{"id":2035,"date":"2025-11-10T12:52:41","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T12:52:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/ib8g23\/?p=2035"},"modified":"2025-11-10T12:52:41","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T12:52:41","slug":"olivia-gregory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/ib8g23\/2025\/11\/10\/olivia-gregory\/","title":{"rendered":"Olivia Gregory"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Graduation – What’s Next?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Graduated 2021, pandemic graduate. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • At the moment most of her work comes from Chapel Arts, delivering classes and getting people involved in art.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Also works for Games Jobs Live, does a lot of freelance data crunching.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Used to work for Westpier, a Brighton Studio specialising in social gaming for gambling.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Worked in hospitality only up until last year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Simply Safer<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Allowed her to quit her cafe job, developing a health food safety board game!<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Created fun, stylised icons and designed the look of the whole board<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Joined Westpier shortly after.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Joined Chapel Arts after that.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

      Currently taking an Arts Degree in Animation Production, and so creates backgrounds\/props. Very interested in representing disbabled people through her work. Eg; prosthetics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Get really good at art so they can’t say NO!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Used a mentorship program to help support her art, created a lot of props and environments which helped really push her art. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Prefers doing layouts to full renders so maybe I can get away with that…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Game art iterations have to be quick, usually not rendered.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • Jourdan Tuffan<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Erin Shin<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Kelly Dokay <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
        \n
        \n

        Environment<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        • PERSPECTIVE!!<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Process\/Iteration<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Orthographics + Isometrics\n
            \n
          • Orthographics = flat version that shows the scale vs perspective version<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Isometrics = top down corner perspective<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Full keys\n
              \n
            • Good for splash art, but only need a couple in the portfolio. The process needs to be seen more. Keep every single process clean – a lot of your work will be handed off to other people<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Layouts (REQUIRE CLEAN ARTWORK)\n
                \n
              • Needed for splash art<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Different seasons\/times of day\n
                  \n
                • Dependant on what you need<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Show how characters interact with the environment\n
                    \n
                  • Shows scale of a character in context with the environment<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
                    \n

                    Characters:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                      \n
                    • ANATOMY\n
                        \n
                      • use line of action<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      • the more you know what real life looks like, the more you can stylise<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      • TURNAROUNDS<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      • Poses\/Expressions<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      • Texture callouts\/packeting <\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      • Design more rendered versions of how they would look in a finished composition <\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      • Colour variations!!\n
                          \n
                        • If you are doing a coluor variation, do a new OUTFIT variation too. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
                          \n

                          Props\/UI<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                            \n
                          • Props\/Environment are usually 1 role<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          • You have to do HUNDREDS of iterations…for ONE prop<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
                            \n

                            So long as your concept art is giving clear information, it’s good. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                            USE REFERENCES. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

                            \n
                            \n

                            Portfolio Points:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                              \n
                            • SHOW YOUR PROCESS<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                            • Cut things out. If it isn’t adding to your creative or technical process, chuck it<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                            • Know your fundamentals<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                            • Show your work IN the pipeline with game jams and collab projects!!<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                            • Be clear what YOU do, and what job you’re applying for. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
                              \n

                              Quickfire<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                \n
                              • LEARN PHOTOSHOP. Studios want you to use photoshop. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
                              • Be CAREFUL with fanart. If you are doing fanart, make sure you’re bringing something new. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
                              • CV – include jams, achivements, volunteer work, your tools, study periods. But only make it 1 page long. Sweet and succinct.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                              • Demonstrate what you did in each role. DONT PUT ASPIRING. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
                              • Cover letter \n
                                  \n
                                • Get specific about what you love about the company, and what you bring to the table<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                • Generalist vs Specialist \n
                                    \n
                                  • Think about the company you want to work for and what you work best with. Dependant on the person<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                  • Speculative Applications\n
                                      \n
                                    • Think about where you stand on this. No one should be unpaid for their work, but volunteering for a studio to get your foot in the door is really, really useful. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
                                      \n

