Friday, 9 August 2013
Tuesday, 6 August 2013
25 design agencies to follow on Twitter | Agencies | Creative Bloq
25 design agencies to follow on Twitter | Agencies | Creative Bloq; includes The Partners, whose own Robert Ball, gave a talk at Glyndwr Creative Futures Week!
Their Blog: The Crossed Cow
Their Blog: The Crossed Cow
Monday, 5 August 2013
Photographer Paul Nicklen Biography: Polar Bears Swim
Underwater swimming polar bears; movement, textures & colours!
Friday, 2 August 2013
Thursday, 1 August 2013
The Rise of ‘Art House’ Gaming
I was sent a link to this article by a friend, but was unable to access it, & so I asked for it to be copied & pasted into an e-mail for me; see article below.
I have a vast range of game ideas, & some of these rely in beautiful images/imagery; an integral part of the appeal to the game, & are not mainstream 'action' or 'platform'. I do take into consideration the emotive appeal, style & narrative, psychological reaction & attraction, of my games, & what the branding will evoke. However, I am not sure 'ArtHouse' games is really the tag I would want to attach/categorise some of my games in; they are not deep or abstract, but have beauty in design to view. (Well maybe 1 does have a leaning more toward the abstract; Vice Versa, but nothing too 'high-brow/art-scene', that's not my intended 'niche' market.) As Sunni Pavlovic, studio manager for thatgamecompany (developers of Journey) said, "The problem here is that the term ‘art house’ is not without emotional baggage. "[art house] implies a kind of sophistication and elitism that may feel irrelevant to the mass audience,...turns off potential audiences who feel a product is ‘not for them’ or comes with some kind of cultural barrier of entry to be sufficiently entertaining or meaningful." My thoughts too, but could not have phrased it more eloquently, but the author says "...borrowing the language of other art forms may be the best way to describe what we’re playing." but I can only tend to disagree, as these terms are already 'niched' & await what terminology will arise to successfully describe this newer style of game. I have also been reading on the 'Narrative' of games, as I enjoy messing with words & writing, hence I found a lot of this article extremely apt to my studies, & in the way I am hoping to develop my new career path.
The rise of ‘art house’ gaming
I have a vast range of game ideas, & some of these rely in beautiful images/imagery; an integral part of the appeal to the game, & are not mainstream 'action' or 'platform'. I do take into consideration the emotive appeal, style & narrative, psychological reaction & attraction, of my games, & what the branding will evoke. However, I am not sure 'ArtHouse' games is really the tag I would want to attach/categorise some of my games in; they are not deep or abstract, but have beauty in design to view. (Well maybe 1 does have a leaning more toward the abstract; Vice Versa, but nothing too 'high-brow/art-scene', that's not my intended 'niche' market.) As Sunni Pavlovic, studio manager for thatgamecompany (developers of Journey) said, "The problem here is that the term ‘art house’ is not without emotional baggage. "[art house] implies a kind of sophistication and elitism that may feel irrelevant to the mass audience,...turns off potential audiences who feel a product is ‘not for them’ or comes with some kind of cultural barrier of entry to be sufficiently entertaining or meaningful." My thoughts too, but could not have phrased it more eloquently, but the author says "...borrowing the language of other art forms may be the best way to describe what we’re playing." but I can only tend to disagree, as these terms are already 'niched' & await what terminology will arise to successfully describe this newer style of game. I have also been reading on the 'Narrative' of games, as I enjoy messing with words & writing, hence I found a lot of this article extremely apt to my studies, & in the way I am hoping to develop my new career path.
The rise of ‘art house’ gaming
By Philippa Warr
22 July 2013
Video games are still carving their identity in the worlds of entertainment and culture, and media coverage often looks to other industries for points of reference. Cinema is one of the most frequently used, with ‘blockbuster’, a term borrowed from Hollywood, acting as shorthand for commercially successful mega-budget franchises like Grand Theft Auto. But those characterisations are often too broad and a wealth of games are left unaccounted for. Is art house cinema a useful reference point for these harder-to-pin-down games?
