Devoted Stories #16: ABNER CHEAH

1. Hello from the Devoted team. Let's get acquainted! Tell us about your role and specialization.

Hello and nice to meet you all! Thanks a lot for this opportunity for a bit of sharing here. Currently, I'm a Concept Artist with a main focus on character designs in the 2D workflow but I also used to be a full-time Concept Artist working on a wide spectrum of concept designs including props, environments, UI designs, etc.

2. What inspired you to choose this profession?

I’m significantly influenced by pop culture, especially games, comics, and movies: throughout the years I've seen how the characters were being developed and the amount of talent and effort that poured into it. Knowing those, I naturally wanted to be a part of it creating and designing characters.

3. Reveal a secret sauce of your professional development.

Hmmm, I haven't discovered any secret sauce as of now yet but mostly it's about the time and effort one puts into their craft and a clear direction of where one's heading. As for me, the foundation of art and design principles is always the most crucial part of my career development, the software can only assist me within the boundaries of my own knowledge towards the desired outcome.

4. Share your experience in managing your workflows and projects.

Usually, I spend some time exploring the initial designs be it silhouette sketches or a rough sculpt in Zbrush, then further refining as it progresses and mostly done in Photoshop including touch-ups and arranging the layout for a more presentable outcome in all stages. I try to be flexible in switching both 2D and 3D software so I don't get stuck with technical issues.

5. How do you approach a project estimation and calculate your work hours?

It largely depends on the level of detail required for a particular art style. I always ask for an example or any previous works as a reference for the desired outcome and give myself a couple more days to process the feedback. When I'm working on my personal projects, I keep track of a reasonable deadline I set for myself and try to achieve the best outcome possible.

6. What’re your favorite platforms to share your portfolio and why?

Artstation is my go-to platform when it comes to sharing artwork because of its clean layout; it provides an impression of professionalism for users' portfolios. The second is the Devoted CG Platform, which I usually head to after I'm done posting on Artstation. It's carefully curated by the art director from Devoted Studios and allows me to be transparent with my rates upfront in my profile and both are equally important to me.

7. What’re the main advantages of community in our industry?

One of the biggest advantages I can think of regarding the community is how easy it is to get connected with other artists around the world and receive feedback and learn from one another as long as there is an internet connection!

9. Give some useful advice to your colleagues who are just starting out in the profession.

Be humble and don’t be afraid of honest feedback from an experienced artist you trust, learn and improve your skills. It's ok to explore a wide spectrum of art and design from the start and then narrow down to the subject you find the most interested in and passionate about. At least that's how I started out as a junior concept artist/illustrator years ago.

10. Last but not least, share your experience with Devoted CG and Devoted Studios

Finally, I'd like to say thank you to Devoted Studios for this opportunity to share some of my experience and artworks, definitely looking forward to working with you more, guys!