Introduction

Are you passionate about crafting your worlds? Do you want to learn how to bring your characters to life?

This blog is an introductory guide to concept art and how you can become one of the leading artists in your field.

What is Concept Art?

Concept Art is the starting point of every idea. An idea is fleshed out with the immense help of visual storytelling. Visual Storytelling is the core backbone of concept design. Concept Artists set the visual tone and style from a creative brief. This brief is also called a script. 

Concept artists are required to tell the story from their imagination, bringing life to abstract characters and elements. If you have a knack for bringing your ideas to life, then concept art can be a great career option for you.

Concept artists are designers who are responsible for visualizing and creating a variety of assets in several different settings. These artists are incredibly versatile at what they do and refine their skills to be successful.

Industry Scope

The Concept Art industry is growing at an immensely positive rate. The spikes seen in the industry growth have been affirmatively increasing job demands.

As the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) reports,

“The BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) reports that consumers will continue to demand more realistic video games, movie and television special effects, and three-dimensional movies. This will create demand for newer computer hardware, which will enhance the complexity of animation and visual effects. 

Concept artists working in the animation industry will enjoy employment growth thanks to the increased demand for animation and visual effects in video games, movies, and television.

Additional concept artists and animators will be required to meet this increased demand. Job growth in other industries for concept artists is as follows:

• Software Development (games), 24%, much faster than average for all occupations
• Web Development, 15%, much faster than average for all occupations
• Film and Video, 13%, faster than average for all occupations for the 2016-2026 decade
• Advertising, 10%, faster than average for all occupations
• Animation, 8%, fast as average for all occupations”

This rapid growth will be accompanied by an increasing demand for skilled artists to meet the skill level and the work quality. Therefore, it is important to take leverage of the positive curve and build a secure career in the industry before it gets more competitive.

Must-Have Skills

A variety of high-level skills are required to meet the requirements of the creative industry. A good combination of skills is a crucial factor in determining the growth of your creative career.

• Interpreting the creative brief

This is the core skill of a concept artist. Being able to visualize, and conceptualize an abstract belief is necessary to excel in your career. Concept artists must possess a strong and practical imagination to be able to be on the same page as the creative director. 

A lot of young artists are imaginative but lack in practicality, It is always good to keep more skills in your tool bag. Every project requires a slightly different skillset, as a concept artist, you must be able to match the demands.

• Ability to Draw

The ability to draw is a crucial skill to hold. Iterating concepts visually on a traditional or a digital medium is important. This allows the team to be clear on the characteristics and style of the required asset. Being able to sketch loosely and quickly is a highly valued skill when it comes to concept art.

• Strong understanding of Visual Language

Our vocal language is important for oral communication. Similarly, Visual language is important for visual communication.

• Texture
• Color
• Dimension 
• Shape 
• Scale
• Perspective
• Figure Drawing
• Lighting 
• Shading
• Proportion
• Depth of Field
• Shape Language
• Anatomy
• Simplification
• Color theory
• Atmospheric Perspective etc. 

are some must-haves to get into the industry.

• Time Management Skills:

Concept Art is a fast-paced job. A concept artist is constantly required to meet specific deadlines. Being able to work quickly and meet deadlines puts you ahead of the curve. 

Generally, an artist “A” who has better time management skills and decent work quality is likely to get hired as compared to another artist “B” who has better work quality but lacks time management skills.

• Teamwork:

Since production houses and companies work with thousands of artists, it is of utmost importance for an artist to work alongside other artists. Teamwork is an irreplaceable skill to hold. It binds you within a system of creativity and productivity while maximizing your output. Team leaders pull their team members to reach their maximum potential and rise.

While it is important to work with a team, it is also important to be able to work independently. Constantly improving your work and self-critique is a great skill in this industry. 

Although, sometimes, a creative director may not be available or maybe you have to wear multiple caps in a role, a concept artist must learn to self-critique and push the work forward to completion. 

• Solid Awareness of Fundamentals:

A concept artist must possess a solid grasp of fundamentals like figure drawing, poses, and gestures. Every movement can be dynamic as well as static. Dynamic movements are more favored in the concept art industry.

How to become a Concept Artist

To become a concept artist, 

• You must practice the fundamentals.
• Fundamentals are the core determinant of your creative success as a concept artist. 
• Learn digital drawing softwares. These softwares are necessary to learn. Softwares like Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and Animate are industry grade softwares for a concept artist. 
• Become an expert, proficient in visual language and shape language
• Learn Value distribution
• You’ll need to learn through a professional course
• Look for Long-term courses that provide overall growth and introduction to all avenues of concept art.
• Find out what you love to do and practice unconditional hours on it.
• Create portfolio specially dedicated to the kind of work you want to do
• Upload your portfolio to great design sites for artists to find you.

Why Frameboxx Animation Institute?

Frameboxx 2.0 stands strong on the International Standard of Quality Education and Job Oriented Training by being a pioneer of the “Top 25 International Animation Schools and Colleges 2020 by Animation Career Review”. (https://www.animationcareerreview.com/articles/top-25-animation-schools-and-colleges-world-2020-international-rankings) Animation Career Review is an online, independent, and authentic company. It is one of the most genuine information sources for education domains of Animation, VFX, Gaming, and other related Digital Arts. It is widely used by many aspiring students.
Nurturing over 5000 young minds, Frameboxx Animation Institute has proved its excellence in honing the talents of young minds while getting them ready for the industry.

Conclusion

In conclusion, For individuals passionate about Concept Art, enrolling in our Specialization as well as Degree courses at Frameboxx Animation Institute can be the first step towards a fulfilling career. Our commitment to nurturing talent, coupled with an industry-focused approach, ensures that our students graduate with the skills needed to thrive in the competitive animation landscape. Finally, As the world digitalizes, Concept Art continues to be an everlasting start in the entertainment and the growing gaming industry. Concept Art has been thriving for decades as Manga Art and comics, as the world transforms and grows, this field has evolved into one of the most fun and quirky ways of art. This is a worthwhile opportunity to build your career in the Conceptualisation / Pre-Production industry.

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