23/10/2025
Olivia Gregory: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivia-gregory-654b111b1 https://oliviakgregory.wixsite.com/artwork
This week, our guest speaker was Olivia Gregory, a concept artist and visual development artist. Olivia began her talk by sharing her professional journey, followed by practical advice on building a strong portfolio.
Olivia graduated in 2021 from the Games Design course. At the time, she was working as a barista in a coffee shop where she happened to meet her first client. That encounter led to her first project, “Simply Safer”, a food safety board game. She explained that she only entered the industry full-time about fourteen months ago. Hearing this was reassuring, especially as someone who has also worked in hospitality; it showed that progress doesn’t have to be immediate. Olivia said, “It’s okay to pick up odd jobs and experiences along the way,” which was comforting and reminded me that career paths can take time to develop.
Currently, Olivia works as a freelance artist, creating artwork for a wide range of projects, including indie game assets, merchandise, murals, health campaigns, and private commissions. Alongside her freelance work, she is the Creative Programmes Coordinator at Chapel Arts Studios. She began there as a Saturday Assistant and gradually progressed through roles such as Resident Digital Artist and Digital Artist before reaching her current position in 2025. In addition, Olivia contributes as a data researcher for Games Jobs Live Newspaper, compiling monthly reports on international game industry trends.
After discussing her career, Olivia transitioned to offering portfolio advice from a concept artist’s perspective and spoke candidly about the realities of the industry. She emphasised the importance of understanding the specific requirements of each role before applying, as job titles can be misleading, and two positions with similar names can demand completely different skills. For character portfolios, she recommended including turnaround sheets, varied poses, and expressive studies. For environment portfolios, she suggested showing different perspectives, lighting, and times of day to demonstrate versatility. She concluded with broader advice: only include work that truly represents your skills and artistic identity, focus on your fundamentals, and be clear about what kind of artist you want to be.
Like previous speaker Jamie, Olivia also highlighted the importance of networking, whether that be attending events, volunteering, and reaching out to others in the field. She encouraged us to connect with people both in person and online, reminding us that many professionals are willing to share advice and opportunities.
Olivia’s presentation left me feeling more confident about my own path. It reminded me to enjoy my time at university and not to rush into the industry immediately after graduating. Her talk also reinforced the importance of refining my portfolio and actively networking to build future opportunities.
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Olivia’s Portfolio & Work
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Notes From Olivia’s Presentation
