Guide for Concept Artists | Concept Art Career

If you have ever been amazed by the creatures, landscapes, or objects in a film or video game, then without realizing it, you have seen the final result of a concept artist’s work.

A concept artist is a designer who takes ideas from the design team and turns them into artistic direction for creating sets, 3D models, or VFX.

In this article, you will learn everything you need to know about this fascinating profession, as well as how to become a concept artist.

What is Concept Art?

Concept art is any artwork that serves as a reference when creating objects for a game or film. Pictures can convey much more than words when it comes to explaining how a particular piece should look. Therefore, concept art is used to give the design team a muse or visual representation of what they are going to create.

Concept artists have a certain degree of freedom that allows them to infuse a lot of personality and creativity into their work, but they must also ensure that the concept art tonally matches the rest of the design team’s vision.

If a film takes place in a grim dystopian world, the concept art must show the set designers, VFX artists, and lighting department what it should look like once their work is finished.

If a game has a colorful, cartoonish artistic direction, then every concept art piece of an item, character, building, clothing, and vehicle must reflect that tone.

In other words, good concept art not only helps make a film more vivid and creative but also ensures unity of vision throughout the production process.

Concept art is the foundation on which a game’s world is built.

Different Types of Concept Art

Concept artists can specialize in various types of concept art. While one artist may excel at designing architecture and buildings, another may specialize in drawing characters or objects.

In fact, having a unique style and signature techniques is what sets the most famous concept artists apart.

For example, Eyvind Earle is a legendary concept artist who worked on several classic Disney films such as “Peter Pan” and “Sleeping Beauty.” His concept art featuring stylized trees and plants became an integral part of the design of those early films.

On the other hand, Jason Chan, a prolific concept artist in the gaming industry, is best known for his character designs that appeared in games like League of Legends and Mass Effect.

Moreover, most of the character models in Mass Effect 3 were created by Jason Chan as concept art.

In other words, depending on the needs of the project, different artists may be involved. Creature design, character design, technical design, asset design, and environment design are all different categories that require the involvement of a concept artist.

A very talented artist can create an entire portfolio based on just one of these categories if their work is distinctive enough, although most concept artists need to be able to work across various categories to keep their work steady, even if they have a specialization.

In any case, an artist’s individual style will play a large role in what projects they might be hired for, and it is perfectly normal to excel in some areas more than others.

After all, the concept art of Halo Infinite will be vastly different from that of Genshin Impact.

Why Become a Concept Artist?

For many artists, the dream of seeing their work in a film or video game is very enticing. It is not just a career but an opportunity to contribute creatively to a beloved industry.

A concept artist can point to vibrant landscapes, sci-fi machines, non-human monsters, and powerful weapons and say, “I created that.”

What they draw is the foundation upon which the rest of the team builds the film or game, so while there are constraints, the impact concept artists can have on a project is enormous.

Additionally, the average salary for concept artists is 690,000 RUB per year, and experienced artists can earn up to 900,000 RUB.

What Does a Concept Artist Do?

For example, when creating a video game, the team may have cool ideas for a magical axe that the main character will wield throughout the game.

But no matter how much they talk about it, everyone will have a different mental image of what that axe looks like.

That’s where the concept artist comes in.

They listen to all the ideas, receive a written brief from the art director with detailed instructions on what the team wants, and based on that, sketch out several basic versions of the axe so everyone can see if they are on the same page.

But even then, most concept artists gather a visual library of drawings, materials, textures, and photographs that help them in their work. Yes, concept artists use visual references to create visual references.

This means that after getting a feel for the project’s tone, the artist may need to do a bit of research to find the most appropriate reference images.

Upon seeing the initial sketches presented by the concept artist, the team may change their minds about what exactly they want. Perhaps the team decides that the skull on the axe handle doesn’t look as cool as they hoped, or they come up with a better idea for its shape.

The concept artist will create a detailed drawing of the axe using 2D or 3D art software such as ZBrush or Photoshop, but often they will need to make revisions until the final design is approved.

Once everything is ready, other teams will take the concept art and use it to create textures and 3D models to bring them into the game.

Depending on the scale of the project, either a single concept artist or multiple artists may work on films and games.

How to Become a Concept Artist

So, now that we’ve covered what a concept artist is and why this profession is certainly worth pursuing, what does it take to become a concept artist? Here are five steps to help you build a career in this competitive art field.

Education

Technically, no formal education is required to become a concept artist. The artwork you can create and add to your portfolio is more important for getting hired as a concept artist than a college or university degree. And experience is the most valuable asset an artist can have. Nevertheless, most concept artists enter the field after earning a degree.

Unless you are a prodigy, it is difficult to become a professional-level artist without understanding the basics: form, composition, perspective, anatomy, lighting, and color.

Proficiency in Zbrush, Maya, and Photoshop is also a must, as these programs are widely used in the industry.

So, while earning a degree is not mandatory, attending art school can be a crucial step in acquiring the skills needed to succeed as a concept artist. It is best to take courses in graphic design or fine arts, as these subjects typically help you build a compelling art portfolio by the end of your studies.

But if you’re looking for a cheaper way to master concept art and design, you’re in luck! There are many free tutorials and lessons on concept art creation by professionals in the field. You can find them on sites like Artstation.com and clipstudio.net.

These tutorials are created by artists for artists and provide step-by-step guidance on all aspects of concept art creation. Lessons may cover broad topics such as color theory, composition, and lighting.

But there are also more specific lessons, such as creating realistic metal engravings, cityscapes, or silhouettes. While these lessons may not be the equivalent of a four-year art school education, they can give you a solid foundation in the world of concept art.

