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TIGSource ForumsDeveloperArt (Moderator: JWK5)How good do you have to be to find work?
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meganrose
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« on: January 11, 2018, 01:21:10 PM »

Hi there!

I'm an aspiring concept artist, but I don't have any formal training. I was wondering how skilled do you have to be in order to be hired for work?

At the moment this is my skill level:

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TEETH
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« Reply #1 on: January 11, 2018, 03:18:19 PM »

Depends if you're looking for stable income or just freelance. Freelancing is easier since there's really not much of a contract and it's usually a one time thing per commissioner. I've only done freelancing, but I would imagine stable income would be harder to get without formal training since businesses usually like that, but with a really good portfolio and some contacts it's probably not impossible. Shrug

I would say your art is definitely good enough for some freelancing. It's hard to judge though by just one picture. Take a look in the portfolio section for an idea of what other people are doing and go from there. Making a living as an artist can be difficult and finding an audience for your work has a little bit of a luck aspect to it. Persistence is key! Good luck!
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pyxelbit
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« Reply #2 on: January 11, 2018, 05:01:36 PM »

it also depends on how fast you do something like this. speed is as important as skill for most customers, especially with per hour rates of course
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« Reply #3 on: January 11, 2018, 05:14:42 PM »

Yeah, you can probably get some paid work at this level, though it may take some effort, and the pay will be low. It may help to volunteer/collaborate on some small game projects, so you can build a portfolio of relevant and useful work.
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meganrose
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« Reply #4 on: January 12, 2018, 07:06:07 PM »

Hello, thank you for the replies. I really appreciate it.

I don't mind working for free. I just want to get experience on the field, but I don't have the confidence to start working. Basically, I'm mortified that I'd fail to deliver satisfactory work. I checked out the portfolio section and they are amazing and inspired me to get better.  Smiley

I've added two more images below if it gives everyone a clearer view of my current skill level. I realize that I have issues in color, which I don't see when I'm painting on my PC. I thought that it might be because of my monitor being a bit old.

So, I have another question. Are those $400-500 monitors necessary for me? Or can I just get one of these budget monitors that I found online? I checked these models out and they all have 72% NTSC and I'm not really sure how good that is.  



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TEETH
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« Reply #5 on: January 12, 2018, 07:26:36 PM »

Your colors look really good to me. I don't see a problem. I wouldn't buy an expensive monitor because unless you're making a lot of money from art or else it's a waste.
Also never work for free! Us artists deserve a livable wage for our work. Starting out is scary, but read up on how other artists do it and their experience (like if you were to use paypal).
Your art is really good by the way.
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-Ross
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« Reply #6 on: January 13, 2018, 12:13:59 PM »

Don't work for free . . . UNLESS everyone else on the project is also working for free. There's no harm in equal collaboration on a 'for fun/experience' project, just never donate work to people who plan to sell a product. Steer clear of people who ask for a free test piece or who run art contests to find an artist they like. They just want to rip you off.

No, expensive monitors aren't necessary. It may be possible to calibrate your display through your operating system. It's also a good idea to compare you work next to other people's images to see if yours are way too dark, too light, too desaturated, etc. Zoom out and look at the whole image occasionally. It's easy to get lost in details and not realize that all your values are way too close.

Having paid work to do for someone else is a great motivator to improve your work. Unless you're a complete schmuck, if you have a commission you will see it through to the very end, which is much less likely to happen with personal work. Also you will be forced to get out of your comfort zone and do what someone else wants, not whatever suits your fancy.

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meganrose
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« Reply #7 on: January 13, 2018, 07:34:39 PM »

Thanks for all the valuable advice! I'm gonna try and look for some freelance jobs and see if I can find any. I really appreciate all the feedback. Smiley

Quote
Starting out is scary, but read up on how other artists do it and their experience (like if you were to use paypal).

I will do a bit of research. I already have a Paypal because I worked on other online jobs prior. Now I just need to know where to look for a job and I'll be all set.  Thank you!  Smiley

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It's also a good idea to compare you work next to other people's images to see if yours are way too dark, too light, too desaturated, etc.

Thanks for the tip. I'll try this next time.

