An Introduction.

Hi Folks! 

I’m Emma but my friends call me Emmo. I’m 25 years old, birthstone is Amethyst and I am a born and bred Glaswegian; though I’m often told I don’t sound anything like a “Weeji”.

I recently moved from Scotland to Nottingham to live with boyfriend, which was convenient for attending De Montfort University to study my Game Art Degree. I commute daily by train which takes between 22-46 mins depending on which train I catch.

My reasons for choosing De Montfort to study began by looking at prospectuses where I became enamoured with the course structure and the appealing idea of working/studying abroad on exchange/work experience. At my interview I was further impressed with the work students produced, the numerous skills which the lecturers themselves had, right down to the basic feel of the campus.

What made me choose to study in the field of Game Art? It’s reasonably simple: 1) I can draw and have been doing it all my life and 2) I am a gamer. I started drawing before I could talk and never really stopped. There was a brief period in my life where I was depressed because of my disability, disenchanted with life and uninspired, but I got through it and out the other side and here I am!

Gaming I’ve been doing that for some time as well. My first console was the Sega Master System back when I was 5-6 years old? I was a casual gamer right up until that period in my life I mentioned previously and I got myself a laptop and began PC gaming too.

My aim on this course is to gain vital skills and experience which will prepare me for working in the industry, and developing my artistic skills to a competitively high level in hopes of gaining full-time employment by the end of my degree. I’m still undecided on a career path as yet, though, areas of interest lie in Concept Artist, Character Designer & 3D Modelling. Each of these career paths require different skill-sets and some examples of current vacancies in these areas and the requirements of each position would be;

Gameloft: Concept Artist - http://www.gamesjobsdirect.com/jobs/688753/concept-artist.asp

Main tasks and responsibilities

• Creation of humanoid and non-humanoids characters concepts
• Creation of environment concepts
• Over concept drawing in close collaboration with level designer

Skills and Profile

• Experienced an creative profile
• Excellent skills with Photoshop and/or Painter
• Exceptional understanding of humanoid and non humanoid anatomy
• Keen eye towards form, shape, structure, silhouette, light, value, composition, color, staging
• Ability to carry an idea form the conceptual phase to the finished illustration
• Strong foundation in the traditional arts
• Good interpersonal and communication skills
• Ability to work independently

• Basic writing English an asset
• Understanding of Max modelling and texture tools an asset
• Shipment of AAA game titles as concept artist an asset

Gameloft: 3D Graphic Designer Character – http://www.gamesjobsdirect.com/jobs/688733/3d-graphic-designer-character.asp

Main tasks and responsibilities

• Modelling of humanoid and non-humanoid characters in high and low resolutions 
• Textures creation adapted for both high and low resolution

Skills and Profile

• Excellent understanding of human anatomy and motion
• Excellent understanding of design basics (relief, lighting, composition, perspective, colours, etc.)
• Excellent knowledge of 3DS MAX (experience in Character Studio), Z-Brush, Body Paint 
• Strong knowledge of Photoshop
• Demonstration of creativity
• Adaptability to different games and graphic styles (pixel, cartoon, realistic, illustration, etc.)
• Knowledgeable in contemporary media (Web, games, comics, film, animation, etc.)
• Open-minded and outward-looking
• Organized and efficient

• Degree in 3D, Arts, or equivalent production experience an asset

iD Software: 3D modeller – http://www.gamesjobsdirect.com/jobs/687602/3d-modeler-at-id-software.asp

Responsibilities

Work collaboratively with art director, concept artists and environment artists to create the 3D models, objects, and set pieces that define and populate the game environments
Requirements

• 2+ years of game or film industry experience as 3D artist
• Substantial examples of current and past work demonstrating a strong understanding of shape, perspective, texture, color, and lighting.
• Extensive experience and proficiency with relevant 3D and 2D toolsets.
• Self-motivated, but able to take feedback and criticism and properly reflect comments in work
• Excellent team player with very strong work ethic and a collaborative/cooperative attitude
• Passion for games and gaming
• Good time management skills and efficient development processes, and the ability to apply those principles towards effectively meeting schedules and deadlines
• Excellent oral and written communication skills