Many artists in the video game industry stress the importance of a well-built portfolio, and Full Sail University Game Art grad Sebastian Rivas is no exception. Now a Technical Artist working on cinematics for the upcoming title Overwatch 2 at Blizzard Entertainment, Sebastian looks back fondly on the time he had to commit to his portfolio while at Full Sail.

"You get 10 months where you don't have to worry about anything else but your art," he says, reflecting on his portfolio development classes. "That [time] is extremely hard to come by after you have gone to Full Sail and you have to work."

The grad credits part of landing his current role at Blizzard to the final portfolio piece he completed while in school, an environment made in Unreal. "I don't think I would have been able to create a portfolio with the quality that I did, which is what got me this position at Blizzard, if it wasn't for what I learned at Full Sail," he says.

Sebastian acknowledges that sitting down and committing time to development can be difficult. "Honestly, it's a lot of research and a lot of self-discipline that you’ve got to get into," he says. "Being able to keep improving outside of the school…it’s something you’ve really got to tackle." Tackling it certainly worked out for the grad.

In addition to working on in-game cinematic cutscenes for Overwatch 2, Sebastian works on some of Blizzard’s biggest titles including Diablo IV and World of Warcraft. Getting to his current position required that the artist stay ahead of the curve and push his own boundaries.

Before landing the position at Blizzard, Sebastian was resilient in keeping at his craft and building his portfolio while looking for work post-graduation. "You've got to keep increasing your skills," he advises others. "Don't let [them] diminish while you're waiting."