When an artist talks about drawing, he imagines the creation of something beautiful, unusual, disturbing others. He wants to interest everyone who looks at his work. The task of the artist in creating the character concept is one - to do something interesting for others. Work begins with the search for ideas. At this stage, beginners have many misconceptions about how to make a concept art for the character. The main thing in the artist’s work is the solution of the task that he set for himself or received from the employer. Therefore, the basis of everything should be precisely the idea, which will then be captured in the form of an image.
Search for character creation ideas
Some conceptual artists do not start with a search for ideas, but with implementation. They ask themselves the question of how to do something, as a result of which they leave the essence of the task and think about its details.
When an artist creating a character concept thinks about technology and tools, he concentrates on the end result and instructions, searches the Internet for instructional videos and processes where others draw a ready-made idea. It does not explain what prompted the creation of this character. Therefore, in trying to gain experience, you need to ask yourself a question not “how?”, But “why?”. Whatever the brushes and methods of the artists, even if others like them, it is about contact with the result of the work. Trying to repeat it, you can only learn how to copy the idea.
Use of references
Copying the finished results and researching the technique helps when working with painting, and in the concept art when creating something from scratch or when a clear task arises, you need to look for something inside yourself and work out the image yourself. Most often, novice artists do not do this, since they mainly refer to references.
References are not prohibited, but they are needed, like theory, only when questions arise in the process of working on concept art. For example, when creating a weapon for a character, you need to understand its design. With a lack of information, you still have to look for it in all available sources. But before that, before drawing the concept art of the character, the artist must have a ready-made idea.
The Importance of Doing It Yourself
By simply processing ready-made images, and not creating new ones, the artist himself will quickly get tired of this, and will also not be interesting to the customer, as he will not be able to generate ideas at the proper level. Practice shows that to create a concept art for a character, it is increasingly more precisely artists-developers who are ready to generate ideas. But immediately it is impossible to create something. In order to speak, you need to know the language, knowledge of letters and the ability to put them into words. Also in concept art. First, an idea appears that needs to be told, then it is conveyed in words and phrases.
Developments when creating a character from scratch
The more the artist has the volume of developments, the more often he asks himself the question “why?”, And not “how?”. Operating time is an attitude to plastic, volumes, features of working with the form. With the improvement of skills, ready-made solutions also appear when you need to portray something. But the idea is always primary. And only after its occurrence you need to take up the tools and implement it.
If the implementation of the concept art of a character is put in the first place, then it is worth considering. Information available from open sources is a formed idea of established artists. Therefore, just from time to time to copy other people's ideas, if you want to become a professional, this is not an option. If the artist is not in dialogue with himself, it will be difficult for him to create something original.
How to become an author of concept art
When asked how to become a concept artist, some people expect to receive an answer-instruction or a course about tools. Professionals, on the other hand, most often ask a counter-question about why they had such a desire. Then it turns out that there is no clear understanding of the job responsibilities and the process of working on the art. There is only an understanding that this is interesting. But first you need to study everyday things, that very alphabet of concept art. After that, you need to learn how to add complex structures from simple elements and use them to extract the emotional component from yourself, talk to yourself and work with your inner world. Then a story appears - a story about a hero. This is the process of creating a character concept. If it is interesting and the viewer will like it - the goal is achieved. If not, it will be a useful experience and will turn into an operating time.
Difficulties in the work of the artist
Sometimes an artist is faced with the task of quickly making a concept, coordinating it, drawing and delivering the result in good quality. It is clear that in this case there is no time to live the hero and look for his inner feeling - what kind of posture he will have, what he will wear and where he lives. Therefore, the element of immersion does not occur. Work in this mode takes place in a stream, which can completely destroy creativity. As a result, the artist may lose interest in the profession without receiving any satisfaction from the work. First of all, in any creative process, it is internal feelings that are important, the search for one's own role in what is happening and the realization of oneself. Satisfaction that the artist managed to tell something through creativity, especially if the viewer approved it.
The ratio of the mass and dimensions of objects in the concept
Simple, basic elements of an artistic language underlie everything - it doesn’t matter if you need to draw a single object or a complex location. At its core, the creation of something begins with primitives. A common mistake made by novice artists, giving out unprofessionalism, is the presence in the solution of lines of thickness that is the same throughout the object. If the thickness of all elements of the object does not change, a feeling of unrealism is created. The artist’s understanding of the difference in masses, the ability to highlight the main and the dependent causes interest in the object.
Therefore, it is important to remember that in any depicted subject there should not be objects close in mass, especially if they are of different directions. All elements must have their own plastic and, of course, be in place. Dimensions need to be distributed so that the viewer's eyes have something to catch on and something to rest on.
How is the style of a concept artist developed
Any image has its own system, where the main and the dependent stand out. Geometry and plastic for each artist develops his own. This feature is called a manner or style. Therefore, in addition to thinking about the masses and how they will be distributed in the object, the flow of material is also important. This is especially true for sketches. Attention is attracted not by complex, detailed forms, but by character, a lively style. Therefore, plastic should revitalize the subject. The line adds effect to the whole composition. Such a skill eventually develops itself. But inside the creator, there must constantly be a dialogue with himself. It is the artist’s own sensations of plasticity that create the appeal of concept art.
Features of working with primitives
Despite the fact that all objects are very different from each other, the approach to their construction and implementation is carried out according to the same canons. It all starts with primitive figures - circles, squares, triangles. With their help, it is interesting and easy enough to search for masses. The appeal to primitives is where any drawing begins, since it is beneficial to go from simple to complex. This helps to avoid errors in further detailing.
Concept art for fantasy characters or game heroes also starts with primitives. They are able to talk about the nature of the object, help to develop and improve it. If you start right away with the details, then you can easily make a mistake in the dimensions and the ratio of the main and the dependent. As a result, the viewer will just be unpleasant to look at the picture, since he will not be able to select the main object, no matter how detailed it is. Therefore, it is important at the stage of primitives to understand how the nature of the object and the task of the artist affect the geometry of the concept, and then build the desired concept. This is how our own perception of the object is developed.
Search associations and work with images
The search for primitives and the variability of the masses is one of the most important tasks in the development of concepts for characters in games, films, etc. Mass and dimensions relate to the surface. To help determine the correct ratio helps the definition of the word. For example, designating an object as heavy, you can associatively select the desired shape and size for it. Therefore, to solve problems, you need to use verbal keys and, starting from them, create associations and basic geometry.
Working with layers also helps, moving which is easier to create different sensations and distribution of masses. Background in concept art is not needed, it is either gray or white. You can highlight details with color, but the main thing is information. Do not disguise it with unnecessary additions, which ultimately interfere with the review of the work. All silhouettes should be clear and easy to read. The search for ideas, variations of concepts through primitives, competent work with lines and proper construction are the basis for creating a character concept.