Concept artists salary

>>2843577
what did you expect? 30k?
54k/yr isn't even that "good". You need a lot of skill just to reach that level whereas you can be making 70k+/yr programming with half the years of practicing

>>2843588
>what did you expect? 30k?
Yea, I thought artists were poor.

Mechanical engineers make a little bit more
http://www.payscale.com/research/CA/Job=Mechanical_Engineer/Salary

And they say artists are poor and dumb losers who failed at life. WRONG.

>>2843577
This is actually depressing. Especially since a lot of these sorts of jobs require you to relocate to incredibly expensive cities.

>>2843577
https://youtu.be/CdC99JRSpG8
Apparently if you work hard enough you can be making over 300k

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>>2843590
>>2843588
they make as much as biologists!!

http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Biologist/Salary

Not depressing at all you greedy jews

I think the best route for a concept artist is to land a gig as a technical artist first. That way you can be have stable income.
Then as you become a larger "need" of the company, you can rise through the ranks to concept artist. Probably becoming an AD eventually.

It's all about becoming a influential need to the company/studio. That's when you get more money.

>>2843590
If you're in seattle or something and make 54k/yr living in a 1b apartment takes up 1/3 of your income not taking inconsideration of taxes. So you just need to be a little frugal

>>2843600
>a technical artist
A what?

>>2843606
Seconding. Is it 3d?

>>2843607
Funny. I searched it up and it's literally that position that deals with technical stuff that also involves art direction. Who knew that the job title would describe it so perfectly?

>>2843606
>>2843607
A job of a tech artist is basically the gears to any studio.
They don't make influential artistic choices, nor do they interact with higher ups much. Tech artists are given concept art to model, texture, animate, rig, light, etc so it can go in-game.

I guess techs work closely with concept artists as you try an decipher what the concept is trying to say. Tech artists understand limitations of say the game engine. They're basically the engineers of the art department. Hence why it's a stable job, because it's needed otherwise there'd be too much overlap beteeen positions.

>>2843619
Sounds like a good job that'll be in demand since I doubt many people know about it. I honestly thought programmers did that stuff or the 3-D Artist. But how do you even get in?

>>2843577
The difference is in the demand, and the salary is inflated by concept art jobs that want both 2D and 3D skills.

>>2843619
I don't think that is what a tech artist does. 3D modelers do the 3D modeling. Character artists, environment artists. Tech artist helps make sure that all artists know the limitations that they have to work in. Works with the technical side of the production pipeline - which programs and techniques will be used, how many bones are allowed for characters, probably deals with creating shaders. Less about being creative and more about optimizing the production pipeline and figuring out how to get everything looking nice but not fucking performance.

>>2843623
>concept art jobs that want both 2D and 3D skills.

Why would they want that? Why 3d?

I made 50k at my first concept artist job. I remember Jason Manley talking about how 40k-60k was the average starter salary for a concept artist back in the old days of ca.org.

>>2843642
So, is it worth it? Or should I quit now and do something else?

>>2843625
Before the 3d artists do the actual modeling I think the tech artists (not sure, maybe someone else?) make a super basic rudimentary 3d model of w/e level or environment (I.E. all the paths are there but everything is just rough grey blocks) is being built so the programmers can test it out with the engine and do rough play tests or w/e else. After the basic layout is approved, than the 3d modelers actually model the level and make it look good.

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>>2843628
A 3D concept will give a better idea of what a thing will look like than a 2D concept. It also allows for faster iteration. An art director might also want you to do some paint overs of a model one of the modelers made, so at the very least you should be able to load up a model in a 3D package and take some screen shots from various angels, maybe even know how to spit out various different types of renders and how to use them wisely in photoshop. On the extreme end of the spectrum you have guys like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7YIpB9egMU

Companies can probably afford to be choosy with so many people wanting the job. If they can have concept art that looks like pic related, then why would they turn that down? It can also help speed along the 3D modeler's job. They can take the concept artist model, which will often be kind of bashed together or too high poly, and retopo it rather than start building from scratch. Or at least have a 3D model to copy rather than trying to decipher the forms of a 2D image.

