Interview with Kristen Perry

Video Games are unique because they draw creative talent from all disciplines. If you’re a writer, you can get a job in game development. If you’re a musician, you can get a job in game development. If you’re an artist, you can get a job in game development. There are few other industries that enable creative people to earn a solid living, and that is part of the reason so many people can benefit from working within the industry.

Write the Game was lucky enough to get an interview with Kristen Perry, a concept artist, modeler and texture artist who has worked for VALVe Software and ArenaNet. She has produced art assets for some very well-known titles, including Half-Life 2, Counter-Strike, and Guild Wars. Kristen Perry is also well known on the Megatokyo Forums for her in-depth critiques and advice for aspiring artists. I highly recommend her Character Design 101 thread for aspiring artists.

You’ve obviously got a wide ranging experience in the illustration and design field, but how exactly did you get involved in creating concept art for the game industry?

Oddly, the hobby part of my love of art held the tools for that jump. I’ve always wanted to be a fantasy artist, but the area I grew up on was not a mecca for that sort of industry to say the least, and having a dream of a salaried fantasy artist just wasn’t happening there. So I got the graphic design job that paid the bills and illustrated fantasy art in my spare time. Soon, I was introduced to the internet and all the social networking that can involve. After a year or so of posting on art forums I mentioned I was trying to move to a new location and a kind old salt on one of the forums leaked my information to CGChannel. They put me on their front page for a week, showcasing my work and word got around and I started getting emails from gaming companies. It was completely on the opposite coast of where I was trying to move, but I got an offer from Valve and thought it was a great opportunity, so I went for it. The rest, as they say, is history.

In your FAQ you’ve emphasized the importance of a good portfolio, creating a positive first impression, and treating job interviews as business meetings. What would you say are the most important things to include in a portfolio, if the emphasis is on the game industry?

Traditional skills are essential. One of the things I’m seeing with alarming frequency is that new graduates seem to know a dozen different pieces of software, but their hand skills are lackluster at best. Yes, it is completely true that if you’re a 3D diva, you’ll probably get work. However, for the majority, it’s not so much about software as it is about the knowledge behind it. Life drawing, lighting knowledge, color, texture, anatomy, costume/weapon/armor/architecture design and construction… all of this makes the basis for a mental library that can bring richness and innovation to your concepts. More importantly, all that knowledge will support any modeling or digital work to bring solid results. Anyone can learn a 3D program and frankly, gaming companies often use different software including some proprietary versions so predicting which software to study is darn near impossible. However, traditional skills are something most companies pursue. I don’t care how many polys you throw at it, if you don’t have proper construction or anatomy knowledge, your model character/creature/prop will not look convincing. In short, gaming companies *may* be willing to teach you a program if you have great art skills, but they’re not there to be your substitute art school if all you have is software under your belt. So keep knowledgeable of what the industry is doing and learn a 3D program, but when it comes to your main skills: go old school.

The internet has made massive changes in the way some companies hire creative talent - do you think there will be more companies hiring people from other states, or even countries, to ensure they get the best talent, as opposed to local talent? Or do you think the benefits of in-house artists outweigh the benefits of telecommuting?

In-house is always more desirable than telecommuting, particularly with artists. Though I, too, was neck-deep in the dream of painting fantasy art in my jammies, the reality is so many things change and influence the design progress of a game, rubbing shoulders with your fellow artists is a must. Communication aside, the opportunity to be surrounded by professional peers who have fresh ideas and consistently beautiful technical skills is the best classroom you’ll ever have. By being in-house, the game artists have access to feedback and artistic challenge, instant communication with all aspects of the game and a solid knowledge of what your team is doing as well as what they’re handling. You just can’t get that telecommuting. However, they do let you wear jeans.

For the most part, the games industry is made up predominately of men. Have you found this has affected your working experience at all?

Actually I’ve found this industry to be so demanding that game companies have a hard enough time getting the right talent for the job description that gender doesn’t come into play often. Sure, it’s possible you might still find the occasional glass ceiling, but it’s much less prevalent than other industries in my experience. In fact, my company of ArenaNet has talented women in every department, even in a lead position or two. I think this is a marvelous thing, as the more working perspectives you can gain on a project universally, the more applicable it can be for the main audience. So really, I’ve found they measure you according to your work and portfolio, not your gender.

Do you think getting more women to enter the industry should be actively encouraged, or do you think numbers will climb anyway, as games become more mainstream?

I think both need to happen. It’s not just a matter of getting more women gamers, but instilling the idea that being a games artist or programmer is a viable career path for women. Growing up (granted, it was a bit of a different time than what today’s students experience), outside society did encourage dolls and cute things. I drew princesses and unicorns partially because I enjoyed it but also because I didn’t get harassed like I did when I tried to draw warriors or guns or anything showing drama. I think it’s not just a matter of the technical encouragement of the career, but also the notion of what is normal and acceptable for a young girl to have as a hobby. Nowadays I’ve seen this expand considerably, and a lot more girls are encouraged to try out for sports, leadership-type roles and hobbies which previously may have been considered ‘boys only.’ However, this needs to continue to be encouraged so that when a girl looks at games she can realize it is indeed an option open to her and not just something to play as a past-time.

