Get that art JOB! Portfolio tips. 

This channel is a hidden gem

Hey Rob! I'm an 18 year old artist with dreams of working in film and video games as a concept artist. I'm transferring to an art college this spring and I just wanted to tell you that you really inspire me to continue pushing myself every day as an artist and you have given me so much confidence. I feel really privileged to have someone like you giving me all this advice, and I hope that someday soon I can put tips like these to good use and get that foot in the door haha. Thanks so much for your time man.

So much valluable information and you are just giving it to us basiclly for nothing. Well done SIR. Thank you so much. I will get there eventually :P

Thanks Rob for sharing the wisdom!

Thanks Rob! You are very inspiring.

Everything in this just seems so genuine that it's kind of heartwarming

thanks Rob!

All this useful information...I love it! Thanks for this!

The ending is very very encouraging . Thank you for making this video

Thank you so much bob! Very helpful!

Thanks for uploading. Needed to hear this.

thank you man, not only you give advice, you also inspire us all. great video!

Wished I found this earlier. It would have been helpful right after graduation. Thanks for the tips. Time to get back to work.

Awesome tips!, Thanks for it Rob! :D

you are awesome! thank you for giving an in-depth description on how to go about applying! I have been drawing for 14 years but didn't go to school for art, so at times I feel discouraged. There's an opportunity here where I live and (thanks to your advice) i'm gonna go for it, however I don't know anyone who can look over my work before hand.

I appreciate this advice so much! Thank you for taking time to get this information out there :)

More people need to see this. Great advice, Rob and so true!

Great advice man! Thanks for sharing your knowledge! Love your videos!

Tanx to shere your experience

Thank you!!

Thank you!

Really thankful for an inspiring video!

Always amazing topics and advises.. skill and mental health wise.. and also amazing artist! Respect

Thank Rob Brown for amazing and useful tips for building a good portfolio.

Thank you for the great video, I really appreciate what you're doing.

I'm probably commenting late, but I have to say your advice is golden. It answered a lot of questions I have had in my mind for years. I hope you will keep making more new videos to help concept artists out there.

Oh my... So I just graduated and created my resume and i put a piece of art on the top as a clever way to get the hiring managers interested since I don't have much experience yet and all f my teachers tried to tell me it was a bad idea ! Thank you for the reassuring advice and all of the helpful information. I have an actual book that I made but the electronic leave behind seems eve better ! I wouldn't have to worry about poor prints. Thanks again !

Really insightful advice. I've heard some partially-related tips before (like starting and ending on a good piece; psychology and whatnot) but they didn't explore half of all the nuances that you did. I'd like to get an art-related job in the future, so this will be a major help in that endeavor.

Awesome tips Rob! thanks for sharing :D

thank you for this im studying illustration right now and this is really inspiring.

Great information Rob, thank you so much for this. I am surely going to put these tips to practice.

that was great! thanks for sharing!

Thank you for the tips. Alot of what you said not to do i had done in the past especially the part about just sending my work to everyone and just waiting for the responses instead of sending specifically for that job.

Dude so good!

Great video, thanks!

Awesome content here! Thanks for posting this.

wow... you inspire me to push myself. I'm college student who was trying to figure it out what I like to do for my job until I found out that, I want to be a game artist and I am very love it ! ! ! well... Your video remind me for what my goal is. I will keep watching this video until my graduate and get a job. Thank you (Sorry for my grammar)

Thank you!!! :)

Great advice dude!

Thank u!

Omg thank you so much for this gotta cry

great gold informations You just gave Rob. I keep listening carefully your advices and professional experiences. I´m strugling to get off ground as a concept artist and done lots of mistakes you just told above. Very thankful for the tips and would like to keep in touch with your tips and get more advices from you.

Thanks for this inspiring video. I've been drawing for ages, but missed the art school and went to law school instead. Now I'm unemployed, but still fighting everyday to be a concept artist. Making a good porfolio might be the key for me to get to my dream job.

thanks man!

