How to Develop Concept Art for an Environmental 3d Artist
Concept art is ane of the most sought-after creative fields in the games industry.
When the GamesIndustry.biz Academy put together its guide to getting a task in game art, Teazelcat CEO and game managing director Jodie Azhar pointed out that concept art roles tin can have hundreds of applicants for one position, making it one of the about competitive roles aslope graphic symbol artists.
Olivier Leonardi, expert art director at Ubisoft Reflections, then added that virtually everything in game evolution starts with concept fine art, making it an platonic expanse of specialisation for young artists. Merely concept art is also widely idealised by outsiders, who don't realise what information technology actually entails.
"A common misconception is that concept art is almost doing cool and pretty drawings or illustrations - it is non"
Pierre Armal, Shiro Games
"A common misconception is that concept art is nearly doing cool and pretty drawings or illustrations -- information technology is not," says Pierre Armal, concept artist at Shiro Games. "It is nigh ideas, and solving bug for the 3D artists and game designers. Drawing is only a tool used to that finish."
And it's not the only misconception about the field, adds Cécile Jaubert, likewise a concept and VFX creative person at Shiro Games. For example, despite common behavior, you don't need to be a flawless illustrator to be a expert concept creative person.
"80% of the chore is designing 'small things'," she says. "There'southward just so many of import characters in a game, simply male child is at that place a lot of chairs and rooms and VFX sometimes. Yous will spend a lot of time working on things that might seem insignificant, simply your work remains important for your coworkers.
"Yous don't need to be an incredible painter to be an excellent concept artist. The most important part of concept fine art remains good blueprint skills. As long as you lot depict (or photobash) well enough for people to understand your design and transcribe it in 3D or in a concluding 2D work, then y'all're doing your chore."
Pierre Armal
Armal actually wasn't drawing until he started studying to piece of work in the games industry. He went to a 3D graphics schoolhouse and started cartoon later he realised concept fine art was what he wanted to do, so he started learning more about the field in his own fourth dimension and through 2D art lessons.
On the other hand, it's Jaubert'southward love of drawing that led her to concept fine art. She initially wanted to piece of work in animation merely following "a series of failed tests," and inspired past a friend who was following that path, she ended upwards enrolling into a generalist video game school.
"We studied a lot of things there: 3D, animation, only not besides much 2D," she says. "I am lucky in the sense that I've been drawing since I was young and it never really left me. Doing all these dissimilar things during school hours was motivating me to draw more for myself on the side.
"But through school it also became apparent to me that I do like the 'puzzle solving' aspect of design, and so lilliputian by piffling it became obvious to me that a skillful way to combine cartoon and design was concept art."
- The role and responsibilities of the concept artist
- Qualities, skills and good practices
- Advice for new concept artists
Layout exploration by Cécile Jaubert for Shiro Games' Darksburg (artstation.com/zellk)
The role and responsibilities of the concept artist
Armal explains that concept art consists in the whole visual designing process of everything the actor will see: the characters, the environments, the colors, the moods, the fashion.
The role of the concept artist is crucial to exploring early game ideas, delving into what could work and what doesn't, and iterate apace. That inherently means a lot of back and forth between art and blueprint teams.
"Drawing is one of the fastest -- and by proxy, cheapest -- ways to explore various possibilities for an chemical element of the game," Jaubert says. "Depending on the precision of the initial pitch, the exploration tin can go really wild or remain centered around the aforementioned core elements but with a bit of variation. It usually takes [some] dorsum and forth to find a blueprint that fits the directors and when that'due south done, the concept is sent to other team members that will be in charge of making the last 3D -- or 2D, depending on the game -- model and animate it, add sounds to it and insert it in the game.
"Drawing is one of the fastest -- and past proxy, cheapest -- ways to explore various possibilities for an element of the game"
Cécile Jaubert, Shiro Games
"It is possible that one time integrated in the game, the team realises some things aren't fitting -- that would have been difficult to figure out before existence contextualised in the game -- so some retakes can happen, but more often than not the pipeline remains the same."
