What You Need in a Concept Art Portfolio with Nacho Yagüe and Tim Warnock

Summary

The video script features a Spanish concept artist, now living in Canada, who has spent 14 years in the video game industry and co-founded Northmen Studio in 2014. He emphasizes the importance of design thinking and problem-solving in portfolio building, advocating for a curated and consistent showcase of one's abilities. The artist discusses his varied process, including 3D modeling and Photoshop painting, and stresses the value of simplicity and strong compositions in concept art. He also shares insights on avoiding common mistakes in portfolio presentation and the importance of understanding material choices and scale in design.

Takeaways

• 🌍 The speaker is a concept artist from Spain, currently living in Canada and working in the video game industry for nearly 14 years.
• 🎨 He is transitioning from being a concept artist to a director and co-founded Northmen studio in 2014, which works in film, television, and video games.
• 🛠️ The studio values design and the ability to think and create new concepts, not just the ability to produce beautiful images.
• 📚 Building a portfolio should be curated based on the individual's goals and should be consistent, showcasing the best and most representative work.
• 🔍 It's important to show the ability to think, design, and solve problems through a portfolio, including sketches and the process of reaching an idea.
• 🛑 The speaker emphasizes the need to change techniques and approaches for different projects to learn and grow as an artist.
• 🖼️ The creative process involves thumbnails, sketches, research, and sometimes 3D builds for reference, depending on the project's requirements.
• 🎨 Tools like Photoshop and ZBrush are used for the finished painting, with a focus on photo-realism and attention to detail like lens flare.
• 🔑 The speaker advises simplicity in composition and color, suggesting that less can be more effective in concept art.
• 🚀 He encourages artists to explore different sources of inspiration to avoid replicating the same styles as everyone else.
• 💡 For beginners, the speaker points out common mistakes such as a lack of clear idea, overemphasis on final results, and misuse of photobashing without understanding materials and scale.
• 📈 The importance of having a concise portfolio of no more than ten images to effectively showcase one's capabilities and style.

Q & A

Who is the speaker in the video transcript?

The speaker is a concept artist from Spain who has been living in Canada for five years and has worked in the video game industry for almost 14 years.

What is the speaker's current role in the industry?

The speaker is transitioning from being a concept artist to a direction role in the video game industry.

What studio did the speaker co-found in 2014?

The speaker co-founded Northmen Studio in 2014 with Ryan Denee.

What type of work does Northmen Studio do?

Northmen Studio works in the fields of film, television, and video games, focusing on design and concept art.

What does the speaker emphasize when hiring for their studio?

The speaker emphasizes the importance of hiring people who can think and design new things, rather than just being illustrators.

What advice does the speaker give for building a portfolio for a studio?

The speaker advises to curate the portfolio according to one's strengths and the studio's needs, showing consistency and the best images that represent who you are and what you offer.

How does the speaker approach different projects?

The speaker changes their technique for each project, doing research, sketches, and sometimes 3D builds to understand the requirements and find a unique approach.

What software does the speaker use in their work?

The speaker uses software like Photoshop, ZBrush, and 3D modeling tools for their work.

What is the speaker's approach to achieving photo-realism in their work?

The speaker focuses on studying reference material, analyzing photographs and film frames, and paying attention to subtle details like lens flare to achieve photo-realism.

What mistake does the speaker see in portfolios of new artists?

The speaker sees that new artists often lack a clear idea of what they want to show, focusing too much on the final result without understanding the 'why' behind their choices.

What advice does the speaker give for artists starting their career?

The speaker advises new artists to not rush into big studios, but to start in smaller ones to gain experience, learn to work with teams, and develop communication skills.

What is the speaker's view on the evolution of concept art?

The speaker believes that concept art is in a constant state of evolution, becoming faster and better, but also emphasizes the importance of thinking simple and focusing on strong compositions and colors.

What is the speaker's opinion on the use of digital tools in art?

The speaker appreciates digital tools for quick iterations and exploration but warns against losing sight of the basics and relying too much on layer modes and effects without a solid foundation.

What project is the speaker particularly proud of?

The speaker is proud of working on 'The Expanse' and with Riot Games, mentioning the creative freedom and high standards that pushed them to excel.

What is the speaker's personal site and its significance?

The speaker's personal site represents a pinnacle of their career and a passion for traditional art, combining European culture and a love for the saga.

What is the speaker's advice on portfolio size?

