Being a 3D artist is quite a fulfilling occupation that involves a lot of thinking, creativity, intuition, and an adventurous spirit. 3D artists need to be communicative and open to suggestions, but more importantly, prepared to learn and constantly improve their knowledge.

The key to becoming a more creative 3D artist lies in embracing a more extensive view than the one you have at the moment. You have the power to visualize anything you ever imagine and turn it into reality as a 3D artist.

However, it takes time, effort, and patience to get there and achieve yourself as an artist. Fortunately, everything is possible if you want it to be. If you really want to step up your creative game and produce stunning and mind-bending 3D visualizations, you need to set your mind to it.

Everything starts and ends with you. You are your own limitation, but there is a way to break the cycle and start improving yourself. With that in mind, these important practical ways should be enough to help you progress in your creative career.

3D Artists Need a Variety of Skills

Since you’re already a 3D artist, we’re going to assume that you already have some skills. The next logical step is to work on your skills in terms of variety. In the world of absolute technology and the internet, it’s paramount to have as many skills as you can possibly have.

Aside from variety, we’re talking about being computer-literate and tech-savvy to the point where you feel comfortable with the use of any 3D software. You can draw by hand like the real master of old, but that doesn’t mean much in the world driven by technology.

Modern clients require using 3D software for everything you do. On the other hand, it’s the 3D software that can help you develop the much-needed variety. Fortunately for you, modern 3D software tools like V-Ray, Maxwell, AutoCAD, and Blender don’t require incredible effort to get into.

Creative Skills are as Important as Technical Skills

Just as you need technical skills, you shouldn’t overlook the importance of your creative skills as well. You can’t expect to handle architectural rendering like a real professional if you don’t know where to start.

Creative skills demand everyday practice. Your brain is like a huge muscle, and it needs constant training to function better. If you want to become a more creative 3D artist, the trick is to walk through fire and water to get there. While it’s true that this takes a lot of trial and error, don’t let it discourage you.

Improving your creative skills such as lighting, color, texture, realism, an eye for detail, and composition, including teamwork and communication skills, is paramount to your success. We recommend that you take a lot at these top 3D artists to understand how both technical and creative skills are essential to making actual progress in becoming more creative as a 3D artist.

We’d also like to mention the importance of eliminating procrastination and everything else that might be a motivation killer for you. These are nothing more than disturbances you don’t need. They prevent you from achieving your full potential.

Keep up With Market Trends

No matter what industry you work in, keeping up with market trends is essential to your career, especially as a 3D artist. Market trends show you many things you can use to better yourself. First of all, you’ll get a better picture of what your clients are after these days.

Then, you’ll find out about the best software tools that are currently in demand, as well as the most appreciated skills. You’ll also learn about the best 3D artists in your niche and where to follow their work to stay in the loop with the latest events.

The latest news, events, and blogs allow you to find out new exciting techniques and tips. You’d be surprised with all the things you can learn this way. Never underestimate the power of well-targeted research.

One of the most effective ways to improve your abilities is to learn a fast hack or a quick trick that allows you to handle a problem that kept you running in circles for a long time. Well, the latest market trends can inform you about a great many things that could prove to be useful in the long run. Remember, a good 3D artist works hard to provide their clients with the wanted results, but true professionals work even harder to exceed their expectations.

Look for Inspiration in Other Mediums

Speaking of blogs, you shouldn’t stop at that. Social media and other mediums available on the internet are also abundant sources of valuable information that can help you become a more creative 3D artist.

Regardless of your skill level, start being present on 3D artist-hiring platforms like Easy Render, as well as forums like Work-in-Progress, Polycount, forum.squid.io, and ArtStation. This will allow you to receive feedback from 3D artists from all over the world.

This could be tremendously useful for your improvement. Nothing brings you back to reality better than getting a critique from artists who are as good or even better than you.

Of course, you need to prepare yourself for their criticism, but let’s be honest for a second here — that’s the only way to get better. Use the feedback to see your strengths and weaknesses, and don’t be afraid to ask for advice. Forums are usually the best places to get the best advice.

Photos are a Good Reference Point for Realism

Photos are always a great reference point for both realism and creating social proof of how good you really are. We recommend that you create a portfolio of your best works that you can share on the internet so that more 3D artists and professionals can see your talent.