That also ways that concept artists have to produce a lot of different visual options and directions based on the initial pitch, whether that'southward a character, an environment, an object, or an ability.
"Our fine art helps the rest of the squad project into these possibilities in a more concrete style and brand choices from that," Jaubert continues. "Having a visual under the eyes helps the directors run into which options fit more than the feeling or information they desire the actor to take. It's much easier for everyone in the team to hear, 'This design feels scarier than this 1, keep pushing in that direction' than, 'Make something scary' and go from there.
"We tin can never completely prevent big changes from happening and work existence 'thrown away,' every bit it is the life of every projection, but nosotros limit this as much as possible by weeding options out beforehand."
Cécile Jaubert
While the role of the concept creative person may exist slightly unlike depending on the size of the studio, and evolves alongside development, information technology is the well-nigh crucial at the commencement of a project, as everything needs to exist fleshed out.
"That's the moment when we need a lot of pre-production art to discover the game's direction and design the characters and environments that will later on be built," Armal explains. "Because we are a small studio at Shiro Games, equally second artists we have to design the UI, all the icons and interface-related things too. When the product [reaches] the cease, we participate in checking everything that tin be polished visually, in both 2D and 3D."
Finally, as concept art is a style to explore the game's atmosphere, storytelling will ofttimes transpire through the fine art, meaning narrative elements are something concept artists often have to keep in mind when working.
"I remember it's important, while designing, to ask yourself questions like 'who?', 'where?', 'how?', 'why?'," Armal says. "For example, for a grapheme, what practice they practice? Where do they come from? What are they doing here and how do they intend to accomplish whatsoever it is they want to achieve?"
Same goes with objects, Jaubert adds. You lot'll need to call up about how it will be seen in-game: volition it be up close? Or only from 1 angle? It'southward not all almost telling a story or transmitting a strong intent for a character or surroundings.
"Sometimes it's just designing a chair that fits a room. But fifty-fifty then, you can find little things to put in them. Your tools will be the shapes and colours y'all use, but remember likewise that a lot of the pattern will as well come up to life through the animations, sounds and furnishings of the final version."
Concept art by Pierre Armal for Shiro Games' Darksburg (artstation.com/sicaeth)
Qualities, skills and skilful practices
- The qualities of a adept concept artist
Concept art is the ability to convey ideas in a visual form, pregnant that good communication skills -- both in your art and verbally with your colleagues -- is crucial.
"A good concept creative person in my opinion is someone who has adept and interesting ideas, is able to come up with visual solutions to problems, and communicates that through articulate and concise drawing and paintings," Armal says.
Jaubert adds: "Sometimes people aren't clear on what they want, so you won't always have clear cut pitches to base yourself on for your design. Try to understand what they want, while also minding what you think is adept for the game."
Closely linked to communication skills, synthetic thinking and problem solving are a must to be a good concept artist.
"Don't lose yourself in the details, especially non at get-go"
Cécile Jaubert, Shiro Games
"Don't lose yourself in the details, particularly not at first," Jaubert warns. "Similar sculpting a rock, start with the large shapes and in one case those are validated, then you tin work on the details. It might as well be upwards to you to [make up one's mind] what the identify of the chemical element you're designing is in the game. A game designer will give you lot parts of the data, a QA might complement information technology after doing in-game tests, your art director will as well have their ain word about the element you're trying to design. But you need to summarize all these views together to work. On peak of that you'll also need to learn the visual and pattern style of the game and so that your concepts fit nicely in the universe."
Finally, marvel is some other key quality to being a practiced concept creative person, every bit you'll need to acquire most all sorts of unexpected things, from animate being beefcake to engineering, to perfect your drawings.
"It'south incommunicable to accept cognition virtually everything, [and] you'll need to learn for each project you piece of work on," Jaubert says. "My best advice is to cultivate your curiosity, as it is easier to larn something when y'all make it interesting for yourself. Marvel will besides help you lot cultivate your own references and nurture your tastes, what will eventually abound to be your comfort zone, and what you similar working on the most."
