Hello! i'm an artist who has been a hobbyiist for years with a few commissions and projects here and there. I don't quite know how to make myself more marketable as a concept artist. I know my skills have stagnated quite a bit lately, and I want to know if that is the real issue, or if there are some other skills I should be adding to my resume to get my foot in the door. 

Here is my portfolio: https://cedwardsportfolio.wixsite.com/artwork and here is a section of character design projects: https://cedwardsportfolio.wixsite.com/artwork/protected-works
I also find it annoying that 'Character artist' can mean many things, and usually ends up meaning 3D. 

Here are a few skills I've been interested in learning, just to add on my resume and have my own fun with. Its a daunting list, though, so I wouldn't quite know how to tackle it, or multiples, without putting in years of practice rather than months. 

3D Modelling
Textures/<eshes
UI Layouts
Creating UI Graphics (Program?? I'm not really sure how to research this without getting into web design?) 
Visual Novel Assets
Environment Matte Paintings

All that, or just practicing what I already do. I could dive into prop concepts, touch up on my art skills again. 
I only have tiny, unpaid projects that fell through on my resume, and 2 years of customer service work. Any suggestions? 

Hi Casualghost,

Welcome to the world of being an aspiring concept artist. I've been here for a while.

Before you jump into learning all these skills, which could help you down the line, you have to really need to research what a concept artist does. You may just realize that your portfolio doesn't have any character design at all.

Grab one of your characters (I like the succubus and Ramrod, who are actually wearing clothing and look like they could be player characters in a game) and explore their design - find a good silhouette so you can tell who they are without any detail.
Explore and Iterate their design - try different horn shapes for the demon, or different straps for Ramrod.
Build Character Turnaround Sheets around the final designs, which a 3D modeler or animator could actually use to bring life to your character.
Show all of these processes in your portfolio, and you'll be a little closer to your dream job.

Also work on your networking skills and consider relocation if there are no studios nearby.

2 hours ago, ItamarReiner said:

Hi Casualghost,

Welcome to the world of being an aspiring concept artist. I've been here for a while.

Before you jump into learning all these skills, which could help you down the line, you have to really need to research what a concept artist does. You may just realize that your portfolio doesn't have any character design at all.

Grab one of your characters (I like the succubus and Ramrod, who are actually wearing clothing and look like they could be player characters in a game) and explore their design - find a good silhouette so you can tell who they are without any detail.
Explore and Iterate their design - try different horn shapes for the demon, or different straps for Ramrod.
Build Character Turnaround Sheets around the final designs, which a 3D modeler or animator could actually use to bring life to your character.
Show all of these processes in your portfolio, and you'll be a little closer to your dream job.

Also work on your networking skills and consider relocation if there are no studios nearby.

Ah, Thank you! Also my link broke, this part is more of my character design work https://cedwardsportfolio.wixsite.com/artwork/protected-works, but it still needs plenty of work done. I've learned about turnarounds/silhouettes, but I only just realized I've never really expressed that in my portfolio, once you mentioned it. Thanks!