Environment Mentorship Review | Jullienne Fei Belo

Review

Tell us about yourself: Who are you, what do you love to do and where are you from?

Hello, I’m Jullienne - a concept artist. I’m a 25 years old Filipina but I live in Italy. Being an immigrant made a huge impact on my life - there are a lot of opportunities that aren’t present in my home country and this shaped my mentality that one should grab every chance they can get in every aspect of their life because things won’t wait for you and you only live once.

For similar reasons, I enjoy almost everything I do from playing games, reading manga, watching movies, cooking, cleaning, gardening, singing, karate, chess, karting, sketching, having fun with friends and family to being alone and just observing around. I try to be positive as much as I can and try to learn what I can even when things get difficult, and this way of thinking made me get out of my comfort zone countless times both personally and artistically. Which is also a factor why I don’t prefer a particular genre for concept art. Variety and limitations are what makes it fun and pushes you to be more creative.

I have been introduced to anime like Naruto and Slam Dunk and videogames such as Diablo 2, Warcraft 3, Starcraft, Red Alert, Counter-Strike and God of War at a young age by my family. I still remember clearly how amazed I was by these games, especially Blizzard’s cinematics. When I was a teenager, I finished Tomb Raider 2013 and I unlocked some collectibles; it was the concept art of the game and this is the first time I’ve seen stuff from behind the scenes - especially that one mountain sketch that remained in my mind after all these years.

In some videogames, in particular The Sims, I have spent more time customizing my characters or my in-game house rather than playing the actual game. It turns out to be the thing I love doing the most: creating and design, more specifically environment design.

What were the biggest problems you faced when you started as an artist?

There were several. In middle school, validation seeking in social media. In high school, comparing myself to others thoughtlessly and wanting to achieve results without putting in any real effort. In college and even during my mentorship, I thought I was never going to be good enough.

However, like I said above, problems and obstacles are necessary to grow. When I was younger, I only drew anime. When I started art high school, I needed to do live sketching, use different mediums and do different projects which developed my skills and pushed my boundaries. From then on, I started to consider the unknown and difficult things as challenges to overcome, not as something that merely beats you down. This helped me become a curious person and now, when I face a problem, albeit with a bit of overthinking, I deal with it with a certain ease that prevents me from completely getting overwhelmed.

I would also like to mention a more concrete issue that I think a lot of other artists face as well: financial struggles. When you reach a certain age, you want (and need) to become more financially independent and there are much more real-world responsibilities you need to deal with. I was aware that I wasn’t up to par with the industry level yet so it was a tough decision to make: more work for more money but less time for art or working but dedicating more time for what I’m passionate about. I chose the latter. I chose to invest my time and effort for my passion but I still had to delay my mentorship because I had to save up. I needed to make sacrifices. I’m also aware that it’s easier to do this because of the support of my family and my partner which I’m deeply thankful for.

The Sanctum of False Nirvana - Final Image

The high-caste dwelled in the Sanctum while the low-caste built the machine, but in time, both were all but forgotten.

Why did you decide to sign up for CGVerse online art school?

I decided to sign up for CGVERSE online art school because my works weren’t up to industry standard and I felt lost.

After my concept art school, something was quite amiss in my portfolio. It was “okay” and seeing my artworks before that, I’ve improved so much. I tried to apply all the things I’ve learnt and did some concepts by myself but this only resulted in being more lost. After observing more professional concept artworks, I saw and I knew that there was an enormous gap between myself and professional artists but the reason was unclear to me.

After my interview with Christopher, it became more apparent. Why I felt so lost, what I was lacking in and what I could improve on. I have looked around for other online schools/mentorships but CGVERSE seemed the right fit for the flexibility it has without being too laid back and for its personalized structure that’s based on your skill level.

The Sanctum of False Nirvana - Callouts

Functions and descriptions of various objects and buildings

What did you do during the mentorship and what helped you on each task?

In the mentorship, I developed two projects: The Shanty Hub and The Sanctum of False Nirvana. Adam was my initial mentor then Christopher took over.

