Unit 69 - Concept art explained
Concept art is the beginning process of creating a game, it allows the creator to try out various ideas and come up with new ideas that they can then use to model their characters off. Concept art can be in the form of a game environment, character or weapon/objects that will be in the game.
Concept is also used for movies, tv shows or cartoons in order to establish what a character looks like, from raw ideas, allowing a visual representation of the idea to come to life and give a physical presence to it.
Concept is also used for movies, tv shows or cartoons in order to establish what a character looks like, from raw ideas, allowing a visual representation of the idea to come to life and give a physical presence to it.
Environment:
Here is some environment concept art, from this creators are able to have a visual representation of an idea, and are able to use this to create the 3D environment in which the game will be created. Not only is concept art used for the creation of a game, but also the marketing of a game, as it can be used before the game has been created in order to create a want for the game and give people a visual representation of the game giving them something to look forward to.
From this example of concept art for the game Assassins creed you can see how in depth concept art can be. This example highlights the use of lighting in games, as you can see the light source provides light to the centre of this quarry to the right of the image, whereas heavy shadows are cast to the left. This adds depth to the image and allows for a more realistic bit of concept art.
Along with the lighting that is shown, the image also allows you to see the size of the character compared to the environment around him, this allowing the viewer to work out how large the cliff side should be in comparison with the player.
I like this concept art as it does well to establish the landscape and give an example of what kind of environment to expect in the game. The use of the ambient lighting coming from the top down to light up certain areas but not the whole landscape does well to add mystery, leaving me to wonder what is in the caves. What i dont like about this concept art however is that not much is going on, it does well to establish an isolated character but doesnt do well to advance what will be in the game other than a character and where he will be, instead of other characters or objects such as weapons.
Stages of Concept Art
Concept art does not always have colour, instead concept art goes through various stages before it has a final form. The first stages are early drawings that allow for the artist to get the ideas out of their head, this can be in the form of just one section of a character or a basic drawing of a weapon, as you can see from the image above on the far left is a drawing of part of the main character in rough sketch, non coloured. This gives an idea of what the character may look like and helps to establish a look for the character, over time this is then adapted and changed depending on the reaction to the first drawings. With the middle two images you can see various other ideas were considered, again in black and white however this stage has a dull body drawing which gives a perspective of height for the character, finally on the far right is the used image for the character, in full colour and detail. This is then taken and used to create the character from, as you can see he has elements from each of the previous drawings, but has been finely tuned to detail taking the best parts from each.
Concept Art can also be used to identify what parts there are on game vehicles, for example this image shows what the specific parts are on this vehicle and also allows the viewer to understand why or what they do. Again with this image the first one is an early stage of concept art that is just an outline in black and white, then it is turned into a coloured image, here it has a character next to the vehicle to give a sense of size.
This is good concept art as it shows not only what the vehicle is but has clear labels as to what is what, this will help the game creaters to model it properly, with each part of the vehicle being created for its purpose rather than just the look.
Weapons
Concept art can also be in the form of weapons for a game or film. Drawing out the weapons for a game or film also allows the visual representation of an idea for a game or film, it also allows for more detail into what goes into the game/film. As you can see from the image above of the gun concept art, you can see different variations of the same weapon. This is something concept art allows game creators to do, they are able to look at the different possible variations to something and see which looks the best, then they will go onto creating the favourite choice. This was something done often by the move franchise star wars.
I like this piece of art for the reason that it shows the different variations allowing for a choice to be made on which gun will be used, this will help the game creater most as it explores all of the options for the weapon, it also has the drawing of the moveable handle in the bottom left which like with the star wars vehicle allows the game creater to see the practical uses for the weapon and bring it to life.
Mood
Concept art not only allows for a visual representation of ideas, but also helps to create a mood and give the idea life. For example, this image here shows a vast landscape which is picturesqe, it does well to demonstrate perspective with the mountains in the background that show the distance of the area. The atmosphere you get when you see this image is of solidarity, one character in a lonely area showcasing that the game this is drawn for will be a large scale game with exploration being the main feature, this image also establishes the look of the game which seems to be large areas that are mountainous with green valleys. This builds hype for a game more than just hearing of the idea, another element of concept art.
Conclusion
In conclusion concept art is a key part to game creation, elements of concept art can be seen at every stage of game production ranging from the pre creation, creation and then marketing after the game has been created. It is a needed part to games as it helps a game gain life and gives the basic ideas an image/a face that can be used to create the main components of the game.
