I am a design and animation student that is looking to get into further education so I can develop my skills and hopefully forge a career in animation and concept art. From as far back as I can remember I've always been obsessed with Video games. This obsession has always gone far beyond just the gameplay, storylines and online communities.

My real love has always centred around the artwork of games, the characters and the world-building.
 

I’ve always felt that the most popular and successful games are the ones which can create a unique, complex and awe-inspiring world for the player to immerse themselves in, for hours, sometimes days at a time. The games which most strike a chord with me are the ones where the designer implements subtle design techniques which utilize and mirror the themes of the game as a whole. My favourite example of this is Yoji Shinkawa’s work on the Metal Gear Solid franchise. He develops the idea of ‘manifesting the intangible‘ throughout the artwork series. He focuses on attempting to reveal the true spirit of the characters, by using an East Asian painting technique called Sumi-e and shadowing. Since researching this technique I have since been inspired to apply to my projects where it’s relevant. 

 

My love for artwork and design has been further fueled by my time doing my UAL Level 3 diploma in Game design and animation ’ at Westminster Kingsway College. My eyes have been opened to the various skills, techniques and practises that modern-day artists and technicians utilize to design the people and the worlds that we all inhabit in the video games we play. 

I have recently completed my first year and not only am I enjoying my time on the course far more than I ever thought possible, but I have also achieved a great deal in the short time that I have been studying. I was ‘team leader’ of the department which won the “National Skills Challenge” from Sports Interactive. As part of the competition, numerous teams were asked to create an advertising campaign for the new Football Manager 2021 game, within a day. Our team created posters, box art and merchandise. We then presented it to four judges, and my team was voted in 1st place out of 12.  During this event, not only do I believe that our team presented some excellent designs but also, I was personally able to enhance my communication and teamwork skills, which are just as essential as design within the industry. 

 

Further to the competition win, I also achieved a distinction grade in my level 3 diploma for my FMP (final major project). My project was a two-minute satirical animation of the film noir genre. This was one of only 2 final major projects on my course which were posted out to the public by the college as examples of students' work. This was my second attempt at creating an animation; my colleagues and tutors pointed out that it was a substantial improvement from my original, proving that I can take criticism and direction well, and act on feedback - which, again is something I know is important in education, but also in the industry. 

 

I decided on the noir genre for my parody, as it is a genre that intrigues me. I love the atmosphere of the era and the coinciding tropes. I also love how complex the characters and the themes of these noir stories are. I feel this quality in film has been lost with time. Some of my favourites being Nicholas Ray’s Rebel without a Cause and Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. They are two of my favourite noirs as they include both cliché and yet simultaneously the defying expectation in both their character arcs and narratives.  

 

I hope to continue concept art and animation at university, as it will provide me with the opportunity to develop my design skills, get hands-on with a multitude of different programmes and technology, but moreover meet like-minded people with whom I hope to have invigorating and stimulating conversations, so I can draw inspiration from different places, cultures and ways of life.