Image of Josh Grafton...
provided by Josh Grafton
Getting into 3D rarely comes from the same path for everyone, especially for game art lead and environment artist Josh Grafton. With credits spanning Batman: Arkham, Gears of War and Mass Effect, he got his start through the video game modding scene, and the networking and relationships that come with that. The first thing that ever intrigued him was a simple contest in Unreal Tournament, where he won a runner up prize and realised there was money in game development. This developed into working freelance on different projects such as Borderlands, before landing his first job in games at 32 at Splash Damage. Late into the game by his own description, but with a long trail of work behind him.
For budding 3D artists, we are often told the importance of finding a niche and building relationships. After my conversation with Josh, I found that only half of that holds up. He says that while spending time to specialise is valuable, getting too stuck into one discipline can be your downfall. On a recent project that was canned, one of his fellow artists was a foliage artist. Just foliage. This meant that when things went sideways, they had a difficult time finding a new project to work on. He reinforces the importance of wearing many hats, and how it pushes your understanding and helps with working in a team, as you can see how an end product will come together. Building networks remains just as important, whether through institutions or modding communities. In a time of layoffs and downsizing, keeping that drive alive through personal projects and a strong portfolio is what carries you through. The real structural issue is corporate greed, but indie projects are keeping the soul of the industry going where the big players have lost it.
On the subject of big bad AI, Josh is less concerned than most. He's lived through several "this will take your job" trends and many have simply become tools to adapt to. The last was Substance Designer, which aimed to overtake the need for texture artists with preset materials. In reality, it simply became quite an important tool for artists to use. AI still needs to be directed by someone with creative vision to create the media we love, and that won't change. In fact, he's heard of situations where a junior role is fulfilling menial tasks to save on AI token costs. Ironic.
Determination feeds both creativity and survival in the competitive world of 3D. This theme echoed throughout our conversation, the need to stay sharp between projects and stay positive despite everything. Creating passion projects will always be extremely beneficial, whether alongside work or between. And always remember the importance of indie, which nowadays can be just as fruitful as those big and shiny positions at the corporations.
A lot of this is heavily condensed, and points slashed due to word limits, so if you'd like to hear the whole conversation, click below to listen or read the transcript. Valuable stuff!
Some bad language present!