Building a Concept Art Portfolio

For a professional artist in any industry, having a compelling portfolio of work is far more important than even a well-written resume. When it comes to finding work in the art field, concept artists are certainly no exception. An artist’s portfolio is a collection of their best work that visually demonstrates their abilities and skills.

The only problem is that a concept artist may produce work in different styles. How do you decide what to add to your portfolio and what to leave out if you’re creating everything from vehicles to characters?

It is known that even experienced artists update their portfolios from time to time as their work improves and tastes change. So, if your portfolio isn’t quite up to par yet, consider taking on concept art commissions and small one-off jobs.

This is quite different from working in a studio for a major film or game company, but you might be able to add impressive professional work to your portfolio and earn some money in the process until your portfolio is ready.

Selecting Your Best Work

This might seem obvious, but many art school graduates make the mistake of filling their portfolios with work that does not match their skill level.

It is very tempting to fill empty space in your portfolio with whatever is at hand, but if only two out of ten concept art pieces you present are of professional quality, the employer will see an artist whose work fails to meet standards eight out of ten times.

While quantity may be important as it shows the artist has many projects under their belt, it cannot be overstated that quality truly matters in a concept artist’s portfolio. For newcomers trying to break into the industry, showing two or three excellent pieces of art is far better than showing a hundred mediocre ones.

If you have a variety of professional-level concept art pieces to add to your portfolio, that’s great news! In that case, it’s just a matter of deciding what kind of concept artist you want to be. Are you most inspired by creature design? Then make sure that the wild and epic creatures you have created take center stage in your portfolio and form the majority of it, rather than, say, landscapes or machinery.

Diversity is good, but a portfolio is not just about showcasing the artist’s work—it also reflects their personality. If attention is drawn to the wrong pieces, you might end up being hired but stuck in projects that don’t actually inspire you or bring out your best work.

Finally, it is very helpful to show the process behind the work in your portfolio. Remember, studios hire artists not only for their finished pieces but also for how they arrived at them.

By showing your best work, as well as the sketches, notes, and changes required to create them, you can reveal a lot about how you work. All of this must be considered when building a portfolio.

In the end, while selecting your best work may seem like a simple process, there are actually many variables that can make or break it. But portfolios can be changed, and even if a potential employer says no once, that doesn’t mean you can’t update your portfolio and try again later.

Creating a Website for Your Portfolio

The days of making prints of your work, placing them in a folder, and mailing them to potential employers are almost gone. Nowadays, having a professional website to showcase your concept art portfolio is a must.

Veteran concept artists like Gilles Beloeil of Assassin’s Creed and Tuomas Korpi, who created concept art for films, games, and the Moomin Valley series, have impressive portfolio websites displaying their work.

But if you are not very technically savvy, how do you create a website to promote your work?

Sites like Portfoliobox and Squarespace.com offer many ready-made themes and templates for quickly and easily creating your own website, though with a monthly or annual subscription fee.

Crevado is also a decent free option, but it adds a Crevado footer at the bottom of the site unless you upgrade to a professional membership. And of course, there is Artstation.

Artstation is essentially the Facebook of artist portfolios. Not only does it offer you your own domain, numerous themes, and templates, but it also automatically populates your portfolio as you upload work.

But the best feature of Artstation is that you become part of its rich community. You can see what other artists are creating, comment on their work, and ask questions.

You can easily find tutorials on creating concept art from beginner to master level. It is part blog, part social media platform, and part portfolio builder, making it the most popular platform today, although it does require a subscription fee.

Nevertheless, regardless of your choice, these sites are a great way to launch your own domain without having to learn how to code it yourself.

But what does it take to create a website that stands out? After all, if you want to showcase your skills as a concept artist, how you design your portfolio will say a lot about you as a potential designer.

The best advice is to make the site easy to navigate and, if possible, highlight your best work. Adding many fancy filters and being too creative with the site can make it hard to navigate rather than showing off your talent.

A concept artist does not need to be a professional web graphic designer; simply presenting your work directly to interested clients is enough. However, the colors and graphics you choose should emphasize what kind of artist you are.

If you are known as a creator of peaceful characters and creatures, use a soft, gentle color palette for your site, and so on. Your personality and creativity are ultimately what will sell you as an artist.

Concept Art Jobs

Once you have an impressive portfolio and your own domain to showcase it, you are finally ready to start looking for work as a concept artist. But how do you find such work?

Most artists start by searching for entry-level concept art jobs. Even if you really want to do concept art for films or games, it is important not to limit yourself to only those studios during your job search.

Toys, board games, TV shows, card games, fashion, book illustrations—these are all products that use concept art. By broadening your search, you might find your first job in the most unexpected places.

Whatever you do, don’t wait for employers to find your portfolio page.

Even well-established concept artists need to ensure their names are considered when hiring. Any concept art job will give you experience in the field, and you may discover more opportunities in the future.

If you are having trouble finding job openings, attend as many networking events as possible. You can participate in art contests on Artstation, Character Design References, and Atomhawk. Even if you don’t win, that’s not the main point. They are a great way to get attention for your work and give clients a reason to look at your portfolio.

The Concept Art Association is an organization that holds a number of networking and mentorship events each year for aspiring concept artists, and it’s definitely worth checking out.

Finally, many major game companies like Blizzard and Riot Games offer internships for aspiring concept artists. These are highly sought-after positions, so act quickly and prepare your portfolio.

It’s a competitive market, and to land your dream job, you will have to sell yourself and your art to get noticed.

Ready to Begin Your Artistic Journey?

Concept art is an amazing career where an artist truly gets a chance to influence a project. Their drawings become the target for the rest of the designers.

Thus, concept artists shape the media we see every day from the conceptual level. By following these five steps, you can become a professional concept artist.