>>2843650
I agree with you wholeheartedly
A concept artist who knows 3d and 2d is lightyears ahead of a 2d only one.

But I will say that with 2d, you have the ability to create right in front of someone's eyes in a matter of minutes. Rather than having to change locations, bootup the program, model a shitty version of whatever you're thinking, only to have the AD say "scrap it" and there goes 30mins in comparison to 5minutes of 2d exploration lost.

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Here is a concept a guy posted on Deviant art which landed him a job at CCP... a company located in an icy wasteland that supposedly pays below average.

>>2843660
yeah, definitely, gotta be able to draw.

>>2843661
Feng has mentioned that in his podcast about money. It has to do with the fact that if you pump out a product, you'll get a better pay the next time you go to a new job or stick around. Simply put, the pay balances out later.

>>2843588
>70k+/yr programming with half the years of practicing
Uhhh low side of base salary is like 100k out of school with a BS and goes up to like 150k

SW engineer with phd starts at 150k

>>2843650
>>2843660
Fuck, I don't know 3d.

It seems like 3d artists are supperior in everything in the art industry, they can do concept, animation, everything. And they get paid more

>>2843675
I never understood the "software enginners and computer scientists are rich!!!" meme. I don't know any software dev. That does more than 70k


http://www.payscale.com/research/CA/Job=Software_Engineer_%2F_Developer_%2F_Programmer/Salary

>>2843677
But if you're an artist, you do know 3D. You just don't know how to model it in blender.

>>2843677
Learn Modo
It's designed to be fast and is the standard in thr motion picture industry.

It really isn't hard to get used to. The UI is decent and the tools are really powerful.

>>2843680
I heard that 3d is very different than 2d and that you can be a 3d artist without knowing how to draw. Can the skills really transfer?

>>2843675

>phd grads
>rich

kekarooni

>>2843681
>Modo
Thanks fot that anon it seems very nice

>>2843675
>Uhhh low side of base salary is like 100k out of school with a BS and goes up to like 15
Uh, what? I'm sure it's 40-60k starting.

>>2843689
>>2843675
Yes, it's like, 50 k starting.

Bio-informatics, tho, is 63k starting ;;)) goes up to 100k

know the hacks ;))

>>2843678
Mm I just hired a guy at 115 out of school

>>2843686
Just don't do a post doc or stay in academia, go straight industry if you care about $$$

>>2843689
>>2843691
I guess I live in the Bay Area bubble so all the companies have pretty high pay to stay competitive with each other.

Giant caveat is that rent and tax here is insane so money moves in high volumes

>>2843691
i am teh hackar extreme

>>2843713
>tfw live in Bay Area but didn't know it was that high
Really? Are we serious? I thought people who came out straight from school would be unreliable.

Im not concept art but I worked for two of the top 5 company plus some small studios

>fresh $30k
>1-5 $45k
>5+ $60k
normal salaries

you are expected to take a lead or management role after senior and 5 years of working. once that happens your salary can fly up. talented concept artists with huge followings and or freelance experience usually shoot up in salary too.

interns and junior ones don't enter with $60k yearly, even in major studios.

>>2843645

It's really hard to say, to be honest. I'm not memeing or trying to scare you off... but it's really not a field I'd ever go out of my way to recommend to anyone. It's more than a job - if you want to do it, it has to be a lifestyle, and that lifestyle requires sacrifices. Art has to be #1 in your life for a long time, and maybe you can make it #2 or #3 after you're established, but you'll always be sacrificing for art. If you love it, it's not a terrible price to pay.

If you're having doubts about whether art is something you want to do as a career, the smart advice is to really honestly examine your other options and decide if you could be happy doing something else. There are a lot of other jobs that are much easier, have better hours, pay better, and will leave you plenty of free time to do art as a fun hobby with no shitty clients breathing down your neck and no stress about looking for your next job. I'd be lying if I said I didn't sometimes wish I'd chosen a different career path. I'm sorry to give a depressing answer like this; I don't want to shit on anyone's dreams. But it is extremely important to go into art as a career with your eyes wide open, because you will just burn out and fail if you're delusional.

