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.

So what is your new yardstick for judging your success?

This question is a tough one, since it depends on the situation. But some typical issues that your boss is likely to consider are the following: How smoothly was your schedule run? How many complaints were there from engineering? How good does the project looks compared to the competition? How adaptable were you to bumps in production? And, of course, these are only a few criteria that your boss could use. Depending on the scope of your authority, other factors may be involved.

Keep in mind that your artists, not you, will likely be the ones creating the vast majority of the artwork. That complicates how you are able to meet artistic standards, and a fat portfolio of new work for you may mean that you have been neglecting your responsibilities, not fulfilling them.

Take a minute to think about this question; “How will I tell when I’m doing my job right?” This will be critical later in the project when things get hairy and you are off-balance. You will need to have some objective way to tell how you are performing. If you don’t have a ready answer to this question, find out at your first opportunity.

What does your boss expect to see from you?

Your boss requires primarily two things: on-time delivery of art assets and clear communication.

Hitting deadlines is essential to your success as a lead. It is the single thing that all bosses love to see and are guaranteed to expect. No manager in his right mind will put you in a lead position twice if he knows you will consistently run over hard deadlines. Some slippage is expected, and something unexpected always comes up. Deadlines can even be moved without a major fight if you have a good argument for why it has to happen. But any company whose existence rides on hitting ship dates can’t tolerate avoidable schedule overruns.

The second element that is essential at all levels of the art lead’s responsibilities is clear communication. Many beginning leads are afraid to present problems to their bosses because they think that it will reflect badly on their ability to do their jobs. That’s what managers are there for. Don’t be afraid to tell people that you are new to a situation. They probably already knew that, so if you manage to fool them into thinking you’re doing great, you are more likely causing trouble farther down the line.

Be aware, however, that communication means asking questions as much as giving information. Talk to your boss. Your responsibilities as Lead Artist may not always be what you expect. Make sure that you are clear on what your direct superiors expect from you, and what aspects of the project and team management you can expect from them. I have run into very sticky situations that I thought were my responsibility, only to later find out that they were not.

Are you responsible for hiring and firing artists? Who is responsible for disciplining problem employees? How far does your responsibility extend before it becomes a matter for the art director? Are you in charge of the art budget? Will you be evaluating and buying your tools and equipment? Do you need to coordinate with the marketing team, or is that the responsibility of the producer? Ask.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 17th, 2008 at 2:15 pm and is filed under How To: Art, RESOURCES. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.