Image References
http://conceptartworld.com/artists/raphael-lacoste/ - raphael lacoste
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=star+wars+concept+art&safe=active&espv=2&biw=1920&bih=974&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjX2K_LisTQAhWrC8AKHa1qBt8Q_AUIBigB#safe=active&tbm=isch&q=star+wars+battlefront+concept+art+drawing&imgrc=Oj3Gx9E15O_IIM%3A
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=concept+art&safe=active&espv=2&biw=1920&bih=974&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjf6oethcTQAhWiKcAKHY3XCosQ_AUIBigB#safe=active&tbm=isch&q=concept+art+disney&imgrc=ANK20iYMXXnMdM%3A
From this example of concept art for the game Assassins creed you can see how in depth concept art can be. This example highlights the use of lighting in games, as you can see the light source provides light to the centre of this quarry to the right of the image, whereas heavy shadows are cast to the left. This adds depth to the image and allows for a more realistic bit of concept art.
Along with the lighting that is shown, the image also allows you to see the size of the character compared to the environment around him, this allowing the viewer to work out how large the cliff side should be in comparison with the player.
I like this concept art as it does well to establish the landscape and give an example of what kind of environment to expect in the game. The use of the ambient lighting coming from the top down to light up certain areas but not the whole landscape does well to add mystery, leaving me to wonder what is in the caves. What i dont like about this concept art however is that not much is going on, it does well to establish an isolated character but doesnt do well to advance what will be in the game other than a character and where he will be, instead of other characters or objects such as weapons.
Stages of Concept Art
Concept art does not always have colour, instead concept art goes through various stages before it has a final form. The first stages are early drawings that allow for the artist to get the ideas out of their head, this can be in the form of just one section of a character or a basic drawing of a weapon, as you can see from the image above on the far left is a drawing of part of the main character in rough sketch, non coloured. This gives an idea of what the character may look like and helps to establish a look for the character, over time this is then adapted and changed depending on the reaction to the first drawings. With the middle two images you can see various other ideas were considered, again in black and white however this stage has a dull body drawing which gives a perspective of height for the character, finally on the far right is the used image for the character, in full colour and detail. This is then taken and used to create the character from, as you can see he has elements from each of the previous drawings, but has been finely tuned to detail taking the best parts from each.
Concept Art can also be used to identify what parts there are on game vehicles, for example this image shows what the specific parts are on this vehicle and also allows the viewer to understand why or what they do. Again with this image the first one is an early stage of concept art that is just an outline in black and white, then it is turned into a coloured image, here it has a character next to the vehicle to give a sense of size.
This is good concept art as it shows not only what the vehicle is but has clear labels as to what is what, this will help the game creaters to model it properly, with each part of the vehicle being created for its purpose rather than just the look.
Weapons
Concept art can also be in the form of weapons for a game or film. Drawing out the weapons for a game or film also allows the visual representation of an idea for a game or film, it also allows for more detail into what goes into the game/film. As you can see from the image above of the gun concept art, you can see different variations of the same weapon. This is something concept art allows game creators to do, they are able to look at the different possible variations to something and see which looks the best, then they will go onto creating the favourite choice. This was something done often by the move franchise star wars.
I like this piece of art for the reason that it shows the different variations allowing for a choice to be made on which gun will be used, this will help the game creater most as it explores all of the options for the weapon, it also has the drawing of the moveable handle in the bottom left which like with the star wars vehicle allows the game creater to see the practical uses for the weapon and bring it to life.
Mood
Concept art not only allows for a visual representation of ideas, but also helps to create a mood and give the idea life. For example, this image here shows a vast landscape which is picturesqe, it does well to demonstrate perspective with the mountains in the background that show the distance of the area. The atmosphere you get when you see this image is of solidarity, one character in a lonely area showcasing that the game this is drawn for will be a large scale game with exploration being the main feature, this image also establishes the look of the game which seems to be large areas that are mountainous with green valleys. This builds hype for a game more than just hearing of the idea, another element of concept art.
Conclusion
In conclusion concept art is a key part to game creation, elements of concept art can be seen at every stage of game production ranging from the pre creation, creation and then marketing after the game has been created. It is a needed part to games as it helps a game gain life and gives the basic ideas an image/a face that can be used to create the main components of the game.
Image References
http://conceptartworld.com/artists/raphael-lacoste/ - raphael lacoste
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=star+wars+concept+art&safe=active&espv=2&biw=1920&bih=974&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjX2K_LisTQAhWrC8AKHa1qBt8Q_AUIBigB#safe=active&tbm=isch&q=star+wars+battlefront+concept+art+drawing&imgrc=Oj3Gx9E15O_IIM%3A
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=concept+art&safe=active&espv=2&biw=1920&bih=974&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjf6oethcTQAhWiKcAKHY3XCosQ_AUIBigB#safe=active&tbm=isch&q=concept+art+disney&imgrc=ANK20iYMXXnMdM%3A
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