ART & ANIMATION

• Your portfolio is #1

• Create a coherent style and apply to jobs that match it 

• Explain your choices 

Getting a job in the games industry as an artist or animator can be tough; it’s a competitive field. But whether you’re a 2D/3D Artist or Animator - there are some powerful things you can do to help your chances.

I advise you to spend the most time on your portfolio. As long as your CV passes the 2-second scan, a recruiter will go straight there. 

Optimizing your portfolio for job hunting 

Recruiters will view your portfolio in relation to their vacancy. That means they have a checklist of things their ‘ideal candidate’ will have, and they’re trying to see if your portfolio ticks any of those boxes. Usually they will be trying to match:

• Art style (realistic/stylized/mood)

• Content (e.g. realistic weapons, or props for a AAA FPS game)

• Quality (it’s subjective, but they’ll have a standard in mind)

The best thing you can do to get hired is present a coherent & consistent art style and content (type of subjects), and apply to jobs that MATCH YOUR WORK. 

And…

Always explicitly outline what the viewer is looking at. Explain your choices and point out (very specifically) what your contribution was. 

For CVs

Follow my normal rules:

1. Make it easy to read

2. Be explicit 

3. Favour facts of descriptions 

You should be explaining exactly how you contributed to the end product; who you worked with, what the final output was and why you made the choices you did. 

ALWAYS be explicit, telling the reader exactly what you worked on:

Implied - “3D modelling in Maya”
Explicit - “3D modelling: crafted 7 realistic, high-quality, game-ready weapons in Maya”