Bethesda Softworks Inside the Vault Q&A

Bethesda’s latest “Inside the Vault” feature profiles Adam Adamowicz, a concept artist who’s contributed to both The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles and Fallout.

How did you get into the industry? Do you have any tips for breaking in?

Back in the day, 1997-ish, I was a penniless tattoo apprentice, cake decorating at a Baskin-Robbins, and making very little money at either. I lived in an unheated 2000 square foot warehouse in the train yards of east Denver.

I started renting the space out to the local goth scene my friends and I frequented for a particular promoter’s afterhours fetish parties. You know, to make rent. One day, the human resources person from a small game company up in Boulder called Devil’s Thumb showed up at one of these soirees and saw all the murals and crazy sculptures. She got me in touch with their art director and president, who were formerly of DMA Design out of Scotland. I bugged them for about a year until I got in. Oz and Tony took a chance on me, so I like to give credit where it’s due, and of course Joanna who told me where they lived. I was hired as a level designer to build an FPS on the then (in development) Unreal Engine. That was 11 years ago.

Advice? Being persistent and sending hardcopies of cool artwork that can be physically passed around an office was my strategy for getting a foot in the door. Of course a disc was included, but people don’t always have the time or inclination to boot up a disc. That way if it ends up next to the coffee machine, it still might get noticed.

Don’t forget versatility! Elf babes in chrome bustiers are always cool, but branching out into other genres widens your range. Being a concept artist means being part historian, scientist, fashion designer, industrial designer, writer, casting agent.because you are really responsible for creating and populating worlds that can be quickly understood, built, lit, and animated in 3D. And you to be able to do that on demand. Being an avid devourer of books has always helped me create discernible types of characters with distinct personalities. The warehouse parties didn’t hurt either. Getting out into the world with a sketchbook in hand is great for documenting these things firsthand.

Drawing constantly is a big part of this. I went to a Syd Mead lecture years ago. He’s the visual genius behind Bladerunner and Tron. The main element of design he stressed was the importance of the story being told, and sticking to your own visions of that. He expressed the idea, more or less that, (It’s a given fact that no one sees the world through your eyes. Stick to that and you’ll carve a niche for yourself in the art world). I hope I’ve done justice to the quote.