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.

My image of metal from a trip to sea on a fishing vessel!

The image was edited in Photoshop:

1. Cropped a copy of the rusted metal from the image to form our piece of rust
2. Then using the Wrap tool, created a square that encapsulated 4 copies of the image
3. To eliminate the light & dark edges of the image (top & bottom where the light hit) that were showing, giving it a rather unrealistic look, it was cloned; copying areas to cover other areas until a square image of rust appeared with no divides; looked like one image.
4. Opened in Maya
5. Created a sphere
6. Altered the light & shine/highlight
7. Amended the colour & rendered a sphere of rust texture

This image was a tutorial/test image, thus, not as perfectly clean as could be due to time constraints.

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....

Learning | Non-Destructive Dodge, Burn, and Saturation | Photoshop.com

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!

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!

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:

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.

...& although this ad is asking for a level of skill & experience I do not yet possess, I can glean a lot of relevant information to marry to my expectations of this role & assist in tailoring my skills-development & portfolio/s of work. Resulting in a more specific & marketable portfolio illustrating my design abilities & creativity to the right market. I have a lot of work ahead of me to learn & build but I deem it vital to understand the employment market & trends.

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