Student Website Up. Critique and Thoughts?

**Nick Silva** · January 30th, 2012, 05:22 AM

Hey everyone. I'm a Student at AI (Junior) and I think I have enough work to make a website now. Would love input!
Thanks!

http://www.nicksilvaart.com/

Some Previews:

http://www.nicksilvaart.com/

http://www.nicksilvaart.com/index.html

**Saramel** · January 31st, 2012, 12:34 PM

Well, I'm not a professional, but I'd say you have a very nice looking portfolio! You seem to demonstrate an ability to work up concepts and illustrations through rough to detailed shape, value and color exploration, and map your thought process. Again, I can't say for sure, but I have heard that these are very attractive components for employers to see in a portfolio.

**Nick Silva** · January 31st, 2012, 08:33 PM

Thanks for your input.
Yeah The idea is for employers to see that i have a strong sense of design that can be carried through any sort of project.

**Wheeljack18** · January 31st, 2012, 11:13 PM

You've got a lot of good work here Nick. If you want specific crits on each piece you can post them in the Crit section. Otherwise for a student portfolio you are looking really good. I had a buddy get hired on at Bioware and all he had was a fancy sketchbook. Granted that was over 10 years ago but the point is I think you are on track for your art career.

**Nick Silva** · February 1st, 2012, 02:54 AM

Thank you. I'm glad to hear that I'm on the right track. I'm still pretty new to networking so I'm not exactly sure who to talk to to get my name the most exposure and possibly a job out there. If you know anybody who's looking for concept design/illustration work please let me know!

also I saw some of your stuff on your site. Great work!

**Wheeljack18** · February 1st, 2012, 01:12 PM

Thanks, Glad to help.

I'd say to get contacts you should Network with your fellow students and Profs. The contacts that you make in school are super important moving out into the real world. It's not what you know but who you know. Otherwise, reach out and touch people. Talk to other Pros and just be a nice guy and make friends. There is no quick and dirty way as far as I know. One thing you could do is get in at a game developer and work your way up from the bottom. Once you are in the industry, I hear that it is much easier to move up and around. I've talked to people who started out as Q&A down at EA and now are in development.

**Nick Silva** · February 1st, 2012, 03:19 PM

Thanks wheeljack.
I think I'll have no problem with that

are you going to be at GDC this year?

**Wheeljack18** · February 3rd, 2012, 11:21 AM

You are welcome. I wasn't planning on heading to GDC this year but you never know....

**Nick Silva** · February 3rd, 2012, 06:10 PM

haha, well if you do decide to go, I hope to see you there.

**DNVN** · February 4th, 2012, 01:52 PM

I really like the fact that when i look at your work i get a sense of story right away. One thing i think you can add to your 4th image is a little more variation in facial expressions ~cheers.

**Nick Silva** · February 4th, 2012, 02:18 PM

thank you Octic. I agree that concept page would have been stronger with a couple more facial expressions. or perhaps a page just dedicated to that. thanks for the crit.

**Peipei** · February 5th, 2012, 10:49 PM

I love the tribal style of your artwork. You can make a story out of every picture here. Good work!

**Charmer** · February 20th, 2012, 06:08 PM

Hey Nick and congrats to your portfolio pieces! I really like how I am able to recreate your thoughts of design in the concepts and that is actually what my professors want to see in our work (I study virtual design in germany which is a lot 3d stuff etc.). I can "follow" everything you put up here so I think you're on the right track with the concept stuff.

What actually pushes your "quality" would be a bit more detailed rendering maybe, I think that is what clients want to see. But I'm no professional at all, so maybe only I guess so.

I like the Dim Ruins a lot.
Keep it going!

**Nick Silva** · February 21st, 2012, 02:56 AM

Hey charmer,

Thanks man! I understand wanting to see more rendered pieces, believe me i do too haha.
But my instructors pushed me to be able to loose concepts.
Many students get too caught up in rendering something pretty, but are either too slow, or are rendering something that lacks basic principles.

I do believe one of my next big steps will be in displaying something that is fully rendered to professional industry standards.