Don't learn CONCEPT ART!

Summary

In this video, the speaker addresses the confusion surrounding the term 'concept art' and argues that it's too broad for today's industry, suggesting it could be more accurately termed 'visual problem solving.' They explore the different stages of concept art in projects like games and films, emphasizing the importance of context and the varying roles concept artists play. The video aims to clarify misconceptions and proposes 'context design' or 'context designer' as more fitting terms than concept art.

Takeaways

• 🎨 The term 'concept art' is often misunderstood and too broad for the industry today, suggesting it could be replaced with 'visual art'.
• 🔍 Concept art is essentially 'visual problem solving', similar to industrial design, where artists work with clients to solve visual issues within a project.
• 📌 The importance of 'context' in concept art is highlighted, which involves answering three key questions: the nature of the project, its stage, and its purpose.
• 🎮 In the gaming industry, concept art roles can vary greatly depending on the type of game, from cinematic adventures to stylized battle arenas.
• 🎬 For film, concept art is more focused on storytelling and moving the audience, with less variation in role compared to games.
• 🌐 The script suggests that 'context design' or 'context designer' might be more appropriate terms than 'concept art' due to the heavy reliance on project context.
• 🛠️ Professional concept art jobs involve various stages such as the 'blue sky' stage for initial ideas, visual development for style and tone shaping, and pre-production for finalizing assets before production.
• 👨‍🎨 Artists in the 'blue sky' stage are typically very experienced and versatile, capable of efficiently addressing a wide range of visual problems.
• 👥 As projects progress, more specialized artists like costume designers, creature designers, and UI artists may join the visual development stage.
• 🏗️ Pre-production is the final stage before production begins, requiring a larger team and more specific output to support various production departments.
• 📈 The video encourages viewers to learn more about increasing their hiring chances through business-focused videos on artwod.com.

Q & A

What is the main point the video aims to address regarding the term 'concept art'?

The video aims to address the misconception and misunderstanding surrounding the term 'concept art' and to explore alternative ways to look at it in the industry.

Why does the speaker believe the term 'concept art' is too broad for today's industry?

The speaker believes 'concept art' is too broad because it can encompass anything visual, including figurative or fine art, making it not specific enough for professional use.

What does the speaker equate concept art to in the context of professional work?

The speaker equates concept art to 'visual problem solving,' similar to industrial design, where artists work with clients to solve visual issues within a project.

What are the three key questions that define the context of a project according to the speaker?

The three key questions are: What is the project? What stage is the project in? And what is the project's purpose?

What is the 'blue sky stage' in a project?

The 'blue sky stage' is an early phase of a project where anything is possible, and only a few experienced artists are hired to solve initial visual problems.

What differentiates the 'visual development' stage from the 'blue sky' stage?

The 'visual development' stage comes after the 'blue sky' stage, where the style and tone of the project start taking shape based on the experimentation done earlier.

What is the role of artists during the pre-production stage?

During pre-production, artists are required to produce specific outputs that will go into production departments such as animation, modeling, sculpting, and audio.

How does the speaker suggest the term 'concept art' could be more accurately replaced?

The speaker suggests that 'context design' or 'context designer' might be more appropriate terms than 'concept art' due to its dependency on the project's context.

What is the difference between concept art roles in a realistic cinematic adventure game versus a stylized battle arena game?

The concept art role in a realistic cinematic adventure game will look vastly different from that in a stylized battle arena game due to the different mechanics and visual directions of the games.

What additional resources does the speaker offer for those interested in the business side of being a concept artist?

The speaker offers business videos available on artwod.com, which provide in-depth information on portfolio building, marketing, and the business aspects of being a concept artist.