nimlot
patreon
Mentorship Q&A
🕑 Added 2023-03-19 09:34:11 +0000 UTCLately I had a lot of people asking me questions about the mentorship so I've decided to summarize it in a blog post.
If you don't know what my students are capable of please check this link and drop a like and follow to each of them.... they're all amazing.
https://www.artstation.com/nimlot/collections/1465839
1. What is this mentorship?
The mentorship that I run is a program where you join to work alongside me and learn how to create the highest quality 3d models for games possible. I’m mainly a character artist but I’ve been a prop artist for half of my career, so I have plenty of students who are learning how to make props. I will try to help you develop the right mindset and increase your problem-solving skills. I will try to teach you all I know regarding 3d creation but also how to increase your social exposure, how to negotiate your contracts and so on.
2. How long does the mentorship last?
There is no deadline for the mentorship. It is not a workshop nor a 3d school. You join and learn from me for as long as you need. The average time my successful students spent in the mentorship was about 2 and a half years. As I was saying in some blogs if you're just learning the basics now and you want to get to a decent spot with your 3D skills it will take anywhere in between 3 to 5 years of at least 8h/day. There is a lot of knowledge required to become a proficient 3D artist.
3. What will our interaction be?
Normally the mentorship includes a 1 on 1 call per week and written feedback when required. The reality is that the calls can be more often or rarer based on the progress you've made with your work.
4. How many hours do I have to work for the mentorship?
This is a question that no one really asks but you all know the answer. You need to put all the hours you can. If you can financially be secure and work 10 hours a day on the mentorship, it would be perfect. The reality is that the more time you put in now, the sooner you will get a good job and more free time and money to do the rest of the things you want. You should think about the mentorship as a job.... you need to put those 8 hours a day. Again, that is the ideal and most of the time my students have jobs and other things that occupy their time and because of that the progress for some of them is quite slow.
5. Will you teach us how to use "X" software?
No or rarely. There is no point paying for the mentorship so that I can teach you basic stuff that you can learn using the F1 key or watching basic videos from each developer. My role here is to make sure you're not straying away from your goal and to point you in the right direction when you have some difficulties understanding something and actually teach you the knowledge that I’ve gathered in these past 23 years of 3D.
6. What happens if I don't work at all for a week?
Nothing happens. Most likely there will be no point for a call but I'm not your boss nor your parents. I would love you all to be consistent and work hard, but the reality is that there will be periods when you will make no progress and that is absolutely fine.
7. Will I become a great 3d artist after taking your mentorship?
Becoming a great artist is not only about the knowledge that you can get from me. It's also about your mentality, your ability to gain exposure and interact with the 3D community and your natural inclinations. In the end I can surely say that if you put the effort, you will be able to get hired in any studio in the world, but that depends only on your determination.
8. What happens if I can't pay the mentorship for a month?
Most of the time I will continue to help you, nonetheless. I have plenty of students that are not paying anymore or some who come from low-income backgrounds who never paid. I'm not doing this for the money (tho I still have bills to pay) so if I see potential and determination in you, and you end up in a tight spot financially, most likely I will try to help you anyway, obviously depending on the available time I have. The paying students have priority and it's only fair.
9. Will you provide precise tutorials for all the problems that I have?
Most likely not. My intention is not to make copy machines but to make you develop the skills required to figure out whatever problem you will face. I often let my students stray from the correct workflow just so that they learn when they're doing something wrong. Hand holding is not something that I find beneficial for the growth of a student. I would show you often tho how to do this and that if you're really struggling but only as a last resort.
10. People say you're pretty much a dick and that you don't like anything. Is that true?
I might be a dick if people disrespect me but when it comes to 3d I truly believe my critique is on point. I will say if something is bad or rushed if it actually is and for sure I will praise something well done. What I won't do is pat your back as a participation prize. I strongly believe we can't grow without honest feedback, and I will provide it every time I feel like a bump in quality is required. I am not absurd and will not push you all to extremes tho I strongly believe and I've iterated many times that 1 good model counts as much as 50 mediocre ones and that the quality of your portfolio needs to be way above most of the stuff you see on Artstation if you want to actually get those good jobs, hence we will work towards that goal. It is doable as you can see from what my students have done so far.
11. How long have you been doing this? I’ve been teaching people more or less my whole career. My first mentee was actually in 2004 while I was at my first 3D job and nowadays he is an accomplished 3D artist with a lot of major titles on his CV. While I had a few mentees now and then, I’ve started the mentorship program on Patreon 4 years ago.
12. Do you have students that left the mentorship?
Of course I have. Some left because they got jobs, some left because their financial situation changed and some of them left because they were not happy with the way I teach or me in general. I don’t expect everyone to be on the same page with me just as well as I also know that some of the people who jump on the 3D bandwagon will give up if it gets too hard for them or try to find easier ways to accomplish their goal. I wish them all good luck and success in their careers, nonetheless.
13. Can I join the mentorship at any point?
Starting this month yes. Before this month Patreon was charging on the 1st of the month and you would have ended up being overcharged. Now tho, I’ve switched to the new billing plan that lets you be charged on the same day every month as the one you joined.
14. How would I know if I’m ready to join the mentorship?
As long as you have basic software knowledge and you are willing to put in the effort, you’re ready.
15. Where will the interaction happen?
We have a Discord mentorship server, and all the calls and interaction are on Discord. If you’re from a country that has no access to Discord we can use a different platform like Skype for calls, but I think it would be beneficial for students to have access to the mentorship discord community and resources.
16. Where do I join?
https://www.patreon.com/nimlot It’s the same place where I post the VODs from Twitch for the lowest tier. The mentorship is the highest tier(Desperate thieves).
17. How much does it cost? 600$/month plus VAT.
I hope this clarifies it for everyone. If you guys have any other questions, feel free to message me.
Cheers!
