YOUR LEARNING JOURNEY
Many Character Artists have a degree, which provides professional development and a recognised qualification to employers. However, there are many pathways into the games industry and most professionals claim their journey was not a straightforward one. Above all, you will need to demonstrate passion and skills in your chosen field. For this job role, you should be someone who enjoys drawing all the time and likes telling stories.
As a professional, you’ll be using a range of tools including Photoshop, Inkscape and Illustrator. We recommend you go to our tool picker to help you choose the right tool for your current level.
Working in the games industry is highly competitive and you’ll need to make sure your portfolio (a collection of your best work) stands out to employers and course leaders.
As a Character Artist, your portfolio should showcase a range of art styles to demonstrate your versatility. Your characters should have depth and personality, showing movement, texture and a good understanding of lighting. Although you should learn by copying and adapting others' work, when you begin putting your portfolio together, your work should always be original.
Once you have a portfolio, you can showcase it on platforms like Behance, ArtStation or through your own website. For more ideas, see our top tips page on building your portfolio.