The speaker suggests keeping the portfolio to around ten images, as it is enough to show who you are and what you can do without overwhelming the viewer.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Concept Art and Design Philosophy

The speaker, a concept artist with 14 years of experience in the video game industry, discusses his transition from Spain to Canada and his role in co-founding Northmen studio. He emphasizes the importance of design and the ability to think and create new concepts over mere illustration. The speaker advises on building a portfolio that showcases consistency and the best work, including process sketches to demonstrate problem-solving and design capabilities. He also talks about adapting his process and techniques to different projects, using tools like 3D builds and Photoshop for finished paintings, and the significance of studying reference materials for photo-realism.

05:02

🌟 Embracing Simplicity in Concept Art

In this paragraph, the artist focuses on the evolution of concept art and the importance of simplicity in design. He advises against overloading images with too many elements and instead promotes strong compositions with impactful colors and brushstrokes. The speaker stresses the value of diverse inspiration, avoiding the same sources as others to maintain originality. He also discusses common mistakes made by beginners, such as neglecting fundamental aspects like values and color, and the misuse of digital tools. He encourages a return to basics, like strong value structures and thoughtful color choices, and the importance of understanding the reasoning behind every element added to a design.

10:03

🚀 Learning and Growth in the Industry

The final paragraph touches on the importance of learning and not rushing into the industry. The speaker shares insights from his work on 'The Expanse' and 'Riot Games', highlighting the creative freedom and high standards that come with such projects. He advises new artists to start in smaller studios to gain experience, emphasizing the need to learn how to work with teams and accept critiques. The speaker concludes with a personal anecdote about working on a beloved game, reflecting on the balance between creativity and traditional art.

Keywords

💡Concept Artist

A concept artist is a professional who creates visual representations of characters, environments, and objects for various media, such as video games, films, and television. In the video, the speaker identifies as a concept artist with 14 years of experience in the video game industry, highlighting the importance of this role in the creative process.

💡Direction

In the context of the video, 'direction' refers to the speaker's career transition from being a concept artist to moving into a directorial role. This shift implies taking on more responsibilities in guiding the creative vision and execution of projects, which is a significant step in their professional development.

💡Northmen Studio

Northmen Studio is the company co-founded by the speaker in 2014, along with Ryan Denee. It is a creative studio that works on projects for film, television, and video games. The mention of Northmen Studio in the script illustrates the speaker's entrepreneurial spirit and their commitment to diverse creative fields.

💡Design

Design is a central theme in the video, as it is emphasized that the speaker and their team value the ability to think and create new designs over mere illustration skills. The speaker discusses the importance of showing one's design capabilities in a portfolio, which is crucial for demonstrating creative problem-solving and innovation.

💡Portfolio

A portfolio is a collection of an artist's work that showcases their skills and style. In the video, the speaker advises on how to curate a portfolio for a studio, emphasizing consistency and the importance of selecting the best images that represent one's abilities and offerings.

💡Illustration

Illustration is the act of visually representing ideas or narratives, often in a detailed and artistic manner. The speaker distinguishes between being an illustrator and a concept artist, with the latter requiring the ability to think and design new things, rather than just creating polished images.

💡3D Build

A 3D build refers to the creation of a three-dimensional model or scene, which can be used as a reference or painted on top of for concept art. In the script, the speaker mentions using 3D builds as part of their creative process, especially when a rough sketch is not enough to communicate the client's needs.

💡Photoshop

Photoshop is a widely used software for digital image editing and manipulation. The speaker mentions using Photoshop for finishing paintings after initial work in other programs like ZBrush, indicating its importance in the final stages of concept art production.

💡Photo-Realism

Photo-realism is a style of art that aims to replicate the appearance of a photograph. The speaker, having worked as a matte painter for ten years, is comfortable with photo-realistic techniques, which involve studying reference materials and paying attention to details like lighting and lens effects to achieve a realistic feel.

💡Composition

Composition refers to the arrangement of visual elements in an artwork. The speaker talks about the importance of having a strong, simple composition in concept art, suggesting that less can be more and that clarity and focus can make a piece more impactful.

💡Inspiration

Inspiration is the process of being mentally stimulated to create something. The speaker advises against relying on the same sources of inspiration, encouraging artists to explore a wide range of influences to avoid producing work that is too similar to others'.

