What does a Concept Artist Do?
Concept artists develop the initial visual concepts (characters, props, vehicles, environments) from a script or creative brief. They set the tone and style of the work, giving life to an abstract idea. Concept art is used as a reference point throughout a project’s development.
Visual storytelling is the key task of the Concept Artist, they imagine characters and worlds from off the page and bring the story to life. If you have a talent for visualizing abstract ideas a career as a Concept Artist could be for you!
Concept Artist Job Description
The role of the Concept Artist is crucial as their work will be the stylistic building blocks upon which the animation, video game, cartoon, etc are built. They interpret a design brief from a client or expand their own original idea by illustrating the key characters and environments of a project. This preliminary artwork will be simple but expressive as it will be developed and expanded further during the development process.
- Liaising with the producer, art director, game developer, etc regarding the brief for the project
- Researching concept subjects, styles & genres
- Creating detailed key designs from a written brief
- Presenting a series of drafts of the concepts for approval
- Drawing up specification sheets, establishing dimensions & details for others to follow
- Working to a schedule
- Using traditional & technological approaches to creating designs in either a 2D or 3D environment
- Assisting in creation of marketing materials and assets
- Continuing to develop concepts & designs for the duration of the production process