Arty Stuff

This week I want to talk more about the art side of things and what kind of experiences I've had the last few weeks.

Working at Atomhawk means that I get to work on alot of different things and alot of different projects. One day I'm designing an awesome boss monster and the next morning I'm coloring in a kitchen, so things tend to change around alot. Which is pretty great most of the time but it's something that took abit of getting used to. Working in a concept art bureau means that you have to work together as a team to meet the deadlines of projects meaning that sometimes you have to work on each others paintings, because someone else might not have the time to do it. So one day you might be like Fuck yeah I get to design a cool monster and then at the end of the day it gets sent off to the client for feedback. But then the next day comes and the feedback hasnt arrived yet, so you get put onto something else that might not be as thrilling but it also needs to be done. And just as your knee deep into the next painting the feedback arrives but your not ready to work on it yet so, someone else carries on with the work...

And other times someone else has done a sketch of something but doesnt have the time to take it to the next phase so you are asked to finish what they were doing. So it turns into a collaboration which is different and can be quite fun, but in the end I still find it abit weird, you cant say "hey, I did that!" bece you only did part of it really.

Thats just something that I hadnt really experienced yet, but because this is a job and we are working as part of a production pipeline we are not painting picatures for ourselves. The things we make dont even belong to us because you are beings paid to make them. Which is quite obvious if you start comparing it to other jobs I guess. But I think its still weird!




Another thing that I had to get my brain around is the different levels of finish of work. Because Atomhawk Design is a concept art bureau and not part of an actual game development company it works with alot of different clients and art directors. Each client is different, and that means that they expect different kinds of work. For example one client could have a very experienced art director that also has his/her fair share of painting experience, so when you design something for them they know what you mean by just a quick sketch or thumbnail. But another client might need a more rendered image to give them more of an idea what the concept would look like in the game because they cant picature it for themselves. And ofcourse thats what concept art is for, its just that when I get asked to come up with a whole lot of designs I dont spend alot of time polishing them to a finished level. But know I know I just need to ask what the client is expecting and work my way towards that.


But the first 2 weeks I thought what they meant by a quick sketch was 10-20 min sketching something and then moving on to the next design because before this I'd always had the idea that concept art was all about being quick and getting as many designs out as possible in the time that the client gives you. And sometimes it is but working with so many clients means that every time its different and that was quite confusing. So I need to make sure its clear to me what the client is expecting. But I'm getting used to it now.

Sometimes when I'm just sketching for myself I'll just spend a short period of time working on it and then move on because I get bored of it. But at work I have the time and even have to put that time into taking the design to the next level for the client. Which is good for me because sometimes you just need that extra push. And having the time to just focus on a few designs and make sure that they are all good n well defined and not pump out loads of designs  that are suggestive and only have a couple that are good is actually quite satisfying. Forces me to think more instead of just trying loads of stuff. But hey sometimes that works to... its just different every time I guess.




Im learning alot from my collegues too, they give great feedback and help me push my stuff to the next level. And sometimes the lessons arent always at work, sometimes they are at 2'oclock in the morning at a local bar hehe. But these guys know their shit and its great to talk about concept art with them.


And to the other guys at school that are also doing your internships at the moment.... comment below and let me know how it is over there and if there are things that you have in common or are totally different. Seeing as you guys dont have to write a blog about all the stuff you do =P .I'd like to get an idea what its like from your point of view over there.



Oh and did I mention how awesome audio books are?! I really enjoy listening to them while I work, once I'm finished designing and just have to render.. my brain goes into auto pilot so I can just listen to books and let my thoughts drift away. I really recommend "The Hunger Games".. busy listening to the whole trilogy.. first one was brawesome (brillant and awesome!!!) One of the guys at work loves combining 2 words into 1...and brawsome seams to be catching on at work hehe