Crafting a Killer Concept Art Portfolio: Tips to Get Your Characters Noticed

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Character art is the most popular (and hence most competitive) of the concept art specialties. And it should be - character art is completely awesome! With over a decade of professional experience in this area, I'm excited to share with you some portfolio-changing best practices that will help you stand out from the competition.
In this video, we'll discuss key priorities, practice tips, and break-in strategies that can take your character concept art to the next level-for a portfolio that not only gets noticed but also gets picked amidst a sea of talented artists.
Full Length Tutorial Kit is now available! www.digitalpaintingstudio.com...
0:00 - Intro
1:19 - Painting People
6:07 - Character Grounded in Reality
9:38 - Choose the Less Obvious
13:10 - Character Culture
15:26 - Make Valuable Art
17:00 - Finished Product / Full Tutorial Link
_______________________
PAINT YOUR WORLD
Hardy Fowler is a professional Digital Painter with work seen in productions for Disney, Games Workshop and Neon District among many others.
Hardy's online academy, Digital Painting Studio, teaches the master-level skills, process and mindset he's learned from decades of experience as a professional digital artist.
CONNECT
→ / discord
→ digitalpaintingstudio.com/
→ / hardy_digitalpaintings...
→ www.artstation.com/hfowler
_______________________
#conceptarttutorial #conceptartist #environmentdesign #conceptartenvironments #worldbuilding #photoshoptricks #photoshoppainting #digitalart #digitalpaintingtutorial #digitalillustration

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Опубликовано:

28 июн 2024

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Комментарии : 69

@deadpixeldesigns4308 Год назад

Hey, Hardy. I was a student of yours at Skillshare and I learned so much from your classes. I used them time and time again and I still do. The characters, creatures, vehicles, environments and portraits classes that you taught made me a better artist. My portfolio has become much better in the last 3 years. I have become faster and still meticulous towards the end of a piece. I downloaded the briefs you had provided so I could use those as portfolio pieces. The point is that even though I've seen you do this technique dozens of times, you say something new every time, and I still learn something new every time. I still get rejected because IT IS competitive, but I don't (always) get bummed out anymore.😔 Anyway, thank you very much.

@fowlerillus Год назад

That is super nice to hear. Thanks for letting me know. I'm sorry to hear that the rejection is piling up, but it's awesome that you are not giving in to despair. So much of launching a career in art is being very thick skinned and just relentlessly getting back up. Artists like you who don't give up are the ones that achieve those goals. Good luck.

@johanleion Год назад

Would love to see your portfolio!

@artfreakguy Год назад

Wow, thanks man! Awesome advice to stand out in this crowded sector of the industry :)

@fowlerillus Год назад

I'm so glad this was helpful. Such a daunting thing to try to break into and this stuff really helped me feel more empowered.

@The_Warden Год назад

Developing a library of poses is so smart! Thank you!

@fowlerillus Год назад

Awesome! Glad that was helpful

@catfangsart Год назад

Thank you for helping out! 🥰 Great video! You mentioned the "fake it till you make it" principle - true, tbh. I am so scared of applying for a character concept design job, I cannot get rid of that thought of "but it says to have 5 yrs of experience at least" aka wouldn't they wanna know what I did before? What do I write in my application if it's the first time in a creative field? 😱 (come to think of it, I might be prone to overthinking 🤣)

@fowlerillus Год назад

So hard right? How do we ever start a career if everyone requires experience? I think you can be a bit vague about your experience and just blow them away with your portfolio. I am pretty sure that if your work rocks, they will be flexible on how many years of experience. If they call you out on it (and I have been in that position before!) just say that you were so excited to be a part of the project that you were hoping an exception could be made. Enthusiasm goes a long way - directors like when their artists are really stoked about the project. The portfolio conquers all, though. Make sure you're showing your best work and good things tend to happen!

@jesssworn3864 Год назад

As I'm trying to return to doing art again I struggle with the switch from traditional to digital and being creative in digital which makes the process of creating a portfolio a challenging task. Thanks for sharing this with the struggling artists here. 🎨 🙏

@fowlerillus Год назад

So happy that this is helpful! Good luck with that transition - I know it can feel awkward but there is so much about digital art that can feel like freedom. I hope it works well for you!

@zerosandrawsandsketch Год назад

another very informative video. Thank you so much for this.

@fowlerillus Год назад

Glad it was helpful!

@jelloserve1993 2 месяца назад

Thanks a lot for your videos and precious advices ! I am really struggling about how to make my portfolio, feelling blind, and your content is really a light in shadows, precious help ! Thanks a lot again ! : )

@fowlerillus 2 месяца назад

My pleasure - I'm so glad this has been helpful

@justinbobb9987 26 дней назад

Thanks for this invaluable information Hardy!

@fowlerillus 14 дней назад

Glad it was helpful!

