I made my worst art ever—and it’s the best thing I’ve ever done. A quick 🧵on perfectionism Perfectionism was killing my creativity.
For years, I was obsessed with making everything I created perfect. Every line, every detail, every render had to be flawless—or I wouldn’t even finish it.
I barely made anything. I was stuck.

It’s (Never) Too Late to Make Art - a thread🧵 When I was a kid, art was everything. Drawing, scribbling, creating—it made me feel alive. But somewhere along the way, I lost that. Fast forward to age 27: I was stuck in a job I hated, trapped in routines that left no room for creativity.

Have you ever wondered how the grass in Ghost of Tsushima looks so good?

Wouldn't these environments take decades to build by hand?

Believe it or not, Sucker Punch Studios actually used some very creative techniques to let the grass build itself.

Another long 🧵 To achieve their goal of creating a painterly look for their grass, Sucker Punch Studios originally went for traditional grass cards early in their prototyping phase.

But this wasn’t practical for the amount of grass density they wanted to achieve.

Genshin Impact has some beautiful water shaders which probably took them years to develop.

So let's make it in Unreal Engine 5 in 3 minutes.

Another big 🧵 When creating your project, make sure to have starter content enabled. We’re going to be using the water normal map later on.

If you play many video games, you may have noticed something interesting. Everything is flat.

But these flat models are all catching the light and reacting as if they have a limitless amount of polygons. So what's the reason for this, and why is it happening?

Another long 🧵 Back in the day, most games used very primitive shapes for pretty much everything.

Have you ever wondered how game designers create such massive open worlds?

Wouldn't these environments take decades to build by hand?

Believe it or not, there's actually a way to make these worlds build themselves.

Another long 🧵 Let's get right into it.

Large, open-world games will almost always feature these massive landscapes with mountain ranges, cliffs, and rivers.

Ever wondered how clouds work in video games?

They may be an afterthought for gamers, but creating clouds is one of the most exciting and complex topics in game art.

We have a lot fo talk about, so lets get right into it.

Another massive 🧵 Back in the day, there weren’t really clouds in video games.

Ever wondered why you can find these awkward lines in textures, even in your favourite AAA games?

It's not because game artists are lazy; there's actually a very specific reason why this happens.

Another thick 🧵 If you’ve ever played any video game before, you’ve probably seen this

Ever wondered how game artists create so many textures for massive open worlds?

How is it even possible to make so much variety so quickly?

Well, there's a technique game artists use that allows textures to build themselves.

Sounds too good to be true?

Another chunky🧵 The year is 2045. You are a games artist working for the world's largest gaming company, Ubisoft.

You have been tasked to create all of the environment textures for their latest NFT open world adventure game, "Big Chungus 7".

First off, congratulations on the promotion!

Ever wondered how grass is made in video games?

Making grass may seem simple, but theres actually a lof of history and technology behind this surprisingly complex topic.

Another big thread 🧵 Back in the day, there technically was no grass in video games. Developers would simply take a grass texture and apply it to the floor of the level.

Ever wondered how water works in video games?

As it turns out, there's a ton of smoke and mirrors in the background, without anyone ever realizing it.

---> another huge 🧵 Lets get right into it: Why is water so hard to do right? Why can’t we simulate water particles?

Lets talk about a single texture that's been a huge game changer in the world of gaming.

And the crazy part? You probably haven't even noticed it. This texture is literally EVERYWHERE. And there's something pretty special about it that's made it so popular.

Another big🧵 In 1981, Ken Perlin developed an algorithm while working on the movie Tron. He was trying to find a way to make computer-generated surfaces look more interesting.
Other people soon became interested in Ken's algorithm and started using it for all sorts of things.

How Voronoi Noise Became a Game-Changer in Video Games. Another massive thread 🧵 In the early 20th century, Georgy Voronoy, a Russian mathematician, tackled a problem that had stumped mathematicians for centuries: how to divide up space based on the distance between points.

Fun fact: The original Super Mario game was designed on graph paper.

A quick 🧵 The game's creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, utilized sheets of graph paper to sketch out the levels, characters, and other elements of the game. This technique was not only cost-effective but also allowed for a high degree of precision and flexibility in the design process.

Lets take a fun look at how a SINGLE shader has had a massive influence on the gaming world, with most people probably not realizing it. And when I say this shader is used in EVERYTHING, I mean EVERYTHING, But that's because this shader has a fascinating history. Huge thread 🧵 Once upon a time in the late 1880s, there was a young physicist named Augustin-Jean Fresnel. He was fascinated by the properties of light and lenses and spent much of his time conducting experiments in his laboratory.

Hard truth:
Running a successful art business is not for everyone.

But how do you know if you're on the path to success?

7 signs you're going to be successful ---> 1. Consistent Sales Growth: A steady increase in sales signals a growing demand for your work.

As Picasso said, "Success is dangerous. One begins to copy oneself, and to copy oneself is more dangerous than to copy others."

Keep innovating.

Hard truth:
Being a great artist doesn't guarantee a successful art business.

You aren't achieving your full potential without studying marketing, business and finances.

5 of my favourite books to push your art business to the next level ---> 'Art/Work' by Heather Darcy Bhandari and Jonathan Melber - A comprehensive guide to navigating the art world, from legal issues and contracts to working with galleries and building a solid portfolio.

Tons of helpful information for artists of any discipline.

50% of art businesses fail in the first year.
A 7-step guide to make sure you don't implode --->
#artbusiness 1/7: Embrace your niche. Identify your target audience and create art that speaks to them. Focus on the people who appreciate your work and forget the rest.

Struggling with handpainting? How to become a better handpainter in 10 steps: Step 1: Morning pages - Start your day with a creative warm-up. Write or sketch your thoughts to clear your mind and unleash your artistic potential.

Making textures and sprites from scratch for #vfx can be a tedious and time-consuming process.
So here's my collection of 1000+ free noise, particle & sprite textures for #realtimevfx artists from various sources.
1/ 1. VFExtra Texture pack by @Niels_Dewitte (50+ textures)
nielsdewitte.be/index.php?page…