Life & Work with Emma Pritchard of Westchester

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emma Pritchard.

Hi Emma, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My parents met each other working on an animated feature film. And although my mom left the animation industry before I was born, our home was full of her paintings. I was surrounded by the arts, and I decided pretty young that I wanted to pursue a similar path.

When I first realized I wanted to go into art, my initial idea was that I would go into animation. After all that’s what my parents did, and that was all I knew was an option. However, as time went by I slowly started shifting my attention to video games. I grew up playing video games frequently, but it was only once I entered adulthood I realized I could get a career in it. I became inspired by the art that went into the games I enjoy, and changed my focus to concept art.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I think once I entered art school, my perspective on art changed. Before, I didn’t really talk to many other digital artists. And so once I was surrounded by many talented peers, it became hard to not compare yourself. A fire lit under me, and it felt like I constantly needed to catch up to the high expectations I gave myself.

Essentially every artist you meet has gone through this at some point. The feeling of self-doubt and burn-out is common, especially where the industry is today. And whilst this feeling peaked during art school, at the same time I think my experiences in art school helped change this mindset. I started to realize growth happens differently for everyone, and thus became a lot more optimistic and inspired about art.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a concept artist who specializes in video games and character design. Concept artists are essentially problem solvers. They help visualize ideas for 3D modelers, animators, etc. to reference. I create characters from scratch, then create supporting assets like turnarounds, visual graphics, color palettes, and more. My work mostly is in relation to 2D, but I’m slowly branching out towards 3D as well. The past couple of months I’ve been learning Z-Brush, a digital sculpting program, and Blender, a versatile 3D program.

I’ve worked on two USC Games projects, which have given me the chance to develop my technical skills in concept art, creature design, UI, and 3D texturing. This also gave me ample experience of video game production pipelines, collaborating with fellow colleagues, and communicating about to match deadlines.

I used these skills to create my senior thesis project, my most recent and proudest piece. The project is essentially the concept for a video game, and I created character designs, environment illustrations, prop designs, a 3D character sculpt, stickers, and a booklet showing my process.

What’s next?
I currently have a niche, I tend to lean towards cutesy concepts. And as much as I love said style(s), it’s always good to show you can do more than that. Therefore, the plan is to flesh out my portfolio with new projects, and I can’t wait to share my progress.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.epritch.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olive_.bear/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epritch02