The games in question are generally those that challenge traditional ideas of what a video game should be. They are more concerned with atmosphere and mood than with tasks, thrills and action. Two of the best known in recent years – Dear Esther and Journey – involve crossing landscapes, perhaps real or maybe psychological. Bientôt L'été features a virtual beach where the waves bring thoughts pulled from novels by Marguerite Duras. Kentucky Route Zero is point-and-click game with an atmosphere of magic realism and a focus on dialogue.
Their unifying characteristic is what they aren’t rather than what they are: none of them fits the traditional video game mould . And it is in describing them to a non-gaming audience, that the art house comparison can be useful. Art house is itself a difficult genre to pin down, most people know an art house film when they see one. Broadly speaking, it favours artistic or experimental vision rather than packing audiences into a multiplex.
Graham Smith, editor of PC Gamer, says one of the benefits of the comparison is that it allows us to see how more experimental gaming sits in relation to famous franchises like Call of Duty. "I think there's certainly a growing art game scene, and how that relates to mainstream games is similar to the way art house cinema often reflects and responds to mainstream cinema."
Smith also sees similarities between our growing access to the tools of game production and those used in making movies. "I think there are parallels between the rise of tools like Unity and GameMaker, and the way that cheap and accessible cameras and editing software led to a boom in indie filmmaking in the early ‘90s." When games become cheaper and easier to make, it's not just big studios who get to release them.
Telling stories
Jessica Curry, a composer and co-director of game studio The Chinese Room (the developers behind Dear Esther), trained at the UK's National Film and Television School and offers a different perspective. "I can think of a lot of games that I would consider to be art but very few that would measure up to the art house film comparison. I think that we're still in the very early stages of exploring narrative and character in the games industry and I think that this is one of the real strengths of art house cinema.
"This to me is where games are still lacking - that in-depth dissection of story and protagonists. I still haven't had an experience in gaming that has touched me as profoundly as many of the films I have watched in my life and that is a problem for me."
New York’s MoMA recently added a selection of games to its collection - titles like Dwarf Fortress, Tetris, SimCity 2000 and flOw. Speaking with Paola Antonelli, curator of the museum's department of architecture and design, the move wasn't a comment on whether video games constitute art but an effort to collect exemplary forms of interaction design. "I don't believe that art is something design aspires to," she says.
"We try not to engage in debates as to whether games are art because it tends to be too abstract to be meaningful," adds Sunni Pavlovic, studio manager for thatgamecompany (developers of Journey). "Games are entertainment, and entertainment is a form of art. As the developers we find it nearly impossible to apply the commonly applied genre tags to Flower and Journey because we intentionally set out to create an innovative experience that hasn’t previously existed in games."
Even with Curry's film studies background she admits the comparison can be problematic. The Chinese Room's creative director is Dan Pinchbeck, Curry's husband. She tells the story that when they met her favourite movie was The Double Life of Véronique and Dan's was Waterworld. "When people say to Dan that Dear Esther is the first truly art house game he always splutters and looks absolutely murderous. I, on the other hand, take it as a huge compliment."
The problem here is that the term ‘art house’ is not without emotional baggage. "[art house] implies a kind of sophistication and elitism that may feel irrelevant to the mass audience," says Pavlovic. "That turns off potential audiences who feel a product is ‘not for them’ or comes with some kind of cultural barrier of entry to be sufficiently entertaining or meaningful."
Smith highlights art house's shortcomings as a label by bringing up another broad genre term – 'indie' or 'independent' gaming. "It has the same counter-to-mainstream implication of being progressive, driven by artistic freedom, but people think of bands they like instead of slow black-and-white movies about people silently crying in the ruins of Russian-occupied post-war Berlin. It means you alienate fewer people, and sometimes that leads to people trying things they would have otherwise assumed they wouldn't like, and it definitely leads to a more sustainable market for left-of-centre experiences."
