Skip to content
Blog

Things learned the expensive way

Short, practical writing about texturing, material authoring and getting hired — the notes I would give a student sitting next to me.

Portfolio mistakes that quietly cost junior artists the job
LatestCareerPortfolio

Portfolio mistakes that quietly cost junior artists the job

After reviewing several thousand student pieces, the same five problems come up again and again — and none of them are about talent.

May 12, 20261 min read
Why I build fabric procedurally instead of scanning it
Substance DesignerCloth

Why I build fabric procedurally instead of scanning it

Photo textures are faster on day one and slower on every day after. A note on why the Designer graph wins for cloth.

February 24, 20261 min
Mesh maps are not optional: the bake decides your texture
Substance PainterWorkflow

Mesh maps are not optional: the bake decides your texture

Most 'bad texture' problems are bad bakes. Here is the checklist I run before a single layer goes down in Substance Painter.

November 18, 20251 min