Concept Art 101

2013 is a day away and it s time to hit the refresh button. Most of us will set new goals which will help set us off to a new direction for a new year.  Goals can be short term and long term. Short term goals are mile stones that help you reach your long term goal. This post focus on short term goal. One of the best way I learn to establish and reach a goal is to set smart goal that are  S pecific, M easurable, A ttainable, R ealistic, and T imely. Specific -  For instance, ' I want to draw better, ' is not specific enough. " I want to design 4 new characters by next month, and I will set aside 4 hours each day for this task," is more specific. The more specific your goal is, the directions you ll be able to get to that goal. It 's like a mailing address, you need to have the address number, street name,city, state and zip code.  Put down what you want to accomplish, when you want to accomplish it by, and how you will do it.  The more detailed and specific y...

Setting goal is quite easy, but reaching a goal can be quite daunting depending on how big your goal is. Once you have figure out what the outcomes you want, you have to reverse engineer and plan out a course of direction which act as a map to help you get from point A to point Z. The following are some safe guards to help you jump over hurdles in your path and  help keep you on track and focus to reach your destination. Milestones - you should have weekly checkpoints and review on your task and performance. You can break down larger task to smaller chunks.. For instance, you may say, " I want to design a new sci fi concept matte painting per week." The milestones for that task can be broken down to research, rough sketch or composition study, value block in, color study, collect photo textures, apply photo textures, adding finishing touches and so on. Then slowing chip away each little task everyday.  By breaking down large task to smaller chunks will help you ...

If you ever wonder why some of your fellow classmate or friends seem to improve faster than you, there are logical factors that can help explain this.  The following are a list of factors I will highlight Time factor - This one is a no brainier. It s common sense that the more time you spent doing an activity the better you will be at it. But time spent without intensity and intention will get you only to a certain level. Intensity factor - It s like building muscle for strength, the harder and more intense you push in each workout, the more result you will gained. One way to gauge your intensity level is if what you are doing is too easy, then maybe you need to increase your intensity level and push harder.  If your not pulling your hair out, throwing your pencil on to the wall, and shouting in frustration at your monitor, then maybe you aren't challenging yourself enough. Intention factor - Working with intention is like understanding what your weakness is and knowing...

The following are topics that I will cover due to demand, in the next week or so. -How much to charge -How to be more efficient -How to find work -Why do one person improve faster than other -How to stay focus and stay on track of your goal Cheers!

I m going to start doing a weekly photoshop trick of the week soon when I get some more free time away from work. I going to break down the common tool and trick I use in my work flow. I will demonstrate how to incorporate the tool into your work flow through examples in my work. Stay tune! :)

Learning how to edit your own work is one of the most important thing every artists need to develop if they want to get to the professional level. You have to be your own art director and the artist in one package. When I was a student, I learn the most from work critique by the instructors  Especially, when they drew or paint over my work. It helped me develop an eye on how to recognize mistakes and edit my piece to make it more interesting. The problem can be anything, it could be the color schemes is off, or the composition doesn't feel right, or the design is not there, or your anatomy and perspective are inaccurate...it could be one or a combination of these issues that make your piece dull and boring! The only way to overcome this barrier is by seeing someone editing your mistakes. Making something looks unique and have a wow factor take experience and trial and error. I have not figured it all out, but I m definitely a lot better at looking at my work now and know ho...

There are some people out there that can draw from the day they are born. Then there are the rest of us who need to learn how to draw.  But like learning how to drive a car or ride a bike, there are steps along the way that you need to master for you to be able to perform those tasks effectively and efficiently. The act of drawing is no difference, it 's just a more challenging skill to acquire and require more time investment to develop. There is a science behind drawing and can be broken down to two major components. They are the physical and mental aspects. Physical: The act of sketching something require the muscles in your arm to extend in a specific direction to make a mark on the paper. Drawing for the first time can feel like writing with a left hand (if you are right handed). The lines aren't straight and your arcs are wobbly. But after a few days, you noticed your drawing hand is more steady and have more control over how you laid down the lines. This is caused...