Concept art past Cécile Jaubert for Shiro Games' Darksburg (artstation.com/zellk)
- Good practices for concept artists
In addition to cultivating the qualities listed above, Armal says that 1 of the all-time things you can do to improve is constantly feeding your "visual library" through reading, watching movies, or playing games. And regardless of your level as an artist, you should always be working on your drawing fundamentals.
"Sketch a lot, [practise] drawing practice," he continues. "And have fun. If you don't similar to draw -- which was my case in the kickoff -- learn to beloved it, information technology will be incredibly worth it. My favourite [exercise] by far is to build a larger personal project, something y'all work on during a few months. It trains y'all to work on designs that are cohesive together, and that'south when I personally take the most fun and come up with better designs and ideas."
"Creativity and design are muscles that grow more flexible and strong when used often"
Cécile Jaubert, Shiro Games
Jaubert advises to sketch out your ideas often, even if they're random, which will also help find your ain style. At a basic level, you only need a pencil and paper to practice, but the Shiro Games artists had a few recommendations when it came to software.
"Photoshop is an industry standard but there's a lot of them out there now," Jaubert says. "Krita, Gimp, FireAlpaca, Clip Studio Pigment, Paint Tool SAI... My advice is to effort the ones you're curious nigh and run into their strengths and limitations. Run into how they work and which 1 clicks best with you.
"Inventiveness and design are muscles that grow more flexible and strong when used often. Information technology doesn't hateful you have to depict five hours a day though -- just a sketch can exist enough. The thing is more to practise putting the thought down and 'making it visually real' rather than keeping information technology in your head, where it will always be a bit shapeless. The act of putting what is in your brain on the paper tin can be actually tricky sometimes. Some ideas will be clear cut, others will escape your grasp like water and it will be a struggle to actually describe them 'like you want them to experience'."
Concept art frequently means producing a lot of different visual options based on the initial pitch - Concept art by Pierre Armal for Shiro Games' Darksburg (artstation.com/sicaeth)
Advice for new concept artists
When it comes to finding a chore equally a concept artist in the games industry, Armal advises to brand certain that y'all have piece of work in your portfolio that actually matches the needs and projects of the studio y'all're applying for.
"If at that place'south a studio you actually really want to piece of work at, don't hesitate to tailor all your work towards that studio," Jaubert adds. "Too don't hesitate to do fanart. Some people might say you should simply practice original work, but fanart is an excellent fashion to written report designs you like, share your passion nearly something with people that like it too, and become noticed by people that work on said thing yous dearest a lot."
"That shit is no joke, take care of your body."
Cécile Jaubert, Shiro Games
Movie and animation artists moving to games, which tin be a very logical sidestep, may accept an advantage in terms of employability, just game artists trying to get into concept fine art too have the advantage of agreement the pipeline already.
"If y'all're coming into the game industry [from motion-picture show], don't diminish what the knowledge y'all already have tin can bring you," Jaubert says. "Designing stuff for a game isn't so different as for a movie -- real or blitheness. Just call up to exist mindful that game blueprint has priority over visuals. You're making a game. So the most important role of it is, does it feel good to play? Is your design helping that direction? And that's it.
"If you're already in the game industry, talk to the concept artists y'all know. Inquire them virtually their chore. They might have precious communication for you, and different from mine."
And as a concluding word, Jaubert says you lot should also be taking very good care of your trunk.
"Your hands and eyes are your tool of craft," she says "Even if you don't feel hurting or issues, stretch them oft -- each time you take a fiddling break, or every two hours if you need a timed reminder, walk exterior and exercise squats to shake off the long hours of sitting. Pushing until you feel discomfort or pain is the sure way to get towards injury that will take you out of practising for months at a time, and sometimes even years. That shit is no joke, take care of your body."
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Source: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-01-20-a-brief-guide-to-becoming-a-concept-artist