How to be A CG Artist

If your dream career is CG artist, but you are not entirely sure where your skills are in the CG process, don’t be afraid. The main job roles are explained here-what they involve and what skills CG artist need-so you can find a role that suits you. Match your skills with job specifications to determine which area of ​​computer graphics you should focus on.

Character artist

The character artist is responsible for creating the main focus of any work: the character.
It’s very important to understand fundamentals of movement, visually AND anatomically. that means，CG artist should have a thorough understanding of anatomy, as well as appropriate technical skills and knowledge of related software.

I would suggest taking times of your week warming-up or setting up sessions in which you study the human figure, this can be quick gestures or blocking out the body into simple shapes like ovals and cubes. If they’re in motion, the better!An ideal character artist is able to transform a model from a concept into a fully realized CG character with realistic shadows and decorations.

Environment artist

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This role requires a skilled CG artist with a broad background, using hard surfaces and sculpting techniques to create different types of assets. Must have a comprehensive knowledge of modeling, sculpting, textures and shading, as well as the ability to solve technical problems.

Whether you’re creating a new Skyrim or the next Star Wars, environment artists are required to construct cohesive 3D worlds, from terrain to sky and everything in between. As well as films and games, environment artists can also be found creating realistic training simulations, helping visualize spaces for architects, and more.

Rigger/Animator

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An animator produces multiple images called frames, which when sequenced together create an illusion of movement – this is known as animation. The images can be made up of digital or hand-drawn pictures, models or puppets.The assembler creates the joints of the puppets, and the animator controls the strings that move them. Rigging is most directly related to the skeleton and muscle tissue of the model, and animators can use them to bend, twist, and guide movement.

The CG artist needs a solid understanding of mathematics, and the success of an animator depends more on the realization of a sense of rhythm, flow and movement.The basic skill of animation still relies heavily on artistic ability, but there is an increasing need for animators to be familiar with technical computer packages.

Lighter

Designs and implements lighting of characters and environments for assigned shots that meet and enhance the given art direction for a production. Able to light multiple types of scenes from simple to moderately difficult. Compositing experience required. Ensures that assigned shots fit the continuity of the sequence. Develops solutions and techniques that meet art/technical direction.

The lighting engineer will do what you expect-they will light up-but it’s not just simply adding fluorescent light bars to the scene. This means using a highly complex rendering engine to provide a sense of physics and space for the digital environment, copying the real-world lighting around us every day. If you can master the complex physics of lightning, there will be many technical CG jobs available to you in the future.

Compositor

Compositors are in high demand as almost every production requires some form of compositing – from seamlessly integrating VFX shots with CG characters; FX and environments; to working on invisible VFX like stray hairs, rain or fog in a TV show or commercial. The compositor is the master of art at the end of the process.

They are responsible for handling all the work in front of them and superimposing them into a final beautiful shot. The challenge is how to integrate works of different levels (such as FX and matte paintings) into flat-panel photography, without the viewer being able to see the seams. The compositor should have a deep understanding of color, real-world photography and image synthesis.

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