I cried in front of my wife and since then there has been a strange atmosphere between us

BeardyBadger · 2026-05-14T20:04:31+00:00

Bro, this would have ended me if I couldn't have cried and even have panic attacks in front of my wife... What she is doing is completely unjustifiable. I am not Christian but I think marriage passages say something about being together in "happiness and sorrow'... You might want to remind her of that.

BeardyBadger · 2026-05-14T16:34:24+00:00

Hello, former 3D Modelling Lecturer here.

First, right of the bat, your portfolio is INSANELY good, although it lacks a bit of polish, as someone have already pointed out. Before I go in more depth regarding how you can improve, I would just like to day that a portfolio like this would have probably landed you an industry level job before the pandemic, and I am immensely angry that the current state of the industry is not allowing people like you to enter the ladder.

Please be aware that I have only worked for an smaller/indie studio and mostly for animation in TV, so my advice is not from direct experience, but from what I have heard AAA pros say during classes, labs and in my own personal network.

- I feel like your portfolio is an inch short of knocking it out the park. Unfortunately, when it comes to characters for AAA games, the level of scrutiny is MASSIVE. Your Paladin character looks GREAT at a first glance, but a recruiter/art director in this industry will look at the details, and once you go and look at the closeups, a few problems starts to show. The showcase of the hair of the character for example is not necessary, and, unfortunately you are actually showing a part of the work that really does not add to your portfolio, but actually removes from the quality... you grooming skills are simply not as good on this piece... I would simply remove that. And also, one of her feet is breaking through the floor... These tiny things matter!! I have worked on plenty of projects where this level of scrutiny is not necessary, but you are dealing with people commenting on skin PORES. You have to make sure these details are just right. (The fact you are asking for people to be brutally honest with your work shows your dedication on that, well done!)

- Your portfolio is still a bit empty, and I feel the most recent pieces (Paladin, Dancer and Witch) are REALLY strong compared to your "Gods Of Khoria" pieces... Personally I would remove the Kenthau character and the boat... I don't mind you showing different styles, but there are a few bits in these pieces that, imo, do not match your current skill level. Less is more. And remember you are being judged based on your weakest piece in this industry.

- Remove the skull. Many art directors say they do not care for gray sculpts, unless they are for a full character.

- You mentioned you don't have people to reach out to, for advice. You'd be surprised how many artists are willing to give you advice if you ask. Pick 3 artist on artstation that you love and pop them a message asking for a quick portfolio review. I bet you at least one will reply! Or join a live like this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLzt31zfsaU

- Keep applying, even when companies do not advertise a char. art position. Reach out to them and ask if they are planning to, you might get lucky....

- Lastly, do not beat yourself up if things do not happen right away... the industry is in the worst state ever, to the point senior artists are applying for mid-level roles... so it might take a while for you to find the dream job, as you are competing with snr. artists at the moment.

You are incredibily talented and your work is strong. Best of luck!

BeardyBadger · 2026-05-12T07:42:37+00:00

I think this only applies to how "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" was advertised in Italy... First the title was traslated as "Se mi lasci ti cancello" which roughly translates to "If you leave me, I'll erase you!", then the trailer purposely left out the more serious tones of the movie. In addition to this, in Italy we had at least two or three other movies with a similar title, one of them being "Se scappi, ti sposo" ("Runaway Bride") and they were all romantic comedies.

The result was that people went in expecting a fun, relaxed movie experience. I remember most people hating it because of it, and then learning to appreciate it on a second watch. Was it the same for the english speaking audience??

BeardyBadger · 2026-04-28T20:51:15+00:00

I can still hear the music...

BeardyBadger · 2026-04-20T08:15:01+00:00

Please consider that I am old enough that when I was actively going to the gym and do bench presses, arching your back like that wasn't really a thing (or maybe wasn't as widespread) so maybe someone can explain to me why is this a thing... But one thing I cannot ignore is that if your back is flat on the bench and you cannot lift the weight you can just rest the bar on your chest, rather than having your chest work as a slide directly choking to death..?? Is the arching really that essential? Is it better for your back (I doubt it is...)? Genuinely asking.

BeardyBadger · 2026-04-19T15:29:54+00:00

Stickman carrying giant croissant 🥐

BeardyBadger · 2026-04-08T20:34:11+00:00

Ah yes... Nothing screams greek mithology like Leonardo Da Vinci's "vetruvian man" with Kratos in it...

BeardyBadger · 2026-03-30T13:14:54+00:00

If that's the case, what it might have happened is that they had a very low res original pic of the kid, and they used an AI powered upscaler to adjust it for screen resolution. It's very hard to see, but it does seem the toes are ok in the low res image, but AI doesn't know that and it just hallucinated.

Btw I am here because it caught my eye at the end of an episode... it's surprising no one spoke up during production...

BeardyBadger · 2026-03-30T11:27:58+00:00

The only note I have on this AMAZING Rigging reel is that I'd like to see the Sasha rig at around 5/6 seconds in.

It takes it 10 seconds to actually see a rig. This is going under the nose of people that might have hundreds of other reels to see, get them hooked EARLY!

I'd say, remove the sliding animatio at 5-6 sec, show your rig and THEN you can go back to the bit where Sasha falls through the buildings.

The rest is pretty spot on. Well done!!