Layers of meaning
Comparing gaming to art house cinema, as with comparisons between gaming and any other cultural genre, is most useful when trying to explain a relatively young medium to those who don't habitually play. Comparing games to movies makes them intelligible in an immediate way. And comparing them to an intelligent or experimental sub-genre within movies adds another layer. They're not just dumb collections of pixels – there are messages, experiences and subtlety to be found.
The problem of metaphor and description is one Antonelli encountered in the museum setting, albeit from a design point of view. "Often I had to look for examples in the design collection. Pre-existing examples that would help me explain what I meant. [A game is] spatial so it has some architecture in it, it's about time so it has some cinematography in it. But, first and foremost, it's about behaviours and experience."
Likening games to art house cinema is another way of opening them up to a wider audience. It's useful to a point, but sometimes risks obscuring the subject it is intended to clarify. By considering games in the same way as movies we can lose sight of key aspects like interactivity. There are comparisons which are more helpful when considering video games’ cultural value.
"Movies established their cultural worth, and their merit as a form of entertainment and art for adults very early on," says Smith. "Comic books and games both started as juvenile junk food; they both scared parents and governments into thinking the medium would rot the brains of children; and both have struggled to shake off that image even as they've diversified."
Eventually we will reach a point where gaming can be understood using its own language. There will always be specialist terms, but as the medium matures it will become embedded in our cultural landscape. One of the side effects will be that terminology and basic concepts will filter into the collective consciousness – ones encompassing the art house bracket as well as the mega-budget shoot-em-ups. Until then, borrowing the language of other art forms may be the best way to describe what we’re playing.
22 July 2013
Video games are still carving their identity in the worlds of entertainment and culture, and media coverage often looks to other industries for points of reference. Cinema is one of the most frequently used, with ‘blockbuster’, a term borrowed from Hollywood, acting as shorthand for commercially successful mega-budget franchises like Grand Theft Auto. But those characterisations are often too broad and a wealth of games are left unaccounted for. Is art house cinema a useful reference point for these harder-to-pin-down games?
The games in question are generally those that challenge traditional ideas of what a video game should be. They are more concerned with atmosphere and mood than with tasks, thrills and action. Two of the best known in recent years – Dear Esther and Journey – involve crossing landscapes, perhaps real or maybe psychological. Bientôt L'été features a virtual beach where the waves bring thoughts pulled from novels by Marguerite Duras. Kentucky Route Zero is point-and-click game with an atmosphere of magic realism and a focus on dialogue.
Their unifying characteristic is what they aren’t rather than what they are: none of them fits the traditional video game mould . And it is in describing them to a non-gaming audience, that the art house comparison can be useful. Art house is itself a difficult genre to pin down, most people know an art house film when they see one. Broadly speaking, it favours artistic or experimental vision rather than packing audiences into a multiplex.
Graham Smith, editor of PC Gamer, says one of the benefits of the comparison is that it allows us to see how more experimental gaming sits in relation to famous franchises like Call of Duty. "I think there's certainly a growing art game scene, and how that relates to mainstream games is similar to the way art house cinema often reflects and responds to mainstream cinema."
Smith also sees similarities between our growing access to the tools of game production and those used in making movies. "I think there are parallels between the rise of tools like Unity and GameMaker, and the way that cheap and accessible cameras and editing software led to a boom in indie filmmaking in the early ‘90s." When games become cheaper and easier to make, it's not just big studios who get to release them.
Telling stories
Jessica Curry, a composer and co-director of game studio The Chinese Room (the developers behind Dear Esther), trained at the UK's National Film and Television School and offers a different perspective. "I can think of a lot of games that I would consider to be art but very few that would measure up to the art house film comparison. I think that we're still in the very early stages of exploring narrative and character in the games industry and I think that this is one of the real strengths of art house cinema.
