ASK THE ARTIST Ep01: How To Become A Concept Artist 

Art chose me.

Same

hey I am 16 too....but in 2019

@@sakinhasan636 I'm 16 too

@@Vulkiri nice my frnd

Im 16 too but in 2020

@@sakinhasan636 im 24...never too late

shane presnal Where have YOU been all my life?

TLDR Hey dude, I know you posted this about 5 months ago so I hope this reply reaches your ears but if not, maybe someone else can benefit from my answer. I think your knowledge of blacksmithing would be an huge benefit to a games company! I really do. I am not a professional, so take my words with a grain of salt but I have been interested in Concept Art for at least 10 years and researched it ever since. A lot of games could really benefit from your precise knowledge of how weapons work and are constructed - most concept artists are more desirable if they have specialised in an area such as Industrial design (and more specifically Weapon design). In the design process the initial phase would be research and sketching and you already have done a vast amount more research that other artists are capable of. Furthermore, I often see that weapon and armour design could be improved upon. As a practitioner of HEMA the fighting style of some characters and the practicalities of weapons can over seem like they have been overlooked, under researched or over commercialised and, while games and films should use their artist license to create stunning visual, they could also benefit from a little more accuracy and originality to really help create the suspension of disbelief and immersion. So in this respect, your knowledge of the construction of weapons could really breath life into the gaming scene. For example, imagine what kind of perspective you could give to the crafting systems of MMOs? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_rncXyHaZZA.html The link above goes to a wonderful, if rather long, concept art talk at the Academy of Arts University. The main person, whose background story I would want you to focus on is Anthony Jones (its like 39min in). Here is a dude who didn't want to be a concept artist until after a few career moves spending some of his life as a plumber beforehand. There is nothing wrong with making a career move and nothing stopping you from making that move except yourself. Obviously circumstances can create unexpected events in your life, but if you want to become a concept artist - draw. You don't even need a degree, it's all portfolio based. Not saying attending a University isn't great - just the environment itself, the guidance from tutors and the freedom to draw all day makes it worth it, as long as you use the time wisely. I think the most important thing to note for yourself is that concept art is an extremely competitive environment because it's alot of peoples dream job but the demand for concept art isn't huge - it is fairly niche. So if you want to work for a games company, drawing weapons, you have to prepare yourself for alot of hard work, some catching up and making a ton of mistakes, and getting your work C&C'd hard. You need to be able to take criticism really well, and just take the advice because a boss doesn't see your artwork as art, its an asset towards completing their intense 3+ year project. SO to wrap up, of course you can work in the games industry. Of course the skills you have learnt are valid. If you want to be a concept artist just be prepared to put in the effort cos there is alot of competition. And if you have a vision in mind, focus on it and just work out step by step how to get closer every day. GL HF Edit: Something I just thought of, if you enjoying being a blacksmith there is no reason why you couldn't carry on doing that but work in the field you would like. As long as you have a portfolio of work, nice shots of the fantasy weapons you have made, there is no reason why you couldn't work for a studio creating props or transition into 3D to create those virtual models. Maybe you can be more entrepreneurial and become a weapon design consultant for a giant company like Bethesda. I mean, hell, they can afford it.

@Keep Rocking! But I've heard a lot of times that Design follows function

@Keep Rocking! Well then it must be a thing more about Films, probably because real humans are supposed to interact with those props, costumes, etc.

Bro are we twins ? You live in the state i want to move to. My two favorite games and my hobbies.

draw 3 pages + everyday and you'll be better than anyone else, plus learn basics, they are Really essential

Watch FZD videos on youtube, if you arent allready

Hey man, how you doing? I am 22 and all of this is scary to me. I don't even know where to start...

+Ilieknoodles Ⓥ it usually pays about 5,000- 10,000 dollars more than the national average salary. But in the start apparently it pays about 1,000 less than the average salary.

Don't be. It's never too late. You are still young at college. In fact, some people start at a later age. It's great you have already started drawing. I think you need to consider your own thoughts and words before that of others. Good luck!

@@alekseybenitez7453 thank you for your answer. 😊 I'm in a much better place than when I was as I wrote this. I draw daily now and work on a career in graphic design. Since I have already a degree and currently in college for multimedia art and Vr design (we don't ahve concept art schools in my country) I might never become concept artist but damn I will try and work hard

David Garza To get better, just draw everyday (if you can), look at other artists to get inspired and try as much styles/ mediums as possible. It’s as simple as that. I recommend checking out artists like Kim Jung gi, Karl kopinski, moebius, Jake Parker or Jesper Ejsing. You should find a lot more people over the internet that you might like. Watch a lot of tutorials as well, they are very helpful.

@@tomgroves8987 Might be a little late to reply but its great to practice and learn the fundamentals of art. Drawing everyday isnt enough, you have to do studies and reflect on the process of making art.

In the art world. A solid portfolio is all you will need. No degrees required. If you possess very strong raw fundamental drawing skills, that is all that matters.

PhantomDrawing how do i improve my drawing? Self learning or i need to join some art courses?

I would say for most people, going to an art school is probably the best way to go. However, for a certain select group of highly self-motivated individuals, free online or payed tutorials is all that's needed. The most important thing is that you have to love what you do. RU-vid has a ton of great channels and tutorials nowadays. As long as there's a will, you can learn just about anything you put your mind too.