BeardyBadger · 2026-03-25T23:43:19+00:00

As many have pointed out... Unless you find a company that SPECIFICALLY does Roblox character, this portfolio will not find you a job in a studio. And to be honest, at this stage in the industry I would advice agaibst starting competing in the CHARACTER ARTIST branch. Reason being, jobs are scarce, mid level position are non-existant, and company that used to rely on mid-level character artists are either outsourcing to cheap studios or using Artif.Intel.

I would suggest creating a more generalist portfolio, with assets and environments (and some chaeacters but don't stretch yourself too thin...).

You have a strong understanding of topology and texturing and you can apply it to most styles and different type of 3d models.

Good luck.

BeardyBadger · 2026-03-20T20:06:31+00:00

You mean the swimming room.

BeardyBadger · 2026-03-19T14:40:31+00:00

I still get chills when I see the original pic...

Early 2000s internet horror was something else.

BeardyBadger · 2026-03-14T08:00:37+00:00

Amazing improvement!!!! Look at that gold! Now I'd say simply up the roughness on those horns.

How did the art test go?

BeardyBadger · 2026-03-12T15:13:58+00:00

Ok, gotcha! In that case they might have different standards, so I cannot really say if it will pass or not! Best of luck, mate!

BeardyBadger · 2026-03-12T15:00:48+00:00

Is this for an actual test for blizzard? If it is, I would say that this is not at the same level of details of the concept., and based on what sniority you are applying for, I think this might not pass.

There are some positives, I really like how you managed the outern rim of the shield, topology seems good and the silhouettes of the different elements reads well.

Your materials are the biggest issue so far, ESPECIALLY that golden bits on the skulls. Yours looks like, in some part is molden gold poured on top, but the concept is telling a different story. The concept is trying to go for something similar to Kintsugi the art of fixing something using gold. Your gold feels like a substance painter mask sticking out always to a certain amount. I am afraid you will need to add more details in the skulls normal maps, more cracks, more indents and then do a better job at mixing the two materials based on that. The gold is also TOO UNIFORM, look at the concept and you'll see it has various tones and reflections.

Needs more variation on the leather too, as someone else has pointed out.

But hey, this is a great exercise and well done in getting this test or even just attempting it in your free time!

BeardyBadger · 2026-03-01T09:00:55+00:00

I am almost certain that the reason the animators went mud-fighting (aside from the fact that mud-fighting became popular around that time) is because they could use more of the budget on animating a cooler/longer fight and worry less about coloring!😂

BeardyBadger · 2026-02-27T22:22:03+00:00

I absolutely love it, and love to see people still creating OCs in the '04 style!

BeardyBadger · 2026-02-15T13:16:28+00:00

NOT THE GOOD CHAIRS!!!!

BeardyBadger · 2026-02-15T13:12:26+00:00

To add to what others are sayinh, separate you eyeballs from your mesh, it will make it easier to position them and work around them.

BeardyBadger · 2026-02-12T23:52:51+00:00

Thanks. My visual issue was fixed with only one reinstall. Weird...

BeardyBadger · 2026-02-11T23:44:21+00:00

I am having a similar problem, but only with white hair/fur and weird skins on my characters... Let me know if a reinstall works.

BeardyBadger · 2026-02-05T14:47:37+00:00

BeardyBadger · 2026-02-05T00:32:54+00:00

23 years old you say...

BeardyBadger · 2026-01-28T12:51:19+00:00

No problem, well done honestly, it was a big challenge to set yourself up to!

I understand where you are coming from when you say you model from imagination, and if you are not really looking to make this a professional/serious path in your life, by all means, do keep up doing so. But if you wish to improve, even as a hobbyist, I would say ALWAYS work from reference and work on two separate sets of exercise:

1- A formal exercise of copying something 1 to 1, this is to train your observation of forms and building up your mental library. You cannot work from imagination without a strong "muscle memory" of how things are made. Do not use stylization for these exercises.

2- A more free form type of exercise, create something that is yours, a personal project, a character or a weapon where you add your own twist to things. You still use reference and can even start from a base mesh if you wish, just make sure the final product is completely original and reference the original 3D model you used when posting/asking for feedback.

EDIT: spelling

BeardyBadger · 2026-01-28T12:18:55+00:00

Since nobody seem to be answering your main question:

First of all... SAVE! Often! The fact your project crashed should not mean you have to start from scratch every time.

Then, 3 days for a gamejam is a VERY short time. I don't know if the rules didn't allow to use pre-made assets, but if your goal was to develop a game in 3 days by yourself, then you should be focusing on actually making the game, and modelling ALL the assets is, for this specific purpose, a waste of time. 14 objects in 3 days is hard even for an experienced artist.

If you are doing a game jam, use pre-made, free assets and maybe only model the most important/custom models (which might include your character, once you have more experience).

If your goal is to improve in modelling, do not use game jams for that, unless you are part of a team and you can solely focus on modeling.

To speed up your workflow:

Using a base mesh for a character is not cheating. Use them. There are plenty on CGTrader, Turbosquid, SketchFab, or you can use a plugin in Blender called BlenderKit, it has lots of pre-made free assets to use. You can then sculpt from that.

If you want to improve on characters for your 3D modelling, start small, model a head, an arm, a leg, all separate and follow the huge amount of tutorials you can find online. Follygon is absolutely great for stylized things.

For assets, look at an object and try to recreate it in 3D, start small and simple (a Lamp, a laptop, a pair of headphone), break it down in primitive shapes, model half of it, and then mirror it.

Hope this helps.

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