"This to me is where games are still lacking - that in-depth dissection of story and protagonists. I still haven't had an experience in gaming that has touched me as profoundly as many of the films I have watched in my life and that is a problem for me."
New York’s MoMA recently added a selection of games to its collection - titles like Dwarf Fortress, Tetris, SimCity 2000 and flOw. Speaking with Paola Antonelli, curator of the museum's department of architecture and design, the move wasn't a comment on whether video games constitute art but an effort to collect exemplary forms of interaction design. "I don't believe that art is something design aspires to," she says.
"We try not to engage in debates as to whether games are art because it tends to be too abstract to be meaningful," adds Sunni Pavlovic, studio manager for thatgamecompany (developers of Journey). "Games are entertainment, and entertainment is a form of art. As the developers we find it nearly impossible to apply the commonly applied genre tags to Flower and Journey because we intentionally set out to create an innovative experience that hasn’t previously existed in games."
Even with Curry's film studies background she admits the comparison can be problematic. The Chinese Room's creative director is Dan Pinchbeck, Curry's husband. She tells the story that when they met her favourite movie was The Double Life of Véronique and Dan's was Waterworld. "When people say to Dan that Dear Esther is the first truly art house game he always splutters and looks absolutely murderous. I, on the other hand, take it as a huge compliment."
The problem here is that the term ‘art house’ is not without emotional baggage. "[art house] implies a kind of sophistication and elitism that may feel irrelevant to the mass audience," says Pavlovic. "That turns off potential audiences who feel a product is ‘not for them’ or comes with some kind of cultural barrier of entry to be sufficiently entertaining or meaningful."
Smith highlights art house's shortcomings as a label by bringing up another broad genre term – 'indie' or 'independent' gaming. "It has the same counter-to-mainstream implication of being progressive, driven by artistic freedom, but people think of bands they like instead of slow black-and-white movies about people silently crying in the ruins of Russian-occupied post-war Berlin. It means you alienate fewer people, and sometimes that leads to people trying things they would have otherwise assumed they wouldn't like, and it definitely leads to a more sustainable market for left-of-centre experiences."
Layers of meaning
Comparing gaming to art house cinema, as with comparisons between gaming and any other cultural genre, is most useful when trying to explain a relatively young medium to those who don't habitually play. Comparing games to movies makes them intelligible in an immediate way. And comparing them to an intelligent or experimental sub-genre within movies adds another layer. They're not just dumb collections of pixels – there are messages, experiences and subtlety to be found.
The problem of metaphor and description is one Antonelli encountered in the museum setting, albeit from a design point of view. "Often I had to look for examples in the design collection. Pre-existing examples that would help me explain what I meant. [A game is] spatial so it has some architecture in it, it's about time so it has some cinematography in it. But, first and foremost, it's about behaviours and experience."
Likening games to art house cinema is another way of opening them up to a wider audience. It's useful to a point, but sometimes risks obscuring the subject it is intended to clarify. By considering games in the same way as movies we can lose sight of key aspects like interactivity. There are comparisons which are more helpful when considering video games’ cultural value.
"Movies established their cultural worth, and their merit as a form of entertainment and art for adults very early on," says Smith. "Comic books and games both started as juvenile junk food; they both scared parents and governments into thinking the medium would rot the brains of children; and both have struggled to shake off that image even as they've diversified."
Eventually we will reach a point where gaming can be understood using its own language. There will always be specialist terms, but as the medium matures it will become embedded in our cultural landscape. One of the side effects will be that terminology and basic concepts will filter into the collective consciousness – ones encompassing the art house bracket as well as the mega-budget shoot-em-ups. Until then, borrowing the language of other art forms may be the best way to describe what we’re playing.
Wednesday, 31 July 2013
Images So Good You'll Think They're Photos
Breaking Bad Images So Good You'll Think They're Photos
These art pieces are, in some forms, what level, & more, I am aspiring to achieve. They really offer an image of where, & what, I am hoping to offer, or at least a percentage of my new skills.
