smArtist thoughts

June 28, 2016

Saw a post on Twitter today about a representative for Beck trying to get an artist's work for free. I screencapped it and broke down and explained the sleazy…

May 23, 2016

Hi all! I've just updated and published new slides for my From Full-Time to Freelance: The Ten Commandments of Contracting talk. Ever wondered what life would…

May 5, 2016

UPDATED 2016-05-05! I originally presented this as the keynote speech at Gameacon 2015 , and I've since presented it at the Albany IGDA and updated the content…

April 22, 2016

Hi, everybody! I've just added the Art Outsourcing Knowledge Base to the site. This is a categorized, organized collection of the last 11 years' worth of art…

May 6, 2015

Hi all! Here's a Facebook post I made about low-poly art and what we look for on the Unreal Engine Marketplace with regards to quality and content for low-poly…

October 6, 2014

I posted this in a comment on Facebook earlier, but I thought I'd post a list of some of the video game news sites I read every day and what I like about them…

September 30, 2014

I wrote a new article about clever uses for BitTorrent Sync! "Sync Stories: Ideas for Business Travelers" http://buff.ly/YO8AoI Sync Stories is a column…

September 28, 2014

Good summary of why Linkedin can be valuable for people with specific, educated target audiences. "LINKEDIN DEMOGRAPHICS: The Top Statistics That Make The…

November 6, 2013

I hear a lot of criticism levelled at LinkedIn from game developers. It's a business networking tool, and on some level, people find that mildly repugnant…

August 15, 2013

I created and maintain an extremely detailed spreadsheet tracking video game industry layoffs for the last five years, so I decided to work up some numbers of…

August 6, 2013

Here's the latest episode of CrunchBites , which are highly-focused 15 minute long video podcasts about the game industry where we answer one viewer's…

June 25, 2013

Hi everybody! Here's another TwitterBlast I did on my @jonjones Twitter account on the subject of resumes and portfolios. Here's the info-dump, and I've…

June 24, 2013

Hi folks! I've been posting a lot on Twitter lately, especially resume, portfolio, and artist tips. I've been queueing up a bunch of individual tips and…

April 11, 2013

Hi everybody! Long time no chat. I did a 15-minute-long stream of consciousness braindump of artist advice on my Twitter account (@jonjones) and I'm reposting…

April 23, 2012

Whoa, awesome! My blog post about predicting layoffs is now a Featured Post on Gamasutra! Thanks guys! :D Predicting layoffs: How to check your studio's health…

April 10, 2012

Hi all! With the spate of layoffs recently, I've been thinking of how to assess a studio's health so you can predict whether or not doom will come, and when…

January 29, 2012

Whoa! My mini-speech on free agency being the future got plugged in the Daily Texans' coverage of TACC's Future of Video Games event! Conference exhibits…

January 27, 2012

Hi all! Back in December I gave a speech at the IGDA MicroTalks on the subject of transitioning from full-time employment to freelance art. It's an expanded…

January 26, 2012

Man, I really suck at posting notices about events where I'm speaking. Last night there was an event called Infinite Resolution Zero LatencyI at the University…

January 19, 2012

Another new CrunchCast is up this week! This time we have Chris Holden, Bryan McConnell, Patrick Morrison and me discussing the International Consumer…

January 19, 2012

Hi everybody! For those not familiar with reddit , it's [essentially] a website where people post links, create discussions and comment on them. There are tens…

January 11, 2012

Artists: Having a great portfolio and blogging about what you know is gold. However, I've heard of people selling art critiques and trying to charge for basic…

December 2, 2011

This week's CrunchCast is online and Chris Holden, Bryan McConnell , Jesse Sosa and I discuss indie games and what it's like to be "the new guy" and how to…

November 22, 2011

Hello, UI artists! I've been going over a lot of UI artists' portfolios -- particularly contractors, hint hint -- and I've noticed three things in particular…

November 17, 2011

Something I see from a lot of artists (and even some studios) soliciting their services for artwork is people with MSN, Hotmail and Gmail addresses. There's…

November 2, 2011

People underestimate LinkedIn as a business intelligence tool. If you're interviewing, ask for names of who's interviewing you. If you're looking to contract…