One of the most significant things I learnt from them is how to be observant. I used to have at least 30 reference photos just to begin sketching, now I only need like 3-5 good ones to start something. I usually got stuck on how to make specific things like trees, boats, houses etc. and Adam would just tell me to look at the trees and I would spend my time going from place to place staring at trees. Wear, damage, shapes, lighting, materials, texture, color.. It’s amazing how there’s a lot to observe in this world and it’s a shame that most of them get overlooked.

After that, I made thumbnails by using both Blender and Photoshop to decide the composition, lighting and values.

We worked in 3D a lot; an essential skill for an environment concept artist. Modelling, texturing, sculpting, UV mapping, lighting and project management. After creating a good composition, I created many different assets to dress the set to make it more realistic and interesting. To do that, there was plenty of research: structure of stilt houses, vegetation, boats, fish farms; to make it more believable. Then I overpainted it in Photoshop.

The second project was much more challenging because of its complexity in design. What made it easier for me is to break the objects down in more simple forms.

What helped me the most was the continuous constructive feedback from Christopher and Adam as they clearly point out the things that can be improved or sometimes they let you figure that out by yourself while pointing you in the right direction.

The Sanctum of False Nirvana - Assets

Assets used throughout the whole scene

How was the mentorship for you?

The mentorship was profoundly exceptional and meaningful. For that reason, it was also extremely tough and challenging. The process was not linear; sometimes it was because of my lack of skills, there were many trials and errors, the same workflow didn’t work for the other project and then it came to a point that there was a considerable disparity of quality between the first and second project. There were instances where progress seemed to stop and everything felt intimidating and overwhelming.

Adam and Christopher were incredibly supportive throughout my mentorship while maintaining rigor helping me achieve the highest quality I possibly could. Christopher went above and beyond into helping me improve other skills that are not limited to concept art like better communication and adaptability.

important thing I learnt during my time here is problem solving. You don’t always need to tackle your problems head-on even if you have to sometimes. Say that there’s an obstacle blocking your path, how do you proceed? You don’t just try to break it; you can go under it, jump over it, go on the side or maybe you didn’t even know if it was just a gate that you could open. Like math problems, there can be multiple ways to find the solution. This pushes you to be more creative. Looking at the matter in a different perspective before taking action could make it easier and more interesting for you.

The constant challenge that this mentorship provided me enabled my growth, not only as an artist but also as a person by being more resilient, taking more initiative and having more confidence in myself.

The Sanctum of False Nirvana - Visual Explorations

After refining the 3D scene, I experimented with the camera to have alternative compositions

What would you say when you recommend us to an artist?

Christopher and Adam are highly capable mentors backed up by their experience. Christopher is exceptionally proficient in design, in painting and in 3D. Having advanced technical knowledge, he taught me art and design in a more mathematical way rather than the intuitive way that I’m used to (I have an artistic background) and since I like math too, it was a refreshing and cool way of doing it.

I honestly believe that everyone, from beginners to advanced learners, can benefit from it. Christopher understands the quality necessary to reach the industry standard so to anyone trying to close the gap between that and their skill level, I think CGVERSE would be a great fit.

I had much more fun making my projects here than in art high school and in the first concept art course I attended before this because I was already familiar with some of the basics and the mentors here are more than capable of upgrading your prior knowledge.

No matter how hard it gets, don’t forget to have fun!

The Shanty Hub - Final Image

After an unsuccessful attempt at seeking the legendary lost treasure of the Jade Dragon, the few surviving members of the Great Expedition of the Jade Swamp established a small run-down settlement. As years went by, the treasure remained a myth and the establishment grew larger, taking the name of Shanty Hub.

What are your next steps?

Right now, my goal is to create concepts that would have at minimum the same quality that I achieved here during my mentorship. Doing it without a mentor is definitely going to be a much more difficult task but I think it’s the necessary step to move forward. I would also like to try and learn other software like Unreal Engine and Substance Painter as well. I think it’s also very important for me to stay curious and open minded because if I’m not, that’s when I stop learning. I will also continue to find joy in little things.

While I work on my on-going commissions, I will start applying for junior concept artist positions soon as well. My dream is to work in an outsourcing studio so I can work on a wide variety of projects!

To conclude, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Adam and Christopher for everything.