I had these written down on my cellphone back when Comic-Con International was held at the end of July, but never got around to posting these. I probably have somewhere ............. pfft!
Part of my time spent in Comic-Con that weekend was at Portfolio review sessions. I'll be quite honest, not only have I had no idea what I actually want to do with my art, I didn't get around much to improving my art to more professional standards nor teach myself 3D as I had wanted to this past year, mostly for lack of time and concentration which lead to lack of motivation. So my portfolio had... whatever I could dig up from from my pile of concepts and blatant fangirling, which is kinda shameful coming exactly one year after I sent another of my portfolios to get reviewed by a game company just to see if I had a chance at becoming an artist in that industry.
One piece of advice is to have an idea of where you're going. If you don't, let the reviewer know so you two can discuss options. If you don't know where to go, the reviewer won't know what to suggest and you'll just sit there in front of thousands of other applicants just derping around like.... what?
Also, if you're more of a cartoony artist, don't go to a company that dishes out the complete opposite or vice versa. It's wierd!
I did learn through the reviews that I'm into storyboarding. I just need to come up with material to practice my storyboarding on and I'll be more prepared for reviews next Comic-Con. I'm no writer, so this is kind of hard! c:
But anyway, the reviews:
First one I went to was a company called "Secret Level" which is a part of Sega. I didnt know until the actual review that these people did fantasy fairy painty stuff, hence my advice as to carefully choose who to review you.
According to my notes:
So... my first portfolio review at Sega's Secret Level booth. My style is very fun and very manga-influenced. The guy told me that I either have to be more varied in style to be able to work at a game company, or find a company that my style would fall into. He also told me... To get a book called "Scripts to Screens" And to take up on webcomics. He also told me twice my style was perfect for something like Gaia. But he said to keep having fun what I'm doing.
I'm still lolling at the Gaia part. I know he meant well, but it still felt a bit insulting! Seriously.... GAIA ONLINE!
My second stop was good old Cartoon Network. I seriously have NOT drooled with this much anticipation since I sent my stuff to Rare last year, and I wasn't the only one with the rediculous line I had to sit through.
Notes:
Cn's feedback: I have lots of potential. My stuff is fantastic for someone mostly self-taught. Keep at it. "Your stuff is not quite what we're looking for." Read books And I was handed a portfolio advice pamplet and a doodle sheet to draw some of their characters. The guy wrote down a phone number to someone who he told me to call once I refine my portfolio for another review.
That went well! And no gaia directs!
The major downside of that review was that Chowder creator Carl Greenblatt was the one doing the reviews on Friday, but then two turns before mine came out, he switched out for someone else and my portfolio was reviewed by an artist for Ben10 Alien Force. Not to say he wasn't a nice guy because we had a really nice review session going, but he told me more than once that Mr. Greenblatt was better-suited to reviewing my art.
I saw Greenblatt again at the booth the next day, but I was sure CN was still backlogged with reviewers until next doomsday.
On a side note, I got to meet Greenblatt twice on Sunday- during his autograph-signing and outside the con when he was on his way home. I was happy, needless to say!
But more Comic-Con Fangirlery will come in another post!
I had also signed up for Nickelodeon on Friday, but they were so backlogged that my turn didn't come until Saturday afternoon.
Notes:
"I see you draw anime!"
And he spent most of our time obsessing over my use of prismacolors and how I used them to make a comic.
Took my business card and resume print, scribbled notes all over and kept it.
Overall, we had a nice discussion of stuff.
But it had me thinking...
... Sega told me to read books on Storyboarding (and I would be good for Gaia)
... Cartoon Network told me to be cleaner with my comic inking
... Nickelodeon suggested nothing to me. The guy just spazzed over my marker usage.
Part of me feels that was too easy for comfort.
I wish I could do one more review tomarrow after the Chowder panel, but everyone is still backlogged from Friday/Saturday. I checked out the indies at the exhibit hall but it didn't look like anyone else was accepting portfolios.
So I still have all my CDs. I'll probably trash them in favor of making a better, NOT-RUSHED portfolio over the next while. I did learn a lot. Not so much as to how to improve my art, but how to set my direction when I decide what specifically I want to do in the industry.
That's about it. In the end, I'm glad I did this no matter how much I complain.
And that ends my portfolio reviewing adventures. Photos and stuff will come in the future. For now, here's some of my portfolio entries. Like I said, I didn't know my direction, so a good friend of mine told me to cover as many corners as possible with what I had since I didn't have a lot of time on my hands to draw fresh material.
And a new tablet from my mother.
I'm happy that I don't have to rely on anymore pen-mashing to swap colors and pen sizes. I'm also greatly amused that in Banjo-Kazooie, everytime I go into the Mad Monster Mansion bathroom, an epic Stop-n-Swop fanfare ensues. I paid little attention to the hack spoilers back in the day, so this came as a total surprise. And given I spent four hours in gameplay looking for the four missing notes in MMM that the Bottles Bonus challenge took away, I made more than ten trips into that bathroom. Fanfare after Fanfare after Fanfare even with the egg long gone. All that's there is a happy toilet. Maybe I'm too easilly amused!
