Making it as a Game Artist, from SIEGE2023@DreamHackAtlanta
Game art has come a long way from the days of Pong and Space Invaders, and our panelists have been involved in some of the best looking and most evocative games. Join them to learn what it takes to become a successful game artist, and how you can do it too.
Jeremy Vanhoozer (moderator)
Jeremy Vanhoozer brings over two decades of experience in the gaming industry and nearly three decades as a creative professional. Beginning his career as an Illustrator at Disney, he has since held key roles at studios including Cartoon Network, Electronic Arts, and Bungie. With a versatile background including Artist, Art Director, and Creative Director roles, Jeremy now serves as the Chief Creative Officer (CCO) at The Believer Company. In this capacity, he leads the Creative Department as they build an open-world co-op adventure game and create a groundbreaking new IP.
Sven Bybee
Sven Bybee, lead concept artist for Funcom, has been working in the video game industry, as well as film, for the past 18 years. He has worked on video games including "Warhammer Online", "Rift: Planes of Telara", "Atlas Reactor", "SPARC", "Demon Souls", "SMITE", and "Conan Exiles."
Jasmine James
Jasmine James is a multifaceted artist based in Atlanta, wearing different hats as a concept artist, fashion designer, and even cosplayer. Through her journey in exploring different applications of her art, she has honed her skills and achieved international recognition for her creativity and passion, guesting at conventions from the US all the way to New Zealand. Even though her digital illustration skills are self-taught, she was able to rise through the ranks of Hi-Rez studios and has worked on several of their titles, starting as a UI artist and is currently a senior concept artist for SMITE. To this day she continues to design diverse and well loved gods as well as skins within the game. While desiring a way to apply her artistic passions in other areas, Jasmine also learned how to sew and used her concept and design talents to create interesting ideas and altered designs for cosplay. Over time, she amassed a dedicated following under the moniker “Cutiepiesensei” of over 1.5 million followers across platforms who admire her artistry and engaging content. Combining her artist background in designing in-game skins and her gained knowledge of clothing from cosplay over the years, Jasmine was able to also become the CCO of Fira X Wear®, a pop culture clothing brand for the fashion forward and casual fans alike.
John Bridges
John Bridges is Lead Concept Artist at Titan Forge/Hi-Rez Studios. He leads a team of staff and outsource artists to create character concepts and splash art for SMITE, the Battlefield of the Gods. He got his start doing freelance illustration for TTRPGs, and has been drawing gods and monsters ever since. HIs past game credits include Lichdom: Battlemage at Xaviant, the World of Darkness MMO for CCP Games, and art direction for the Fading Suns universe at Holistic Design. As a freelancer, he has provided art for Marvel Comics, White Wolf Game Studio, Wizards of the Coast and other game and advertising industry clients. He has a long standing love of myth and fantasy, and served on the leadership team of the Mythic Imagination Institute in Atlanta, GA, a non-profit devoted to encouraging wisdom and imagination through the understanding of myth and metaphor in modern culture.
Jeff Yu
Jeff Yu is involved with projects including VR development, live-action shows on popular streaming platforms such as Netflix and Discovery+, video games, real-time animated cartoon series, board games, and graphic novels. In 2023, Jeff received a Telly Award as an Executive Producer on the short film JOYRIDERS. In addition to his artistic pursuits, Jeff actively fosters the growth of the animation community as the Business Director of ASIFA-South, an Atlanta-based nonprofit volunteer Animation Society, S3 reviewer for ACM Siggraph, and volunteer/speaker with the Georgia Game Developer’s Association.
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