Characters, Props, Or Environments

1. Characters, Props, Or
Environments: Picking A Concept
Art Specialty

2. • The job of a concept artist is to create ideas that have never existed
before and fit them together in a creative project. In many ways
concept artists design these ideas so that they fit into a certain style
or narrative.

3. • The three primary subject areas are character designs, prop designs,
and environment designs.

4. • These different topics can break down further into sub-specialties like
weapons, vehicles, costumes, or interiors. This is the beauty of
focused concept art. By picking an area of interest you’re able to build
skills in one particular subject matter, which usually then leads to
better results.

5. • New artists may have no idea where to start or what to consider for
career prospects. I’d like to cover these specialties in more detail with
explanations for each potential career track.

7. Character Design
• The most popular specialty in the concept art world is character design. These
artists get paid to create characters based on personality traits, background, and
sometimes a few recommended design features.
• I’m making an assumption that most readers here want to follow the 2D route.
But there’s a huge industry centered around 3D character art for rendering and
bringing characters to life. Some character artists even vie for both 2D and 3D
work.
• Video game artists tend to have a different style than vis dev/character artists for
animation. Animation gives more leeway to try out creative styles beyond just
realism.
• This means illustrators may prefer to go the character route with a focus on
animation. It’s just as competitive as video game design so the jobs are similar in
quantity. But if you’re dedicated and good enough there’s no reason to count
yourself out.

9. • The road to becoming a character artist is paved with quality work.
You have to put in the hours to get anywhere. But it helps to
understand the requirements for character art and what you can do
to expedite the learning process.

10. • We only have so many hours in the day so use them wisely. Once you
understand the fundamentals you should dive right into character
designs from all angles.
• But character artists can also get tasked with designing creatures and
monsters for video games. These are usually enemies that you battle
in-game, so they need to be designed well enough to render properly
and simulate realistic movements.

11. • Character designers work hard to create brilliant ideas come to life.
Every story needs its characters, and the designer is the very first step
of this process.
• If you truly love characters and storytelling then this might be a great
path to follow. It is highly competitive but if your ideas are good
enough then you can make headway.

12. • One of the best aspects about learning character art is the
community. You have so many resources at your disposal
from character art forums to character artist interviews and other
related YouTube videos.

13. • There are even many schools that offer character art courses focusing
on the design side of creating believable characters.
• But just like everything else in life, if you can teach yourself then you
probably don’t need school. It’s all about your determination and
commitment to see it through.
• If you’re looking to dive right into character art then check out these
books covering everything from basic designs to digital painting
techniques.

14. digital environment design
• Another popular area of concept art is digital environment design. Every
fantasy world needs carefully-crafted environments for characters to roam.
Whether these are harsh wilderness terrains or busy city streets, the
environment artist is tasked with designing the look and feel of these
areas.
• I recently found a brilliant article discussing the career of an environment
artist. There’s so much to say about the path, but one common factor is the
ability to render environments in detail.
• To create realistic environments you’ll still need to master the
fundamentals. This is true for all styles of concept art.

16. Props Design
• The ability to design any object from any angle is vital to artistic
development. Not just for video games, but any career working in
movies or TV too. To practice props design you’ll want to study
anything that interests you. Not just objects, but styles and aesthetics
of different periods. Props for a story set in Victorian era Britain will
be different than props found in the American civil war.

18. • All great artists learn to study from life and draw inspiration from real
things. History is a great teacher. But so is the real world. Take a trip
out to museums and tours of old houses. Bring a sketchbook and
draw anything that catches your attention. The more you draw the
more you’ll build up a visual library of new ideas.

19. • Stay curious and be willing to keep searching for new ideas.
• Check out some of our book recommendations on drawing from
imagination to practice honing your imaginative skills and
your constructionist abilities.

20. Understanding The Industry
• Understanding The Industry
• If you’re brand new to art then you likely don’t know much about the concept art
industry. It’s a big one with lots of publishers, and while it is competitive there’s always a
need for more talent.
• If you take this path seriously you can break in. But it takes hard work. This might mean
8+ hours of drawing in a single day for as many days as you can handle. It won’t be easy.
• But there is something you can use to help alleviate the fatigue of sitting for hours on
end.
• Art podcasts are plentiful on the web and totally free to download. They’re great for
keeping your spirits high and helping you push through bouts of fatigue.
• Industry professionals are always happy to share bits from their journey and teach others
a little about how the industry works. If you want to learn more and fill up some time
while drawing then refer to some of the concept art/digital art podcasts below.