Wanting to be a concept artist.

[Josexph]

Hi, I'm very new to these forums, but iv lived in the spirit of concept art all my life. I'm only 16 at the moment, but iv been drawing all my life, and i believe that i want to be a concept artist for a living. Is there anything i should know while I'm still young, like what i should do to prepare, or what i should do to increase my drawing skills. I have many other questions, but I'm hoping those will be answer in time. Well i just wanted to know, is this a good job to live a good life, and have fun at the same time? Thanks in advance to everyone that responds.

[MephistoLV]

Is there anything i should know while I'm still young, like what i should do to prepare, or what i should do to increase my drawing skills.

Draw from life as much as possible. There is simply no good substitute for this. Draw people, draw buildings, draw plants, draw landscapes, draw still life arrangements. In short, draw everything.

Whenever you find yourself with 5 or 10 minutes of free time, do a 5 or 10 minute sketch of whatever is in front of you. (You do have a sketchbook with you at all times, right? :) )

Study artistic anatomy as well. Learn about proportion, bone structure, muscles, how they attach, and surface anatomy.

These areas of study will give you a solid foundation. There are other things to learn of course...perspective, lighting, composition, color theory...the list is long. The type of art you want to do is a lifelong study. Always be a student of art, no matter how far you go or how good you get. There is always something new to learn.

Good luck with your goals.

[Seedling]

Hello Jose! There are a couple of links in my sig that might be useful to you: Concept Art 101 and the games industry link. Cheers!

[Josexph]

Thanks guys, this is really helping me. My parents wanted me to go to college for Architecture, but i decided i wanted to do something i loved. They understood, thankfully :P. But ya this opens my mind on things i havn't noticed.

[KChen]

Hi Josexph,

I would say the same, keep a sketchbook and get in the habit of sketching and observing things around you all the time. Also keep record your ideas and inspirations because you never know when the ideas will come handy and develop.

Now a days, art training DVD's are so easily accessible. Most of the technical information are all in there. You just need to practice and get mileage from it.

If you drive, make sure you go attend workshops, meet other artist, go to museum and shows to open your eyes to what's out there. Also find friends who are also as dedicated as you so you can push each other forward. Having good friends to sharpen your skills with make the journey much more fun and effective.

And most of all have fun and enjoy discovering and learning new things.

The rest will work itself out as long as you are driven and passionate about what you do :)

Good luck!!

[Maxine Schacker]

Start painting.

[Storyboard Dave]

Well i just wanted to know, is this a good job to live a good life, and have fun at the same time?


For those of us who do it for a living, it's almost laughable that we get paid to do something we love so much. Yeah, sometimes the hours are long & hard and the deadlines are insane, but that's half the fun. Not to mention you also get to work with some of the most creative people in the world as well.

What could be better?

But for you, this is a choice you've got to come up upon. We can't convince you of it. We were fueled by our passions. You've got to come to those terms yourself.

Good luck!