Jobs within games development and freelance work:

There are many different jobs and roles in the games industry. The categories we have looked at over the past year are programming, 3D modelling and 2D art (Digital). I have always had an interest in art as a career option and after all these years it hasn’t changed. To help me have a better understanding of what I would like to do, I have gone out and done research on industry jobs that fit around my subject of interest! As well as this I have gone and looked at freelance options for illustration as that is another option for me. I am still debating between the game art/concept art route or an illustration route for a career so I have gone out and done extra research on that route as well.

Job research:

Specific Game Industry jobs:

Concept artist:

A concept artist is a member of the art and design department. They are responsible for the design process of characters, environments, enemies and assets. Their sketches, designs and turnarounds help 3D modellers and programmers understand the look of the game and designs. The artists need to make sure the designs work and can be understood from all angles in a 3D space.

Skills that are needed to be a concept artist:

A good understanding of art principles, this includes anatomy, colour theory, perspective and composition.
Being able to work in a range of styles that can fit the project and needs of the art director(s).
Being able to produce good quality work on a schedule to prevent delays on the street date.
Keeping up to date with the latest software in industry; Art software and 3D modelling software.
Communication skills, this is essential to work with other artists in the department and art directors.

2D artist:

A 2D artist creates assets for the user interface, gameplay events and illustrations that can be used in-game. You would need to work in arrange of stylized and realistic work to fit the mood of the game; The user interface (or UI) would be designed for the use of the game, this could include text boxes, icons, power up symbols and HUD (Heads up display).

Skills that are needed to be a 2D artist:

Fundamental understanding of colour, graphic design, HUD and UI design, illustration skills.
Able to use various softwares to create, edit and import assets.
Able to produce good quality work and stick to a schedule to reach street date on time.
Good communication skills in order to work with the art director to create the best product possible.

Character artist:

A character artist is someone who takes the designers concepts and put it to work. They work closely with the art director and the lead character artist, the character artist works towards creating character assets for the game and for marketing purposes like posters, covers and possible merchandise. The designs are shown to the design team and are tweaked and create refined art based on the concept artists design sketches. The artist will then create a 3D of the design. This is done to understand the technical restraints of the game (Storage, polys etc) and whether the design can work in the 3D space and with mechanical restraints.

Skills that are needed to be a character artist:

Solid skills in illustration and 3D modelling.
Up to date knowledge on softwares for art and modelling.
Extensive knowledge on anatomy and zoology (to create life like models).
Communication skills to work within the art department.
Being able to produce good quality work on a schedule to prevent delays on the street date.

Art jobs within other industries/freelance work:

Background designer/ Layout artist:

A background designer and layout artist are two different things. A background artist will design scenery and then draw and paint out the final backgrounds for a scene. Of course some studios will hire a separate team of people to paint the final backgrounds used but some will also put this task onto the designers. A background designer must work closely with the art director so they can successfully fulfil their vision on what they want the product to look like.

A layout designer however creates black and white drawings of the scene to work out the perspective, angles, composition and placement of the scene. The layout artists take the initial backgrounds from story boards and fully renders them, adding detail and giving the scene a defined structure.

Skills that are needed to be a background designer/ layout artist:

Fundamental skills in perspective, composition, lighting, colour use and layout.
Communication skills to work with the art director to create the best product possible are essential.
Traditional and digital art skills.
Able to work with a range of mediums and softwares like photoshop, pens, krita, clip studio etc.

Freelance options:

While freelance work can offer certain elements of freedom there are several elements about the path that do concern me in a certain way. Things like not having a guaranteed amount of income are one of things that concern me, I have decided to look at freelance options anyway as I could warm up to idea of freelance work.

Freelance illustrator:

A freelance illustrator is someone that produces illustrations and promotional material for companies to use for their products and marketing. The companies can often times get in contact with the artist if they find them online or the artist can apply for a job if they are advertising a job. As well as this an illustrator can sell their own work as prints, keyrings, badges, bags and any other product they can think of. This can be done on an online store or it can be done at art and craft fairs and conventions. Many printing companies offer services like print making, acrylic and wooden charms and badges.

Skills needed to be an illustrator:

While qualifications aren’t always needed in freelance work, your artwork needs to be appealing to potential clients to sell it, both with your style and skill. While you can never appeal to everyone, try to cater to some kind of audience with your style, but also be adaptable to different styles. Have skill with what you are creating or you won’t be able to sell it.
Even if you are doing traditional art, do have some understanding of digital art. From what I can tell there is a larger interest in digital art. I used to only do traditional art for commissions and personal work but since uploading digital art work online I have actually gained a lot more traffic. While traditional art shouldn’t be killed off, digital art can be used to enhance traditional art, and just knowing how to do digital art can be very helpful.
If you want to be able to get yourself out there, you need to understand how social media platforms work, how to network and how to promote your art. I’ve been uploading my art online for over three years now so it has taught me a lot on how to put myself out there online. I’ve learnt to be active and to comment on other peoples work and submit to groups rather than have my account sit in a corner. It also helps to have multiple social media accounts on different platforms. Instagram, DeviantArt, Amino hubs, Etsy, TicTail, StorEnvy and ArtStation are all very popular sites that artists use to promote work (I use a few of these).

Understanding job roles using adverts:

My next task is to collect screenshots of two different job adverts that relate to my desired career path, I chose a job advert involving game art and an illustration job advert to cover both areas for myself.

What is the role of the game art job:

This first advert is for a 2D games artist job, for the job you will need to design and create assets and marketing material for web games and mobile games. This includes the brainstorming process ad well as creating the final pieces that will be used in the finished products.

The skills needed for this job are:

Able to get concepts and ideas from your head onto paper in a structured manner. Even complex ideas.
Good communication skills to work with other artists and the directors.
Skilled with art, digital especially.
Can stick to schedules and can make deadlines; Must be able to produce high quality work in the time frame.

The qualifications and knowledge needed for this job is:

A bachelor degree in a related field.
At least one year of experience with similar tasks.
A strong portfolio featuring sketches, life drawing, environment work and animation.
Able to adapt to different art styles in your work to fit the needs of the project.
Knowledge of photoshop

What is the role of this illustration job:

To create product designs based on a brief given.
To sketch out initial concepts of packaging designs as well as create finalized digital versions.
Mentor junior illustrators while they are working on their projects.
Be able to multi task on your projects.