If you are in your thirties or forties and wonder if it s too late to switch career path, the answer to that depends on your specific situation. I have known guys who are married with kids who have made that leap of faith. Of course it 's a lot easier to do if you were younger with less financial responsibility. But with so much resources on the web, like DVD instructions, online classes, workshop and school that offer supplemental trainings, it has made it easier for more people to jump ships. As design education increases,  the demand for them will follow.  Just a few years ago, before Gnomon, the only choices you have is Art Center College of Design, Otis, and College of Creative Study. Today, new school are popping up as I type this and the cost to get these type of training is more affordable.  Now you can even subscribe to Gnomon s dvd collection and watch all the lectures you want.  Hell, even I am giving out free tips! So the resources are available and...

For this entry, I will be highlighting on some areas that don't get much focus. When I was going through school, little attention were given to talks about the essential skill sets that every artists must have to be viable in an extremely competitive market. So this is why I want to share this very important aspect of being a concept designer. As a full time freelance artist, I want to pass on some of the tips to stay competitive. The following is a list of 'Must haves' if you want to play this game and to stay in the game. Drawing Fundamental - The ability to draw, and do it well and efficiently is one of the most important skill every artists should be equipped with. A well-rounded artist should understand the use of perspectives, line weights, be able to execute very rough sketches to a very clean line finish. 
 Imagination - The thing that makes you different from another artist is what you bring to the table. Your work needs to be unique and cool. By ...

I get that question quite often. 'Can someone who is not from the United States break into the industry?' My short answer is, absolutely! The only thing that is keeping you away from your dream job is you. In the age of the internet, it doesn't matter where you are from. The world is a lot smaller in the sense that, distance is irrelevant. Everyone is only a click away. It doesn't matter if you are rich or poor, from Indonesia or Australia, you just need to be a badass artist. You need to take advantage of the fact information and the accessibility to these resources are out there. You need to be hungry, you need a crazy drive, and most importantly, you need to put in the long hours for practice. But work wisely, everything you do should be something that help make you a better artist. Stay consistent and persistent.

A very strong portfolio is the one most important asset you have that can help you break into the industry. Getting the first one is always the hardest! It gets easier from there. And first impression matters! It s very important you take it very seriously and understand what to include and more importantly what not to. Most company will judge your artistic value base on you best piece as well as the worst piece. In this case, less is more. A strong and short portfolio have more value than a big and moderate portfolio. You want to leave them wanting more! So lately, I 've been getting a lot of email interest for portfolio reviews. So if anyone is looking for portfolio feedback, please leave your name,  a brief intro, a link to your work. I wont have time to get everyone, so the first 10 will be the ones I will review. Read more here .

01. Sketch book - If you don’t already have one, you NEED to buy one and keep it with you. If you’re in still high school, start drawing things from life…NOW. Don’t just copy what you see, but see what you are drawing.  02. Ask question- Why does the chair look the way it does? What material is it made of? What does metal reflect the way it does…why is the shadow there? You get the point. Ask a lot of questions and try to answer them.. if you cant figure it out ..Google it! 03. See, don’t look- There s a different between looking and seeing. Seeing requires effort. Don’t just look around your surroundings, learn to see it.  See the patterns in the wood grain, study the way light reflect on objects, and make little mental notes. This helps train your eyes. 04.Build a reference library-  This is very important if you have not started one. Make a folder and start collecting images on the web that interest you. Gradually grow this inventory of references. I o...

I can only speak for myself, different artists have their own preference. In general, we use Photoshop heavily. I also use Zbrush, Modo and Sketchup.  As for tools, I still do a lot pencil and paper and once in the digital world, I use a Wacom intuo 4. 

The concept artist s main task is to help create a visual representation of an idea or a vision based on the description from the client.  

A concept art can be an environment, character, prop, vehicle creature, and even can be special effects.