Paul Hoefener - Online Portfolio

My name is Paul Hoefener and I'm a game artist living in the Chicago-land area. I attended the Art Institute in Schaumburg IL, a suburb of Chicago, but I am originally from the mid-Missouri town of Jefferson City. as a boy in the "Show-Me" state I spent my time hanging out with friends around the rickety old barns and cornfields, drawing artistic inspiration from my rural surroundings and of course the videogames and popular media I grew up with. My dream was to become a game artist and work for innovative game companies, the best place for an aspiring artist and gamer like me to thrive.

I have been passionately pursuing art since I was a youngster, sketching non-stop on my own time and taking every art class my high school had to offer. Luckily Jefferson City High makes NICHOLS Career center classes available to its students, and I took full advantage of the graphics design, commercial arts, and numerous digital media courses. My senior year I was honored to learn that I had been among the few chosen to attend the Missouri Boys State Leadership Camp, while there I learned many important skills to better myself as a commercial artist, and as a business professional.

By the time I graduated from high school I knew to achieve my dream I would have to relocate to a bigger city and attend a good art school. My family didn't have a lot of money so I knew I had to get a scholarship or I could forget about attending an expensive school. Luckily I did acquire such a scholarship and attended the Illinois Institute of Art in Schaumburg.

While there I pursued every skill I could learn about, from 3d modeling, to animating, to graphics design, to sharpening my drawing and rendering skills. I met more than a few amazing people, learned a whole lot of new techniques, and had a great time.

Since my Graduation in December 2010, I have had the great fortune to work with some incredibly talented people and be a part of some very exciting projects. I have worked as a contract artist for various local companies and as a full time game artist at Spooky Cool labs. I have also done a few tutorials over at CGcookie.com. They have great tutorials and the site is something I would advise all aspiring game artists to check out for sure.

I love working within the team dynamic to foster new ideas and innovations. I like to stay positive and consider myself an excellent communicator. I am currently freelancing and looking for the next great project to be a part of. I am open to freelance or full-time work so if you are an employer and are interested in my work shoot me an e-mail!

Cheers,