So you want to be a Concept Artist?

Many people aspire to be concept artists. It’s seen, I think, as one of the more creative jobs in the industry. It’s important to note that is also one of the most public and highly pressured jobs. Concept Artists do not get to pick and choose what they draw. They must be able to create good quality artwork quickly. Their artwork may well be used for promotional purposes, but equally, they must produce enough artwork to cover all units, locations, people, outfits, weapons, objects and sometimes even camera angles.

A good concept artist must have solid technical drawing skills. Although concept art can show atmosphere and personality, their primary goal is to show details, size, and sometimes colors. One day they may be asked to design a secondary sorceress character, the next day they may be asked to design the guns the main hero can switch between.

So just what skills are needed to become a concept artist?

1. Anatomy

Whilst all artists should be able to draw the human body, for a concept artist it is doubly important. He or she is creating the template that will go into the game.

2. Weaponry

You may be asked to draw tanks, guns, helicopters, laser pistols, swords, crossbows, crossbow rifles, sword-guns, alien spaceships, stake-firing machine guns for vampire hunters, ornate Victorian rifles, siege weapons – the list goes on. You should have a solid grounding in the physics and mechanics of weaponry and vehicles. Military history is also useful, to be able to draw upon different eras approaches, and different cultures.

3. Location

Understanding perspective is important. The ability to show the difference between grass and rock, between an ancient temple and a modern research lab, to show a decayed dark village and a Utopian city in the trees. Both natural and man made locations are important, and again – detail is paramount.

An understanding of geography and architecture is useful – if you know what kinds of plants grow in a desert, that information can be drawn upon. If you know how much weight certain materials can hold, you know what your fifty-story skyscraper needs to be built from. All these details are important.

4. Accuracy and Research

If a game is set in Middle Earth, you need to know the details of the fictional world Tolkien created. Giving your elves Mohawks will not endear you to the Tolkien fans. Equally, if a game is set in a historically accurate World War I, you don’t want to be giving them an F-22 fighter jet. These are obvious examples, but you can be tripped up by small things too. Give a character jeans in the decade before denim was invented, or land a noble woman with a silk dress in a country where silk has not yet been discovered or imported, and you can bet some historian will be phoning up your company to complain.

Research is very important, to both develop your imagination, and to maintain the time period in which the game is set. There are few things as jarring as an obvious anachronism.

5. Imagination

There are many games that are mere indistinguishable copies of other games. True, a game set in World War II needs to show the weapons and armour that was used at that time, but extra details can make the difference. Remember that these are real people you are drawing – they are not clones spat out of a WWII soldier machine. For the more science-fiction/fantasy style games you have a real opportunity to do something different. Bioshock could have featured just your average wetsuit, but it didn’t.

6. Speed and Reliability

Games are designed to a deadline, and to a budget. Concept art is needed to tie different peoples visions together. On a large game, you might have a whole team of people developing models. If they all ‘see’ a different thing, the result is a mess.

Equally, the promotion machine needs to keep a rising level of interest in the game, and that is often accomplished through drip-feeding the best pieces of art through to the public. Having the concept artist disappear halfway through a game development cycle can disrupt a lot of work. Having a concept artist who promises more than he or she delivers is also tremendously damaging to a companies timetable.

Bear in mind that to be a concept artist you must be able to produce lots of good quality sketches in a very short space of time. Some of these must be in color, they must show texture and atmosphere, but they are not ‘works of art’ that take you three weeks to complete. Be honest with yourself about how fast you can work, whilst still maintaining accuracy. Be honest with yourself about your weak areas – you may be the best artist in the world when it comes to designing characters, but that will stand you in little stead when you are asked to draw a rabid mutant-dog, or an AK-47.

Resources

Merekat Creations - Kristen “Merekat” Perry has worked on several games, including Guildwars: Nightfall, and Counterstrike Source. Her tutorials on perspective, and the artistic process are must-reads. Her forums are also a great source of indepth critiquing of your work.

DeviantART - dA is the place to be. Many professional artists have dA profiles, and many game companies trawl it for artists. You won’t get much in the way of in-depth critique, but you can network, and there are thousands of tutorials for improving your art.

CG Channel - Although I’m not as familiar with CG Channel as I could be, they do seem to have a lot of resources. Tutorials, portfolios, galleries and job listings, along with news.

ModDB - More specifically, the concept art competition they are running until November 20th. Get moving! There’s two kick-ass Alienware systems to win, so the prizes are very definitely worth it.