Oh this was such a good one. I applied to a few companies recently and had in the back of my mind that I just needed to hurry up and do it! I was working on a piece according to a companies style of a game they are working on. I went and applied like an idiot before I finished because what was going on in the back of my mind was that time is flying and the job would not be listed. I feel like a derf. What you are saying in this video is confirmation buddy. Thank you so much. I will also research the Art Directors on the project and see if there is a way to talk to them. Thanks again and again. Love the words and the way you are helping everyone, including myself to keep striving to get that job in the industry.

I have a couple of industry contacts from the Industry Week that happens at my college every year, but I never knew how to start an email to them. This video gave me some good insight on how to get over that, so thank you!!

Thanks for your great advice but I am not there yet I lack fluency in my work and be able to draw fast and accurate. I should work on that first before I even consider applying! I love your video's so inspiring!

Hi Rob, great video! I have one question - if you are proficient with things outside of concept art such as being able to model, do animation, sound design, etc, would it be beneficial to include a very small portion of some of these in a portfolio? Or would companies prefer to see only concept art and illustration skills?

But in all honesty Im finding all of these portfolio review tips channels on youtube very beneficial in terms of gauging the standard set out there. Great videos :)

I like this. Thanks man! I do need to organize my portfolio better. As soon as you said "keep your best stuff online up" I was like "oh dear!" 😅 gotta tighten up. Anyway thanks, one day I'll be making a video to help others in the industry. Be blessed.

Aww man, this came out right after I just applied to 2 studios earlier today. Thanks man, really insightful.

The tablet thing is hilariously brilliant

Not a single dislike. I think this video deserves it.

Good honest advice. :)

Solid gold. I'm 39 and trying to switch industries and make a new portfolio for a game studio I want to work in. Your videos have been inspirational to say the least.

This is SO HELPFUL! I have a question though. For my portfolio should I show all of my characters from a story or should I just show turnarounds and facial expressions of one character from each story?

Been watching videos about this subject. All I see are wishy washy videos that do not give me any information about the topic. Then I saw this one, thank you.

I've spent the last 3 weeks trying to develop a consensus of what a current portfolio is/has in it. There are a few consistencies such as length, (typically no longer than 60 seconds) best work first- second or third best last, and make it topical to the job etc. but it all seems so damn insurmountable. Going on to Art Station was the worst thing I did. If you want to be COMPLETELY demoralized, go onto Art Station and see all that amazing work. The worst part for me, is I'm no spring chicken. Although I've worked in 3D modeling and animation for years, it hasn't been in a typical production environment. Basically, the work I was doing doesn't really make for portfolio material. I'm not out of work, but I wanna find something better... ugggh. My brain hurts.

Hey rob, thank you so much for such valuable content .. i have one question You said separate your work ..enviroment and character design but what if we're giving them protfolio file..i mean than how we could separate???

Hey, awesome video as always. I am strong in traditional but my digital needs some work and would love to know if you have any exercises or tips to help further progress in Photoshop for concept art. Thank you again

Thank you Rob, That was the best advice for preparing to find work as a Artist. Your work is brilliant and very inspiring. Any advice on balancing traditional art workload with digital art workload as increasingly I am studying traditional art now after I graduated with my Arts and Media Degree. Yet Art Directors want Digital Art examples mainly, is that correct ? I would like to work as a Concept Artist or Environment Artist.

Do you have any tips on getting a position at pixar? As an animator etc. How should the portfolio look?

how do you know if your art is good enough for a portfolio? Or what to put in your portfolio?

that's very helpful. I didn't finish my work, buut i wonder i i could ask you for help :)

I can't tell you how amazing this video was, I've been looking to intern at an animation or even game studio, so my portfolio's been a major concern. if you have any experience with internships could you share some tips for situations like that ?

