So in the latest issue, Wil Overton gives the folowing advice to artists looking to break into the gaming industry: he basically says that diversity is key, that he sees alot of applications that have "... the spark of talent there, but haven't got the breadth of subject matter.  You need to be able to draw anything you can think of.  People come in thinking they'll be able to draw monsters and space marines, but that's not the case..."

 So my question is: what should my portfolio consist of, in terms of conceptual art?  Should I have pieces depicting lampposts, trash cans, telephones, and other mundane subjects?  How can I prove to them that I can draw anything, while also showing off my imagination and style? 

 Basically, what types of pieces consist a strong portfolio? 

Also, this quote and question are in regards to concept art, but do they also apply to book illustration? 

Hey Pochifux,

 I came across the same issues as Wil, when looking for new concept artist and there work.

What i recomend is take an existing story, Jack and the bean stalk, Little Red, or any other well know ones and re design it. What would it look like in the year 2020?  Is the stalk made of metal, is it a ship? how does jack look? How does the Harp look and what does it do?

This will give u a good starting point and will show how u treat enviroments and character, as well as props, ( does jack have a gun, a sward?) come up with something cool that no one has yet.. ;)

 

Enjoy..

-S
 

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Serg.S
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www.artofserg.com

As far as breadth goes, what thier saying is can you depict either a realistic street scene like in grand theft auto  AND depict a scene from something like final fantasy.  They like to see that you are not limited to just one genere as alot of gaming companies do various types of games.  Take Square-Enix for instance.  While Final Fantasy may be what most people think of with that name it is not the only genre they work in.  They have various titles with different styles from realistic, to fantasy, to manga and a few things in between.

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Art is where the Heart is.
Stroke Attack Survivor (and that the way I talk the way I do.)

Thank you both sooo much for the useful advice! Something else I have been wondering is in regards to the "unfinished" quality that most concept art has: how does one accomplish it without it looking like you're a "half-assed" artist? If I have a portfolio of art that seems more finished, does that make for a bad concept art portfolio? 

I don't know if you're aware;

http://www.imaginefx.com/02287754333138002830/files.zip

This strong portfolio issue pops up from time to time. In issue 26 in reply to Tom Scarlett, Rob quotes this link to a pdf of Phil Straubs portfolio tips printed in issue 11.

 

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The Other Self Righteous Brother

Solid, thank you!

Sorry for the late post but just wanted to thank you for the advice, it's a good link too :)

 

Also, I remember in a previous issue quite recently which I don't think is on the workshops section just yet that has 10 portfolio tips by the amazing guys at ArenaNet. Definitely well worth getting the issue for that ;) Thanks again for the link Conscious Bob there are some great tips there.

Worth digging back in the old threads for, it would appear.

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The Other Self Righteous Brother

awesome just what i was looking for :D

 

Thanks

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http://spacejelly.deviantart.com/

http://rachel-baxter.daportfolio.com/