used to be that blendshapes meant pre-rendered, and joints were used for real-time stuff. Continue reading Joints or Blendshapes?