Quote
Having paid work to do for someone else is a great motivator to improve your work. Unless you're a complete schmuck, if you have a commission you will see it through to the very end, which is much less likely to happen with personal work.

I have this issue. I've got like 5 to 8 incomplete paintings because I always jump to the next one.
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-Ross
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« Reply #8 on: January 17, 2018, 01:51:39 PM »

Here's some of my advice on how to find art jobs: (sorry if you know some of this already)

Online Job Postings

Most of the sites I used to look for jobs on are gone now, unfortunately, but you could try these:

http://www.conceptart.org/go/artjobs/ - Not terribly active anymore, but still worth checking periodically I think.

https://forum.deviantart.com/jobs/offers/ - Extremely active, mostly anime, and a lot of very low-priced stuff, but there's some serious things there too (with more competition of course). I never used it myself, but it may be a good place to start.

https://www.reddit.com/r/hireanartist/ - I've never used reddit either, but this looks like it could be useful.

You have to be careful (and wade through a lot of poop job listings) working with random online people, but I've found some great recurring clients that way


"Cold-call" Emails

You can also email your portfolio link directly to game companies. Just write a short message saying you're looking for work, a past client list (if any notable), and a link to your portfolio (Artstation or a well-designed personal website). No need to blather on about how much you would love working for them (or vice versa), they know what you're after. Small tabletop game companies are a good place to start, the smaller the better. They hire out tons of art but don't have huge budgets, so the competition isn't too fierce (and some of them actually pay quite well for the time and lesser hassle required). Most companies have contact info for freelance art submissions on their websites. A good way to find companies is to look at artists' websites: often they have a list of people they've worked for. Or you can search around for products and see who makes them: board games, card games, tabletop RPGs, miniatures, etc.


Competition

Expect plenty of competition. Online job postings often get a few hundred responses, especially if they mention any amount of money. Companies also get lots of emails from people just like you. Don't waste your time obsessively checking your email/messages. Tongue Look for jobs, apply to the interesting ones, and forget about it. Most of the time you will not get a response. Don't get discouraged either, just keep improving your art and applying to jobs. You never know what people are really looking for (they probably don't know either).


Contracts & Payment

There's no good reason to work without a contract. If the job is for a company then it's easy: they will send you a contract to sign. If you're working for a random person then it's a good opportunity to have your own simple contract handy. You can grab this pdf pack on Gumroad (it's free), it includes a sort of template contract that you can adapt. I'm sure you can find other templates too. (If you're really interested, PM me and I'll see what contracts I have lying around.) You (and your client) can sign things with Adobe Acrobat Reader. Just click on the "Tools" tab and find "Fill & Sign".
      You can work without a contract, and it may be fine, but let me tell you, it feels bad when someone rips you off and never pays you. Contracts help keep people honest. If a client gives you grief about signing or just avoids talking about a contract, drop them. Just say you don't think it will work out after all and run away. Likewise, if you ask them how they plan to pay you and they don't answer, be very suspicious. Maybe they just forgot that question; ask it again. If they keep being cagey about it, drop them. For payment I've basically always used Paypal, except for a few US clients that will mail me a check.
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Cobralad
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« Reply #9 on: January 18, 2018, 12:50:27 AM »

use Artstation
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Oskuro
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« Reply #10 on: January 18, 2018, 04:14:26 AM »

My 2 cents: It's not about being "good", but about matching the needs of the employer.

So don't get discouraged by rejection, and try to learn what they want. Sometimes you'll be able to match their needs (modify your art style, adapt your monetary expectations), other times you won't, and other times it won't be worth it to adapt (like the aforementioned "working for free" scenarios, or any other exploitative arrangements... Unless you are in danger of starving or something).

Good luck!  Coffee
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Cobralad
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« Reply #11 on: January 18, 2018, 04:26:09 AM »

yeah, pretty much.
But also all the concept art jobs are taken and industry just needs render grunts right now.
Its impossible to be at decision making level unless you are on the ground zero with devs. Which is either starting your own things or getting importannt friends in local area.
As an outsider youre gonna do time-intensive boring polishing stuff.
Also what exactly do you want to do? Illustration, in-game assets or concepts?
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