19 days late let’s go. This is a quick tutorial on my process for concept art, this works for both character and environmental design.
READ: I’m serious start reading concept art books, from stuff you enjoy of course. I’m into film so I look into Disney/Pixar art books mostly and learn how these artists create their work. The process and thought behind it is the most important. Don’t just copy what they do, actually break it down and study it properly. I subscribed to Scribd for this.
Moodboard: I assume you have an idea of what you want to design, now it’s time to get a feel for it. Create a moodboard, which is not about the designs, but the overall feeling of what you want. Gather any images and have this up when you are designing. The point is to focus on the feeling the audience will get when looking at your work. This is part of the moodboard I made for Skull-Kidz! A dark, purplish world influenced by Halloween, anime and action.
Tip: Have an equal mixture of both real life images and artists influences. Download PureRef, when you get the chance, it’s a great program.
Research and References: Look at real life references when designing and try to keep artist influences at a minimum or not at all. For Salem I took a trip on Google-Maps and went to the Czech Republic, Mont Saint Michel and Brooklyn for references. I wanted Salem to have a creepy, crowded, castle vibe mixed with old European architecture.
Tip: There’s nothing bad about looking at other artist’s work, but when you design from it you run the risk of making generic, or unoriginal designs. Don’t worry this is a common rookie mistake, you need to find your own interpretation/style of stuff.
Thumbnails: It’s time to make small drawings of what you’re designing as quickly as you can. There’s no bad ideas, just get it down, only keep in mind the feeling/shape of what you want. A towering city of lanterns, that has a certain trapped and bleakness nature to it, is what I was going for with Salem. I mixed lanterns, chandeliers, spiderwebs, trees, bird cages, with the original references to create something unique.
Sketch: Pick the thumbnail you like the best and roll with it, making a bigger version of it but still quite rough. Once you have the overall look of your design you can get to refining and tweaking it.
Final: The last part is to just keep exploring your design, draw it from many angles, pick out a color scheme, and polish your work. Like I said the process is the same for characters: references, thumbnails, sketches, exploration, color, etc. These are all pretty consistent steps I found with many concept folks and artbooks. The most important thing, being feeling, always think critically about your designs. It’s not just how cool it looks, it should always work towards the mood your story, and help the audience understand what you’re going for. The more careful thought you put into your work, the better it will become. Good luck designing!
