Concept Artists MeetUp: What it Takes to Become a High-Class CG Professional

Room8ers are the greatest asset to the studio. At every step of their careers, the company invests in them to maximize their potential, increase team effectiveness and help them contribute positively to the global industry community. With the collective dedication of the whole team, we can take care of our partners’ brands providing the AAA experiences their players expect.

To accomplish these goals, the studio created the best possible environment where creative talents could make the most significant impact. Room 8 Studio cherishes the culture of sharing the expertise internally and externally, regularly inviting different industry pros to teach the team a thing or two. Last Saturday, July 21st, we hosted a groundbreaking one-day workshop from CG Art Guru – “Concept Artists MeetUp: Art Talks with Ivan Smirnov.” We received over 300 registrations but could only invite 160 to attend because of the capacity of the venue. Our artists and guests stepped away from projects and enjoyed a creative and highly collaborative atmosphere building new skills and getting new experiences!

Ivan Smirnov, Founder of Smirnov School and CG Art Guru, who mentored over 1500 digital artists in CIS countries, the author of ‘Characters Concept Art,’ ‘Environment Concept Art,’ ‘CG Basics,’ ‘Commercial CG Illustration’ and other courses for professional artists, was the featured speaker. He shared the secrets of becoming a high-class CG professional presenting a unique philosophy of self-development and how to deal with major career challenges. Ivan shared real-life cases and experiences about the concept artist’s role in the project and the main barriers to the artist’s professional growth. He encouraged the attendees to challenge themselves to a higher standard of work and creativity. According to Ivan, professionals need to find a style of concept they are passionate about and make their chosen careers more than just a job, always going the extra mile. Besides the main blocks that interfere with the artist’s career development, Ivan demonstrated how to work around those aspects, creating a shatterproof design during the workshop on forms and form creation.

Arranging such an event was also necessary for the social gathering! The meetup united various professionals like designers and artists in computer graphics: the creators of games, movies, people from post-production, animation, special effects, and concept art. During the coffee breaks, the attendees had an exclusive opportunity to discuss the most recent CG trends, principles of design creation, and the specific nature of the game art in the free-and-easy atmosphere. It was a whole day of expert insights and practical training!

The participants leveled up skills and left the event inspired on how to adopt a systematic approach to delivering exceptionally qualified solutions to their clients. With the motivation from the successful mentor Ivan, a chance to interact with industry professionals, and a captivating sunset enjoyed from the top floor of the business center, it was indeed a day to remember!

“Concept Artists MeetUp: Art Talks with Ivan Smirnov” was the second event in the row because after the unprecedented success Room8ers enjoyed over the past several quarters during a unique course of lectures called “Concept art of Characters. Level 2”, we felt compelled to make it a real success both for the team and industry. Be sure we will make it even greater next year! And, don’t forget, we are looking for extraordinary talents who share our passion for creating visual content and technology, ensuring our partners the best gaming experience for their players. If you are one of them – apply to join our team! We’d love to hear from you and discuss the opportunity that fits your life.

Here is a quick video throwback to the event! Have you found yourself in this video?

Here are some photos – do not hesitate to share them through your social networks with hashtags #room8studio and #smirnov_meetup!