The Portfolio Blueprint to Land a Game Concept Artist Job

November 12, 2025, 12 PM PST

Most junior portfolios get passed because they’re basic, unfocused, or not production ready. In this session, Kelly Daley (@kellydaleyart) breaks down portfolio pieces that consistently open doors, what to cut immediately, and the actual studio pipeline those pieces should reflect.

Expect quick live project teardowns, a “fix the basic character” demo, and Kelly’s Art Director checklist so your work reads as hireable.

Kelly Daley Bio:

Kelly Daley is a senior concept artist and educator specializing in concept art and world-building for games. A BFA graduate from the Academy of Art University, she entered the industry before graduating and has contributed to titles and campaigns with Hidden Leaf Games, Manticore Games, Wild Blue Studios, Easy Games, Lenovo Legion, and Intel. Online as @kellydaleyart (190K+), she shares tutorials and industry insights to help artists get hired.

Molly Heady-Carroll, Moderator:

Irish-born Molly Heady-Carroll is a 2D artist and animator based in Dusseldorf who specializes in all things creatures. Always obsessed with studying animals (especially reptiles), she now makes up her own as a Creature Consultant in the games and animation industry and as the animator/director of the web series Zenibeasts. Molly is also the Community Expert at Wacom Europe, where she serves as a friendly face between the artistic community and Wacom.