Art Struff

Normally I draw on paper for my in-class demos, but the document camera died so we moved to a different class where there was only a digital tablet set up.

19 days late let’s go. This is a quick tutorial on my process for concept art, this works for both character and environmental design.

READ: I’m serious start reading concept art books, from stuff you enjoy of course. I’m into film so I look into Disney/Pixar art books mostly and learn how these artists create their work. The process and thought behind it is the most important. Don’t just copy what they do, actually break it down and study it properly. I subscribed to Scribd for this.

Moodboard: I assume you have an idea of what you want to design, now it’s time to get a feel for it. Create a moodboard, which is not about the designs, but the overall feeling of what you want. Gather any images and have this up when you are designing. The point is to focus on the feeling the audience will get when looking at your work. This is part of the moodboard I made for Skull-Kidz! A dark, purplish world influenced by Halloween, anime and action.

Tip: Have an equal mixture of both real life images and artists influences. Download PureRef, when you get the chance, it’s a great program.

Research and References: Look at real life references when designing and try to keep artist influences at a minimum or not at all. For Salem I took a trip on Google-Maps and went to the Czech Republic, Mont Saint Michel and Brooklyn for references. I wanted Salem to have a creepy, crowded, castle vibe mixed with old European architecture.

Tip: There’s nothing bad about looking at other artist’s work, but when you design from it you run the risk of making generic, or unoriginal designs. Don’t worry this is a common rookie mistake, you need to find your own interpretation/style of stuff.

Thumbnails: It’s time to make small drawings of what you’re designing as quickly as you can. There’s no bad ideas, just get it down, only keep in mind the feeling/shape of what you want. A towering city of lanterns, that has a certain trapped and bleakness nature to it, is what I was going for with Salem. I mixed lanterns, chandeliers, spiderwebs, trees, bird cages, with the original references to create something unique.

Sketch: Pick the thumbnail you like the best and roll with it, making a bigger version of it but still quite rough. Once you have the overall look of your design you can get to refining and tweaking it.

Hey art guys, here’s a tip: Reverse storyboarding.

Watch a movie that you really like the art or composition of, and whenever the camera angle, viewpoint, or characters actions/interactions change noticeably, pause the movie and draw a little sketch of what you see. It doesn’t have to be gorgeous. This is just for you. Get down the layout of the composition, the placement and gestures of characters, or the lighting or color that is used to make that particular moment in time express that particular moment in the story.

You don’t have to pay anyone to teach you to do this. You are paying yourself forward. Your future art self will thank you for taking the time now to study masterfully created compositions, gestures, light/shadow, and settings/scenery. Think of how much your own compositions, gestures, use of light and shadow, and settings and scenery will improve!  

Winona Ryder in Heathers (1988) Natalia Dyer in Stranger Things (2016)