NUA Lecture - Stef Bow, Junior 3D Artist

Stef Bow is a Junior 3D artist that began work recently in the company Sports Interactive, which is most famous for their game Football Manager.

Firstly, she began with her history, and how she got into the industry.

• Stef used to be a teacher, but eventually discovered that it was not for her.
• Having been inspired by the film Finding Nemo, she went back to get a career in games design.

She then went to explain how best to get accepted for work at your company of choice.

• Make sure to tailor the CV to your company.
• Make sure to know and play the games of the company that you apply for.
• Be prepared to go to multiple interviews.
• Expect the company to be very thorough in their interviews, they may ask you anything and everything about your work.

She explained that there are various different roles that a 3D artist can take up, the main three being the Environment Artist, Character Artist and Asset Artist.

She also offered some pointers as someone starting out in the industry:

• As a junior artist, ask how the company will support you.
• Make sure to build up your online portfolio.
• Invest in a domain mane and use your real name.
• It is about the quality of your work, not the quantity.
• Put your site on a business card to hand out during meet-ups.
• Make sure you have the skills needed to be in the industry.
• Technical skills such as:
• 3D Software (3DSMax, Maya)
• Painting/Image software (Photoshop)
• Sculpting (zBrush)
• Game engines (UDK, Unity)
• Communication skills
• Research skills
• Organisation skills.
• Motivation!

Finally, she suggested to take a look at the site GamesJobDirect.

Harvard Reference: Bow, S. (2015) NUA Lecture 15 January 2015