I’m trying to focus on Environment art but a lot of the explanations I find with current industry artists is it isn’t really level design but I think it incorporates some of that? I don’t know I’m just looking to see what the best beginner guides for environment artist are.
A good starting point is to copy other people’s environments, you can learn a lot that way…
Environment Artists are the ones that build environment assets, which can mean that you don’t design levels at all (depends on the size of the studio, big studios might have you focus on one thing) So that would mean having experience with 3D modeling, texturing, and any relevant techniques.
If you want to get into level design where you’re working in the editor a lot, that’s a Level Designer role, which would mean blocking out a level, placing assets (that are designed by Environment Artists) and setting up gameplay.
If you want to put yourself in productions conditions, modding an existing game is a good way to approach it.
If you just want to practice your art, open up your 3d software and just go with quality practices ! But remember you’ll most likely need to showcase both skillsets : art, and the in-engine steps.