Hey Rob! first of all thanks for all your amazing content all those years , i cant explain how much i appreciate it. I have a small question, something i always wonder when i use artstation. There is a feature where you can divide your portfolio in several "folders" lets say. Is it okay to use it, the same way you mentioned having a "sketchbook" page in your website? So i would create a "portfolio" folder, and a "sketchbook" folder or something like that. I also had the idea of posting the sketchbook stuff on the blogging feature. I just feel like artstation is a kinda scary place and id like to know your opinion, because some people say its bad some say its amazing they love to see it, etc.. :b Anyways thank you so much rob, great video even many years later!!

Hey Rob, your videos are fantastic. I'm a recent illustration grad and have been building my portfolio up. Do you have any thoughts on whether its important to be versatile with your subject matter(for concept art) or be masterful in one specific genre (creature design, characters, environments, etc.?) It's something I've been struggling with lately. Thanks again!

Wow, this is gold! Thank you so much Rob. So just so I understand, you are physically leaving the tablet at the studio correct? With all your art and info on it? Do you have any recomendations for getting a job at a ios/android game studio? Thanks a ton!

wonderful tips sir! sir i am right now in 3rd year of my graduation program. i am doing specialization in applied arts field but i really developed interest in character design and environment design recently but i am not really sure how can i switch and be better at it. can you guide me for a better portfolio and learning for the same?

Do you think platforms like Instagram are accepted as artistic journals or places to experiment and possibly a website as a final portfolio if art directors find you online?

What do you think of someone who creates their own story? I have been working on a personal comic for years and am starting to develop a pilot to present it. It doesn't even feel like work how incredibly fun it is to world build etc etc. Is that an appropriate approach?

Can I ask you a question? How do u break thru that industry and you already been graduated. Like years ago. How do u set your mind to finish those pieces that are going to catch the eye of those companies. I have an issue on where do I start and what do I draw.

thaks for this.... how does one know you are ready to present your portfolio? im currently in the process of creating digital portfolio and used to be creating drawings made from traditional art then ive decided to shift gear to digital illustrator and concept design. Is it true that some companies if you happen to send a bad portfolio and they eventually remember your name so the next application they wont bother looking at it? This is what scares me so here i am on the process of creating a set of competitive works....

Hey Rob. Do you have any advice for staying motivated whilst building your portfolio of work? The competition as you stated is quite fierce and it can be hard for me not to get down about my work because it's not up to par especially with regards to those on artstation.

3:20 Im kinda confused am I not sappost to have any personality in my work? What do you mean by artist fartsy? How am I supposed to know if my stuff falls into this category?

When looking for a new employee do you expect them to have any specific qualifications or is it simply based on their portfolio? Great video by the way :)

Ok there is one guy who says dont try to blend in with your art, do what you love most but try to be different, and on the other hand try to tailor your resume to each studio, so what you are supposed to do when you want to get in?

Question. I always hear this piece of advice, "put up your best work", what I'm trying to figure out is, how to know what my best work is? Should I go by amount of likes? views? comments? I sometimes think I'm doing smthg great but C&Cs come back as meh... Any advice on how to pick my best work? Thanks for the great video, and your good vibes.

Rob thank you so much for this, it's so helpful! I might have some questions though. Any advice to women concept artists? Is it harder to reach it because of our gender? is it an influence at all when picking an artist? Are there some out there that you'd recommend? I'd like to follow some ladies, it's always cool to have one to look up to! ^-^ As for my second question, I was wondering: what sites are good to host your portfolio, nobody seems to talk about it and I've honestly no real clue about it and I'd like to get it started!

What kind of angle should you take when first contacting a kind of company like Riot or any other like it? Would it be appropriate to contact them asking what kind of jobs they would have available or what they would be looking for? Or maybe just what they want to see.

Hi Mr. Rob. So much thanks from me, what i want to know is, how do we know about the AD from a project? well you know this game or film project is basically like a 'secret' ?

Hey rob. This is an old account so never mind the title. I'm applying to art center in 2019. I'm actually a science teacher in Ohio taking art classes at night. Funny question... Do you think it would be hard to live in a van in Pasadena? Like insulated with solar panels and an ac unit. Shower at a 24 hour gym. More reason to spend time on campus or in cafes right? I figure I could sell it after to some adventure hippie and net save myself like 25k or better in debt. I've already got debt so I'm saving now to make this happen.

