No sooner are we announced than I’m back in crunch. Not surprising, s’just how it goes.
One thing that helps me get through it is something I actually stumbled across accidentally and never really defined until today. I find that when I kick it up a notch and really get to working hard for long hours, I’m able to do it without needing to be fully energized or inspired at all. I used to think this was a pure creative medium and that it was all artistic expression, but I’m better now.
The more I work and learn the more I realize that I can more or less put my brain in autopilot as I’m working and reach a state where being tired, hungry, distracted or even sick doesn’t matter, because I understand game art well enough to be able to boil my tasks down into simple mechanical processes and just do it, no matter what or how I feel.
That isn’t to say that there isn’t thinking or creativity involved… the trick is knowing WHEN that really comes in. With proper planning, I’ve found that I can just set myself loose on something and hammer it out like it’s nothing. It’s just clicking the mouse, hitting keys, sculpting this, shaping that. I’ve pounded method and technique into my brain all these years so now it comes naturally, and I can just switch off if I’m tired and let my hands and instincts do the work.
I’m sure experienced artists get into this pretty easily but I feel as though I had a very valuable shortcut to getting there faster. When I worked at Liquid Development doing sales, I helped create bids on projects and assess the full project scope and essentially plan out the entire project in advance, anticipating as many questions and needs and requirements as possible before the first 3D app was even opened. I’d always flown by the seat of my pants before and this was a fascinating change from the ordinary that I’ve adopted it into my everyday work simply as an artist.
For example, I’ve learned (and am improving at) looking at a model, visualizing the entire build process and the different stages of completion so I can know what questions to ask before I start, consider its actual function in the game and plan it accordingly (for example: moving mechanical objects, or simply elbows and knees), and so on.
Since I’ve been working on the PSP I’ve learned to be psychotically frugal with my textures, and I’m learning all kinds of UV tricks and texture tweaks to make better, smaller, more efficient textures. Not only that but I can look at a piece of concept art and plan out exactly how I’m going to texture it in advance, down to each individual texture’s size.
Once I lay the groundwork in that manner, I have it all written down and ready and I know EXACTLY how to proceed with the model. All the thinkin’ work is done, and it’s now time for the doin’. :)
At my best, back when I was looking for a new job I’ve worked for two months at a stretch for about 16 - 20 hours a day, 7 days a week, sometimes nearly zombie-like, sometimes fighting back tears for how much it hurts to struggle that hard, but still inexplicably putting out some of the best art I’ve ever done. And that’s because of effective pre-planning, per asset. I rarely run into a problem where I have to stop working on an asset due to ineffective planning on my part.
I’m still not the best at it, but I’m getting better all the time. As always.
It’s interesting to make art after kicking ass on that level and realizing how the quality of my work doesn’t suffer even if I’m in the worst mood or too sick to stand up striaght. It makes me more critical of others, because I truly believe that anyone is capable of greatness if they’re really kicked awake and forced to push themselves beyond their limits and truly come alive, be excellent and accomplish something amazing. It frustrates me that so few people ever really DO realize that potential, or do anything about it.
On the one hand, yippee, less competition! But there’s no denying the fact that it’s awfully goddamned lonely sometimes.
That’s all for now.