If you read this depressing post and feel like you're just going to work your ass off harder to make it, congrats, you will probably make it. If reading this makes you depressed, you may be smart not to burn bridges where other career opportunities are concerned.

>>2843721
I see it as a compromise between quality of work, company size, and pay.

The most boring uninspired SW jobs pay the most, and as you enter more interesting brag worthy work, your compensation decreases. You are essentially being paid a lot to do a job that nobody wants, and you are being paid a lot to stick around and keep doing it.

>>2843759
Seriously what are these other jobs that are much easier, have better hours, pay better and leave you will plenty of free time? Also, why did you enter this career path in the first place and still continue? That means there's some sort of enjoyment right?

>>2843684
If you are building somebody else's design you don't really need to know how to draw. However if you are designing in 3D it definitely helps a lot if you can sketch. Some 3D designers dont though.

>>2843589
>>what did you expect? 30k?
>Yea, I thought artists were poor.

Its because many artists live in expensive cities

Concept art is among the most oversaturated job markets you can think of. The established companies that would otherwise be willing and able to pay the US average of 54k or more are already filled to the brim with the greatest talent money can buy, and those people can continue to work for as long as they like. You people that think getting good guarantees you stable employment in an industry that already has top-tier talent from all over the world clamoring to get in ought to get your heads out of the clouds before you make a terrible mistake

Guys you know there are other jobs that require the same artistic skills, it's just slightly different name. For example, Storyboard artists make GOOD money. One of my instructors at my art school still does storyboarding for clients, and he makes six figures easily.
Obviously there are positions that aren't as cool, but pay just as well: 3d character modeler, texturer/uv mapper, environmemt modeler, prop/asset design, etc.
You could even take your artwork skills at do promotional splash illustrations, or even things like loading screens. In the movie industry you could do promotional work in the form of billboard, or magazine inserts, etc.
Being a concept artist also needs you to be aware of many different elements, like "how is an actor going to wear this? What materials will this be made out of. How will this stand on it's own? What parts move? Etc" this type of thinking can get you into places such as actual environment design (not for entertainment), interior design, maybe not architecture but possibly something a little less intensive.

Since concept artists nowadays are illustrators, they can do card art (mtg, hearthstone) and even board game illustrations. Don't forget those online games where you click around to do stuff. They're usually city builders.

That reminds me, the fucking mobile industry is huge too. Yes your artwork will either be part of a shitty game, or it will never get used....but it's pay. Make sure to research your client when doing mobile phone work.

Indie devs are probably your best bet too. Small team, and probably not a huge budget. But you will probably work very close with everyone on the team for a long time. Not only that, but it's a fast way to get industry experience. (3yrs is required at any AAA company)

Just spend a day to just sit down and plan out your options. Look up any studio you want to be with and find their careers page. Then look for other options that might help you get there.

cont

>>2843976
Pt 2

Just make sure to have an established goal that shoots high enough ( concept artist for ILM working on Star Wars 9). That gives me a timeframe that I can work with in order to land that job in a few years. In those few years I'm constantly looking for other gigs and improving myself. So when the time comes for ILM I'm the best I'll ever be and I'll have the experience too. Give yourself 5 years to shoot for the stars. That's enough time to get internships, side jobs, industry experience, makr connections, etc. At the end of the 5 years, then achieve your goal.

We will all make it bros. Just be sure you understand what your end goal is.

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>>2843976
>>2843981
Very good post, thank you for that.

>We will all make it bros. Just be sure you understand what your end goal is.

>tfw endgoal is only to work full time on a project I love

Doesn't matter if it's indie or big company. (Actually a big company would be pritty gud) if I love the project, I will love working hard for it

>>2843996
Yes but what EXACTLY do you love?
Be specific.

Think about why you love something.

I personally loved exploring the wilderness with my friends when I was a kid. And I also really like sci fi. Put those things together and you get Star Wars (in my case. Also I was raised on star wars which helped).

