My main interest in illustration is concept art and feel like research added with artist interviews has give me a broad sense of what to expect from this area of the industry. I am intrigued by concept design for television, films and games, and is something that I could see myself doing in the future, if I improved upon my digital illustrative skills. While it is not required to be as skilled as modern concept artists, it opens up more opportunities for an artist if they can depict a world with realism.
Concept art appeals to me because it shows the depths of an artist's imagination and creativity when they are allowed to explore the visual identity of an environment or character or creature. This creative freedom allows for a larger range of ideas to be portrayed through a visual medium than would be in a more directed area of the industry. I feel that it is important to be able to have this exploration when illustrating and is the job that encourages a sharp and imaginative mind.
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| An example of my own concept design for one of my characters. |
From my research into concept art, I discovered that concept art is a form of illustration used to convey an idea for a project, but this does not mean all concept art needs to be highly detailed environments. Concept design for characters is just one of the many other areas within concept art - making it a surprisingly diverse career path.
Some examples of media that use concept art as part of their design process include animation, advertising, comic illustration, gaming and print. Concept artists regularly work with other departments to make sure each part of the project reflects the correct consistent visual style. Interestingly, the average yearly salary for concept artists is around the same as painters and illustrators, but many factors that can affect this salary, such as experience, location, and education. (1)
For my primary work experience research for this module, I decided to contact several illustrators and concept artists for interviews about their work and professional duties. This email interview is with concept artist Bobby Rebholz, which provided a wealth of knowledge from a more experienced artist for me to understand and learn from. (2)
-What is your background?
Ever since I was four years old, drawing creatures has been my number one passion. I took that passion all the way through my teen years and through highschool. While attending the college of Design, Architecture, Art & Planning at the University of Cincinnati, I received a Bachelor's of Science in Design. My major was industrial design but my focus was transportation. I designed cars! Ha. I know, totally outside of my creature studies.
-How many hours do you work a day?
Combining my freelancing and teaching, I usually put in about 12 hours.
-What is your typical day as a concept artist?
Aside from teaching at CGMA leading the online Creature Design for Film & Games, I teach visual arts at the Co-Op Arts & Humanities Highschool. I get home at about 1pm and am doing concept art until about 10:00 at night.
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| Cthulu kickstarter commission - Bobby Rebholz (3) |
-How do you promote your work?
Social media plays a huge part in promoting work. I make sure to be very active on sites such as Artstation, Conceptart.org, Instagram, Twitter and Drawcrowd. I also make sure to only show my best work and not post every single little thing I draw.
-How do you generate ideas?
I study a lot of reference whether it's real life animals for creature or character design to architecture. Thumbnail sketching is key because they're fast and gritty sketches that allows my brain to turn off and I can just scribble. When I was younger, I wanted EVERY sketch I did to be perfect and nobody to see it unless it was perfect. Concept art isn't about that and I learned that quickly. I spend no more than a few minutes per rough sketch. The details come later.
-What is the best piece of advice you've been given?
Oh I know this answer. My transportation design teacher in college told me when showing my portfolio that "You're only as good as your worst sketch." It is 100% true. That's why it's vital to only show your best work to art directors and online.
-What do you like about your work?
I love creating exciting creatures and things that don't exist or do, but is a fantastical version of what's already out there. Creature design allows me to study real animal anatomy and I learn so much from that.
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| Grimhilda home final small - Bobby Rebholz (4) |
-What do you dislike about your work?
Freelancing can be scary sometimes because you're not guaranteed a bi-weekly paycheck like you are from a full-time 9-5 job. Sometimes the hours are worse for a freelancer. I can expect to work extra hours on projects every month. I also don't know when new work will come in. That's why promoting my art via social media is so important.
-What memorable responses have you had to your work?
Over the years, I've had some pretty important people I look up to in the concept art field say they really like certain pieces. It's been happening more frequently as of late. I can't pinpoint exact messages but it's nice and makes you feel like you're doing something right.
-What superpower would you have and why?
OH MAN! I'd love to have the power of super long distance sight so I can look out at other planets. I love space and even though we have amazing telescopes, I want to see the surface of these planets light years away.
By conducting this email interview, I was able to network and make connections with other creatives in similar fields, and learn about the different aspects of being a professional illustrator. This is useful in helping me to be prepared for my creative career, as well as providing a growing list of artists to contact in the future.
- What is your background?
Mt. San Antonio College - Associate of Arts degree
Art Center College of Design - Bachelor of Arts degree
- How many hours do you work a day?