October 4, 2011

This week's CrunchCast is online and Chris Holden, Bryan McConnell and I discuss the ins and outs of applying for work in the games industry and why it can…

September 30, 2011

Contract artist tip: Your client's contact point for art management and direction is rarely the person that cuts checks. Their endgame is getting art done and…

September 28, 2011

Time for another CrunchCast ! Episode 14 is online now and viewable below. I was actually in Denver in-studio for this one! Chris Holden, Bryan McConnell and I…

September 26, 2011

Hi, everybody! I wanted to pimp out a game development video podcast my good buddy Chris Holden has put together. I've been a guest on it several times now and…

August 20, 2011

Hi everybody! I spoke at the IGDA Microtalks a couple months ago on the subject of job-getting, being noticed and generally how to market yourself better as an…

June 27, 2011

Hello, all! Here's article for artists seeking employment, contract or full-time. It focuses on using basic marketing techniques to stand out in the crowd…

June 23, 2011

Introduction to the series Here's the first of a multi-part series on how simple and realistic it is to start transitioning into cloud-based computing. I tend…

June 16, 2011

Last year I wrote an article for GameSauce Magazine on E3, with the intent of essentially nutshelling what it is and what it means to the un- or…

January 18, 2011

Here's another life-enhancing tool I love: StrokeIt! It adds the ability to create global or application-specific mouse gestures in Windows. Incredibly…

August 9, 2010

I was browsing Reddit earlier today, as is my morning routine, and I came across an article called How to hire an artist (archive link). This article has been…

February 25, 2009

Here's a small post culled from a question I received in an email. This is by no means an all-inclusive guide or a how-to, but just a couple thoughts on the…

February 23, 2009

Artists: Getting paid is important. If it's a small studio, they simply may forget to mail off a check in a timely manner. That sucks. It's usually not…

February 4, 2009

Ever bookmark a website full of great information, only to revisit it later and discover the link is dead? Worry no more! HTTrack Website Copier is here, and…

January 29, 2009

This may be outlandishly obvious, but for some reason it never occurred to me until this week. Here's a tip for Art Managers and Artists both! Art Managers…

March 8, 2008

I start from the core belief that my *life* is the project, and that the type of game I choose to work on can help me develop skills I'm interested in…

July 12, 2007

Here's an edited excerpt of an email I wrote for someone asking me for tips on putting together an environment artist portfolio. Focusing on environments but…

July 12, 2007

My friend Nate sent me a fantastic article that was right up my alley: 19 Things NOT To Do When Building a Website . The whole thing is so good I'd just paste…

July 10, 2007

Here's a quick one. Ever wanted to be able to view TGA files in thumbnail form in Windows Explorer, only to find that Windows won't support it? Be frustrated…

July 9, 2007

Agent Ransack is the best and fastest search tool I've ever used. Anytime I need to find something -- anything -- I use Launchy to fire it up, quickly type in…

July 9, 2007

One of my friends from work suggested that I give TaskSwitch XP a try. What's so great about it, you may ask? Envision this scenario: You have 30 programs…

July 1, 2007

I expanded a bit more upon the questions I was asked by Monster.com and had a few more bits of helpful advice to entry level game developers. Check it out…

June 26, 2007

A good chunk of the articles I write are inspired by people that ask me specific questions about stuff I do on a daily basis. Then I realize my answer to them…

May 18, 2007

Ever wished you were better at writing emails you want a response to? Here are a few handy tips: Get to the point. No one likes reading rambling emails…

May 11, 2007

I found something awesome on LifeHacker a moment ago that smArtists may appreciate. It's called The Freelancer's Toolset . It's a list of 100 web applications…

May 10, 2007

Here's the introduction of a new series of little thoughts that won't really fill out a full post. Everyone likes to get involved. If you have people in your…

May 10, 2007

If I'm your art director and you see that I've named files a specific way, that is for a reason. I've already sent you the file naming conventions... stick to…

May 10, 2007

Something I've learned is never to skim emails. Sit down and read them. Assess what they mean. Understand their ramifications. Build a quick and rough mental…