How long it will take to actually master the basics?

It really depends from person to person. But as long as you are drawing everyday or at least every other day and your pencil is constantly moving, you can make drastic improvements in a short period of time. I myself am no master at drawing fundamentals. But the main drawing fundamentals you may want to study are anatomy, color theory, composition, perspective, and light & shadow. I would recommend to just draw what you love and are passionate about and whenever you hit a roadblock, free tutorials are just a quick search away. Good luck. :)

Any decent desktop computer. Buy a Cintiq or UGEE as your monitor and draw on that. Also make sure to draw using pencil and paper often as well.

Start with skill before you create masterpieces.

Hello sir iam also from india, chandigarh,,, yeahh its lack of opportunities and support for concept artist,,,,, i am also verry excited to be a concept artist,,,,,

@@anubhavjasola6965 you have to master the science of working remotely tools such as PayPal and a website coupled with artistic skill utilization of the internet is essential in expanding beyond your physical environment

4 years later, how do you feel about this at the age of 16?

Ofc man

It is never too late my friend 😊

Shit I'm 30 and I just realize what I want to do with my life (concept artist) and I just started to draw for the first time, it's hard but I believe that I can be one of the best in world, it's just PRACTICE

Dafuq are you kidding me you're freaking 17 years old you have your whole life in front of you of course you have a chance just grab it and move on, don't make pathetic excuses about "lacking motivation" and stuff, just go do it bro!!

illustrators are doing beautiful paintings (like promo art), concept artist are generating ideas. As an illustrator you have to polish your work to a far more extent than in concept art (usually) but you dont have to develop new designs.

chiefkamachi1 so is being an illustrator a type of concept artist ?

It really differs from studio to studio. Some expext you to have illustrative skills as a concept artist. But basically an illustrator is an artist, not a concept artist, because theres no concept you create. Concept art is also sometimes described as concept designer which fits a lot more to the job in my opinion.

chiefkamachi1 great thank you so much !!!! Im looking to study concept art i cant find it any where tho is it something you study ? Or do you get some kind of diploma of a concept artist ?

Generally in the entertainment industry you dont really need a diploma, ive studied game design which i dont really recommend. there are a lot of online schools out there that are amazing. For example: Brushboost, Learnsquared, Gumroad and also a lot of youtube channels such search for stuff you want to learn and you will find a lot, especially for anatomy. i also suggest anatomy360 for anatomy reference. Good luck buddy ;)

I have the exact same goal

I'm 17 as well, I'm practicing hard so I'm pretty sure it's not too late

+Cheyenne Thompson The answer is, it's never EVER too late to learn a new skill or refine one

it's never too late! It just requires discipline, persistence, and ideally getting into a daily ritual of some sort involving drawing and helps to see the world around you with eyes like you'd draw it. It takes time, but you've got PLENTY of time left on earth my friend :) in one decade you could from from 0 to master if you put your mind to it and get really honest about where you need to improve

some studios require an art degree but most of them just want to see your portfolio

+THE_JEDI_GUY Practice traditionally as much as you possibly can - use watercolors, acrylics, color pencils, markers, inks, etc and when you are at the computer some of the three standards are Painter (Corel), Manga Studio, and Photoshop (Adobe).

ok, thanks! Nick Palmer

+THE_JEDI_GUY Hey! I'm 15 as well, and my parents bought me a Wacom Tablet. Using this with Photoshop can really help if you want to be able to draw on a computer. Their products are really good, however they are quite expensive. Anyways, hope this helps!

ya it does! thanks!! would you happen to know any way to buy photoshop without signing up for a monthly fee? BubblesGraphics

THE_JEDI_GUY Sorry, I don't. The whole creative cloud thing is just annoying isn't it? My school has a software site which we can download it from, they must pay for an educational edition or something, but you can only download it on the school WiFi. Otherwise, you could use gimp. It's is still pretty good and it's free.

hello-haha It is never too late as long you have passion of what you do. My question to you is: Is it difficult studying to become an architect?

I have no real place to tell you anything as I am a mere 13 y/o unprofessional concept artist/wannabe, but when drawing on my tablet I usually draw a circle head with a box like torso and pose the arms and legs using sticks and circles as elbows/knees and square feet/hands, I then use the layers to give it more form and go over it... I was surprise that technique worked at first but now it just connects with my art-style. Its harder to do on paper tough (Sigh).

Well that is true and much more easier then paper. Thanks for your tip

No problem :D

ishmoose1 Though my schedule is pretty packed these days, I actually am trained in 3D animation, and I currently work as a vfx artist :) Glad you liked the vid!

i feel you. i guess that we can make it

It might help to make things in the distance more blue and desaturated. You should also decide exactly where your lighting is coming from in 3 dimensional space.

they have glasses for the colorblind to allow you to see color(:

*to see a wider range of color

+Young Kush Well yes the EnCroma glasses, but they do come at a hefty price... They might also not work for me :/ Thanks anyway for taking interest :)

+L.O.S. Inc design doesnt always require color. as long as you get the ideas across. you should buy those glasses and see if they work. just dont use them for long hours infront of a screen. theres always a way around things

Ok thanks for the tips :D

I've come from the future to bring you the truth: no

lmao