                                      NETWORKING<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                        \n
                                      • It is about who you know. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                      • Not many jobs are posted on boards. They reach out to people first, so curate an internal connection.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                      • Be present at events, be present online\n
                                          \n
                                        • BE PRESENT ONLINE!!!! SAY HELLO!!!!! COMMENT!!!! <\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                        • It can be really really really depressing. But it can be a great place to meet and connect with people!!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                        • Overtime, knowing people will lead to job opportunities<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                        • DEVELOP BRIGHTON.\n
                                            \n
                                          • Volunteer there for free tickets, and also people will talk to you… <\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                          • Other volunteers will have the same drive as you, you can give each other a leg up. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                          • PG Connect<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                          • Concept 101\n
                                              \n
                                            • Much more AAA oriented<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
                                              \n
                                              \n

                                              Resources:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                                \n
                                              • Into Games<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                              • Limitbreak<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                              • SHOW, POC in play<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                              • The Rookies (for portfolio inspo)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                              • Aaron Blaise, Schoolism, CGMA if you’re $$$<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                              • Mentorships<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                              • Volunteering – Develop, RGX, Concept101, Gamebridge<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                              • Newsletters (eg, Hitmarker), Linkedin job alerts, email newsletters, GJL reports and articles, Discord<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                              • Amir Satvat<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                              • Snappy Gurus, UKIE, Game Dev Local<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                              • Game Jams<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                              • Job Boards – work with Indies, Remote Indie Game Jobs, jobs map<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
                                                \n

                                                Industry Outlook<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                                  \n
                                                • People are being replaced with AI, there are post-pandemic layoffs<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                                • Big people who are laid off go and create their own indie studios. And so, an indie revolution as a backlash against AI is happening. Right now. It’s a huge section of the market. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                                • A lot of artists have side-hustles, or juggle multiple jobs. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
                                                  \n

                                                  FMP<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                                    \n
                                                  • Get on with your teammates<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                                  • What are you contributing? <\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                                  • SCOPE DOWN SCOPE DOWN SCOPE DOWN <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
                                                    \n

                                                    Questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                                      \n
                                                    • Is it worth it to invest in courses after Uni?\n
                                                        \n
                                                      • Don’t spend too much money on courses straight away, it might not be what you want to do in the future. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                                      • How did you start working for Chapel Art Studios? What did you do with them?\n
                                                          \n
                                                        • Started out as a Saturday assistant, then moved on to being the resident digital artist. Then just the digital artist, and finally after a restructuring, she was their creative programs co-ordinater organising events. Say yes to opportunities is the crux of this. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                                        • Regualarly runs life drawing and kids classes, as well as events such as exhibitions. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                                        • Is photoshop required?\n
                                                            \n
                                                          • Yes. Use photoshop. But they will hire the right person over the wrong person who knows the tools<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                                          • How do you get over artblock borne of jealousy?\n
                                                              \n
                                                            • If I’m envious of someone, what are they doing that I’m not? What are you missing? What can you learn?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                                            • How do you create constantly?\n
                                                                \n
                                                              • Practice. It’s a muscle. Humans are inherently creative. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                                              • Do employers want different artstyles?\n
                                                                  \n
                                                                • Versatility is good, but whole projects should be in 1 style. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                                                • For freelance, how do you advertise your skills? How do you get commissions?\n
                                                                    \n
                                                                  • First big one came from EHL through networking. Most are through word of mouth, some are from LinkedIn. You have to back yourself, the market is very crowded. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                                                  • How do you manage so many jobs?\n
                                                                      \n
                                                                    • Have very strict timekeeping and a good calender system. She also likes what she does and wants to show up for it. Enjoy it!! <\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                                                    • But know your limitations. Don’t overstretch. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                                                    • Should you include ideation?\n
                                                                        \n
                                                                      • Don’t reference too heavily or include moodboards, it looks like plagarism. But DO show the steps you’ve taken and your process. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

                                                                        Put down Adam Proctor as a reference when applying <3 yay <3<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

                                                                        <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                                                                        Graduation – What’s Next? Simply Safer Currently taking an Arts Degree in Animation Production, and so creates backgrounds\/props. Very interested in representing disbabled people through her work. Eg; prosthetics. Get really good at art so they can’t say NO!!! Used a mentorship program to help support her art, created a lot of props and environments […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-guest-speakers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/ib8g23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/ib8g23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/ib8g23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/ib8g23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/ib8g23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2035"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/ib8g23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2035\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2242,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/ib8g23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2035\/revisions\/2242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/ib8g23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/ib8g23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/ib8g23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}