@michaelrasmussen1342 Год назад

Fantastic video Hardy! There are insights here that I'll definitely keep in mind moving forward. I feel I may have been a little over exuberant coming out of the Academy and pushing character art as my main focus. As you mentioned in the video, and is evident by the sheer lack of response I've received from the dozens of inquiries I've put out, Character Art is incredibly competitive. It's kinda the Ferrari of the Industry, and I should probably try to start with the SUV or the maybe the Coupe. ie, props and environments... certainly no less important than the characters, and they do a lot of heavy lifting for a story... just not as flashy. So, quite literally, it's back to the drawing board for me. 🙂

@fowlerillus Год назад

Thanks Mike. Sorry to hear it has been quiet on the job hunt. I would definitely continue producing character art and applying for those related jobs that you want if that is still your ultimate goal. It is just going to take stubborn determination. I definitely wouldn't rule yourself out of anything (that Ferrari would look mighty cool in the driveway :) but casting a wide net is probably a good strategy when trying to break in. Just getting on board with a paying gig or two can really get the ball rolling.

@walkerg5069 Год назад

wow~ that's great!

@fowlerillus Год назад

Thanks! Glad you liked it.

@steelflexy Год назад

excellent video as always hardy! im curious ive been out of college for 2 years now i mainly studied animtion in 3D using maya but i had a decent base at drawing before hand the degree took 3 years and i never really fell in love with modeling like i did with the concept art for my modling work so back on point i have been cracking away at your courses on udemy for the past while and while i love doing it that way im a better learner when somebody can look at my work and point blank tell me what areas need improvement is there any place out there that do portfolio reviews that you would know of by industry professionals? the big thing in this industry is confidence i feel and so many artists are more than likely good enough but put off by the daunting fact that companys look for Minimum 2 years in the industry!

@fowlerillus Год назад

3D just never really grabbed me in college either. I guess it felt too stiff and I never quite got how to be expressive with those tools. I would love to do a portfolio review panel at some point in the near future, there are really skilled alums of concept art academy who I would like to participate as reviewers. Right now, I know that Bobby Chiu at Schoolism has portfolio reviews and I've seen Marc Brunet post videos like that before, but I have no idea how one gets on that list. If you are a member of my discord community, reach out and I'll set your name aside if we ever do a review like that. I'd love to see your work! That 2 years minimum experience thing is a tricky one to navigate - I think the best thing you can do is make your portfolio as strong as possible - really good work can make those requirements very flexible :)

@natreaper Год назад

I find your style and process of painting character very interesting - especially the red base for skin and very dark backround, it feels like it make you more open-minded while rendering. What brush do u use? I suppose is something like a hard brush, but could you correct me if I am wrong?

@fowlerillus Год назад

Thanks! You've got it - most of the brushwork was done with a standard round brush but I was changing the brush hardness with keyboard shortcuts (shift + bracket keys) when I needed to cut in hard value edges.

@Fyingfuji Год назад

Hi, Hardy. Thank you so much for the video. I also bought your course at Udemy. They helped me a lot. I'm a newly graduated concept artist who's looking for a job in the game industry. I have been doing it for two months. I found that nowadays they're looking for senior-level artists more. It's really hard to find a junior job.

@fowlerillus Год назад

That's always one of the tricky parts about breaking into the industry. Experience is required but how do you get experience if you can't get hired?! I wish you the best and reach out if I can help.

@Fyingfuji Год назад

@@fowlerillus Thank you so much. Is it okay if I reach out to you on Discord?

@fowlerillus Год назад

@@Fyingfuji Certainly. Any time. I'm traveling a bit this week but I will get back to you as I'm able

@johnpacheco5404 Год назад

Do you think you can post some of your older art or art that you see mistakes on of your own that you can point out what you see as a mistake and how you fixed it or would have fixed it?

@fowlerillus Год назад

That's an awesome idea. I'll definitely do that.

@johnpacheco5404 Год назад

Thanks. It just seemed like it would be fun. Also I never see any flaws in your work and I'm thinking geez everytime I try character creation It looks great until I take a step back. Then it's like ill 🤮what the heck did I make?🤦

@AG-ek3qd Год назад

What are your go to project/file configurations? As in the canvas side and DPI? I feel like your art doesn’t lose quality no matter how close you get, mine always feels like it only looks good from a distance.

@fowlerillus Год назад

I usually do about 10x14 inches at 300 dpi for a character canvas. Maybe something a little bigger for a landscape - I'll go to 16x9.

@AG-ek3qd Год назад

@@fowlerillus right so just over 4,000 pixels. I usually go with 3,000 x 2,000 px or at most 3,000 x 3,000. Going 4K makes pretty much any action, especially painting, lag. I tried doing 5K once and my PC pretty much crashed. Granted I’m using a GTX 970 4GB. You’re using either a MacBook or the Apple PC so you’re definitely well optimised to work in that resolution. I really want (technically need because mine is really pushing it’s lifespan at this point) to upgrade my PC but Nvidia is difficult to worth with (pricing) and AMD is fine but not great for those applications. Idk maybe I’ll just settle for an Apple product in the end.

