Environment Artist - Chris Zukowski

[chriszuko]

Hello everyone, I am looking for some critiques on my site, environments, demo reel etc. I just graduated from Full Sail University under the game art degree program and am hoping to get a job soon.

All comments/critiques are appreciated.
Portfolio

Thanks!

[Zeph]

Your gallery's navigation could use some work. Try to pull your gallery into one unified experience. By my count, clicking the gallery link, clicking a category in the drop down menu, clicking a sub-category in the dropdown menu, and going into your projects page all produce drastically different results to view your work. Additionally, there's a large volume of work to go through. If I wasn't patient today, I might have skipped to a new page or a different person's portfolio before I got to your damaged factory scene.

It's your best piece in there and it's got 1/4th the screen space of your shift+drag copy/paste hallways. To the same extent, your platformer has a lot of real estate in the gallery despite being stylized generations behind your other work. Also, your images aren't all a uniform resolution or aspect ratio. It's understandable for the sketches and platformer to be different, but if your first three pieces are rendered through UDK, I'm not sure why all three don't match up. Take the time to add in descriptions beyond alt-text. I understood that the photograph of the damaged factory was used as a reference, but the other image initially left me wondering if you were stealing work and just failed to notice the copyright watermark.

[chriszuko]

Thanks for the very in-depth critique. I truly appreciate it!

I will go ahead and shoot for fixing most things you said tonight.

[Cdc3d]

I don't feel that it's that difficult to navigate. Litebox makes the galleries one click through after you start with the first thumbnail. The Demo Reel is on the first page, and if I feel like I want to go further, I can by going to the Gallery button and clicking on which place I want to look further in, starting the slideshow and I'm good. No, i definitely don't feel like it's hard to navigate at all.

I would suggest maybe removing some of the necessaries that don't really involve being an environment artist, such as a video of you playing the keyboard. You're definitely talented, there's no doubt, but maybe you could start up a second blog for friends and family that you could use for this kind of stuff.

In terms of your demo reel, and your work, I think it's fantastic. There are some advancements made in the kit since the original 3rd engine was released that you've utilized for environment depth I think a lot of companies would appreciate seeing utilization of. I felt like the levels were appealing and playable: what I'm sure you were searching for.

In terms of assets, I would include some shots in your gallery of the assets with cages and texture sheets just to see how you went about the 'dirty work'.

Good job, though, and good luck in your job search!

[chriszuko]

Thanks for the critiques so far!

Please take another look at my portfolio if you all wouldn't mind.

Portfolio

Overall I took what Zeph said about the navigation and unified it to be hopefully better underneath my demo reel. I also made the images the same aspect ratio along with making the thumbnails bigger.

Originally Posted by Cdc3d

In terms of assets, I would include some shots in your gallery of the assets with cages and texture sheets just to see how you went about the 'dirty work'.

That is a good idea and I should be able to get around to doing that tomorrow thanks!

Keep the feedback coming please I appreciate it!

[Cdc3d]

That is a good idea and I should be able to get around to doing that tomorrow thanks!

Cool. I checked it out again, and that was perfect. Then i realized that wasn't your home page. Make your portfolio page your home page, and then make what you have for a home page with just your contact info and/or resume (could be separate) into a 'contact me' page, and you're good to go.

But you are absolutely right, check out some more critiques. People on here are uber-helpful, and will be honest.

In my humble opinion, you're portfolio page is great. If I click on your email for a job and get taken there, I would be interested to look further. Simple is a good thing. Imagine having 100 websites to look through; you wouldn't want to have to be prodded to look further than the first page, you have to make them WANT to keep looking, and I feel like your portfolio page does that.

But again, good stuff, I really like it.

[chriszuko]

Originally Posted by Cdc3d

Cool. I checked it out again, and that was perfect. Then i realized that wasn't your home page. Make your portfolio page your home page, and then make what you have for a home page with just your contact info and/or resume (could be separate) into a 'contact me' page, and you're good to go.

Thanks again! I do see what you are saying there, but I really wanted to keep the home page more of an updated new post type format for any future projects I work on.

All of the applications i sent out so far point to the portfolio page so theoretically the portfolio page will be what they see first.

Thanks and more feedback is still appreciated.

[Zeph]

Much better now.

[chriszuko]

Thanks for all of the help!