Mentorships run in 8-week blocks, but your growth doesn’t have to stop there. If you have a larger project, you are absolutely welcome to book multiple blocks back-to-back. Just keep in mind that our mentors book out fast. Let us know in your application if you want multiple 8 week blocks.
This includes 2 x one hour career coaching sessions where you can ask questions on any topic, from portfolio reviews, career advice & interview coaching.
Meet your mentor
Jonathan Benainous │ Lead Material Artist at Lightspeed L.A & Vessel Forge Founder.
🚨 Reminder: In order to get started with your mentorship, we require that you first complete an application process. If you are approved, we’ll send you the details to book and pay for your mentorship.
Overview
In this mentorship, you’ll be guided through the full creative approach to environment and asset creation for games, breaking down everything from big-picture planning down to the most meticulous details.
You’ll learn from Jonathan Benainous, a Lead Material Artist with over 20 years of experience in texture and environment artistry across acclaimed studios like Naughty Dog, Guerrilla Games, and Ubisoft. This program brings practical, real-world insight and feedback grounded in AAA production standards to help you level up your work and build confidence in your skills.
We’ll kick things off by assessing your current skill set,clarifying your creative goals for your project, and honing in on your broader career aspirations. From there, you’ll collaborate to craft a tailored roadmap focused on elevating your project in your key areas of focus such as modeling, sculpting, texturing, material creation, foliage, lighting, composition, and the technical side of environment art.
Throughout the program, you’ll receive hands-on guidance and direct feedback tailored to your learning style, with a strong concentration on refining your artistic perspective and understanding of industry workflows. Your mentor will help you sharpen your skills, so you can use them to build your project into a compelling portfolio piece. You’ll also collaborate to build a sustainable and actionable path forward that will prepare you for your next role in games.
By the end of this mentorship, you’ll have made tangible progress toward your goals, and walk away with an arsenal of resources, techniques and workflows grounded in the real-world experience of an industry expert, which will stay with you long after your mentorship comes to a close.
- World Building, Level Art & Scene Composition
- Environmental Storytelling & Visual Narrative
- Modular Kit Design for Reusability
- Foliage Creation & Procedural Techniques
- Sculpting Stylized & Realistic Assets
- Nanite-Optimized Asset Workflows
- Optimization & Technical Best Practices
- Maya or Blender
- ZBrush
- Substance 3D Designer & Painter
- Unreal Engine 5
- Additional Tools: SpeedTree, Megascans, Photoshop (as needed)
- Format – Personalized guidance in one-on-one sessions, conducted via video calls
- Mentee Spotlight – Your final project will be featured on the Vessel Forge website and social media.
- Mentee Showcase – You’ll have the chance to collaborate with us to write a blog breakdown of the project you complete during your mentorship. Note: Must be selected for this opportunity.
- Post-mentorship Support – Receive access to our exclusive community Discord, where you can connect with other mentors and mentees, ask questions, get feedback and more.
- Skill Level – Intermediate to Advanced
- Prerequisites – Solid understanding of modeling fundamentals, Unreal Engine 5, and ZBrush
What's included?
Industry pro at your side, weekly.
Not tied to a nonsense curriculum.
The tools you need are included.
Career coaching
Get actual career advice from pros who understand.
Ask questions in the exclusive community.
Meet your mentor
Jonathan Benainous │ Lead Material Artist at Lightspeed L.A & Vessel Forge Founder.
Jonathan Benainous has spent nearly 20 years in the video game industry, collaborating with studios around the world on major AAA titles such as The Last of Us Part I, Horizon Zero Dawn, Ghost Recon Wildlands, Heavy Rain, and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. His work has been featured in top industry publications, and he is widely regarded as a leader in his field. His eye for detail and passion for knowledge-sharing has led him to serve on judging panels for awards like the Rookie Awards and to present at high-profile industry events such as the Game Developers Conference.
Jonathan spent the majority of his career as an Environment Artist, and over the last 10 years he’s specialized in material art. He’s worked at numerous acclaimed studios – including Naughty Dog, Guerrilla Games, Ubisoft, Quantic Dream, and Warner Bros. Currently, Jonathan is a Lead Material Artist at Lightspeed L.A. and the Founder & CEO of Vessel Forge.
