Getting ahead in concept art can be daunting, but it's always worth going back to the fundamentals. Whether you're creating concept art for films, games or TV, the same basic principles apply.
Beyond stylistic questions and tech like the best drawing tablets and digital art software, the fundamentals are what guide your art. Here's what you should be focusing on.
George Brad
George is a freelance artist with a decade of experience working on environment concept artwork. His previous clients include Yuga Labs, NetEase, Funko Games, Facebook and DreamWorks, to name just a handful.
They’re called fundamentals for a reason. Starting from line, shape, form, value, colour, texture, composition and anatomy, make sure you study and can understand them all. They’ll come back to haunt you if you try to escape them.
Regular sketching sessions help you improve your drawing speed, the quality of your lines and, most importantly, your design skills. The first iteration is never the best one, so make sure you explore a lot of variations before making a decision.
For video games, players must recognise quickly if an environment is friendly, peaceful, dangerous, and so on. Make sure you use the correct shape language in order to evoke the right feelings.
I try to start every drawing with just a light brush scribbling and playing around so I can have internal conversations based on the shapes and happy accidents that may occur.
Some artists have busy schedules, but if you think someone has answers to your struggles, don’t hesitate to write an email. I’ve even met some friends along the way doing this.
The entertainment industry is volatile and ever-changing, and people who aren’t flexible enough to adapt are usually left behind. Make sure that you’re not one of them!
Jobs and responsibilities often consume a lot of our time, which is why it’s important that you find few spare minutes every day to work on your skills and own original ideas.
Just enjoy it! Being able to draw a little every single day is a privilege that many people don’t have. Make sure to relax and don’t take anything that you create too seriously.
This content originally appeared in ImagineFX magazine, the world's leading digital art and fantasy art magazine. ImagineFX is on sale in the UK, Europe, United States, Canada, Australia and more. Limited numbers of ImagineFX print editions are available for delivery from ouronline store (the shipping costs are included in all prices).
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George is a freelance artist with a decade of experience working on environment concept artwork. His previous clients include Yuga Labs, NetEase, Funko Games, Facebook and DreamWorks, to name just a handful.
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