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| Riccardo Minervino is an Italian CG artist who works for Capcom This is NOT a photograph! Although exceptional, aesthetically it is not to my choice of image, however the moustache is a blurred, not quite a s clear as I would want it; gives the game away. |
Photography Tips
The Photography Tips that 96 Photographers Wish They Would Have Learned Sooner
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| Photographer learning the craft as he shoots a sunrise via Jim Harmer: improvephotography.com "Two weeks ago (I know, I’m slow…) on the Improve Photography Facebook fan page, I asked our community what photography tips they wish they would have learned sooner. I was looking for lessons that many photographers procrastinate learning and it ends up keeping them back from progressing as photographers." |
I am inquisitive & constantly yearning to better oneself, but with an insatiable appetite to learn & develop have luckily realised that I do have to be awake to the fact that I can tend to overload my brain with 'stuff'; things that I want to know or know more about. Thus, there are some things I would love to learn how to do, or just to be able to do much better; from digital design, to shooting guns & cameras. Fortunately, over time, I learnt to postpone some things for other days; improving my photography skills was 1 of these!
I have constantly taken photographs, the latter few years with only a mobile phone, but now, thanks to a special present from someone who loves my images, I am learning a new camera. Hence this article has grabbed my attention; found via Pinterest!
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| Taken with a mobile phone |
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| Taken with my Samsung WB250F |
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| 1st image shot with my Samsung WB250F |
Tuesday, 30 July 2013
Zynga Poker
Playing Facebook Games
This article reminded me to add my notes on my online playing of games: Two more games execs quit Zynga | GamesIndustry International
I play Zynga Poker & have reviewed the methods & attractions of playing Poker online; holding 2 accounts has helped me review the game by trying various options/actions to see how the rules work, & playing at the same table on different browsers. I was surprised that there were differences in the layout/UI; ie notification that a friend is online/playing was in a totally different area of the page in Chrome than in Firefox. I also noted the emotional/psychological effect, ie desire to win more when you have won, obtain 'gifts' from other players, find items to win 'collections' & 'awards' etc, & the feeling when you have won $$$$millions & then lost it all; virtual dollars of course! This however, is, I am sure, how players start to actually 'buy' chips & gifts with real money, & some will become hooked, racking up huge debts I am sure, unless they have limits built in to curtail this; Zynga are a profit-making company after all. I have also tried a selection of other Facebook online games but the loyalty & desire to play was not generated; some due to the tasks/play being too easy & non-mind using, others as they seemed too slow/cumbersome & inability to move on with the game at a quicker pace; ie Fishing, Vegas Slots, & the addictive Candy Crush & not as (for me anyway) 'Ville ranges. However, other Facebook games do use the brain, & can be played with your friends, such as Criminal Case where a crime scene needs investigated & has various options of play, & wordy games like Words With Friends & Scrabble. Zynga & Facebook have too many to choose from, but days & weeks could be whiled away playing these simple entertainment games online, filling in time or procrastinating & imbuing a desire to be rewarded!Monday, 29 July 2013
Creative Conscience Awards:UK | Kirsten Hall
Creative Conscience Awards:UK | Kirsten Hall - Glyndwr student wins Silver!
Thursday, 25 July 2013
David Kingham Photography | All of my images are now free.
David Kingham Photography | All of my images are now free: although not to be used for commercial purposes, & donations are welcomed, this is a bold move from a photographer, but a few of his images are very inspiring; whether simply the subject, or the shades & tones.
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| Great Sand Dunes No.24 |
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| Immense Storm |
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| Wizard's Hat |
Wednesday, 24 July 2013
Monday, 15 July 2013
Lighthouses for Logo
An idea to add the silhouette of a lighthouse developed when I was messing about with the name & logo, as this may form a pivotal location/role within the game. The lighthouse is a masculine & strong image, & is linked to the ocean & it appeared in one of my doodles. However, initially I am looking for images to help me create a silhouette only, to form part of the logo; the game will have 'lighthouses' that the player has to find, & use as a tool to attract their catch by decorating & filling with 'gadgets', ie boys-toys rooms, as their 'catch' will be housed here! They can add items by collecting/finding/winning/buying items.