April 24, 2007

I just found a great post by Gianfranco over at GBGames that's called What Would A Game Developer Do? Gianfranco starts out detailing focus problems we all…

April 23, 2007

Want to know how to make more money as a contractor? Here are some tips. Be fast. Show me you can produce good work quickly. Don't drag your heels and always…

April 22, 2007

Here's something for the smArtists out there! These will hopefully give you an insight into how an employer thinks and how to be a better and smArter…

April 13, 2007

Found a cool article this morning: 101 Hidden Tips and Secrets for Photoshop Some useful information in here I didn't know. A few repeats, but here were some…

April 13, 2007

I just checked out Rick Stirling's excellent blog and found an article for young artists that I wholeheartedly agree with... it's called Art for games, not…

March 24, 2007

I've been looking for ways to improve my PC workflow, and I touched on that in an earlier Productivity Tip . One of my readers suggested that I use Launchy …

March 24, 2007

I've long been frustrated at Windows' tendency to suck. If some random part of Windows suddenly freezes, EVERY part of Windows is frozen. Sometimes I can't…

March 22, 2007

I have accounts with all four major instant messenger protocols. Because I hate each one of their native programs, I use a single program that can log into…

February 5, 2007

I hate long emails in a job application. Resumes mean nothing to me. Include it but don't expect me to read it, because your artwork says more about you than…

February 5, 2007

Unless you have a lot of content of the same quality level, don't show works in progress. Especially not front and center. The implication is that it's the…

January 15, 2007

This one should be pretty obvious, but most people don't think about it. I see this a LOT. I've even done this one before. :) Think about it: If you're…

January 15, 2007

This is a really important one that I only touched on briefly in my Your Portfolio Repels Jobs article. If you're emailing your portfolio around, or even if…

January 11, 2007

During the course of my day, I access many, many different directories at the same time. I hate having to navigate to them manually through Windows Explorer…

January 10, 2007

If you ever find yourself waiting on something consistently and have nothing to do, try to find productive ways to fill those small amounts of time instead of…

December 16, 2006

Ever wanted to improve your ability to retain information? The way I started doing that was taking notes in books I read. It made a HUGE difference. I'd use a…

November 23, 2006

One of my core beliefs is that if you do something enough, you can make it a habit. Usually people think of bad habits like eating bad food, or smoking, or…

November 19, 2006

Recently I started curbing my impulse buying by stopping just short of purchasing it, look at how much I would have spent, then go spend twice that amount…

November 7, 2006

Something useful I've learned in the last few months is that you should learn to be strategically irrational. This has benefited me in two particularly helpful…

November 7, 2006

One of the things I've found to be the biggest hindrance of concentration and productivity at work is distracting stuff in my field of view. It could be a lot…

October 27, 2006

You know the Quicklaunch bar next to your start menu on the taskbar? Remove your browser icon from that. The easier you make your browser to access, the more…

October 14, 2006

I've found an absolutely amazing book that I've been rolling around and splashing in for the last few weeks. It's a book that presents a very compelling…

September 13, 2006

I had the idea yesterday of helping myself to focus by writing down exactly what I'm going to do next on a post-it note and put it on the bottom of my monitor…

August 29, 2006

"You can't learn art." Have you ever heard that? "You're just born with it." Or that? "Oh, that looks just awesome, don't change a thing! It's perfect." How…

August 27, 2006

I've been thinking a lot lately about personal inertia and change, and how no matter how hard you try, some things about yourself you can never change. And…

August 25, 2006

Ever wonder where all your time goes? You get home from work, then practically before you know it, it's bedtime. Where did all that time go? You sure didn't…

August 17, 2006

Apologies for the lack of posts lately! Been very busy at work and spending lots of time out enjoying life and having friends. Work so far at NCsoft is…

June 15, 2006

Here's a fun little life strategy: Make friends everywhere you go. Since I've been interviewing, setting up the move and calling dozens of people asking all…

June 12, 2006

Earlier today on a web forum I frequent, someone asked other people what they do to be more efficient at work. I gave him a short list of what I do: For me…

March 27, 2006

I've had the most amazing weekend. I have never been this productive in my life. Ever. At anything. Fair warning, this is pretty self-indulgent, but I'm so…

