Devoted Stories #6: GEORGE SHEVCHENKO

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

I am a 3D Art Lead.

What inspired you to choose this profession?

Since my childhood I enjoyed Science Fiction, later I was inspired with the classical era video games. So I think I always wanted to be a part of the industry.

Reveal a secret sauce of your professional development.

There’s no secret – study all the time, work as much as you can, talk to people from the industry.

Share your experience on managing your workflows and projects.

I worked as a freelancer for years, have performed as an Art Director in studios for a couple of times. These experience taught me to manage multiple projects at a time.

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

This comes from the experience, you can look at the model and tell how much time it takes to accomplish. I also try adding 20-25% of estimated time for fixes and polishing. The calculations are very simple – I just track time in a txt file while working.

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

Artstation – because it’s an industry standard, Sketchfab – because it allows sharing 3D-art online with acceptable quality of shading and lighting.

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

- Sharing experience, tips and tricks;
- keeping track of new technologies and cool projects;
- an ability to find a specialist fast.

How do you see the future of the industry?

When I’m asked for my opinion on the game industry, I always say that it follows the cinematography steps, and considering the fact that today gamedev is less than 40 years old, we are somewhere close to Charlie Chaplin’s silent movies on the timeline. We didn’t even reach the color movies! The best is ahead.

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

Just 3 pieces of advice here:

1. Learn English
2. Learn English
3. Learn English
Best tutorials are in English. Top artists are English-speakers. Best studios are English-speaking. Language is the key.

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

I started working as a vendor for Devoted in the autumn 2021. Half a year later I was offered to join the studio on a full-time basis. That’s it!