Hello :)
Welcome to my online CV. Below you will find the most recent examples of my work. Feel free to get in touch. A full portfolio will be available soon, instead, this page is just about what I've been up to recently. Older work (up to 2009) can be seen here.
Download a copy of my CV.
About Me.
My name is Liam, I'm 22 years old, and I'm from Edinburgh. My objective is to become an artist (graphic designer), specifically within the games industry. Learning and improving constantly under the direction of talented individuals, working on the games that people love to play.
PERSONAL
- Work well as an individual and as part of a team.
- Never miss a deadline.
- Pro-active, keen to learn.
SOFTWARE
- Adobe Creative Suite | Autodesk Maya | Sony Vegas | Pixologic ZBrush.
- An understanding of HTML, CSS, Actionscript.
ACHIEVEMENTS
- BAFTA "Ones to Watch" Award, Nominated
- BAFTA Scotland "New Talent" Award, Nominated
- Best Team Leader, Video Game Studio @ Edinburgh Science Festival
- Dare to be Digital, Winner
- Vortex Competition, Winner
- Advanced Photoshop Magazine, Featured
- Adobe Design Awards, Semi-Finalist
Artist - Colour-Coded
June 2009 to August 2009 (3 months)
COLOUR-CODED
...was a game created for the competition: Dare to be Digital. In the game, you control a group of naive Explorers through the environment by applying physics to the environment as you paint.
MY ROLE
... in the team was 2D artist. I was responsible for the concept art, user interface, implementation of character creation app, website, promotional material and texturing. I was also responsible for exporting the models from Maya to Ogre engine, and handling the online presence for the team/game. (Pixel_Pirates @ Twitter)
THE FINAL OUTCOME
We ended up with a 10 minute prototype demonstrating our game idea. We displayed these using Wacom's Cintiq graphics tablets.
AWARDS and ACHIEVEMENTS
BAFTA "Ones to Watch" Award, Nominated
BAFTA "New Talent" Award, Nominated
Vortex Competition, Winner
Dare to be Digital 2009, Winner
Artist - BBC Prototype
May 2008 to May 2009 (12 months)
THE PROJECT
A collaborative project between BBC Scotland, Glasgow and the University of Abertay, Dundee, with work carried out in both locations.
MY ROLE
Worked on rapid prototypes for games and interactive products beginning in the summer of 2008, and lasting for a full year. Selected as one of the first ten students to work on the initial phase of the project and worked on Prototype for the full duration of the project whilst still a student at university.
THE FINAL OUTCOME
Developed 2x5 and 2x10 week prototypes in several teams of 5. Undertook a leading role in the concept and development of artwork for all four projects. Gained extensive knowledge of development cycles within a professional working environment. Also presented my work to fellow students, industry folk and commissioners throughout.
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS
- Selected as one of 10 students to work on the first phase of the project
- 2 of the projects I worked on have been taken forward as live projects
Student - Abertay Uni
2006 to 2010 (4 years)
SUMMARY
I am very happy with the opportunities which I have been given through Abertay, such as working with BBC Scotland, and taking part in Dare to be Digital.
FINAL YEAR PROJECT
In my final year of study, I decided to base my Honours project around 'In-Game Advertising'. I created a 3D environment showcasing several types of advertisements within computer and video games. On the research side of things, I used eye-tracking equipment in order to determine the effectiveness of adverts shown within certain games, such as: Crackdown and Burnout Paradise. The project allowed me to jump between multiple disciplines, which I enjoyed very much. Although I wish to be a graphic designer, I feel that an understanding of 3D alongside everything else can only be beneficial.
RECENT GRADES
- 4th Year: AAAAAB
- 3rd Year: AAAAAAAB
ACHIEVEMENTS
- Software Clinic Tutor - Responsible for running a weekly lab on Adobe Creative Suite.
- Student Representative - Responsible for voicing the opinion of my peers.
- Advanced Photoshop Magazine, featured. 2009.
- Adobe Design Awards, Semi-Finalist, Category: Photoshop. 2008.
Helper - Science Festival
April 2010 (4 days)
THE PROJECT
"Video Game Studio" was a small (but fun!) 2 day workshop aimed at giving kids first-hand experience of video games creation, a part of the Edinburgh Science Festival. Around 120 kids took part in the workshop, with 6 kids per team. I worked as a team leader in two different teams over 4 days with kids ranging from the ages of 12 to 16. Check out the Square-Go event coverage here.
MY ROLE
Helped the teams take their ideas from paper to pixels and into a playable game.
THE FINAL OUTCOME
Created a platformer, and a space shooter. The default files contained basic graphics, which were replaced by the kids/teens. I divided up the members of the teams based on where their interests were in: art, programming and design. I was able to give advice and share my knowledge by showing the kids how to use the tools we were given, such as GIMP- making sure that the kids were always in control - without taking over and making the game on my own.
ACHIEVEMENTS
- Working with kids! D:
- The team I worked with won prizes (£30 Amazon vouchers each!) for best game, image shown above.
- Chosen as best team leader (by a round of applause)
Graphics - Degree Show
2010
THE PROJECT
In my final year of study, I was required to work with others in my year as part of a team - in order to contribute towards the final showcase, exhibiting the works of various courses. Naturally, I wanted to be part of the graphics team since it's what I enjoy doing most.
MY ROLE
Worked alongside another artist, implementing their concept art imagery (characters), into a poster which could be used for promotional material, and for the fundraiser..
THE FINAL OUTCOME
I was responsible for creating the logo and the overall design of the poster as well as cleaning up the characters, adjusting their colours, and revisiting them with the pen tool in order to make them sharper, and cleaner for printing. I am very pleased with the graphics which were created for the degree show, and it was a pleasure working alongside a very talented artist, whose characters really added to the whole style of things.
Motion Graphics- Misc.
2009 to 2010
THE PROJECT
I have created short promotional videos in the past year, which have really helped me get to grips with video editing, effects, timing and animation - particularly in Adobe After Effects. During the summer of 2009 I worked on multiple video projects: BBC Prototype, Next Level Dundee and Electric TopHat.
MY ROLE
Working with pre-existing content and displaying it in a logical manner, which is easy on the eye. Videos ranging from 30 seconds, to 3 minutes, to 10 minutes long.
THE FINAL OUTCOME
Working as an individual on paid projects whilst working on the game Colour-Coded for Dare to be Digital allowed me to push myself and work to multiple deadlines.
Feel free to get in touch.
CONTACT ME
If you have any questions or would just like to say "Yo!", then feel free to get in touch below.
You can also follow me on Twitter at: @liamwong, or email me at: liam@eluu.co.uk.
CURRENT LOCATION
I am currently located in Edinburgh.