All teams go through a predictable cycle of chaos and order that can be summed up in four stages: Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing.

“Forming” is the stage where the team is first put together. Everyone is very polite and excited, but tentative. People are still floating, unsure of their role on the team.

The next stage is “Storming”. At this point, problems have started to surface, and people start to drive each other crazy. Everyone knows they are in over their heads, and they can’t get out. There is too much agreement in meetings, while inside everyone is smoldering with resentment. Fixing problems almost always involves stepping on toes. (more…)

Managing The Project

Chances are, you are good at managing yourself and your own time. That’s one of the things managers look at when they decide on whom to promote to lead positions.

But, managing a small portion of a project and managing an entire project require different skills. You are no longer just concerned with getting your slice of the pie done. You are also responsible for making sure that others get their work done, and that both the people you work for and the people that you manage understand where the project stands at all times. (more…)

What is a “lead artist”?

When you’re hired as a “lead artist” for a project you probably expect your role to be the keeper of the vision for the look of your project. What you may not expect is that you will really be the keeper of the team.

A lead artist is, first and foremost, a manager. How is a lead artist different from a production artist? Lead artists are less “artists who manage” than “managers who are in charge of artists”. You will likely spend the bulk of your time doing paperwork, email, meetings, and managing your artists. This was a shock for every beginning lead artist that I have talked to, and it was a shock to me when I first experienced it. (This is, by the way, a fact of life for any lead, especially engineers, who are just as likely to think they can contribute a significant amount of code and still manage a team.) You will have to change the way you gauge your own success, because you will no longer be able to look at the amount of art you have done to see how you’re doing personally. (more…)

If you’re looking at what kind of classes to take, basic drawing and design courses are critical. Drawdrawdraw. Take figure drawing, because that will likely be the best visual training you’ll ever get. If you draw the human body wrong, it’s very obvious, so it forces you to do two key things well: observe what is really in front of you (rather than your mental concept of what should be there), and make visual choices well for putting down the details of a drawing.
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