7-8, which is standard
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| Castle Interior - Patrick Raines (6) |
- What is your typical day as a concept artist?
1. gather any and all feedback from previous night. this could be from art director or other artists
2. review material submitted from outsource artists. my studio currently outsources much of the production work to independent artists and my main responsibility is to direct them. therefore I spend a lot of time giving them either written or more often visual feedback in the form of paintovers
3. 15-30 min. team meetings
4. 5 min. face time discussion with other artists about our collaborative work
- How do you promote your work?
1. personal blog/website
2. social media (Facebook, Twitter, ArtStation)
3. teaching (college & online)
4. occasionally gallery exhibitions
- How do you generate ideas?
Since I work in the entertainment industry, I am heavily influenced by mediums such as film, TV and games. Many of my ideas are inspired by stories or projects in those areas. That covers my initial ideation. As I start to create my work I get inspired by other commercial artists and photographers, mostly found on aggregation sites such as Pinterest. Working in a studio setting is very collaborative, so I must also mention that verbal and visual feedback on my ideas is a big part of the process.
- What is the best piece of advice you've been given?
1. continue to learn beyond school. each task is a learning and growth opportunity.
1a. it's important to balance work with other areas of life (family, etc). work to live, not live to work
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| Extinction Arena lighting concept - Patrick Raines (7) |
- What do you like about your work?
I assume you mean my artwork, not workplace. In that context, I like to think it represents things better than reality. It's not photography (1 to 1 representation or copy). It's an interpretation of an idea that becomes entertainment.
- What do you dislike about your work?
It's almost always to serve someone else's purpose, since it's for production. Sometimes I wish I could have more say in the final product. I do from time to time, but not always.
- What memorable responses have you had to your work?
In general, just complements from peers, leaders in the art world, students, friends and family. One memorable response was when I created a traditional painting on canvas for a gallery show. Upon arriving for the opening night, I noticed it was displayed front and center. I felt really honored to have that spot among other very respectable professional artists.
- What superpower would you have and why?
Super speed. Would help in commute to office and hopefully would expedite my artistic creation time too.
This interview was enlightening about more of the professional working standards that illustrators hold themselves up to. It is important to recognise these standards when working independently as it can be difficult to monitor your professional duties in illustration. I have learnt that practising professional skills is beneficial so that potential clients or employers know that you are serious about concept art.
- What is your typical day as a concept artist?
---Currently I am a freelance concept artist and my day constantly changes and is dictated by the project. So it depends on the type of project I am working on but usually the processes are similar.
If it's a beginning of a project, I spend a good amount of time doing research and looking for references. This early phase can institute about 25-30% of the time spend on the work. Finding good ref and detailed research can speed things up in the long run. Then I spend the rest of the day generating ideas or if we're in later stage, execute the design. Also, you can spend a good part of the day corresponding with the Art Director or Production Designer on the design. That is very important for efficient workflow. I am usually in constant communication with my clients.
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| Anaxes Assault - Pat Presley (9) |
- How do you generate ideas for characters / vehicles / environments?
---Real work references. I look to the world around me for ideas. It is a wealth of inspiration. I always say you can't create out of a vacuum or something out of nothing. It doesn't have to be a big beginning, all you need is a seed or a spark.
From there, I usually start with overall shapes and progress to forms followed by l line/texture and color. But initial shapes read are very important for first impression.
From there, I usually start with overall shapes and progress to forms followed by l line/texture and color. But initial shapes read are very important for first impression.
- How did you become creatively involved with Lucasfilm?
---I was working for a game studio just down the road from Skywalker Ranch. My Art Director at the time moved over there. A few months later I got a call from him, suggesting that I should join him on the design team at Lucasfilm.
- What did you learn from working on Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels?
--- First of all you learn how to design in Star Wars. It has a very specific design language. I also learned a lot in almost every facets of design, especially for a big production that moves along at a very brisk pace. You learn to be very efficient while trying to maintain high quality work.
- What is it like working in the art industry compared to making your own work?
---There is a different type of satisfaction that comes with both types of work. When you see the project that you helped create alongside dozens of people with many parts coming together, it is something very exciting and special to see. Because you realize how much work and hours went into it and how easy it is for things to go wrong at any moment. So it's pretty amazing to see your project realized.
On the other hand there is something very special and personal about creating your own work.
- What is the best piece of art advice you've been given?
--- One of the most important advice was from my time in Architecture School. I was told to "see every design as a problem that needs a solution."
