Principle I have concluded

          It is the first time that I working as an artist in the team. So I did learn lots of valuable lessons on this semester.  

          1. It's important to communicate with team members especially producer or director who responsible for art part. 

          The best art asset is the one that fit for your game theme most. Make sure you got "key word" right. In other word, you need know what kinds of art style that the team really wanted through their description or picture. Double check art style that you figure out in your brain is the same one that director willing it to be. Because it is fact that different people have different understanding in same word and concept. Take our project "Vinyl" for instance. We have a meeting after IGF to discussion and changing our art style. On the meeting, they knock down a key word "Night Club" for new art asset. So I scratch out this skirt and high heel shoes for fitting the night club style. Because my understanding about girl (Character) in night club is equal to sexy and attracting. 

                                     

          However, it turns out that they want the night club environment not the character style. They want neon and shining light as night clue theme but a character which have decent suit fit for the boarding sports. (This conclusion is made after lots of communication) 

And finally I have balance their ideas and built out a character fit boarding, night club, and music style.

                                   

          2 It's hard to make everybody happy on one art asset, it may be a good idea to give them some tiny choices.

      That is a trick which I learn from my mentor Mark. I do remember that he always ask me to show the character to team with three detail changed, Like changing hair color, tattoo style, tattoo position or something else.  

       "People are wired. They always want this or that and......" "People are strange. They always have lots of different opinion and ideas". Above two conversations was given one by other artist in our team and the other was by my mentor. Yes, people have different of opinion about beauty and fairness. It's inevitable that someone in your team may dislike your work. But if your give them some choice to combine their preference. We can optimize negative opinions and comments at some extend.

          3 Get some buy off when you are working.

           It's easy to understand this one. You can avoid changing details or even the whole thing again and again. 

          4 Put you art assets on the game earlier.

         You may experience some unexpected problems or visual changing when you put you assets from art software to game.

          In my case, three big issues happened in this process. First time is when I totally done the mesh, I gave it to engineers to put it on the game then I found lots of detail that I working so hard on it cannot be seen on the screen. Like tattoo and fingernail:

    Second, when I finish two animations and gave them to Jason K (Lean from previous mistake I just try two and asking him to put it on see what it would like.) .....Just as my concern, since they have shrink down the character, it's hard to see some motion animations since I made them based on full size and real life motion style. So I have to rebuild some new animations that exaggerated a lot. 

   Last one is lots of formats detail and animation detail between Maya and Unity and stuff that I need working with engineer to solve it.

   All in all, the earlier you put you art asset in your game , the more time you get to solve unexpected problems and get know what kinds of  parts you need focus on working process. It is very important in working efficiency and making you model and animation perfect fit in game.