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What skills and knowledge are most important in concept art? What to learn first? - Flynnit - 09-17-2017
I have a question regarding skills that you need in concept art. Can you help me with arranging those points according to importance/after what you should learn first?
I have organized these points after three categories, those are just for overview though.
So if you find that for example "shot composition" is more important than "continuity" then please rearrange them the way you think they belong.
Lastly, I've listed some style directions where i'd thank you tons if you help me order them according to importance regarding what you need to be capable of when you do concept art.
Your aid is greatly appreciated so I thank you a lot for your help!
xoxo, Flynnit
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Now comes the points
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Fundamentals in Art:
- Proportion and Placement
- Form and Construction, Depth
- Perspective
- Anatomy
- Gesture
- Composition
- Value and Light
- Colour Theory
- Line
- Texture and Surfaces
- Traditional Art (Strong Knowledge in coal and Ink drawing + one of the ones mentioned in "Basic Knowledge. Basic Knowledge how to handle Aquarell, Gouache, Oil, Acrylic, Pastel, Coloured pencils and practiced them)
–––
Specifically for the field:
- solid understanding of all the different surface treatments, making them readable
- Surprise:
Making a piece look interesting/breaking rules to create tension
- Creating colour moods:
knowing what colours produce what moods
- drawing models, knowing about furniture, functional structure of machines, basic structure of buildings
- asset list:
knowing about what is needed in detail (objects and the such) an when drawing a concept piece for a medium
- Speed
- Keeping Deadlines
- Being able to finish a piece work, knowing when a piece is ready (neither too early nor too late)
- Continuity:
being able to maintain a continuous style or feel across a project
- basic understanding of physics that has an impact on visuals
- Knowledge of production processes like:
knowing about the process in which films are made, knowing about the process in which games are made
- Knowing how to communicate with members of all teams (like Programming)
–––
Skills/Knowledge:
- storytelling
- shot composition
- film principles (like frog perspective, establishing shot)
- film techniques
- original thinking, out of the box thinking
- consuming different kinds of media (anime, games, movies, series ...)
- different kinds of genres (sci-fi, phantasy, thriller ...)
- calligraphy
- evolution and the functions of different animals and why their features are the way they are
–––
Extra Point:
Fundamentals (are they?) in stylisitc direction
- Realism
- Caricature
- Exaggeration
- Matte Painting (High-skilled photo editing)
- Design Principles
- Technical Drawing
RE: What skills and knowledge are most important in concept art? What to learn first? - neopatogen - 10-06-2017
Hi Flynnit! You structured the requirenents real well here!
I'm not working in the field, here's some ideas based just on research.
Fundamentals
I don't think ability to handle traditional mediums is a must for concept art at all (Aquarell, Gouache, Oil, Acrylic, Pastel, Coloured pencils like you wrote), although it can be very helpful for artistic growth. Pen and pencil are, because you can be asked to sketch something real quickly , say, on a meeting.
Also, I think mediums are pers are not fundamentals.
Specific for the fied
For a lot of openings if you make a research, basic 3d knowledge is either required or a plus (mostly for environments and creatures). Here's a great vid on how game companies use 3d for concept art nowadays https://vimeo.com/105746058 and Jama Jurabaev for 3d for movie concept art. Feng Zhu teaches basic Sketchup and Zbrush in his school. It's mostly used because of speed ofblocking out and iterating. Let's give it last place for now.
I would also add ability to nail the brief and do what's useful for a particular project, not just nice pictures.
"Fundamentals (are they?) in stylisitc direction"
I would give design principles 1st place if we're talking about concept art and put caricature way down. Stylisation is often required, but it's rarely about pure caricature.