Creative Metaverse Podcast

Anya Jo Elvidge is an Environment Artist at The Creative Assembly, where she worked with the team behind Total War: Warhammer II and Total War: Three Kingdoms. I loved hearing the story of how Anya got to where she is today. One of the biggest catalysts behind Anya's career was her blog, where she posted updates of her work and progress every week. Her regular posts helped her to grow an audience and even landed her some profiles and features on 80 Level. Eventually, one of her followers referred her to The Creative Assembly. :) Self-marketing is SO important. By putting yourself out there, by share your art, your work and your process, you make connections and build bridges that ultimately serve and add value to the artistic community. 

Learn more about Vertex School here: http://www.vertexschool.com

More about Anya Jo Elvidge: https://www.artstation.com/anyatheartist 

Apply to be a Character or Environment Artist in the Game Artist Bootcamp here: http://www.vertexschool.com

Baj Singh is Lead Character Artist at Creative Assembly. I've been a fan of his work for a while. (Believe it or not, he was an environment artist before he became a character artist!) He's a fan of constant growth and continued learning. He reminded us that the best way to grow and improve is to put in the time and to do the work. Listen to feedback from others and apply it to your work, trusting that they mean well. It's exactly the same lesson we teach in our Bootcamps. Keep producing. Keep working. It's the only way to keep learning and to keep growing. Help others do the same. But, as Baj says it's also important to maintain a balance. Take breaks. Refresh. Live life. :) 

Learn more about Vertex School here: http://www.vertexschool.com

Learn more about Baj Singh here: https://www.artstation.com/baj_singh 

Want to be a Character Artist or an Environment Artist in the Game Industry? Apply for your spot in our Game Artist Bootcamp here: http://www.vertexschool.com

It was so awesome to have Johan join us and share his journey from being a character artist to becoming a hair specialist. Before becoming a freelance hair specialist for the game and film industries, Johan worked at Starbreeze Studios in Stockholm on The Walking Dead, focusing primarily on hair production and general character R&D using Unreal Engine. During the conversation, Johan also walked us through some of the more technical elements of hair production. 

Learn more about Vertex School here: http://www.vertexschool.com

Learn more about Johan Lithvall here: https://www.artstation.com/lithvall 

Want to be a Character Artist or an Environment Artist in the Video Game Industry? Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Artist Bootcamp here: http://www.vertexschool.com

It was such a treat to have Phil Liu of Monolith Studios join us for this episode. He walked us through his career path as an Environment Artist and even prepared a presentation for us called 'Big Things Have Small Beginnings.' We talked a lot about the process that Game Artists go through to grow within their companies and their studios. I especially loved hearing about how much support Phil received from his teams that fostered his work as a Creative and his growth as an Artist. 

Learn more about Vertex School here: http://www.vertexschool.com

Learn more about Phil Liu here: https://www.artstation.com/eclypse

 Want to be a Character Artist or an Environment Artist in the Video Game Industry? Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Artist Bootcamp here: http://www.vertexschool.com

From academic probation to the Dean's List, Jon Foster has worked hard to get to where he is now. Jon is an Illustrator. He has received two silver and three gold awards from Spectrum: The Best of Contemporary Fantastic Art. In this conversation, Jon and I talk about everything from struggling with the Impostor Syndrome to confronting Fear to the importance of enjoying the Process to the value of constant Learning and Growth. Jon shares his perspective on the intersection between Creativity, Passion and Practice and how these factors can either help or hinder you as an Artist. He also talks about what Procrastination might really mean. 

Learn more about Vertex School here: http://www.vertexschool.com

Learn more about Jon Foster here: https://www.jonfoster.com 

Want to be a Character Artist or an Environment Artist in the Video Game Industry? Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Artist Bootcamp here: http://www.vertexschool.com

Josh Lynch of Sony Santa Monica joins us in this episode. We talk about work and art and he walks us through his process, emphasizing the importance of letting your art tell a story. Towards the end, he gives some great advice: Be somebody that a team will want to work with. "Curate a good web presence, be a good ambassador and be able to give good critique to your peers. ... Reach out to people. Develop relationships. Be humble and be open to critique. But don't be shy." 

Learn more about Vertex School here: http://www.vertexschool.com

Learn more about Josh Lynch here: https://www.artstation.com/joshlynch 

Want to be a Character Artist or an Environment Artist in the Video Game Industry? Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Artist Bootcamp here: http://www.vertexschool.com

Robert Hodri is a Senior Environment Artist at Id Software. What I found so interesting was his thoughts on modularity and how it can improve the workflow. I also appreciated his insights on the importance of the portfolio when looking to join the industry. 

Learn more about Vertex School here: http://www.vertexschool.com

Learn more about Robert Hodri here: https://www.artstation.com/robhodri 

Want to be a Character Artist or an Environment Artist in the Video Game Industry? Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Artist Bootcamp here: http://www.vertexschool.com

Geoffrey Rosin is a 3D Tech Artist at Allegorithmic who previously produced some amazing environment assets for Dishonored 2. I love Geoffrey's ability to find balance. He knows that every detail matters, but is able to work within time limits and production demands. And he tells stories through his environments by striking the right balance between modeling and texturing his assets. 

Learn more about Vertex School here: http://www.vertexschool.com

Learn more about Geoffrey Rosin here: https://www.artstation.com/kikette 

Learn more about Substance Designer here: www.allegorithmic.com 

Want to be a Texture Artist, Character Artist or an Environment Artist in the Video Game Industry? Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Artist course here: http://www.vertexschool.com

In this episode, we speak to Ubisoft Texture artist Jonathan Benainous. Jonathan's worked on the games Ghost Recon and Horizon Zero Dawn along with others as an Environment Artist. Jonathan is a Substance Designer master with several amazing Gumroads as well as a few very cool tutorials in Allegorithmic's Substance Academy. 

Learn more about Vertex School here: http://www.vertexschool.com 

Learn more about Jonathan Benainous here: https://www.artstation.com/jonathan_benainous 

Learn more about Substance Designer here: https://www.allegorithmic.com/ 

Want to be a Texture Artist, Character Artist or an Environment Artist in the Video Game Industry? Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Artist Bootcamp here: http://www.vertexschool.com