Q&A: Social media, internships and getting noticed

Because of all the information overload on social media and art-share websites, it’s hard to stand out from the ‘crowd’. What makes you want to double-check/linger on someone’s art page when you’re on your daily ArtStation scroll?

Standing out in the crowd is something all of us artists have had trouble facing at some point or another. What makes me stop and linger on someone’s work is the way they use shape language and value structures in a painting. Use lighting and values to draw the eye along shapes to make statements with your pieces that will catch a viewer’s eye.

Look at old masters like John Berkey and Frank Frazetta; shape language and shape design are an important skill to invest in as a concept artist and will make it easier to catch someone’s attention on first glance.

– Damian Audino, Senior Concept Artist

How can I build my personal brand as an artist on social media?

Social media is a great way to get involved in the community and build a following and client base. It can be a slow start; building a following is an exponential process so don’t be discouraged if you don’t get thousands of followers right away. Here are some ways to get noticed on social media:

• Have conversations: follow your favourite artists and post positive comments on their artwork, check the comments for other like-minded people to follow, eventually the algorithm will catch on to your interests and provide similar creators to engage with
• Use trending hashtags: using too many hashtags on your posts won’t really help your growth, but if you’re seeing a lot of buzz around certain hashtags (like the popular #PortfolioDay, #VisibleWomen or #DrawingWhileBlack) and they’re relevant to you and your work, get on that while it’s hot!
• Post your work, even your sketches: it can be scary to post unfinished work, but it’s something people love to see! It also helps hype your finished image as you bring followers along your journey of creating art
• Share your process: one of the most powerful tools in our connected world is skill sharing. Tutorials are hugely popular and giving back to fellow artists helps build trust among your community
• Be exemplary: social media favours informal speech, so don’t overthink your words and just be yourself, but remember to always be kind, especially to aspiring or non-artists who become your fans

On a more serious note: it’s key to say that social media can unfortunately harbour trolls and bad-mannered people. If you or your friends experience harassment, it’s a good habit to blocking and reporting them. Sometimes responding to trolls can make a situation worse, so avoid communicating with them if you can. There’s a lot of great information about managing trolls these days, so confide with people you trust or a professional for support and advice; don’t feel like you have to go through it alone.

– Justine Colla, Marketing Manager

I am currently a junior Concept Artist and wish to someday reach the Atomhawk quality benchmark, how does your internship program work, and is it paid? 

Our paid internships are offered to promising young artists, students and graduates looking to get their foot in the industry. The ultimate aim of the program is for the applicant to progress into a full-time Junior position at the end the internship. The program starts off by focusing on creating an Atomhawk-quality image with close guidance from the art team. The image is then revisited and reworked in a completely new way, the brief and process will be set by our team. Finally, shadowing tasks and further tailored training will test what you’ve learned and apply it to similar time constraints as our art team. Read more about our internship here.

Applicants need to demonstrate a portfolio which shows experience in art fundamentals (light, form, composition, perspective, etc) and a sense of design thinking, storytelling and personality.

– Tim Wilson, Managing Director

Check out our available positions at atomhawk.com/careers

What is the best way for artists to get noticed and get a foot in the industry?

An impressive portfolio will always be the best way to get a foot in the industry. We recommend updating your portfolio regularly and only including your best pieces. Look at the work that your favourite studios are producing and create a couple of images that would fit well with their style. ArtStation is the standard for portfolio websites these days and a great place to get involved with the art community.

Network is equally important to a good portfolio and try to do it as much as you can. If there are no art communities in your local area, we recommend getting involved in Discord servers, Facebook groups and online competitions like 3dtotal and Atomhawk’s own art competition we hold every July.

And of course, keep practicing!

– Darren Yeomans, Studio Director