CGHell
Headquarters
Remote
Founded
2013
Industry
Art
Company size
2
Idea
I've always been captivated by games and art. Immersed in the gaming industry, I delved into understanding the people behind the games I played. It led me to a unique encounter with diverse creatives spanning various artistic realms: 2D artists, 3D artists, UI designers, and more.
Amidst my design career journey, I spent my free time with these artists, recording their streams, organizing offline meetings, and engaging in events like CG Event, Igromir, and similar gatherings.
Throughout these experiences, I found myself subconsciously absorbing the nuances of artists as individuals and professionals. After work, my nights were spent in the midst of Discord conversations, watching their streams, and witnessing their artistry in action. I'd often record these sessions overnight, reviewing the outcomes in the morning, and editing the videos to share on my YouTube channel. You can still find some of these inspiring sessions on my channel.
Then, one night, inspiration struck me. The idea emerged: to create a space for artists to meet and engage in sketching battles for practice. Thus, CGHell was born, paying homage to the legacy of CGHub.
This story revolves around my genuine passion for the art community, cultivating a space for creative exchange, and fostering a platform for artists to sharpen their skills in friendly artistic duels.
CGHub (Computer Graphics Hub), once a thriving online hub for digital artists, closed down in 2014 due to security concerns. It boasted a massive community, potentially reaching hundreds of thousands or even millions of users. While it's no longer active, its influence lives on in other platforms supporting digital artists.
Goal
Create a platform platform that aims to be an all-in-one space where artists can learn, grow, connect with others, and enjoy practicing their art daily.
Solution
The platform structure looked like this:
Practice Challenges: Providing daily, weekly, or monthly challenges for artists to participate in and hone their skills.
Community Interaction: A space for artists to connect, share their work, provide feedback to one another, and engage in discussions about art.
Tutorials and Resources: Access to tutorials, tips, and resources for artists of all levels to learn and improve their craft.
Virtual Art Battles: Feature for artists to engage in friendly competitive sessions or events to challenge each other's skills.
Progress Tracking: Tools to track an artist's progress over time, possibly through a portfolio section to showcase improvements and growth.
Home page
Contest results page
Artwork page
Profile page, achievements
Results
10,000 registered users
35,000 artworks uploaded
200 contests held
80% of invested funds repaid (mostly with social media ads)
11,000 followers on Instagram
8,000 followers on VK
The most notable outcome was the hiring of a few individuals who showcased portfolios they developed while practicing at CGHell.
For me, it was my initial startup experience. It's challenging to overstate the value and impact it had on my life.
I learned the basics of HTML and CSS coding and even reconstructed a few platform pages entirely on my own.
Given a time machine, I would undoubtedly return. With my current product design and management experience, I would stand alongside ArtStation today.
Burning face – the maskot of CGHell
Graphics
Together with 2D artist we've developed high quality achievements that users were getting for certain activity on the platform.
User achievements icons