@nicopuriii 11 месяцев назад

how did you learn to paint like that? the technique is beautiful

@fowlerillus 11 месяцев назад

Thank you so much! The technique is based on using really low flow and opacity and then tapping the stylus repeatedly to build up tones. It gives a great deal of control. I'm so glad that you like it :)

@spiritcather2003 Год назад

u helped see a new way of desiginig my characters I hate making faces so I used to give them mask every time I designed my own charecters

@fowlerillus Год назад

I'm glad this was helpful! Yeah, I think faces are super important but really challenging too.

@S-I-T Год назад

I find it fascinating you use reds to begin shading skin. What's the reason for this?

@fowlerillus Год назад

So weird right? I actually don't really have a good reason and I don't remember why I started but I just like how the reds interact with the dark cyan base silhouette that I like to use. It's pretty arbitrary though since I end up converting colors to skin tones in later steps but when figuring out values, that red on cyan contrast just feels right

@S-I-T Год назад

@@fowlerillus I thought it might be you working in sub dermal reds or something. Lovely work btw. Inspiring.

@fuzzydragons Год назад

I have so many ideas going threw my head now!!😀

@fowlerillus Год назад

Awesome! Always great to get inspiration fired up.

@doragon214 Год назад

What do you do if the human character you draw has purposely weird anatomy? I have some characters from a story project I am working on, they are human but in the story their anatomy has been drastically altered to be long and lanky. How do I make it clear to people on first glance that I drew their anatomy like that on purpose because I feel like upon glance most people think I can't draw anatomy. I do have a silhouette of a normal human with normal proportions next to my characters for comparison, is that enough or do I need to do something else?

@fowlerillus Год назад

That's an interesting question. I had a few aliens in my recent videos that were abstractions of human anatomy so those might be helpful. But if it is actually a human, that makes it a bit harder. I would recommend going pretty extreme with your exaggerations so that it was clearly deliberate. If you can use other graphic devices like color or texture to highlight the unusual anatomy, that could certainly help too. I'd love to see it when you're done - good luck!

@HisLilyPrincess 10 месяцев назад

This is just me asking because I'm learning. Based on how long her arms are, she seems a little on the taller side. Shouldn't her head be a little taller/larger? Again, this is me just being curious 🤔🤨

@fowlerillus 10 месяцев назад

That is totally possible. Proportions are super tricky and can have all kinds of variation and can drive us nuts second guessing. I try to measure a bit but in the end it comes down to trusting your eye. You could definitely be right, but this is what looked right to me.

@HalkerVeil 4 месяца назад

How do you paint with so much white blinding you in the menu and background?

@fowlerillus 4 месяца назад

It is how I have always worked so it really doesn't bother me or feel like a distraction or anything.

@HalkerVeil 4 месяца назад

@@fowlerillus Interesting. I've always found it dilutes color to the eye. The same reason traditional paint palettes are 50% grey. I suppose if the room is well lit that would be a factor to balance that out too..

@bonster101 Год назад

your style reminds me slightly of disco Elysium. Love it

@fowlerillus Год назад

Oh cool. Thanks!

@victortunisse7392 Год назад

But how do you do with a clearly fantastic character? I mean, imagine a humanoid dragon mage for example, how would you do that?

@fowlerillus Год назад

Amazing timing on this - I'm working on some videos that have humanoid aliens and I'll discuss all kinds of ways to abstract the human form, I think you'll like it! The first one of those will be out next month.

@victortunisse7392 Год назад

@@fowlerillus That´s great! thank you!

@Raygaldhd Год назад

*why don't you show the process of drawing clothes? and also I eat weapons to look for a process where you draw clothes but are always almost cut off :(*

@fowlerillus Год назад

That's a great point. A lot of it is trial and error and I end up editing it out since it seems boring but I think there is value in seeing those stumbles before I settle on something I like. Thanks for the comment - I'll remember that.

@sazero01 4 месяца назад

@fowlerillus 4 месяца назад

🤘

@fraserhawkins4462 Год назад

Hi Hardy, I get your courses on Udemy, but it looks like you havent posted new courses there in a while. Where is the best place to keep up to date with your newest paid content.

@fowlerillus Год назад

Hi Fraser, yeah, sorry I've been kind of absent from that platform but I've been focusing on building digital painting studio and the community. I can be reached most easily on our discord server discord.gg/rfAd4tWv . It's a really cool group of artists and we're constantly having challenges and events.

@hardelponzo5406 Год назад

Sir , do I need to learn Traditional Art first if I want to do Digital Art ??

@AlexHuneycutt Год назад

No, but it can help to learn the important of drawing without undo. Not necessary at all

@hardelponzo5406 Год назад

@@AlexHuneycutt Okay Thank - You

@fowlerillus Год назад

I agree with Alex. It is not at all a prerequisite but the skills from traditional art can certainly help to inform your digital art. If you are new to art in general, I think it's entirely fine to go directly to digital.

@hardelponzo5406 Год назад

@@fowlerillus Thank - You Sir For Your Reply