Then ask the question, how can I be part of the star wars world using my artistic skills? Well, I can get into their gaming division. Yeah, but what is star wars KNOWN for? Their movies. So if I REALLY like star wars, the best route would be to land a gig at ILM as part of their art department. Who can I look at for inspiration? Well the biggest player is Iain McCaig...I'll start there.

Bam, I have figured out what my motivations are, where I plan to go, and who I plan to look at. All just by having an introspective conversation with myself.

It might help to do some Mind Mapping if you're struggling.

Think about what you love that ISN'T art. Walking outside? Biking? Watching movies? Carpentry? Metalworking? Bird watching? Video games? Counting money? Hiking? Photography? Reading? Fishing? Crafting? Cosplay?

Find out what you love that ISN'T art, theb try to find jobs that implement both a thing that you love with art.
Fishing + Art? Nature illustrator for wildlife parks, museums, books
Cosplay + Art? Costume design for broadway plays
Carpentry + Art? Architecture, environmental design, theme park design

The possibilities are endless. Just be SPECIFIC about what you truly want to do.

>>2844009
>tfw love anime and manga
Not gonna make it I guess

>>2844064
What specific aspects about it do you love?
The animation? The storytelling? The world building? The character designs? The pacing? The compositions?
You can even break these down further if you want.

Possibilities are endless.
Once you pick a path, money will follow.

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>>2844009
Yea, fortunatly I ask myself these questions. For my part I love a lot of things, but mainly animals and science. I don't feel like doing illustrations for scientific books, but I would totally work on a sci-fi game or movie/ animal game or movie.

But like I said I love a lot of things so many routes can go well for me.

Inspirations : redwall books, heavy rain game, overgrowth game, metal gear solid game, interstellar movie and zootopia movie and concept art to name some of them.

We should make a "what inspires you" thread

>>2844064
Surely you like more things

>>2844073
Forgot to mention i'm in a stem field right now, maybe some of my scientific knowledge can help? That would be cool

>>2843589
>And they say artists are poor and dumb losers who failed at life. WRONG.
How many paid concept artists do you think there are?

>>2844096
All of them are paid or else they aren't concept artists, they are cucks

>>2844096
at least a dozen

>>2844064
hentai is the way friend

>>2843684
personally someone I know in the industry said a lot of employers are starting to request some 2D work in portfolios, even if youre 3D focused. They first off like to know you can at least sketch a little, and they like to see your ideas, sense of colors and composition etc. It's just icing on the cake really, shows you're flexible.

Honestly I find after doing both some 3D and 2D that they do end up supplementing one another. My drawing got better after doing some 3D, and my 3D got better after doing some anatomy studies in 2D. They really do boost one another.

And like the other anon said, it doesn't hurt to at least know the UIs of some packages, how to do some basic scene set ups and some basic modeling.

>>2844404
Thanks for additionnal info, ill definitely learn modo to get a feel of 3d.

>>2844404
Is it true the industry is mainly in LA now?

>>2844412
A lot of the big hot shot studios are centered in LA/the west coast area in relatively close proximity sure. Compared to East coast(where Im located) there are a few like Blue Sky studios, but I find that the industry is much smaller over here, more indie, and more focused on VFX for short animations, commercials etc., than say, concept art of anything sort of related to big budget movies or games.

The plus side to that is that the crowd here is really small, a few years of good work, and you really, really know most of the group. Like if you're in NY there are quite a few jobs you can get, albeit it may not be in your preferred field.

>>2843759
So basically, it's about having passion and really wanting it.

>>2844698
Sounds like it's more than that.

>>2843940
Ah yes. I know one artist, named Tamberella who said something like that about living in LA and how expensive it was.

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>>2843675
Not even on SoCal pays are like that, are you fucking insane?

>>2846403
I just searched glass door for SW engineer salaries in San Jose, CA, average is 110. If you scroll down all the major tech company averages are around 110, and because they are so big they end up employing a majority of the Bay Area.

Not sure if this search link works...
https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/san-jose-software-engineer-salary-SRCH_IL.0,8_IM761_KO9,26.htm

>>2846445
Low side is 85, on the area with the highest pays in the US for this area, which is one of the highest on the whole world.

>>2846445
Yeah, but living costs around there are easily among the highest in the country.