A portfolio is the best way to express your skills, but more importantly, it’s a personal statement of yours, saying that you are a master of your skills. Choose your finest photos that really showcase not just your talent and skills but experience and creativity.

Put your best works in the portfolio that you can easily distribute across social media and all other communication channels that gather people from the 3D realm. We also recommend that you create a website if you don’t already have one.

Every accomplished 3D artist has a website where they share their works, receive feedback, job offers, etc. It’s essential that you keep expanding your portfolio by adding new photos every day so that potential clients can see how creative and effective you really are, even without engagement.

Get Involved With the Community

Becoming present on social media and other mediums is an excellent way to connect with the 3D community of artists and professionals. Networking is crucial in your line of work, and it can greatly help get your artwork noticed.

Therefore, please share your work on social media to allow people to learn about you, post your work on the forums we mentioned to get genuine, honest feedback, and gather the information you need to start improving on your skills. Nothing can be so eye-opening as a good criticism; trust us on this one.

Now, feedback is an excellent thing to help you realize where you stand, but it’s the networking that will really do the trick for you. It is vital for any business niche. Since you’re still discovering yourself, it can help you to improve your skills and build a name for yourself at the same time.

Moreover, networking allows you to meet other 3D artists, exchange your experiences with lots of influential people from the world of 3D art, and so much more. Learn useful tips on improving yourself, making connections, getting contacts, and becoming involved in a 3D community to become more creative and simply better at what you do.

Let Others Criticize Your Work

Even if your works are perfect, someone will still find something to complain about. Criticism is good. You shouldn’t see it as anything but a great way to eliminate your weaknesses and work on your strengths.

Learn to embrace criticism as a means of becoming better and discovering new things that will allow you to step out of your comfort zone. That is how you really start improving your creativity and working on your skills beyond the things you already know.

It takes constant improvement to become better at what you do, and criticism is an excellent introduction to self-betterment. Remember, the only limit here is the one you put on yourself.

Try Something Outside of Your Domain

The real progress with becoming more creative as a 3D artist starts when you’re ready to step out of your comfort zone and try something different outside of your domain. If you’ve never worked with some program, it’s time to change that.

Learn a new technique, master a new software tool or try a completely new discipline that you’ve never tried before. This is the only way to grow as an individual and become a mature 3D artist. Also, never stop questioning yourself. Curiosity can be extremely useful on your way to self-transformation.

It would be best if you let go of the fear of failure. After all, failure is the mother of all success. Instead of doubting yourself, try to take a different perspective. Imagine that this is all just a game where each new level is a new skill. It would help if you conquered different levels to obtain different skills to conquer the game. You’d be surprised with all the things you can learn that way.

Learn Constantly

As a human, you learn until your last day. It’s a constant process. There are so many things in this world that you still don’t know. The more you learn, the more you know how to use all of your skills to the fullest properly. That is the exact moment where you realize that you can do better.

That is also the moment where change becomes your friend and ally. Change is constant, and you can benefit if you learn how to adapt to it. Therefore, do everything you can to increase your knowledge and improve your skills constantly.

Don’t Limit Yourself!

Modern 3D artists can constantly improve themselves thanks to modern technologies that allow them so. With so many free software tools with incredibly user-friendly interfaces and simple tutorials, even a complete newbie with no coding knowledge can start using some of the best rendering and architectural visualization programs around.

There are programs that are explicitly designed for just one thing, and there are multipurpose platforms where you can literally learn everything you need to become a 3D artist. Therefore, never put any limitations on yourself.

Focusing on just technique may be an excellent starting point, but it will do more harm than good if you keep it that way. Your art is the creative extension of yourself, and you should see it as such. Just like there are many different sides to your personality, there are many different aspects of your art. Explore as many of them as you can.

Conclusion

We sincerely hope that these ten tips will help you become a more creative 3D artist and span your career sky-high. If you’re looking for professional advice, we advise you to pay us a visit and explore our blog, where you can get tons of useful information regarding 3D art, necessary skills, top software solutions, techniques, and so much more.

Easy Render is your window to the world of 3D arts. Try to see things through our eyes, and we’re sure that the solution towards launching your creativity into the stratosphere will reveal itself.