Next time you watch a movie, see an animated film, play a video game, or read a comic book, pay attention to the feelings you experience just by looking at the visuals. Those visuals put you in a mood, and it is purposeful. They open your imagination and draw you in, setting the stage for the script to unfold.
It was not by accident that the story has your full attention or that you are in your current mood. It is the culmination of a lengthy process, beginning with art concept ideas produced by a concept artist.
Concept art tells a story or conveys a particular look that sets the tone. The artist may come up with several concepts for review before a final decision is made. The concept art is not intended to be the material used in the final product. It is used to portray ideas that will eventually be developed into what we experience.
A concept artist develops ideas for environments, characters, creatures, vehicles, and other creative elements that act as a blueprint for the final product. It is like expressing the client's brief in design form as a reference point. This is accomplished through a variety of concept art styles.
In any project, compelling characters and creatures are required to keep the viewer engaged. The concept artist must have a strong understanding of human and animal anatomy. They design realistic body types and fantastic or terrifying creatures, cloaking them in costumes that enhance their roles. They are familiar with creating complementary and contrasting characters, defining their actions and personalities.
The characters in the plot must have scenarios in which the action can happen. This involves landscapes, buildings, cities, and natural scenery. If the storyline calls for it, the scenes can be in the style of fantasy or out of this world. The artist must have a keen eye for perspective, composition, and architectural design. They employ an in-depth understanding of color to achieve a thematic effect.
Every great story includes cool and innovative props. This type of concept art focuses on fabricating designs for the weapons, tools, and other assets the characters will use to carry out their actions. These are the props that populate the world in which the characters exist. The artist must be very skilled in the processes of formulation used in industrial design.
Vehicle design in concept art is similar to weapon design. The artist must be familiar with the tools and processes required for traditional vehicle and aircraft design. Beyond that, they are often taken far from conventional design limits to developing flying cars, spacecraft, and unique vehicles straight from the imagination.
This may be one of the most complex forms of concept art, yet it is easy to dismiss it as simplistic as a viewer. The concept artist must be trained and highly skilled in animating believable body mechanics. They must have sharp observational skills and an understanding of physics. They can only succeed at making the characters credible by demonstrating the relationship between anatomy and character movement.
In our society and culture, visual storytelling is increasing in popularity as a form of communication. Art concept ideas are the precursor to everything we see on the screen or in print. Concept artists can authentically communicate story concepts that trigger specific emotional responses for the audience. They work in digital format using graphics software to refine their designs and manage all variables of a final project. Concept art is the foundational design for the finished visuals we enjoy for their sheer entertainment value.
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