Gnomon Graduate Valeriia Popova’s Journey to Amazon Games

Valeriia Popova’s journey to becoming an Environment Artist and Modeler at Amazon Games is anything but ordinary. From her early days navigating life as an international student to landing a position at Apple while still in school, Valeriia’s career is a testament to skill, perseverance, and adaptability. In this interview, she shares her experiences balancing work and education and offers advice for aspiring artists.

Prior to your time at Gnomon, you worked at Apple. Can you walk us through the process of getting that job?

There is a bit of craziness in this story, but it's much more prosaic than it seems. At the time, I was in the middle of epic events in my life. I had just moved to the U.S., relocated to California, finished my first semester of undergrad, and then the pandemic hit. Along with the pandemic came layoffs across various sectors. Those were the unsettling days of not knowing if you'd have a job the next day. This uncertainty made me reconsider my sole focus on education, so I started job hunting just in case my partner lost their job. Plot twist - the search wasn’t successful! Few companies are willing to hire full-time students, and I wasn’t interviewing with those who would.

In all this turmoil, I received a LinkedIn message from a recruiting company looking for a 3D Artist for a project at Apple. At first, I was skeptical. Imagine, a year prior to that I could barely order a coffee without repeating myself multiple times (hello heavy accent) and now I’m having an interview with a tech giant? No way it’s not a scam, but since no one asked for my credit card details, I decided to follow up out of curiosity. To my surprise, the job was real, and I got an offer. I ended up really enjoying my time there, making great friends, and working with talented, smart people who were all building something significant for the future. It was a bit stressful at times due to the ever-changing school schedule, but manageable.

In summary: this is all just a combination of skill and luck. I was in the right place, at the right time, with the right amount of knowledge and the right attitude. Remove any of that and you get a completely different result. Fun fact: If it weren’t for Apple, I might not have ended up transferring to Gnomon. My manager suggested it as an alternative when I was considering my next educational step.

What was your experience at Gnomon like, from what you learned to the friendships you made?

My favorite part was the community around me - a vast number of passionate individuals fully dedicated to the process, consistently producing masterpiece after masterpiece. The atmosphere of healthy competition, seeing such people around, inspires and gives that final push to your own work. Balancing full-time work and study comes with consequences and sacrifices, so I didn’t take advantage of all the opportunities school usually offers. It’s a bit of a bummer, but we make do with what we have. This is probably the biggest lesson: know your limits and don't push yourself to extremes too often.

You learned from instructor Gabriel Cervantes during your time at Gnomon. What was his “Props and Weapons for Games” course like? Did the game pipeline seem different compared to other environmental props?

Oh, that was wonderful! I believe it was even Gabe's first class at Gnomon. The class was primarily focused on two highly detailed projects/hero props, covering all the intricate details from baking to texturing and rendering. If we compare this pipeline with environment props (which might seem similar at first glance), we can find both differences and similarities. The general rules for baking and texturing are the same, but the main differences lie in the level of detail (read: how much time you can spend on the prop) and the UV layout.

For environmental objects that simply fill the space and will never be seen up close, spending weeks on them would be a waste of time. The same goes for UVs; if it’s not a main prop, group objects by category so they all share the same material/texture set. This, I believe, is both the beauty and complexity of being a 3D game artist. There is no universal solution - it's very situational.

You made the transition from contract to full-time work at Amazon Games. Can you tell us what that move looked like and what it was like having that happen while you were a full-time student at Gnomon?

Similar to my experience with Apple, I was contacted by a recruiter (thanks to LinkedIn). This time, however, it was for an internship position. The rest followed the usual process: I went through several interviews and received an offer a month later. Since then, I was on and off with the contract/internship, mostly because of school, and I was converted to full-time when I was already at the finish line with graduation. The whole situation was quite unique.

It all culminated in the full-time offer because, from the very beginning, I joined an amazing team with a great lead who fosters a healthy environment that allows everyone to flourish. This is especially important for juniors (though not only for them), as they often hesitate to ask questions or seek help out of fear of being perceived as unqualified or incompetent. Communication is key. I’m enjoying my time with Amazon. It doesn’t feel like a job, just an endless creative process.

What have you been working on recently at Amazon Games?

For the past few years, I've been working as an Environment Artist on the MMORPG New World, and being a live service game, it comes with its own perks. One of the best is getting immediate feedback on your work (relatively speaking). I always keep Twitch streams of New World in the background when a new update goes live, warming to see when players notice the places you worked on.

You continue to publish amazing personal projects, in particular this last one. What are your goals with them?

“House on Liteiny” was a practice project. My lovely dummy for honing different techniques. With this work, I wanted to delve into high detail (I had just finished playing “The Last of Us: Part II“), aiming to create something of similar quality and intricacy. These practical projects start with photo references of real places and an analysis of what specific aspects I can work on. I usually try to choose something where I still need practice. For this project, it was materials and photorealism. Initially, there are no deeply ingrained ideas or changes. In the final stages, I tweak the story and move away from the initial references if they don't work within the given context.

Developing an original concept for such projects within a single semester is an ambitious task. And I learned the hard way what consequences you face if you get stuck on the concept step. So, this approach is more of a compromise between myself and my busy schedule. There are a few aspects I'm not particularly satisfied with in this project, such as the vegetation, but I'm actively working on that in another one (spoiler: it's going to be sinister and green). Stay tuned!

What’s your attitude toward social media? What advice would you give to younger artists about how to use it and which platforms do you recommend?

I would like to distinguish between two concepts here: social networks like ArtStation and LinkedIn, where you present yourself from a professional perspective to an audience of fellow artists and recruiters, and other social media, where the exposure is wider. In the first case, it's better to keep your portfolio up-to-date and easily accessible. I've been using ArtStation as my portfolio depot for a very long time which helps with both organizing and promotion.

Regarding other socials (such as Instagram and TikTok), the algorithms are usually less artist-friendly and require a regular and frequent publication cadence, which can quickly become a second job, especially if you try to accommodate different formats. If you enjoy doing it, go for it, but you don't need to be an internet star to be a successful artist and work in the industry, especially if it means compromising yourself and changing your art to cater to larger audiences. In fact, most of the senior developers barely post anything, yet, they are well-known in a small circle called Game Dev.

Gnomon is proud to have been part of Valeriia Popova’s incredible journey from aspiring artist to accomplished Environment Artist at Amazon Games. During her time at Gnomon, Valeriia demonstrated a relentless passion for creativity and a remarkable ability to balance work, study, and personal projects. Her dedication to refining her craft and her enthusiasm for learning inspired those around her. Now, as she continues to shape immersive worlds in the gaming industry, we look forward to seeing the extraordinary impact Valeriia will make with her vision and talent.

About Gnomon

For over 25 years, Gnomon has educated many of the world’s best digital artists on its state-of-the-art campus in Los Angeles, California. Recognized as one of the top U.S. colleges in Forbes' 2023 rankings and called “the MIT of visual effects” by Fast Company magazine, Gnomon offers a variety of educational options to help students reach their goals in the entertainment industry, with certificate and degree programs, and over 100 individual courses. Our comprehensive programs, experienced faculty, and state-of-the-art facilities ensure that every student can achieve their full potential, just like Valeriia. Gnomon's strong industry partnerships give students real-world experience and a competitive edge in the job market.