💡Fundamentals

Fundamentals in art refer to the basic principles and techniques that form the foundation of good design and execution. The speaker emphasizes the importance of focusing on these basics, such as values and color theory, rather than relying solely on digital tools and effects.

💡Mistakes

The speaker discusses common mistakes made by artists, such as not having a clear idea of what they want to portray or focusing too much on the final result without considering the 'why' behind their choices. This highlights the importance of thoughtful and intentional creation in the artistic process.

💡Client

A client is the individual or company that hires an artist or studio for a project. The speaker mentions working with clients like Riot Games and their experience of having a close relationship and creative influence on projects, which is a key aspect of professional work in the industry.

💡Concept Art Evolution

The speaker reflects on the evolution of concept art, noting that it is becoming faster and better. This implies the rapid pace of technological advancement and the increasing demands for quality and efficiency in the field, which artists must adapt to.

Highlights

The speaker has been working in the video game industry for almost 14 years as a concept artist and is now moving into direction.

He co-founded Northmen studio in 2014, which works in film, television, and video games.

Design is emphasized as a crucial aspect of their work, with a focus on hiring people who can think and design rather than just illustrate.

Building a portfolio should be curated according to the individual's goals and should be consistent in what they want to show.

It's important to show the ability to think, design, and solve problems in a portfolio, not just polished images.

The speaker discusses the importance of changing the creative process for different projects to learn new techniques.

The use of 3D builds as reference or to paint on top of is mentioned as part of the creative process.

Photoshop is used for finished paintings, alongside other tools like ZBrush and 3D modeling software.

The speaker has a background in matte painting, which influences their focus on photo-realism and attention to detail.

Studying from photographs and film frames is part of the process to achieve a realistic feel in artwork.

The speaker advocates for simplicity in concept art, suggesting that less can be more effective in design.

A diverse range of inspiration is recommended to avoid falling into the same patterns as others.

Fundamentals like values and color are emphasized over digital tools and layer modes that can lead to experimentation without purpose.

The speaker observes common mistakes in portfolio building, such as lack of a clear idea and focusing too much on the final result.

Portfolios should be concise, with no more than ten images to effectively showcase one's capabilities.

Northmen studio has worked with clients like Riot Games and has had a significant creative influence on projects.

The speaker shares personal advice on career growth, suggesting patience and learning over rushing to join big studios.

Transcripts

[Music]

hello I'm naturally aware I'm a guy from

Spain

I now live in Canada for five years I've

been working in the video game industry

for almost 14 years as a concept artist

and now I'm moving into our direction

I am tomorrow knock and I'm a concept

artist a co-founded Northmen studio in

2014 with Ryan Denee and we do work for

film television and video games

[Music]

for us design is a big deal we really

want to have people that they can really

think and design things and we do we

obviously we want to have people that

can also render it produced beautiful

images that we're always looking

primarily at can this person really

think and design new things as opposed

to just being an illustrator well you

need to if you want to build your

portfolio to a studio you really need to

know they projects um you need to turn a

curate your portfolio depending on who

you are who you want you to apply so but

mostly be very consistent in what do you

want to show don't show everything I

mean no one is gonna is gonna look to

all your portfolio if you show ten

images find the best images that you

have or they want to portray what who

you are or what had you offer to the

studio always show like a lot of Ferrari

variety and a lot of production work as

well because I find that sometimes

people get lost and they just like show

very beautiful polished images and it's

very good to show like like sketches or

process of or how did you reach to that

idea I think always always show that you

are capable to think you are capable to

show design and you are capable to solve

problems

usually I change my process I usually

need to I I sometimes to spell like a

man trying to figure out what are the

requirements of the other period what

was it tonal for youth as well and

depending of if it's are very realistic

or it's like a more cartoony or what do

they want from me I try to find a

different approach in different projects

also because personally I find myself I

really want to learn every time that I

doing my my job so I always try to

approach prayer in a different way that

will allow me to learn new techniques or

new ways of painting as well so every

project is different yeah I always

change my technique I usually will do

certain thumbnails and sketches do a

bunch of research to try to get our

heads around where we're headed with

something and then once we kind of feel

good about where we're going with the

sketches then we'll usually launch into

some kind of a 3d build to use as a

reference or paint on top of it depends

on what it is like sometimes a rough

sketch is enough to communicate what the

client needs and other times it needs to

be taken to a fairly high rendered

finished piece and so we utilize three

paramount to do that we typically work

at moto we also use ZBrush but then from

there we'll work in Photoshop to do the

finished painting

[Music]

