It includes most of my best work, but I need to upload a few more things. I also need to create a layout for a physical portfolio, and plan to make a .pdf with everything in.
My Personal Statement
In it's current incarnation, it's about 1500 characters too long and it doesn't have a conclusion yet. However, I'm sure plenty of it is irrelevant and can be cut out, so no big deal. I can't see any option to attach the file, so I guess I'm going to have to post it here as text. This going to be a long post :P
I want to study at a higher education level in order to have the best start to launch my career. To expand and refine my skills.
I've always loved videogames, films and books. These three formats are crossing over more and more often with games like Mass Effect and the Last of Us.
In games like the Last of Us you can find the deep characters and lore of a book, the excitement and cinematics of a film and the interactivity and gameplay of a videogame, and with increasingly powerful hardware, the depth and range of experiences will only increase.
On top of that, there is a big market for indie games, meaning there is a huge range of experiences, from low budget indie titles to high budget AAA titles. This also means there is a huge range of opportunities for aspiring designers. The great thing about indies, is that the limitations caused by low budgets, leads to innovation and more unique, albeit smaller experiences. That being said, No man's Sky is looking to be one of the most expansive games ever made, making it hard to generalise anymore, hammering home the point I was trying to make about the range of experiences available. Thus I think it's a really exciting time to get into the games industry.
I love creating. I love experiencing other peoples creations. It makes sense that I want to fling myself into the center of the creative world.
I know there will be times that I'll have to do work I'd rather not, but the variety of projects I have done at college show I can derive enjoyment and inspiration out of almost any project.
I know how technical the subject can get. Although I'm a bit rusty, I have always been more than capable in maths and physics, achieving A's in both subjects at GCSE. Even so, I realise it can get very complex, and am prepared to work very hard to learn and understand the applications of these disciplines in game design.
My current studies relate to the courses I have chosen, touching equally on animation, games and interface design. All the skills are interchangeable, and the course is aimed at giving us a taster of each subject so we can choose where to specialise. I am hoping to specialise in game design.
I have experience a variety of work in and out of college. I was approached to participate in a project to decorate a garage's wall with graffitti. So far I have done some design ideas. The details for the final piece are still being worked out.
I have done a week of work experience at Hirst Park Middle school, working in the art department with children from year 6 through year 8, working both with large groups of students and with individuals. On one of the days the teacher was ill, meaning I had to step in and take the lesson until a subsititute arrived. All in all, the experience improved my communication skills, my ability to take the initiative, and to work independently and in groups. I think working from the point of view of a teacher reinforced my ability to work independently.
I participated in the 'Tour de Censored' poster design competition under the conditions of a live brief during a work experience week at college. I also participated in a live brief presented by Coutts bank. I feel these experiences showed I could work well under a strict deadline and gave me insight into the workflow of professionals.
I have also participated in several smaller online competitions. One competition was on the Taleworlds forum, another was hosted by Greenmangaming, and another was hosted by 'Collecting Smiles' on the colorslive gallery.
During middle school I spent lunch times looking after the library, which included adding new books to the database, and using said database to locate and let out books, which has boosted my organisational and communication skills. I feel this also demonstrates my willingness to work and dedicate my free time to work.
I have a huge range of interests in art and design. I have done some sound design for a few animations I've made. Only some rudimentary stuff but I enjoyed it and am looking forward to expanding on it. I enjoy photography, and occassionally go on day trips with my dad to interesting and historical locations. I sometimes incorporate my photo's into my design work. On the subject of my dad, he does a lot of craft work and is currently teaching me to make American Indian style clubs and shields. My A level studies of English and History tie in with my interests in art. I like to come up with stories and scenarios for my art, influenced by these subjects.
I mainly use digital techniques, and mainly work in photoshop. I started out working my way through the free trials of each year of Jasc Paintshop pro software. When that resource ran out, I put Photoshop Elements 8 on my christmas list. I started off small, with a desire to create avatars and signatures for forums, and desktop backgrounds. Gradually I realised the techniques I used in this work could be used to retexture armours and items in videogames, so I started modding. Then I realised the techhniques could be used for almost anything, from illustration to game design, to animation and to web design.
Ever since, I've been experimenting and expanding my knowledge and skills in all areas, dabbling in 3d modelling, 2d animation, digital painting, illustration, photography and filmography.
A project I've been working on and off on for the last few years, Is retexturing models in the game Mount and Blade to resemble the world of the Song of Ice and Fire books. In that time I've switched from a desktop, to a laptop and back to a desktop, so I've lost a lot of the work. And as my skills have grown, the majority of my earlier work is of an unnacceptable quality. So, I doubt i'll ever finish the project, but it serves as a map of my progression. For the most part, I taught myself how to mod, again, proving I can work well independently.
Despite this seeming focus on digital I enjoy sketching with pen, pencil and paper. I always hated colouring in drawings because I felt it ruined them and was irreversible. With my entry into the digital world of art, I can leave my pencil sketches alone and colour them digitally. I like being able to save multiple copies of an image and being free to experiment.
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