Ben Keeling 1:1 Game Art Mentorship

1:1 Game Art Mentorship

Hey! I'm Ben Keeling, Principal Environment Artist with over 13 years of experience working in the games industry.

I've worked across AAA game development and a variety of different art disciplines, specialising in Environment Art, Props, Materials and all workflows in between.

I've worked across a range of AAA studios, including Respawn, Rocksteady, Creative Assembly, Sony, and Criterion. Contributing to titles such as Star Wars, Iron Man, Suicide Squad, Halo, and Need for Speed.

My speciality is Environment Art, but over the years I've worked across a broad range of game art disciplines; from large-scale environments, modular kits, props, hard-surface modelling, sculpting, materials, foliage and Shaders.

Over my career, I've developed a broad understanding of what goes into creating high-quality game art, from the initial blockout and modelling through to texturing, materials, lighting, optimisation and final presentation.

I'm also passionate about teaching and sharing what I've learned, and have been teaching, mentoring and creating tutorial and educational content for the last 10 years. I've spent a lot of time figuring out not just how to make better game art, but how to work more efficiently as an artist.

And that's what I'd like to help you with.

Who is this for?

This mentorship is for anyone who wants to improve their game art or take their portfolio to the next level.

You might be:

• A beginner learning the fundamentals of game art.
• An intermediate artist trying to break into AAA.
• An Environment Artist looking to move up to the next level.
• An experienced artist who wants an outside perspective on their portfolio.
• A professional looking for high-level feedback on their work or career direction.
• An artist who simply feels stuck and doesn't know what they should focus on next.

What can we work on?

The mentorship can be tailored around whatever you need help with, including:

• Environment Art - Composition, blockout, modular environments, asset creation, set dressing, storytelling, scale, lighting and presentation.
• Props - Hard-surface modelling, sculpting, high-to-low workflows, optimisation, texturing and creating production-ready game assets.
• Materials & Texturing - Tiling textures, trim sheets, decals, Substance Designer, Substance Painter, material definition, surface breakup and creating believable materials.
• Unreal Engine - Materials, shaders, environment workflows, asset presentation, optimisation, and getting your work to look its best in-engine.
• Portfolio Development - I'll help you identify what's working, what's holding your portfolio back and what you should focus on to make it stronger. We can also look at whether the projects you're working on are actually demonstrating the skills that you want potential employers to see.
• Career & Industry Advice - Breaking into AAA, progressing as an artist, preparing a portfolio, choosing projects, understanding what studios are looking for and identifying the skills you should develop next.
• Production & Workflow - One of the biggest differences between learning game art and working professionally is learning how to approach problems efficiently. We can look at your workflows, identify where you're losing time, and discuss techniques and approaches to help you produce better work more efficiently.

The most important part: personalised feedback

This isn't a generic course where everyone follows the same curriculum. The mentorship is built around you, your work and your goals. If you have a project you're struggling with, we can work through it together. If you have a portfolio you're trying to improve, we can review it and create a plan for what to work on. If you're trying to break into the industry, we can review your current work and identify what is missing. And if you're already working professionally, we can take a more critical look at your portfolio, artistic direction and career goals. My aim isn't just to tell you what to change. It's to explain why it needs to change and to give you the knowledge and thought process to make those decisions yourself.

Choose the amount of time that works for you

These time scales are just guides, but you can book a mentorship for any amount of time that suits your particular needs. Below is just an example of what can be covered in different time frames.

1 Hour — £125

A focused 1:1 session covering whatever you need help with.

This is ideal for:

• Portfolio reviews
• Specific technical problems
• Career advice
• Feedback on a project

4 Hours — £450

A deeper mentorship package for artists who want to work on a project or development goal over multiple sessions.

This gives us enough time to properly analyse your work, establish what needs improving and follow up as you make progress.

Ideal for:

• Portfolio development
• Improving a specific environment or prop
• Developing new skills
• Working on a small project together
• Working through multiple technical challenges

8 Hours — £795

The most comprehensive option for artists who want more sustained guidance and development.

We'll have the time to work through a larger project or portfolio, continually review your progress and make adjustments as you develop.

This is particularly suited to artists who want:

• Long-term portfolio development
• Detailed project mentorship
• Significant skill improvement
• High-level professional feedback
• Career and portfolio planning
• Guidance throughout a complete environment or prop project

Not sure which option is right for you?

That's completely fine. If you're unsure how much time you'll need, feel free to get in touch before starting a mentorship. If you have questions or aren't sure whether it's right for you. Feel free to send me your portfolio and a little information about what you're hoping to achieve. I can help determine how I think we could best use the time.

We can use the first session to review your work, discuss your goals and establish what you should focus on next. If you decide you'd like more guidance afterwards, you can always book additional time.

Feel free to get in touch before booking if you have any questions or want to check whether the mentorship would be a good fit for you.

Your portfolio is one of the most important tools you have as an artist. Let's work together to make it as strong as possible.

How it works & what other information is useful to know

The format that tends to work best is an hour-long call, where you present problems that need solving and artwork that needs reviewing or feedback. As well as live demos to help you solve problems.

From there, we'll create a plan around your goals. This could mean improving an existing portfolio piece, starting a new project specifically designed to develop your skills, or working through a particular technical problem.

I provide a Notion page tailored to what you want to learn, serving as a guide you can refer back to later. The notion page can be an area to record feedback or share important resources. I can also record and share sessions directly with you if you want to look back on what you have learned.

Disclaimer

The goal of the mentorship is to help you improve your skills, artwork, and portfolio, but participation does not guarantee employment or advancement in the games industry.

Sessions can be rescheduled with reasonable advance notice. Missed sessions without prior notice will count as the scheduled session.

Swapping the file around