[Music]

spent too much time on it I don't know I

I mean I worked as a matte painter for

ten years so I'm I tend to be

comfortable in that kind of

photo-realistic realm so I guess I'm

using a lot of those tricks like I think

yeah taking I mean I obviously spent a

lot of time looking at reference

material really studying from

photographs and film frames and

analyzing them to like to get that

Pappas fear and subtle things like lens

you know junk and stuff like that just

think they gives it that very real feel

but then other than that it's really you

know focusing on like paying attention

to looking at the masters and studying

lighting and basic yeah that kind of

fundamental stuff is you just spend a

lot of time learning that and it's very

hard lately uh I've always feel that uh

we're living this constant evolution of

concept art and now everything is like a

faster and better but lately and I'm

trying to do this approach of like

thinking simple I think the simple works

way better we tend to overload or our

images with a lot of like characters a

lot of things in the screen lady I'm

trying to find like a protagonist stick

to that and think about like a very

strong simple composition very strong

colors or very strong brushstrokes and

usually it always gives this kind of

different flavor try to not you follow

the same source of inspiration as well

so I think it's very important to go

through classics check all movies

everything that can can inspire you but

not go to the same source of inspiration

because you are gonna in doing what

everyone is doing at the same time

[Music]

when you're getting started it's

neglecting things like values and you're

still trying to figure out color and so

it yeah it can be a bit of all over the

shop that way but yeah I mean again that

stuff comes back to you just really

studying attention I'm trying to get it

yourself I think with digital tools

especially it's easy to get into this

experimental Montgomery's rifling

through layer modes and trying to get

stuff for free and and forgetting about

like fundamentalism what what you would

be thinking of it all you had was a

pencil sketch book and really focusing

on building your image of having strong

values paying attention to making

choices about color as opposed to having

just throwing things in the soup and

hoping that you end up with something

awesome which sometimes it's great like

for exploration trying to break out of

you know the things you've kind of

naturally reach for digital tools are

awesome for really quick iterations

exploring stuff but yeah it's easy to

kind of lose sight of just the basics

because you have every option available

to you I see tons of mistakes the first

one I think is that they don't have like

a clear idea what do they want to show

they always show like a very cool images

sometimes but when I asked them where

what is what they want to portray there

they always are lost they don't know

exciting whether they're like focusing

too much on the on the final result

instead of like thinking like why are

they doing that or why are they putting

that I see a lot of mistakes when they

use photo Bosh for example with the

scale or taking the low say somebody

don't use the right material or they

don't put like a thought what are they

doing so I always told them that they

should whatever you put on the screen

you need to think about it why are you

adding this castle what is the material

why do you pick on material and not

another one who lives there if you start

thinking about those things everything

is gonna be more cohesive in Mutoh story

and will be more like it will have more

credibility as well so that's the

biggest mistake second one also that

their portfolios to to be so that's a

stick to ten images eighty minutes no

more it's enough to show who you are and

what you are capable to do yeah we've

we've been working we're in we're gonna

season three of expense right now and

that they've been a really great client

for us we yeah we get to do everything

we design spaceship to do the

environments we do props we do weapons

and for season two we worked on power

soups and for the Martians have so did

we get a lot of creative you put into

that show we have a close relationship

with the client so it's something that

we're really proud of it field we have a

lot of influence on the look up we also

work with the people that riot and their

music client and get to do some really

awesome super inspiring stuff with them

and and their their bar is really high

so we get wish to go further on things

that we probably would on any other

client so that's that's really awesome

my personal site I think was great it

was like at the pinnacle of my career

I've always been a huge fan of the of

the saga so for me being able to really

work on one of my favorite games like

one of the best things that I did almost

is because it's very creative it's like

it very much is with my culture like a

European culture I really love a

traditional art so I found a great plan

between atoms apart and quality no media

well words of wisdom yeah probably

one is like a garage and some very very

cheesy van I feel that everyone is like

trying to get in too fast or in the

biggest studio too too early it's okay

you you can start like any small studios

get a lot of experience because it's not

just about painting it's about like

working big companies for working with

the

big teams so you need to learn also how

to develop those feels like a

communicating will accept critiques as

well so take your time and try to learn

and don't rush because at the end it

won't be good for you

[Music]