My name is Jessica Drabble. Most people call me Jess which is what I'd prefer to be called.
I was born in South Africa and have moved about quite a bit since then. I have lived in England most of my life but have seen a good few years spent in America, South Africa and Ireland. I currently live in Loughborough.
I heard about the Game Art Design course a few years ago when I was 16 and thought it was something I hadn't seen in England before. After completing my HNC (Higher National Certificate) I had the thought for a while to go to university. I looked up Game Art Design again and thought that sounds right up my street. The modules I had done in my HNC seemed similar to what Game Art Design was offering. I left it for a couple of years not really thinking about it again until last year when a friend of mine was coming back from university. This was the best opportunity I was going to get for a very long time and took the chance to apply. I signed up to UCAS and did my best to get accepted.
Now that I'm on the course I'm looking forward to what I'm going to be taught. I really hope that my over all drawing ability will improve and that getting into 3DS max again will help me be more creative in 3D and not just in my art. So I hope at the end of this course that my skills have improved overall and that I become a much more creative mind.
My interests at the moment are building computers or trying to! I also enjoy roaming deviantart for artists that inspire me and I also enjoy watching rugby when it happens to be my home nation playing.
My dream job would be a character artist or environmental artist. I think that's something I would really enjoy, making people or places from my imagination and then bringing them to life or something out of this world! Some examples of jobs in some games companies I'd love to work for:
All of the jobs listed require the applicant to have the essential skills, to be able to produce high quality and unique artwork. You need to understand colour theory, lighting, visualization of a concept, the feeling of art so it ties into a story and meaning. All of the jobs also ask that you seek out feedback from the team you work with, be able to discuss your work with the lead artist, director and producer so you can create what is asked of you and what is needed for the game you are working on.
Essential skills for these job roles are of course the ability to draw to a very high standard and knowledge to be able to produce exceptional art. Most companies ask that you have experience working on a previous game that has been released. A lot of companies ask for +1 years experience in the games industry in a similar role using programs you would need to work with such as photoshop and 3DS max. For 2D and 3D character artist you are required to understand the human anatomy and understand lighting and how it affects the human shape. For environment artists you need to be able to show other team members your ideas through clear communication skills, this includes sketches and colour schemes as well as high detailed art. You also need to show a willingness and eagerness to learn new software and tools to improve yourself. One important skill that is needed is to be able to drive yourself while you’re working, motivation is required to be able to work at your best in the position you apply for.
There is a lot that is asked of you when applying for a dream job like this. I’d say that I’d have the drive and knowledge of programs as well as ambition to learn more so I can improve in my art and 3D ability. I also think I have the ability to ask questions to my superiors and that their feedback is something I can use to improve my art.
My understanding of human anatomy and environment development are ones that I really want to focus on improving. I want to learn a lot more about modeling so I can be proud of the high quality models and assets I create. I also want to learn new programs so I can have a variety of skills in digital media. One important thing that I really hope I can improve on is the acceptance of criticism of my work and the confidence to show my work to a large audience. I think that it’ll help me to be much better at something I’m really passionate about. The hard work and focus required for this course is going to show through in the end and help me tick all those boxes I need to get in to that dream job.
You seem really focused on what you want to do, this research into what the job roles require is great. Its nice for me to see a 1st year blog which shows understanding of the industry and a genuine desire to work there rather than people who meander about aimlessly on this course. With enough work you can make it into any of these roles. Good luck to you!
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