What Is Concept Art?

Concept art is the rendering within art of a new idea, character, or setting which does not yet exist. Today this is often world building whether for video media, games, art for book covers, comics, fashion, and design.

It is not the finished product but rather the first vision of what a project can become. This requires vision and insight to the desire of developers with the ability to capture emotion.

This art is used to create visual context of the idea or character for directors. It can show the progress of development for other parties involved such as investors and a fan base.

While not all concept artists remain with a project past its inception, there are many cases where the artist is used until its completion. This becomes ever more common within environments where world building is required.

Note that concept art is very different from conceptual art. While similar in name their purpose is distinct from one another.

While the first is used for bringing new ideas to life, the latter is for design with minimalist ideas and can lack form or traditional art concepts.

How Does One Prepare To Become A Concept Artist?

As the world of art has seen revolutionary change over the past century, it is often noted how aspects such as education in art has fallen behind. This is an issue which our systems of education have still yet to overcome.

Preparing for a career focusing within concept art may require additional education within areas a more traditional artist would not require. There are many aspects of New Media Art which will apply.

Notably one would be required to use, understand, and apply work within graphic art. Systems such as ArtRage, Photoshop, or software capable of editing Raster Graphics and Vectors for digital painting are needed.

Hardware to support these systems are more abundant and ever evolving than within history. Tablets today can perform tasks within graphics that allow for greater access for more artists around the world.

A formal education will be an obvious requirement if one wishes to land a job with a major studio. The artist should also be qualified and adept within traditional arts such as drawing and painting.

Is Concept Art A Good Platform For An Artists Future?

Concept art is among the leading trends within art today. With the rise of its many roles from cgi, animation, and video games, the needs within this industry are ever expanding.

There is no doubt that this is a solid platform to use in establishing ones name and career. Nevertheless there are certain requirements and limitations that not all can adhere to.

You must always work towards the vision of other people rather than your own. You also must be able to grasp and understand that vision within the desired context in order to bring it to life.

With this will come time tables and deadlines which can place pressure upon the artist as they create this concept art.

Of the most difficult aspects is the ability to create a world building scene from someone else’s idea and communicate it clearly within the art.

If someone can meet these challenges then becoming a concept artist may be for you. It can certainly be more challenging than other roles, but it at least allows some creative license within its scope.

Limitations Of Being A Concept Artist

Some agreements may limit your creative desires in other capacities. This may include not allowing additional artwork roles outside of your position.

In this way it is possible for your art to be tied solely to a corporate name. While this may not bother many, it will some.

If you have the vision of establishing your own art content for your purposes in the future, then personal goals or dreams may be put on hold.

This should not stop most from pursuing a career. Statistically speaking few artists will reach as far or wide without using a vehicle of this nature to build their name.

Furthermore the odds of an artist becoming a success only increase once they have cultivated some name, reputation, and established friendships within such industries.

Pay can rage widely for concept art. This is true for both freelance work and as an employee within a studio.

Nevertheless ensure that what you surrender is worth what you obtain not only in pay but also future value to your career.

Freelance Concept Art Or Employment With A Studio?

I would suggest that it is better for someone who has not established themselves to first work for a studio of some kind. Stepping out on your own too early can be more than difficult.

Nevertheless once you have somewhat established yourself, the option of choosing to work with concept art from a freelance perspective is there. Why would someone choose to do this?

This choice focuses upon the artists development and direction they wish to pursue. It can be less focused on the money or security, albeit ones position can make either profitable.

The key behind this choice is to obtain more liberty within the work you can do. Here the company has less control over your choices for your art and work.

Those who feel discomfort in providing for themselves may find this too challenging. There will forever be multiple roles that you must fill in order to retain clients or obtain new ones.

Despite these challenges, due to the ever growing integration of self promotion via new media these roles becomes more viable.

Direction Of Concept Art And Long Term Sustainability

The present direction of concept art is shifting. While cgi and art drawing programs are still strong there is an evolution which is taking place.

Development on ideas such as a “metaverse” or what is also called augmented reality has become the goal of many industries. This direction is still yet to be fully realized but serves to show what the future is bringing.

An artist who wishes to work within concept art can certainly have a secure future within many industries. While technology driven jobs are at the forefront there are other avenues one can follow.

There is still the tried and true roles which can be filled in architecture, design, and even fashion. Yet these fields are also changing and technology is playing a role in the direction they are taking.

No matter the field an artist may choose a reliance upon technology is forever at the forefront and should be a focus within education.

History Of Concept Art

The term “Concept Art” was perhaps first coined by those within Walt Disney in the 1930’s. Concept artists were hired in order to bring to life the ideas and vision of these stories.

Up until this point of history nothing of its kind had ever been done on this scale.

This would begin a boom in animation which would continue through others such as Warner Brothers. While the company was founded nearly a decade earlier, the cartoons we know as Looney Tunes came after their cartoon industry began in 1933.

Concept art also found its way into architecture, design, and fashion. With the onset of the Art Deco period in full bloom by the 1920’s this art would aid in the rise of these industries.

The skyline of cities, the clothes people would wear, and the rise of interior design would all be first conceptualized within concept art. This trend would continue to our modern era.

It would take until 1989 with a film called The Little Mermaid that the first cgi would be implemented into a film. Here would enter a shift that would forever alter the landscape of concept art.

The role and impact of this shift within film was not limited to cartoons. Movies from the 1990s such as Jurassic Park gave life to ideas that before had never been imagined.

For the first time we could witness a life like rendering of an idea to audiences. This would soon begin to influence other industries such as video gaming.

Concept art influenced each of these movements. It is because of the artists ability to take the directors ideas and give them context within a new world that we have these works of art today.

From this industry has come many other spin off arts which few realize. Fan art is merely one example of its potency and the growth curve is rising each year.

Influence Of Concept Art In Other Media

While we may all remember the older movie posters of years past, concept art held a heavy influence in other print. It would be within comic books that this art would flourish and gain further notoriety.

DC and Marvel comics created superheros that have continued to evolve through the great movies that we now know. Yet these all began with nothing more than an idea and a concept artist wrapping a world around them.

It is through these world building ideas that the artists brought to life a birth in a new era of art. In our present time as technology moves forward, a movement has taken hold reaching back to older times.

While modern Manga is as old as the 1950’s, by 1995 its value to the Japanese print industry was ranked between 5 to 6 billion usd. Its growth has been exponential.

It is with concept art through comic strips where Manga has been revolutionized into many formats. These include cartoons and video games where their characters carry out story lines ranging from drama, horror, romance, to mystery.

A Bright Future For Concept Art

There are a handful of industries where artists can be assured to have expansion and growth. Most often these industries are related to two key fields.

It is within technology and content creation that this marriage has taken place. Concept art will continue to thrive as long as the public seeks to consume new content.

If an artist is looking for a place to find home for their work there are few locations that can be better. While the artist may not directly seek out concept art there are many other related aspects within art that can fulfill their dreams.