Advice for the aspiring Character Modeler

[LittleKnownDude]

Hey I've messed around with Blender on and off for about a year but really got discouraged with some really bad or outdated tutorials(some gold mines though). The I found GA. Seeing all this awsome work was really inspiring as well as a little intimidating. I really want to get to where I can at least do some decent work and possibly get a job in a couple of years. Any advice on what I should do? I would like to know some stuff education wise employers would look for and I guess level of talent I should have before applying for a job. Like I said I have a couple of years to go before I can even get a job so... yeah.

Some stuff about me-
- I'm a 16 year old student with good grades. Possibly can get a scholarship after graduating(2 years).
- Pretty much broke. Some money is a problem.
- Pretty much in this on my own and will have no outside support except a good job or a looks good thing.
- Have all the free time in the world.
- Give me a decent tutorial and I can learn from it.
- No sound on computer so no videos as of yet.
- And REALLY eager to learn.


Thanks in Advance,
LKD
(sorry if there are mispellings I can't spell)

[Yozora]

Do a lot of research and you'll find that all of these questions have been answered very thoroughly on these very forums, as well as other game art forums like Polycount.
Once you read all of that and found out the best way to improve is to start making art, go make art.

Keep working at it and you'll improve.


As for education, I believe for a game artist its optional. Employers looking to hire an artist will firstly look at your art, and then experience, and then personality in the interview, and then your education. Maybe not always in that specific order, but education is rarely high on the list.

You're already way ahead of the game for finding this place at 16. When I was 16 I was busy playing games all day, decided that taking a games design course was a good idea since I had no idea what I wanted to do. And 3 years later finally found a career path I'd like to pursue, at the cost of £15k.

If you already know you want to be a game artist then you should save that money, you can make friends/contacts by joining mods/indie game groups or from forums like this. Also from my experience and from reading other peoples experiences, 98% of your classmates wont share the same passion you have anyway, whereas 100% of the forumers in game art forums do.

However you may want to experience university life, and if you do, my advice is dont choose a game-related degree. Go with fine arts.

Hmm I wasnt planning on writing alot, since you'll find the same answers in your research, but oh well, I felt like typing.

[NiGHTS2o06]

Yozora is right. I went to University to study Games Computing however it only taught me the very basics of 3D modelling, texturing, etc. I learned a hell of a lot more in my own free time after university.

I started modelling when I was about 19-20 so I would say 16 is an extremely good age to start. Its all about practice and research (and a degree in fine art will definately help).

P.S - im an aspiring character modeller too. Getting there slowly.

[Ultrabilus]

The Form (http://www.subdivisionmodeling.com/forums/showthread.php?t=482)
The Pole (http://www.subdivisionmodeling.com/forums/showthread.php?t=907)

ok this is maybe a little advanced, but it is my 2 favorites theorical thread :P
a lot of good information inpendant from the sofware

are looking for some particular tutorial ?

[Disco Stu]

Ultrabilus.
that really is some complex stuff.
thank god zbrush was my easy entrance to 3d.
directly starting with this kind of stuff wouldve freaked me out.
its like maths :lol: :lol: :lol:

[LittleKnownDude]

Hey guys thanks for the help. Hey Night what kind of fine art degree should I be looking to get? I love art and can learn to do it but I really haven't been shown the techniques/methods for it. I know alot of it is just talent but what good is talent if someone hands you a set of colored pencils/modeling program and you have no idea how to use it to get the effect wanted? Anyway thanks for all the help. I'll get some basic stuff of mine in here so you guys can give me some advice. Oh and I can get like the basic form of a person down but I really don't know where to start to refine it. And textures and UV's I really don't get as of yet. Any advice there?

Thanks in Advance
LKD

[NiGHTS2o06]

Your best bet would be to take a degree which focuses on the following:

Traditional drawing skills.
Perspective and understanding of shading, the effects of lighting, etc.

Essentially, what you want is a degree which focuses not only on the ability to draw but also the ability to see. This goes a long way as its a transferable skill which relates to modelling (seeing and understanding proportion, perspective, etc).

However, no matter what degree you take, the work you do in your own time (i.e. the amount of self teaching you participate in) is where you will really improve. People can only show you technique but the only person who can truly help you improve is....yourself.

If you do not have access to programs such as 3D Studio Max or Maya then you should look at "Blender" as a starting point for 3D. Its a free 3D program that can help you start to learn the fundamentals of modelling, however I strongly recommend that you use one of the programs used mostly in the industry (the two above) and focus on one of them (only if you have access to them).

From here, just practice, practice practice. When you start look entirely at modelling (dont jump into UVW mapping and texturing straight away). Just get comfortable modelling. Then once you feel you are ready, jump onto UVW mapping and texturing.

Good luck.

[ThatDon]

Don't skimp of tradition skills, they can go a long way and are the fundamental skills that all forms of art adhere by.

[makoa]

everything said here is true. art skills > technical skills.

don't worry about talent. you can be just as good as any other 'talented' artist with practice. what you may perceive as talent is really just an accumulation of experience and understanding. draw a lot, observe a lot, and your skillz will improve accordingly. good luck and welcome!

[Buzzy]

don't worry about talent. you can be just as good as any other 'talented' artist with practice.

I disagree with that statement. You can be really really good with just technique and practice and experience, but talent is what seperates really good artists from exceptional artists. Talent is that innate creativity that cannot be taught. You can teach someone how to use the tools to build a really cool character...but you can't teach them how to come up with the idea for that character in the first place. That comes from within.


what you want is a degree which focuses on the ability to see.
That is some really great advice. If you're a character artist at a game studio, you're not going to really need to ever draw. But, you will most definately need the ability to see forms and shapes and then translate them. And that is what you get from drawing classes. Focus especially on figure drawing classes. Traditional animation classes are suprisingly useful too. They really teach you alot about pose, expression, movement, personality, staging, etc.....plus its nonstop drawing, so it has the same benefits as a drawing class as well.
A photo class or two wouldn't hurt either. You can really learn alot about composition, contrast, colors, framing, lighting, etc.

[makoa]

buzzy - i see what you're saying in regards to talent, but allow me to disagree. the ability to imagine is definitely innate and may not be teachable, but i always feel that anybody can get better at anything with practice. someone can always practice creativity -- to me, it's just a matter of exploration and open-mindedness. the more an artist explores and asks those what-ifs the more likely they are to arrive at an original, cool idea.

i understand that you're differentiating between technical/practical skills and the innate sense of what looks good/what doesn't but i feel that both can be practiced and improved upon. not to say that talent doesn't exist -- some people are simply born with a stronger artistic sense than others. i've just always felt that someone's perceived talent or lack thereof should never hold them back from trying to get better. anything is possible.