Who is a CG Artist — A Column by Glera Games

We are publishing a new article in our series dedicated to various gaming professions. This time, it's about the job of a CG Artist. Insights were shared by Katerina Knyazeva from Glera Games.

Katerina Knyazeva — 2D Art Team Lead

Who is a CG Artist?

“An adult who remained a child” is what I'd like to say, but that's not the case. An artist is an adult who devotes their working—and often free time—to drawing, creating good moods, and providing entertainment for many people. Behind seemingly simple drawings lies analysis and almost mathematical precision, adhering to numerous artistic dogmas and rules.

Here and onwards are works by Katiya Knyazeva's team

What are the responsibilities of a CG Artist, and what should they do and be responsible for?

In short, it all depends on the artist's level and the position they hold in the company. Even within different game development companies, the responsibilities of any given specialist vary.

Generally speaking, an artist draws. They draw environments, characters, UI/UX, advertising banners or store illustrations, visual effects, color scripts, sketches, photobashes, marketing materials, and much more!

In my view, the main task of an artist, as a separate development branch, is to create an intriguing visual sequence (image) that will motivate players to download a game after seeing the image or video in stores.

What does a CG Artist need to know to perform their duties well?

I would start not with practical knowledge but with the type of temperament. The profession of an artist implies an advanced level of the skill of "sitting in a chair for 8-10 hours a day".

As for practical matters, to fulfill duties you need to:

understand drawing basics (including — composition in a frame, color theory, work with tones, and much more);
be proficient with popular software (such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Blender);
be able to analyze and deconstruct other works of art;
have a broad visual exposure (the broader your horizons, the better, as with good exposure you'll be able to search for references yourself
and work more confidently with textual technical tasks);
play games that you want to draw for.

Where do people generally come from into the CG Artist field?

From everywhere!

In my experience, there were people who knew from childhood that they wanted to draw, and there were colleagues who, before mastering the art of drawing, worked in factories, bakeries, as taxi drivers, game designers, and even programmers!

There are no set rules for entering creative professions.

What is necessary for growth in this field?

Persistence, hard work, and understanding of where you want to go.

There are many directions in CG art. Therefore, after working 3-5 years in the industry (sometimes less), it's crucial to decide whether you want to develop as a specialist (meaning directly drawing) or if you prefer vertical career growth (that is, drawing less, giving more feedback, and taking responsibility for what your supervised department or artists do).

Depending on the path you choose, you should develop relevant skills: deeply acquiring artistic skills, strengthening weaker areas, or moving more toward management (learning how processes work, providing clear structured feedback, deepening in art deconstruction, and explaining simply to artists of different levels what needs to be done and why; being able to argue your point clearly).

What are the growth prospects in this field?

If you want to draw: tech/junior artist > middle artist > senior artist > chief artist/lead artist.

Here:

In the junior position, you have virtually no responsibility and get relatively simple tasks with detailed descriptions and examples of what's desired, plus lots of feedback (this is your first step in the profession where you learn through real tasks);
In the middle position, you're more independent, can analyze references, sketch and render your sketches with limited feedback but with specific technical tasks, have knowledge in tone, color, light, and atmosphere; you can draw not only props but also illustrations (not super complex ones);
In the senior position, you're a well-experienced specialist capable of handling a broad range of tasks (usually covering several areas, for example, drawing character illustrations and working in 3D to speed up drawing processes, create more precise lighting, and depth in scenes), you can confidently take on a research task, work well with technical tasks, ask clarifying questions in tasks (of course, possessing all the skills of lower grades);
In the chief/lead artist position, you're a mega-experienced specialist responsible for a specific art direction, you provide feedback (if desired), can write documentation, and participate in calls related to the area in which you're the chief.

If you have achieved everything you wanted in art (or just decided to change your professional path without leaving the artistic field), after becoming a senior or chief/lead, you can move towards art lead > art team lead > art director > art producer.

Here, there is significantly more responsibility, a lot of time will be spent providing feedback (usually, you don't draw anymore), you must work extensively with the team, documentation, and processes, you begin teaching a team of leads, covering all areas of art development (if you're an art director or art producer) + have general knowledge working with related departments (character artists, 3D artists, animators, level design, marketing, economy).

Are there any red flags within this profession?

If you love an active lifestyle, are restless—any sedentary profession is not for you.

An artist needs to be quite flexible and easy to learn due to constantly changing technologies. We never know what theme we will have to draw on, so the broader your horizons and the more observant you are, the better. If you don't like learning, discovering new things, and studying—this job is not for you.

If you don't like working with people, are not inclined to defend your position, and are hypersensitive to feedback—any managerial positions are not for you. You can draw but not develop into the managerial side.

What to read about the specialty?

Interesting books for artists who are already in the profession, mandatory reading (in any order):

“Steal Like an Artist” — Austin Kleon
“Color and Light” — James Gurney;
Framed Ink: Drawing and Composition for Visual Storytellers — Marcos Mateu-Mestre;
“Figure Drawing: Design and Invention” — Michael Hampton.