I have some images of lighthouses but as these are taken with my mobile phone, & mainly distant shots & thus not that sharp.
For images for inspiration, & also to view first-hand, I need to take some trips to view some lighthouses to take photographs with my camera. I can also use for textures.
I have some images of lighthouses but as these are taken with my mobile phone, & mainly distant shots & thus not that sharp.
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| My image taken with a Nokia mobile phone; settings for sepia |
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| My own image taken with a Nokia mobile camera; it appeared like a comet from outer space had landed on the shore, the lighthouse in the background, although far off in the distant horizon, offered a sense of scale. |
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| My own image taken with a Nokia mobile phone. The lone wandering man on the deserted beach shore, dwarfed by the strength of the proud standing-tall lighthouse, all marries under a dreary blowing sky, set in 'sepia'. |
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| A favourite of mine, taken with a Nokia mobile phone, & un-edited as yet. |
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| Frocked de la Vallière Ste's Lighthouse; my image taken with HTC mobile phone
This may not be a real lighthouse, but gives the outline shape with some detail too.
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Saturday, 6 July 2013
Wacom Tablet
Tablet - new Cintiq; digitally draw straight onto the screen!
Although I really struggle with such a small tablet & laptop screen, & have been researching into what else is available, with the price tags of these, I can deduce that I will struggle on for a while...unless I can make time to submit an entry to this competition:
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| Wacom new tablet |
Although I really struggle with such a small tablet & laptop screen, & have been researching into what else is available, with the price tags of these, I can deduce that I will struggle on for a while...unless I can make time to submit an entry to this competition:
Are you a creative pioneer with a unique style and vision?
Then participate in our “Pioneers of Now” talent audition on behance.net.
Create your personal “Pioneer of Now” visual from your portrait or submit any past project from your portfolio : you can use a photo, a silhouette, an illustration, a 3D mould – whatever you like. Then you need to evolve your self-portrait with your personal style. If you’re an illustrator, why not illustrate your feelings on top of your portrait? If you’re an expert in photo editing, then you could enhance your portrait with a photo collage. Or if you produce 3D work, show us what 3D can do. Feel free to unleash your creativity with (almost) no limits – but please make sure that the notion of a self-portrait remains visible in your work. If you need inspiration, just have a look at our “Pioneers of Now” illustrations and creation.
PRIZES
- 1stCintiq 24HD
- 2ndCintiq 22HD
- 3rdCintiq 13HD
Competition runs from 24th June to 31st July 2013
Wednesday, 3 July 2013
Denhall Fisheries
To help me create the mermaid tail, to be used for my characters & the logo, I visited a friend's carp fishery & lovely new cafe: Denhall Fisheries. The weather was dull, & I am still learning how to use my camera, & also should have taken my mini-tripod, but I got some pics & had a tour - what a beautiful & interesting place! The photo's will be edited in Photoshop, & used for my Mermaid Game; my own shots!
Unedited pics:
Unedited pics:
Blog with Textile Design
I found a very useful website by Kevin R Sheffield; a man who has worked within fashion design & technical design in the USA & is now sharing his knowledge. I first saw his page on tools in Illustrator for fashion design, & have found more advice on creating textiles Textile Design | apparelpixel.com, which may prove a help in my textures, & also apparel design for my characters, but I am sure I can learn other techniques to improve my skill level for other design & also stretch or ignite my creativity.
Tuesday, 2 July 2013
Textures & Maya
I had a tutorial at University, & one of the things we covered was the role of Texture Artist as a potential career option for me.
