I plan to look at a wide range of concept art books and then choose one that I feel that is successful and works well and then break it down from art work to page layout. I want to test my ability as a concept artist and show that I can do all assets such as, character art, creature, environmental, weapon and items. Also I want to create a coherent world based on a story I have written which shows that I am able to work to a written brief which is very important in the media industry.
What I feel needs to be achieved as a concept artist:
- Broaden my imagination and logical thinking.
- The ability to draw very well and in the right proportions.
- Good use of colour, lighting and tonal values.
- The ability to create mood and atmosphere.
- To be versatile with art styles.
Things that should be covered:
- Character art that shows emotions, movement, story and costume design.
- Realistic creature designs which shows logical thinking and mechanics.
- Environments which are coherent with the character designs.
- Assets such as items and weapons.
Creating a Winning Game Industry Art Portfolio
By Brent Fox: Link
Brent fox has written an essay which explains his views on how a good game industry art portfolio should present itself. I personally find his tips and guidance very helpful as its brutally honest and describes the gaming industry well. His views also back up my views as I believe that variety and being versatile is vital in the media entertainment business.
This is a section from his essay which clearly shows experience with jobs and interviews. Having reading this I feel I have a clearer mind and should start using these tips to benefit myself as an artist.
"A Chain's Weakest Link
Carefully choose what to include in your portfolio. Quantity is important to demonstrate you can keep a consistent level of quality and to show variety. However, quality is more important than quantity. You will be judged on your worst piece of art.
If you have nine great pieces and one bad, the bad one is assumed to represent the kind of work an employer can expect to see most of the time. If you have one bad piece, it also implies that the rest of your work is as bad or worse than that bad piece of art.
Aim High
You're not competing with your high school buddies. You are competing with industry veterans. When putting together a portfolio look at the best artists in the industry for inspiration. Don't feel comfortable
just because you were the best in a class you took in college, or at your last developer.
Make it Memorable
If your art looks like everything else in the game industry it may be easily forgotten. An art director should remember your art, even after spending a couple of hours browsing hundreds of blogs and portfolios. If a position crops up a week later and the art director remembers your work, you are much more likely to get a job.
Art First, Experience Later
If you can't create good art, your experience doesn't matter much. In fact, if you have a lot of experience and your art still isn't impressive, it is much worse than a beginner who shows potential. Experience is important, but only after you have caught an employer's attention with your art. Most art directors won't even look at a resume until they are impressed by the portfolio."
Art Skills Mastery
Bellow is paragraph that really caught my attention and opened my eyes. I have always felt that mastering the human anatomy is a major skill to have as a concept artist because not only does it improve your drawing skills but it also expands your logical thinking.
"Each piece of art in a portfolio can serve to demonstrate a specific skill or ability. If you are planning to create new art to enhance your portfolio, you should start with a goal of highlighting a specific artistic skill.
Demonstrating technical ability is very important. However, even more important is also showing some traditional art ability along with the technical skills. Art that only shows technical skills will leave your portfolio flat and unimpressive. For example, you never want to put something in a portfolio just because it shows that you know how to use Zbrush. It also should show off your artistic ability.
Examples of basic art skills:
- Anatomy
- Color/Light
- Creativity
You can't fool me. Too often, artists put 3D models or concept art in a portfolio with a weird distorted monster or use a poorly executed version of a particular style, like anime, to justify bad proportions and poor anatomy. Typically, these artists choose this subject matter because they think it hides the fact that they don't have a good handle on human anatomy. Even if the artist actually is capable of producing correct anatomy, without proof, it will give the impression that they can't."
After reading this advice I am far more dedicated and I have more goals to achieve within this project. I want to be able to create art work that is anatomy correct, interesting, emotional and shows understanding of 3d working space. I will be creating the "T" poses with my characters so it shows I am aware of other productions and how I can help with a team.
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