March 3, 2006

Ah, it's been a great few weeks. Daxter is gold and will be in stores in less than three weeks, and I'm getting my life back on track. I was in the mood to…

February 11, 2006

Just a quick post here to recommend a book I thoroughly enjoyed: Pour Your Heart into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time It's a really…

January 4, 2006

I have come to the conclusion that ANY, ANY, ANY mod or game website that shows UN-POSED renders of the models is completely unprofessional horse-puckey that…

January 1, 2006

I've been enjoying a blissful nine days of freedom from work before the final push. I've been doing a great deal of reading, playing games, cleaning the…

December 16, 2005

I read this blurb this morning in Business 2.0 and thought it was cool. It's like what I talk about... how persistence through failure and rejection increases…

December 15, 2005

I was checking out the blog of someone I know and he made a post talking about the pain of having your art beaten all to hell by criticism. It got me to…

December 8, 2005

Short update, practically stream-of-consciousness, but something I felt worthy of sharing. I was just heading home from work, wrapping up a nearly 15-hour day…

November 16, 2005

I finished reading Then We Set His Hair on Fire: Insights and Accidents from a Hall of Fame Career in Advertising , which I talked about in my last post…

October 14, 2005

Time for a little heave of self-indulgence and jabbering on about what's on my mind. Well, I'm reading again, for the first time since earlier this year. My…

October 7, 2005

I look at game artists' portfolios on a regular basis. These websites are usually designed so poorly that I close my browser out of disgust. They're even bad…

October 4, 2005

I had an interesting realization at work yesterday, one that applies to a lot of things. At Ready At Dawn we're all kept very, very busy and we're all given a…

September 1, 2005

Hot on the heels of my Smart people are dumb, failure is awesome post is a followup! I can only imagine how anxious the edges of your seats are for you to stop…

August 24, 2005

Been thinking about this lately and felt like committing it to paper... so to speak. Smart people are dumb. Failure is awesome. Let me explain. I've given a…

July 21, 2005

Haven't been posting as much lately, since I ran into a wee spot of crunch at work. Nothing too severe, but enough to take my evenings and energy away from me…

July 11, 2005

Here's an article I wrote last year that was extremely well-received but not very widely spread. Thought you professional developers that read me would like to…

June 30, 2005

Well, my Marketing for Artists post seems to have gone over really well. I've gotten universally positive comments on it. But one particular question came to…

June 23, 2005

[2014-12-04 UPDATE!] Post resurrection! I've updated the material in this post for a rapid-fire 13 minute long speech for the IGDA MicroTalks in Austin. While…

June 18, 2005

Been quiet lately. Finally bought my copy of Relic's wildly entertaining RTS, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War. At my core I'm a long-time RTS nut, and this game…

June 1, 2005

In my last post I was criticizing the media overexposure of Seth Godin , the writer of tremendously popular marketing books such as Purple Cow and All…

May 26, 2005

I loathe stepping onto the Trend Train, but I thought this was interesting and funny. There's a wildly successful author of marketing books named Seth Godin…

May 9, 2005

Ladybugs due for delivery this Wednesday. Word on the street is, females lay 10 - 50 eggs every day, so assuming half of the ladybugs my mom gets are female…

March 21, 2005

Been quiet lately. Went through a month or so of crunch that's killed my desire to do much of anything lately besides playing World of Warcraft. Her's a quick…

January 5, 2005

What I'm reading now: Ten Day MBA: A Step-By-step Guide To Mastering The Skills Taught In America's Top Business Schools Excellent read so far. Up to the…

September 26, 2004

Something I've been thinking about a lot lately is time management. I had to learn how to manage mine carefully when I was looking for a new job. Liquid…

May 2, 2004

Haven't updated lately. Been busy. Took over duties as a marketing director for my company and still keeping up with sales and reading. Finished lots of books…

April 2, 2004

Well, I found out yesterday that due to my success at GDC and my knowledge of the game industry, I'm being promoted to an Accounts Manager Sales…

March 31, 2004

Time for another long-overdue update. Since I last posted I've worked on eight more titles for Liquid. Starting in mid-February, I've been contracted out to…