The Art Institute Online - Few things can match a structured course specific to the discipline you want to enter. The Art Institute is definitely worth considering if you are serious about developing your skill.

Got any articles, resources or job listings? Drop us a comment!

Concept Art.org - A website stuffed to the brim with truly inspiring artwork, not to mention fabulous forums stuffed to the brim with helpful artists, competitions and ideas to get you drawing, critics, encouragement and more. Definitely worth a look!

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19 Responses to “So you want to be a Concept Artist?

ZHereford Says:
November 6th, 2007 at 10:25 am

I found this article fascinating and the graphics are outstanding!

As a someone not in the industry, it’s interesting to read what goes on behind the scenes.

Keira Peney Says:
November 6th, 2007 at 10:53 am

ZHereford - thanks! Yes, some concept artists are absolutely amazing, and I definitely think good art is a major point in a game’s favor.

I’m glad you liked the article

Jim Fisher Says:
November 8th, 2007 at 11:48 pm

This just might be the job I have been waiting for. I know I need to work on speed, but I know I can do the texture shading and all that. I have 5 years military background, and have been drawing since Jr. High (35 now) I have taken 4 college classes in drafting including AutoCad. I currently work for my county’s public works engineering department. I use AutoCAD 2007, and do a lot of 3D solid modeling and drafting. I don’t have a large portfolio yet, but I do have some good stuff.

Keira Peney Says:
November 12th, 2007 at 10:00 am

Hi Jim

It certainly sounds like you have the skills for it! And it certainly must be a thrilling job, getting to design the look and feel of new games

barry Says:
December 5th, 2007 at 2:39 am

Don’t forget conceptart.org

Nice post.

Cheers.

Keira Peney Says:
December 5th, 2007 at 8:48 am

barry - thanks for the link! I shall add it into the post

Write the Game » Seven Ways to Make Money Gaming Says:
January 14th, 2008 at 11:51 am

[...] Programmer - Concept Artist - Modeler/Graphics - Audio / Music Composer - PR and Community Manager - [...]

kensfield Says:
June 30th, 2008 at 1:41 pm

Loved the article, and the art is really inspiring!

Pau Says:
August 19th, 2008 at 7:06 pm

Congratulations for yuor work, it’s amazing!

I’m a young (24) spanish artist and my hope is to became a videogame concept artist. I know it’s a hard way in Spain because of the few videogame industries, but I tihnk that it’s what I am made for.
Could I ask how much time do you spent in a picture? And (if I’m not asking too much) how is the work paid? Is it possible a freelance concept artist work?

thank you very much for your article and for these very helpful information =)

Pau

Keira Peney Says:
August 22nd, 2008 at 12:47 pm

Pau - Just to note, those pictures aren’t mine, they are some of examples of the best concept art I could find.

Luckily, with the internet changing the way we work, your location shouldn’t be as much of a problem as it once was

There’s no one answer as to how concept artists get paid. In the company I work for, they get paid on a picture-by-picture basis. We tend to re-use the same artists again and again, and I think most places would prefer to have someone kept on for at least one game to retain coherence.

Pau Says:
August 26th, 2008 at 11:31 am

Thank you for your words. Is there any web where I could see your work? May in conceptart.org?

Thanks again =) I’ll be working hard! Trying to start a way here in Barcelona =)

Josh Says:
December 8th, 2008 at 2:01 am

thanks for the help. im only 18 but my dream is to become a concept artist and your article has helped. i don’t yet have any real job experience but my talent iv been told is very good i tend to draw more of the character and weapons Armour for things. iv done some computer graphics classes and worked for three low budget games. wish me luck lol =)

Loz Says:
April 29th, 2009 at 7:56 pm

Thanks for the wicked article, it was a really helpful overview of the job area. I have bin out of school for a few years now and only recently figured out that this would be my ideal job! I have always loved computer games, and often wondered at the creative juice that goes into them. Only problem is, I’m not really sure of the best way to ‘break into’ the industry.

I’m currently working fulltime in retail (Gamestation, to keep my gaming theme running!) but I want a creative career.
Should I be looking at Uni courses? If so which is the best subject area to go for? I’m not interested in programming….it’s the art I like! Or is this a more vocational thing and if so….how should I go about ‘training up’? I have the will… I’m just not so sure of the direction I should take. Any advice would be much valued. Thanx!

Numdenu Says:
December 10th, 2009 at 11:02 pm

Hey, just thought I’d say thanks a lot. The few articles of yours I’ve read have helped me learn what to do with the map pack I’m making.

Not to mention I’m actually doing an independent study on game concept art for school, and this is a source.

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