I had a lesson in Maya, & we created a rust texture from an image from a boat I had taken at sea. I took notes, & learnt a lot of new techniques on Maya, & reminded myself on others I have already covered, but with not using the software, have easily forgotten.
I had a lesson in Maya, & we created a rust texture from an image from a boat I had taken at sea. I took notes, & learnt a lot of new techniques on Maya, & reminded myself on others I have already covered, but with not using the software, have easily forgotten.
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| My image of metal from a trip to sea on a fishing vessel! |
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The image was edited in Photoshop:
This image was a tutorial/test image, thus, not as perfectly clean as could be due to time constraints. |
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| The image then edited in Maya & wrapped to a circle, with coloured highlights. |
Using new camera today...
I had a trip to a carp fishing lake today, & practiced with new camera. I didn't have a tripod, which could have ensured a cleaner shot, & it was dull but the zoom managed to get some colour-highlighted shots from quite a way away!
Illustrator Tools overview for Designers | apparelpixel.com
Illustrator Tools overview for Designers | apparelpixel.com A handy tool of images of tools! Although, I have spotted a spelling error....
How can postgraduate study boost your career? | Guardian Careers | guardian.co.uk
How can postgraduate study boost your career? | Guardian Careers | guardian.co.uk An article very apt at present; although I am concentrating on finalising my BA, I have the option of applying to do a Masters in the background of my mind. This has been something I have pondered, & taken some action on, over a number of years; I actually started a Fashion Design Enterprise MA in London in 2008, but opportunities arose for my business that I had put on hold - an extremely difficult decision to make at the time, but after careful analysis & planning I opted for my business. Since then I have looked at various Masters, including Glyndwr for this & the previous academic year.
After attending Creative Futures Week at Glyndwr, & being present at the Post Graduate session with Steve Keegan, I made contact & an appointment. Unfortunately due to family commitments, I had to cancel my meeting but have since swapped emails with Steve & once I finish my BA work, can then concentrate on the option of doing a Masters.
This is a major decision, especially the financial aspect, but my research; reading articles, emailing my contacts who work in the gaming industry, who recommend that an MA can make you stand out from the crowd, in addition to friends who have a Masters in Business or Marketing & Management who said it hasn't benefited them as yet.
This article highlighted that a Masters can make you stand out from the crowd, but also that having a job & a company to sponsor you is highly beneficial....
After attending Creative Futures Week at Glyndwr, & being present at the Post Graduate session with Steve Keegan, I made contact & an appointment. Unfortunately due to family commitments, I had to cancel my meeting but have since swapped emails with Steve & once I finish my BA work, can then concentrate on the option of doing a Masters.
This is a major decision, especially the financial aspect, but my research; reading articles, emailing my contacts who work in the gaming industry, who recommend that an MA can make you stand out from the crowd, in addition to friends who have a Masters in Business or Marketing & Management who said it hasn't benefited them as yet.
This article highlighted that a Masters can make you stand out from the crowd, but also that having a job & a company to sponsor you is highly beneficial....
Learning | Non-Destructive Dodge, Burn, and Saturation | Photoshop.com
I am currently editing images & want to enhance my Photoshop knowledge & skill level, & am trying to watch some tutorials; this is something I find a tad hard - to sit & concentrate solely on a video & not do any of my work, but I feel this can only benefit!
Monday, 1 July 2013
Job Info: UI Artist
I have added some more contacts to my LinkedIn professional online networking profile, including people I have found via games groups I am a member of, one of which lead me to further information on the role of UI artist: UI / 2D Artist (UK) – Games Dev (PC & Mobile) - Excellent Salary and Benefits DoE UK | Games Jobs - Amiqus Recruitment Specialists for the Games Industry.
...highlights just how much I have to learn & accomplish, to be ready & marketable as a potential employee to the gaming industry, & that, without taking my degree work into the equation!
...highlights just how much I have to learn & accomplish, to be ready & marketable as a potential employee to the gaming industry, & that, without taking my degree work into the equation!
