personal review on the second

the end of the second year done !! i thought this year went very fast an at times very slow and grueling it was allot more eventful than my first year i think the level of work has jumped to a much higher level was surprising how quality of work has changed from the building bins in 4 weeks in the first year to building a full playable level in a group. 

this year brought alot of new challenges like learning how to use game engines and working in a group to build a full level when before i had only worked on assets. but that brought a very steep learning curve and has gave me alot better understanding to the game industry and working techniques to building an actual game when i first joined the course i wanted to be a concept artist because that was the only think i had done 2d art work and i enjoyed it but joining the course has opened up a new world of possibilities and working on a level i thourghley enjoyed making bits and slowing putting them together and keep working on it untill you have something quite cool and enjoyable to walk through and see you creation but i still fancy my self a more visual based person but i think it better to aspire to be a jack of all trades then master of none

this year i think has gone responsible well a couple hicups but there always are especially with my 3d work but this year i had several thinks i wanted to develop in all areas.

the main thing i wanted to get better at this year was character art and get a better understanding of current gen methods to build characters and i think  i manged to accomplish that to a certain degree as always with this course and art in general  you can always excel an nothing is perfect but i have noticed improvements in my design work  i really wanted my speed paints develop allot so i started doing half an hour warm ups because i felt my final paintings were to a good level but i had to put allot of time in that could be better unlisted and speed and efficiency is one of he most important things in the games industry.

i felt visual design as always was my most successful element of the year because its what comes easiest to me but as well as developing more speed at drawing i still need to become faster this year vd has been good but i don't think i have been as imagintive with the projects as could of been i think i need to focus on pushing things as far they can go and still be grounded to realty which is a hard balance.

critical studies i always find difficult but this year being more used to how the course works i think i found it easier to to stay ontop of  and beginning to develop my writing abit more to me rather than just filling in the task from the first thing that comes up on Google.

but overall i have enjoyed my second year and am ready to sleep again after my deadlines are over.
for my final year i aspire to be alot better in all areas and to get alot closer to he idusrty standard then level of work than i am now and to further develop my style of art work  

life changing or career building?

life changing or career building ? i think both are very important to be a good game artist you need have a vast technical skill and knowledge but the main think is to be able to problem solve with something your stuck on to be able to research and figure things out which is the only way you can learn to do is through practice and curiosity but the industry is always changing and evolving that's why you need to be able to adapt what iv witnessed so far is allot of the skills for new software's are interchangeable already before iv not to even manged to concur current gen "360 , ps3 gen" fully before a new generation and big leap in graphics is on the horizon as i start my second year in November they'll be here and the industry will change and evolve even more, but how much will the skills you need change in order to be successful ? im not sure there will be a huge difference especially not in the foundation skill blocks you will still need to be very technical skilled but creative people will be needed you will have to no what looks right and design interesting environments, characters, vehicles, everything. 

for our university work i  think we should strive to be as new as possible as high gen as we are able because its only going forward the main concern i think  is at the moment most character artist build in 3ds max an zbrush a character and then retapoligse where as now after Cameron guest lecture he showed us  for next gen the tri count is hugely different and massively built in 3d software's rather than sculpting software's for accuracy, one of his main points was that if you know how to sculpt and have those foundation skills you will find it ten times easier so in the other respect maybe we should just concentrate on current demand and keep developing things on and on until were ready to move onto next gen.

highly trained graduates , or creative individuals?  they both have huge merits but personally i think a highly trained graduate should have the edge because you know theve worked hard to get there degree depending on the grade. the projects your set on your degree shouldn't  be your portfolio or tasks that you just accomplish they should try be as creative as possible but i think its massively important still be creative and build a portfolio outside of your degree pursuing the area you wont to be in as-well as doing that in your degree so i think they can both be right in there own merits, but getting a degree helps allot to keep you on schedule and consistently working. 

education is needed for this because task's need to be set and marked and criticed by people who know what there talking about as-well as pushing students to work harder but as you get further and further into education it gets more of own back and less imput because you shouldn't need as much help anymore and to be more original as person and skill but i think that makes education fur filling because it allows you to build yourself till you don't need it anymore.