Excellent tips and ideas, thank you! I took many notes! Do you know of any good websites for art talent/jobs similar to ArtStation that is based in Australia?

I have a question, is it required for you to live in LA to work for Riot as a concept artist? Thanks.

Hey Rob! I have a great question that I think only you can answer and none of my academic advisers really seem to be able to answer. I'm going to school in the North State, California State University at Chico. This school has a Computer Animation and Game Development program. I want so badly to learn how to get a job in concept art and drawing and matte painting and photography and anything that I can do to be a photoshop and adobe after effects master. My question to you is, what sort of major can I take up for pathway study to spend my most time in Adobe Photoshop? My basis is this, there is an option for an Art Studio major at my school. This Major seems applicable as I will most likely learn how to paint, use lighting, transfer to digital medium but perhaps not focused on digital medium. The Animaiton and Game Development course has only 2 classes that have conept design in them so I don't believe it will offer me any sort of luck. The other option I could go with is Graphic Design. This seems like it may be the most time spent in Adobe photoshop although I don't want to learn how to make company logos but rather be able to sketch figures and paint environments and study materials and render robots and mechs like you do here on your channel. Maybe Art Studio is the way to go because of the skills I will learn? I fully understand that any which way I make it through school I will only need a really good portfolio in order to land that first job and start honing my craft which is a future milestone I so am in anticipation for. I think the fine arts program helps you manage portfolio creation and as well I think they would still help me if I wanted to go into games or the film concept industry I just may need to guide them in the direction and vision I have for myself. Also, maybe a photography major covers the things like composition and lighting and all of the topics important to artists. I just know that I want to be a digital artist and it is not offered as a focus however I do see classes for drawing, 2d design, 3d design and up to advanced digital media.

Great! One question though... Where can I get the dough to give away a dozen of 180 dollar tablets?

Not so sure the tablets are such a good idea, keep in mind that students are broke for the most part, and a $100 tablet for each employer builds up into a lot of money, also it puts the employer into an akward position of having a tablet from a stranger, what is he supposed to do with it? format it and give it to his kids? donate it? put it in the closet? imagine 50 people sending tablets, that adds to a lot of space and a lot of weight as compared to a stack of paper portfolios that can be discarded easily without any bad feelings. I think a paper portfolio still beats any email to a link to your website because when you have something physical in your hand whether a tablet or a paper portfolio you have an advantage over others because it is more work to send out something physical, it costs money and most people are lazy. So my advice would be to send a paper portfolio but design it in a unique eye catching way, perhaps draw a big food on the cover, or have your best piece on the cover, have it in a color like orange that will stand out from the pile, stuff like that will make them look at your work with more interest. Over all Awesome advice man, thank you

Tip No1. Have a bunch of half naked Elves in your portfolio.

Does this apply to me as an animator ?

company gets your tablet dosnt want to throw it away. factory rosters it

Hello Mr Brown, I just want to appreciate you giving all these tips. I am currently working as a 3D layout artist and my supervisor advised me to get more involved with concept art since he knew I have a passion in illustrations. However, I am not quite sure where should I start as a concept artist since it is all about designing and visual story telling through the design. I do a lot of character illustrations for about few years now and I just want to know what does an employer actually look for? Do they look at the characters first or do they look at the environment art first? Once again thank you so much for this video. Very much love from Malaysia.

Damn... I’ve been shotgunning all over the place...

Hey Rob, could you provide contact info for sending in artwork if we want an outside opinion and constructive criticism?

Rob can i adopt you bro? you wont even have to do chores

03:00 artsi fartsi XD

hey rob i just pm you to your concept art of Robert D. Brown facebook "fan page" would you mind to check it out?

you never told how much you paid

from the beginning he came of as lazy and pretentious pretty much imposes his idea on other's wouldn't want to work with this guy. Can do better.