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I'm an eager Environment Artist, who's continually trying to learn new skills and techniques to improve my artistic and technical abilities. I love creating rich detailed worlds to be immersed in, and always want to create and be a part of something special, never wanting to stagnate; and it’s the opportunity to be able to do that, that makes me passionate about game art.
Specialisms:
Environment Artist
SCREENSHOTS
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CargoTown Shot1.jpg
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GET TO KNOW BEN
What was your inspiration for pursuing a career in Game Art?
Absolutely Minecraft is my biggest inspiration. Creating my own worlds and narratives within them made me realise that it was something I wanted as a career, so I never had to stop.
What hobbies do you have?
When not working on projects or relaxing with games with friends, I like to explore other avenues of creativity such as writing. I’m at my happiest when creating something.
How would your peers describe you in 3 words?
Technical, Precise, Versatile
Do you have any industry experience? If so, please give a concise explanation of the experience.
I have not had any direct experience working within the industry, but I always try to research techniques and practices before starting any project to apply them to my own work and to show to the rest of the team in group projects.
How would you describe your contribution to your group project?
For The Deserter, I was Lead Environment Artist and also in charge of level design for the project. In this role, I had to design the layout of the level to be interesting while still being achievable within the time, including designing sections that could be cut if necessary. For each environment artist, I blocked out their assets myself before passing them on to ensure that everything fit together in the level. I regularly checked up on and gave feedback to those artists, and sought out feedback on my own assets while working like the focal point ship in the sky, before moving onto supporting environment pieces like the spaceport, scaffolding, and external details for the main modular kit.
What lessons did you learn from undertaking your project that you'll take with you into your career?
The value of planning techniques before working was very apparent in this project. An example is sculpted normal decals that I planned at the beginning of the project to make the edges of the modular kit look like they each had been taken into ZBrush. The result worked really well, and allowed the artist who worked on the kit to spend far less time on each piece than would’ve been needed if each was sculpted; which was invaluable as time was limited to create such an ambitious project.
What would your ideal first role in the industry be?
I have been sure in my desire to be an Environment Artist since first picking our specialisms in second year. My ideal role would of course be in that, but also one that allowed for a range of assets to work on, from architectural modelling, to creating tilleables and trim sheets. Also opportunities to venture into more technical work which I’ve found to enjoy such as creating complex materials within Unreal Engine. But most of all I want a role that pushes me to better myself, and to be a part of something special.
What's an achievement from the past 3 years that you're proud of?
I was recently selected as a finalist in the Grads in Games Search for a Star competition in the Environment Art category. Submitting a project that was the culmination of all the skills I’ve learned over the years, and really pushing myself to create something vast and varied. Attending the finals day was especially valuable, having to talk through my work with a panel of industry judges and receiving extensive feedback to improve my work further. It took a considerable amount of commitment, planning, and problem solving to achieve on time for the competition’s submission; but I learned so much from that project and got so much from it.
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