UI Jobs Market Research
LinkedIn Post for a UI Artist based in Oregon, USA, posted in VideoGame Professionals Group.
I am continuously researching into employment in the gaming industry for my new career, looking into the roles of GUI, & texture, artist & what the work entails, ie design skills, software required, a-day-in-the-life, salaries, job availability & locations; where in the world are the employers who are looking for these skills, actually based: international or national?? Will I be wooed to stay local or seduced to fly across oceans?
One of my LinkedIn newsletters shouted out a posting for a UI artist; Foundation 9 Entertainment Senior UI Artist | SmartRecruiters, based in Oregon. This quote from the ad described the role, albeit at a more senior level, it eloquently creates an attractive painting for this design job role:
Sarah Garcia
I am continuously researching into employment in the gaming industry for my new career, looking into the roles of GUI, & texture, artist & what the work entails, ie design skills, software required, a-day-in-the-life, salaries, job availability & locations; where in the world are the employers who are looking for these skills, actually based: international or national?? Will I be wooed to stay local or seduced to fly across oceans?
One of my LinkedIn newsletters shouted out a posting for a UI artist; Foundation 9 Entertainment Senior UI Artist | SmartRecruiters, based in Oregon. This quote from the ad described the role, albeit at a more senior level, it eloquently creates an attractive painting for this design job role:
The UI Artist creates beautiful and intuitive graphical user interfaces.
- Create functional interfaces from simple to complex gameplay features such as HUD systems, front end menu’s and in game pop-up
- Works closely with the design and technology teams to conceptualize, prototype and implement interface functionality, look and feel.
SENIOR UI ARTIST
Eugene, Oregon, United States
COMPANY DESCRIPTION
You may not know us, but you certainly know our clients: Microsoft, Sony, Activision, Square and many others. At Pipeworks, we create innovative, best-selling, transplatform live games for top-tier publishers and properties. We have been creating hits since 1999, and we are seeking exceptionally talented and entrepreneurial game creators as we lead into the future of digital entertainment. Our studio is creative and collaborative, our projects are exciting and challenging, and our people are rockstars without the ego. We are located in the beautiful Pacific Northwest in downtown Eugene, Oregon – the home of the University of Oregon and a great place to work, live, and play. We offer great employee benefits including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, 401(k), paid time off and discounted gym memberships.
JOB DESCRIPTION
The UI Artist creates beautiful and intuitive graphical user interfaces.
- Create functional interfaces from simple to complex gameplay features such as HUD systems, front end menu’s and in game pop-up
- Works closely with the design and technology teams to conceptualize, prototype and implement interface functionality, look and feel.
- Provide artwork to support team wide project communication and vision
QUALIFICATIONS
- 5 or more years of experience in a similar roleGraphic design experience and/or education
- Strong layout skills & visualization
- Able to take multiple inputs of information and construct a clear and concise design
- Strong typography experience and knowledge with an understanding of the importance it plays in user experience
- Expert skills with Photoshop, Illustrator, Unity and NGUI or related software
- 2 or more titles shipped as UI Artist
- Knowledge and expertise in developing user interfaces and a strong sense of UI flow.
- Traditional 2D art skills
- Strong understanding of color theory
- Takes direction and criticism well
- Ability to create wireframes in pre production for UI
- Learn in-house tools and third party tools
- Adapt artistic style as needed by the project
- Meet deadlines designated for team projects
- Strong organizational skills
- Communicate effectively within a large group/multiple project environment
- Demonstrated ability to work with a high degree of self-direction and motivation
PLUSES
- 3D software experience (3dsMax or Maya)
- Flash experience a plus
- Web design experience a plus
- Knowledge in scripting languages such as HTML, Python, Javascript a plus
- Strong Unity Experience/Understanding
- Ability to navigate scene and create clean UI structure.
- UI Third-party plugin experience. (EZ GUI, NGUI, Scaleform, etc.)
POSTED BY
Sarah Garcia
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