You’ve given a lot of advice to upcoming artists, and your course on character design at the Megatokyo forums elicited a lot of interest. What’s the motivation behind that? Do you feel less-experienced artists overlook certain fundamentals?

Well, there’re a couple things going on with that. Yes, I do think beginner artists overlook fundamentals. Particularly in the comic or anime crowd, they are wooed by the seductive pipe-dream that since it is a stylized art form, they don’t need to endure the hard work and practice it takes to grasp a foundation in anatomy and other tools of the trade. But a vast majority of professional comickers and anime masters are also excellent traditional artists. By learning the fundamentals, you bring a huge amount of knowledge and discernment to your artwork and thus in turn are able to produce more interesting and rich concepts to the plate. Anime and other such styles are abstractions of realism and are the very precisely distilled linework from the complexity that is the human body. The more life drawing, gesture and so forth you know, the better your work will be for it… and quite possibly, the faster. I teach over in Megatokyo because they are a group of devoted folks from a variety of styles, but overall they love their anime. So I try to give them the tools that will help them pull off their ideas more effectively according to where they’re trying to take their art.

However, aside from all that, I also teach there because I love teaching. I remember all too well my own days of struggle and self-teaching where I was in a vacuum, relying on my own mental box telling me what to study and the easiest roads to take. I would have gladly taken study from an art master were it available, but left to my own devices, I wasted a lot of years learning the very narrow details I wanted to learn, not thinking to pull from other areas that would support my long-term goals. It would have been incredibly useful and refreshing to have someone pick me up by the scruff of the neck, tell it like it is and demand quality from me. It would have saved so many years…

So yeah, I teach to help students shave off that wasted time. It’s my hope that if they learn the more direct routes to their goals, they might produce more inspiring work before they’ve learned a lot of bad habits and assumed rules of ‘how things should be done.’ This might seem like a contradiction, as I’m also telling them rules and ways of doing things, so the irony is not lost on me. However, young students tend to still have that unbridled imagination and enthusiasm before work gets to be work. It’s hard to get it back when art becomes a job (believe me), but it’s completely possible to love art as a hobby again even when it’s your day job (also believe me). But if you don’t lose it to begin with and develop direct and effective techniques, imagine all the really cool shit you could draw. ;}

Aside from the oft-repeated ‘practice, practice, practice’, what’s the most important advice you think an upcoming artist should bear in mind?

Art is not an island. If you want to be a comic artist, don’t just study comics. If you want to do anime or games, don’t just look at that. The most interesting art has layers of flavor it pulls from and to get this, study everything. Study life drawing, gesture, theater, architecture, nature, master art trends and more.

By majoring in graphic design and illustration I learned about printing and how to prepare my work so that it will look its best on various papers, inks and publications. By taking classes in advertising I learned about designing an image that gets consumer attention in 2 seconds or less, which is vital in this industry of flashing graphics and whirling effects. By working with clients in a design firm, I learned how to sell my ideas to folks who were not knowledgeable about art; imagine how potentially effective you can be in selling an idea to those who do — namely your art director or lead. By freelancing and networking as a graphic designer, I have the printing contacts and production knowledge that allowed me to be a producer for new merchandise in the launching of our gaming e-store. By having a sewing hobby, I know how clothing and armor is constructed, so when I design concepts for characters, they are more functional and believable no matter how fantastic they may get.

As you can see, it’s really a matter of being creative with where you get your references. Pulling from other trades and schools of thought, your work will be more sophisticated and inspired. Anything can be an inspiration if you just have the open eyes to see it.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

For Pete’s sake, get out and exercise. You’re no use to anyone if you’re crippled by bad posture, strained eyes and carpal tunnel syndrome. Besides, life experience can give you more fodder for your reference repertoire, even if the lack of sun aging effects on the skin can take years off your appearance. Though turning into a cave fish with all the pale skin and prominent veins can be off-putting to some, so use your best judgment.

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3 Responses to “Interview with Kristen Perry

Wow, March already? Says:
March 4th, 2008 at 7:14 pm

[...] also got an interview with Kristen Perry, one of my favourite artists of all time, on Write the Game. It was awesome. I love doing [...]

Libbey Says:
October 1st, 2008 at 5:08 pm

I’ve been following Kristen’s career for a long time. Had the pleasure of working with her - she is wildly creative - and fast! I miss her - glad to see her talent recognized. About time!

Ragdoll Games Says:
April 10th, 2010 at 11:38 am

Haha.. the last advice was good.

Great interview. Hard work and practice everywhere

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