It takes the sexiness out of the job a little bit, but you break things down in smaller parts to where it's easier to attack.
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| Embo concept design - Pat Presley (10) |
- How long does it usually take you to produce a finished concept piece?
---It depends. Some work requires a lot of time to finish the design while other projects give you only a few days to complete. You have to be able to adapt to it.
Typically, I try to keep things short for my own work, between two to three days to complete.
- What memorable responses have you had to your work?
---The best response is when people tell me how much joy and inspiration my work has brought them. Especially children when they meet me and realize I worked on Star Wars, I can see their excitement. It's priceless.
- Who are your biggest inspirations?
---The ones that made the most impact on me are Ralph McQuarrie, Moebius, Syd Mead and H R Giger. I identify their work with different sides of me.
Obviously when you work on Star Wars, Ralph is always a huge inspiration. I had a pleasure of meeting him while I was still at the ranch. Doug Chiang is also an inspiration as well as an influence on my career. I corresponded with him while I was still in college right before Star Wars: Episode I came out. During that time, there was no concept art community or online information as it is today, Doug gave me many valuable advice on the industry as well as how to improve my skills. So it was great that I had a chance to work with him in the recent year.
This interview was one of the most positive because I was able to ask questions about something that I was passionate about, and the concept artist provided me with great in-depth responses that help me to understand how people work on such a popular franchise as Star Wars. It has encouraged me to seek out opportunities to work as a concept artist in similar interests and has given me a standard to live up to as an illustrator.
Through my primary and secondary research into concept art, I have found that concept art is an important aspect of development for many current forms of media, and artists within this field are encouraged to work alongside other creative departments and develop their practise to become the best they can be. As of its diversity and similarity in salary to more traditional art fields, concept art seems to be a viable career path for those with the creativity and skill to immerse themselves in the worlds of others.
My interviews with three concept artists led me to conclude that being a concept artist involves not only honing your skills and working a lot, but also having a personalised set of working standards that you can use to maintain the persona of a professional illustrator/artist. Also, there is a difference in producing concept art for your own practice and producing art for a company in the industry. It appears that hired concept work implements more structure and feedback, while freelance work relies on you to discipline yourself as an artist. I would prefer to work in an atmosphere of structure and progress, especially if it involves designing concept art for an intellectual property that you enjoy.
While my primary research gave me a basis for a concept artist's job description, activities and salary, it did not provide much information on personal experience from in the industry and lacked the detail that I was looking for. Conducting artist interviews as secondary research however, gave me a wealth of information that I can use to better prepare myself for a career in concept art. By making these connections now, I will also have a network of artists that I can utilise in the future for advice or inspiration from experts in the field of concept art.
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| Vehicle concept designs for my personal graphic novel project. |
This research has furthered my knowledge in the field of concept art by giving me new information from concept artists of different specialities and practices. I am willing to further explore and expand my knowledge into concept art by continuing my research after this module. What I have learnt so far has supported my ideas about what a concept artist does and the level of skill that is expected from these artists working in the industry. In order to become a professional concept artist, I would definitely need extra skills at my disposal so that I could produce my best work.
As I have a strong level of idea development, I believe that I already have the mindset to be creatively inspired and design from my imagination. However, I would need to significantly improve my traditional and digital drawing skills to be as successful as the artists that I researched, as well as having solid communication and people skills so that I could work with other art departments if it was asked of me. With these skills, I believe I would be an active and professional concept artist that can become a better creative mind than I could ever dream of. This is what motivates me to improve myself as an illustrator and consider a career in concept art.
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(2) Bobbyrebholz.blogspot.co.uk. (n.d.). BOBBY REBHOLZ: concept artist. [online] Available at: http://bobbyrebholz.blogspot.co.uk/ [Accessed 12 Apr. 2017].
(3) Rebholz, B. (2016). Cthulu kickstarter commission.
(4) Rebholz, B. (n.d.). Grimhilda home final small.
(5) Raines, P. and profile (n.d.). Patrick Raines. [online] Patrickraines.blogspot.co.uk. Available at: http://patrickraines.blogspot.co.uk/ [Accessed 30 Apr. 2017].
(6) Raines, P. (n.d.). Castle Interior.
(7) Raines, P. (2017). Execution Arena lighting concept.
(8) Presley, P. (n.d.). Pat Presley. [online] Phattro.com. Available at: http://phattro.com/ [Accessed 30 Apr. 2017].
(9) Presley, P. (n.d.). Anaxes Assault.
(10) Presley, P. (n.d.). Embo concept design.