>>2846504
Definitely high cost of living here and high taxes once you breach that next tax bracket. But you earn more and you pay more. Don't assume that you will come in on the low side. It's easier to be an average programmer than an average artist.

>>2846503
It's nice to have options. Instead of working in retail or a coffee shop and trying to do art on the side, you can work at a cushy tech company and do art on the side.

>>2846516
I wonder what life is like as an average programmer and average artist. We only ever hear about the good ones and the bad ones

>>2846520
I feel like the artist would think life of an average programmer is super boring, uninspired work, a sell out, and not worth sacrificing creative integrity.

The programmer would find the artist life dirty, unnecessarily risky, an the work uneducated.

Both probably feel like they could do the job of the other if they really wanted to, but they intrinsicly don't.

>>2846516
Still nowhere as high as 100k on the lower side.

>>2846528
Eh, I guess I'm in the bubble more than I care to realize. Talking amongst friends and family, the base salary target out of school is 100k. If you are earning under that, you usually stipulate a bunch of justifications like "oh but I like X technology", "I negotiated a lower base for company shares", "I passed a higher paying job at Z"

There aren't many quantifiable metrics to compare your status once you are out of school. Money, time off, hours at work, shares of stock, and secret projects.

People are kind of asshats around here with the dick measuring contests.

Holy shit entry-exit eye guide theory is such bullshit.They did scientific studies of eye movement when looking at an image and it just darts all over the place. There's good composition and that's it. No such thing as a well-composed image "guiding the eye".

>>2846580
NGMI

>>2843577
In the US it's good, everywhere else it's shit.

>>2846583
scientifically proven bullshit, lad. get woke.

Concept artists with +5 years of experience usually become art directors, if I'm understand anything.

What is the salary of an art director compared to a concept artist? I've recently found a 2D+3D game art school not too far from where I live (Rubika, in France), should I go for it? Do you really get a huge boost in salary after those initial 5 years in the industry?

>>2846598
Don't ever go to a "game school", they're huge scams. You don't need no diploma to work in the industry, you just need skills which you're not gonna get at a school like that.

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>>2846601
The thing is that I went there yesterday for the open doors, and the students in their 5th year all had industry level and concept art comparable if not better than pic related, using Photoshop, 3DS Max, Z-Brush, Substance... They even got to meet people from Valve, to show stuff from Half-Life 2 and Portal 2. The first year students told me they were extremely surprised by the speed at which they had personally progressed and seen others progress in their art.

I mean it looks promising, it can't be such a huge scam?

>>2846616
>the advertising looks good, therefore it can't be a scam
How do you think scams work? They convince people into buying something by exaggerating the few good parts and hiding/lying about the bad ones. All of your classmates are gonna be way below the average /ic/ level and your instructors have never done any professional art before, I guarantee it. There's so many stories of these kinds of schools online, just research it. With all that money you're gonna pay for that shit, you can buy tons of high quality books, tutorials and life drawing/atelier classes.

>>2846635
Mhh, alright. I'm suspicious of these game schools too, so I'll look further into it before jumping in. I have a lot of time to decide anyway. Thanks.

>>2846635
>>2846651
Yep, you were right: http://www.letudiant.fr/etudes/annuaire-enseignement-superieur/etablissement/etablissement-supinfogame-5709.html

Mostly horror stories of teachers being barely better than students and having experience in the industry from 20 years ago, except for the rare Arkane Studios / Valve employee and constant administrative problems leading to delay issues.

>>2846598
Still need answers for:
>Concept artists with +5 years of experience usually become art directors, if I'm understand anything.
>What is the salary of an art director compared to a concept artist?
>Do you really get a huge boost in salary after those initial 5 years in the industry?

You get the big bucks when you can tighten up the graphics on level 3. Learn how at Westwood College Online. 1-800-NOT-SCAM

>>2846698
Yes, art directors earn significantly more. It's not hard to google these things, look it up on glassdoor.

>>2846698
>>2843595

>>2843577
A relative of mine works for Universal in Florida. Makes around 100k I think, but he's in a management/director position. I could see a 54k salary for that job.