Name: Emma Carneholm
Age: 25
From: Living in Lund, but "originally from a frozen little village outside of Östersund in the north of Sweden"
Interests: "In my free time I like to play bass and go thrifting with my friends"
Profession: Concept Artist at Apog Labs
Emma Carneholm
What is your background?
"I moved to Skåne a couple of years ago to study. At first I attempted a bachelor’s in history but I didn’t like the prospective future of that. Then I almost finished a four-year teaching degree (I have one semester left). I ended up getting an interview with my current workplace though, so I just quit my degree and haven’t really looked back since!"
“I suddenly realised that I would never forgive myself if I gave up on my dream of working as an artist. I just couldn’t picture myself being truly happy doing anything else. And from that day I just couldn’t let it go.”
Why did you start working in the game industry?
“I’ve always been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember, so imagine how cool I thought it was when I learned you could get paid to do that for video games! But for some reason I always thought it would be impossible for me to work as a concept artist. I thought maybe I wouldn’t be good enough or that I wouldn’t enjoy drawing anymore if I got paid to do it. Back in 2022, during my third year at university, I started panicking a bit more about what my future would be like, as any young twenty-something person does. I remember very distinctly that I was walking home one afternoon, and I suddenly realised that I would never forgive myself if I gave up on my dream of working as an artist. I just couldn’t picture myself being truly happy doing anything else. And from that day I just couldn’t let it go. So, I immediately started working on my portfolio in my spare time and applied for any job or internship that I could find. After two months or so I managed to get an unpaid internship position at an indie game studio, and because of this internship I was able to apply for the job I have now!“
How has working in the industry been for you?
“So far it has been incredible! My internship was a bit of a struggle, since I was doing it at the same time as I was studying to be a teacher, but I figured I needed to do everything in my power to gain experience. Apog Labs is the first paid position I’ve had in the games industry, so I don’t have a lot to compare with, but so far I have really enjoyed my job! It was a bit difficult to learn the workflow and understanding the project (and to get used to sitting in front of a screen for 40 hours a week), but after a couple of months it became easier, and I was able to make more sizable contributions to the project. But despite the challenges, I am very happy to have made this decision. I cannot imagine doing any other kind of work and I am so thankful to my past self for being so determined.“
“The most important part of my job is not just the drawing however, but to come up with visual solutions for the asset we want to create, so I usually try out as many different ideas as I can at this stage.”
What is a day in your work life like?
“It varies a bit day to day, but I generally start by making myself a decently sized cup of coffee and read through the brief of the task I have ahead of me. I compare references or go on a little research expedition on the internet in case there’s something I feel unsure of. Since I’m the only concept artist at the studio, I get to do a bit of everything. So I have slightly different methods depending on whether I’m working on designing a vehicle or a landscape painting, for example. Then the actual work includes me sketching in Photoshop and trying to come up with interesting and eye-catching shapes and compositions. Sometimes I go into a 3D software and do a simple model of my ideas so I can quickly rearrange parts and get an idea of how it’d look as an actual 3D asset. The most important part of my job is not just the drawing however, but to come up with visual solutions for the asset we want to create, so I usually try out as many different ideas as I can at this stage. Then I get feedback from the art director and input from the rest of the team and we pick out aspects we like and discard aspects we don’t like. Then I create new designs based on the feedback, and this cycle repeats until we have something that we are happy with.“
What’s best with your job?
“I just have a lot of fun with designing, the work itself motivates me a lot (and the project is really fun!). But my lovely coworkers also help me stay excited for what I’m doing!“
How would you advise others that want a job like yours to pursue it?
“Start working on your portfolio, today! It’s possible!“
The WeMakeGames interview series allow individuals in the games industry to tell their story - about their current work, how they got to where they are, and why they believe the games industry is such an enjoyable industry to work in. We move beyond programmers and level designers, to showcase the wide range of roles making up the studios creating some of the world’s best games – right here in south Sweden!