:::Concept Art culde in Gaming IndustryConcept Art Guide in Gaming Industry PART I: Guide for CHARACTER DESIGNS concepts What the DESIGNERS / CLIENTS need to know ? > provide the artist with no more than a paragraph or two for a character description, just the essential is enough, leave enough room for the artist's creative freedom > if needed, attach some references > have a clear idea - who is the character, what is his role, distinct features, the essential details What the ARTISTS need to know ? > discuss with the designer/client about the things mentioned above > do some quick greyscale rations, at least three > if it’s needed, come up with distinct shapes for each sketch > always ask the designer/client when you have any doubts > you can always come up with new ideas, be creative > present the iterations to the designer/client and the art director > based upon the selected sketch do a rough yet more elaborate sketch, add some more details > present the rough sketch to the designer/client and the art director > after you get the final feedback you can go to the final color stage Advices: > characters must have a ballance between form and function > the charaters’ position and attitude are very important, they define the personality > characters need to be easy recognisable and memorable, just like a logo > use simple designs, don't detaliate insignificant parts > you are not supposed to know how everything looks or works, so use reference when you need it! So, the basic production pipeline should go like this: brief description => quick black & white iterations mm elaborate sketch map final colori: EXAMPLESConcept Art Guide in Gaming Industry PART II: Guide for ENVIRONMENTAL concepts What the DESIGNERS / CLIENTS need to know ? > provide the artist with no more than a paragraph or two for a character description, just the essential, leave enough room for the artist's creative freedom > reference for environments helps alot so provide some photos or links > provide a quick SketchUp layout of the level and discuss it with the artist > have a clear idea of what you need, don’t confuse the artist by giving ambiguous description What the ARTISTS need to know ? > discuss with the designer/client about the things mentioned above > thumbnails are the most important stage, set the composition, invest some time in it and make it work > in a scene establish the lighting and the mood > don’t be ambiguous, imediate reading of the picture is essential > take some time and research your subject, find and save some references > always ask the designer/client when you have any doubts > you can always come up with new ideas, be creative > present the thumbnails to the designer/client and the art director > based upon the selected thumbnail do a rough yet more elaborate sketch, add some more details > present the rough sketch to the designer/client and the art director > after you get the final feedback you can go to the final color stage Advices: > for thumbnails use three tones (black, white and grey) > work with layers, it's easier to make changes > always try to tell a story with your picture > scale is important, add a character to the environment > put the details in the focus point, don’t detaliate insignifiant parts > you can use photos or 3D models but keep the artwork ballanced, don’t make a collage out if it > you are not supposed to know how everything looks or works, so use reference when you need it! > it’s best to create specific color keys for all the levels of the game > this depends on the subject, but usually it’s better to have a dinamic image So, the basic production pipeline should go like this: brief description few thumbnails rough sketch color sketch final color WRONKthumbnails final color n wy a a = < x in]::Concept Art Guide in Gaming Industry example artworks created by: Colin Fix Dan Milligan Daryl Mandryk Dermot Power Hethe Srodawa Wesley Burt James Paik John Park Sparth Bjérn Hurri Jaime Jones www. pandemoniumart.net