So You Want To Be a Concept Artist
Hi, creative souls! In the previous article we’ve talked a bit about concept art and its history. In this article, we’ll be giving you some guidelines and tips if your dream job is to be a professional concept artist. Keep in mind that a concept art opening usually has lots of applicants, so it’s a pretty competitive position. Most game developers also start out as concept artists, so if you want to be a game developer one day, it’s good to have experience as a concept artist. So let’s dig in!
- Have a solid drawing foundation
By a solid drawing foundation, we don’t mean you have to be a flawless illustrator. But you do have to combine designing and drawing skills to make an idea come to life so that your 2D and 3D coworkers can implement it.
- For characters, you’ll need to have a good understanding of anatomy and gestures.
- Get to know perspective drawing to generate buildings that feel reel from the outside, inside, above, and within whatever context is needed in the story.
- Be familiar with color theory: how do colors relate to each other and how does certain combinations make people feel?
- Develop composition sense with several ways including Rule of Thirds, implied lines, and contrast values.
- Understand design principles
Like we said previously, concept art is about combining design and drawing skills. It’s not just about drawing, it’s also about problem solving throughout the project. A concept artist might sketch a few cool characters and monsters, but they will have to design a hundred more little trinkets, accessories, chairs, doors, tables, and so on.
- Develop a diverse visual story library in your head
You can only put out what you input into your head. This means, to be a good writer, you have to read a lot. To be a good composer, you have to listen to many types of different music. To be a good concept artist, go play a lot of different style of games! Watch various types of movies, go to design and art exhibitions, read a lot of comics or graphic novels. The human brain is miraculous and you’ll be surprised at what amazing things come out if you fill it with diverse, stimulating creative food.
- Be disciplined. Practice.
With self discipline, you will be able to succeed at anything you put your mind to. Set aside a special time or hour to practice drawing and designing. You don’t have to do it every single day, but do it routinely at least 4-5 times a week. Take lessons from a good teacher that can help you develop your drawing and design fundamentals. Don’t give up, but also be kind to yourself.
With those four points in mind, we wish you the best of luck on your endeavor to become an amazing concept artist.
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