Definition of conceptart

[antihero]

Hello guys,

I've just read the " Seemingly little 'concept art' in Conceptart.org..." Thread. Now i was just wondering how you define "concept art". It would be great to read what really makes great conceptart.

Thanks for taking the time to answer this!

antihero

[rimwalker]

Your friend and mine, davi, asked a similar question in another forum once.

What is a concept? (http://www.conceptdesignforum.com/board/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1006&)

[antihero]

Thanks a lot. Seems like noone can exactly say what conceptart really is... I'm only looking for a general answer, because i just don't get it.

The way i understand conceptart after reading the thread you've posted is:

conceptart is normal art. "Normal" (can art be normal?) art gets conceptart when there is a special idea behind the painting. Sort of painting an image with a small stoy behind it. Not only drawing a creature, conceptart means putting a small story to that creature, like how it became so rough and wild or what special hunting tactic it has got, etc.

or....?

antihero

[rimwalker]

Yeah... I guess that's it. ;)

[togusa]

as far as i understand it, concept art/design - im not sure why people keep calling it art as that implies something else - can also be classified as production art/design. If you really simplify it down, it is work done (sketches, orthographics, research, etc) so that something (usually in the realm of video games, movies and television) can be fabricated (for instance a 3d model). Basically its development work without which there could be no final product be it a theme park ride, a prop in a movie, or a character in a video game. Drawing one picture is usually not considered concept design... there are sketches and exploration that needs to take place to make something fresh, yet still familar. its hard stuff

[tyboogie]

my defeinition of concept art is


art that is created for a purpose greater than itself. a means to an end.

[amphex]

amen to tyboogie.

[ChadTHX1138]

Heh this threads going to get into debate as well, soon. The CAO forum will be chaos by next week. We all need a vacation....:beer: :chug:

[N D Hill]

Concept art?...It's a conspiracy that was fabricated by elite artists to make noobs feel unwelcome. "What's Concept art? If you have to ask, you'll never know."

sorry. Just poking fun at the vibes that've been coming and going around here.

Basically, it's self explanitory. I don't know why so many people have trouble grasping the idea. The ART is the CONCEPT your trying to realize. It's the development of subject matter for a variety of media; hense someone has to visualize it before it can exist in it's respective medium. it can be a simple character, environment, prop design or the visualization of a scene. the point is that it DOESN'T exist untill you think of it and visualize it. the idea itself is the art form, the rendering is simply a means of which to deliver it. It's the visual articulation of a concept.

You can see why people here might not appreciate fan-art or 500 nearly identicle chicks with swords or anime rip-offs. Don't get me wrong, it's great...the first ten or fifteen times you see it. What bugs us is that an art form the we pursue seriously is being trivialized. It's not that we don't want to mingle with people of lesser skill (by the way I make no claims about being especially good at what I do) it's that when we are trying to learn and benefit from eachothers skills and experience while others don't seem to know what to do here.

Okay...I'm bracing myself for someone to correct me.

[rimwalker]

:clapping1
Yeah. What he said. :p

[darkcult]

VOTE Exo!!!!!!!!
:fruit:



:chug:

[gasmask]

I think its pretty easy to realize what true concept art is. I think if you dont know than that means you are looking into it too much because by definition concept means idea and art obviously is many things but in general creating something. So but that together and what do u got? creating an idea. Basically all concept art is exactly what it says it is, an idea which will like ty said, lead to more, or as he said, its a means to an end because that idea will be built off of. But if u wanna talk about levels of art or why any art isnt concept art than thats a whole nother story but basically anything used to pass along an idea through a physical way such as a drawing, its a concept.

[Sammy]

My $00.02:

It helps me to call it pre-production, conceptual design, or production design.
Great artwork isn't the focus considering (for a movie,game,et.) most people wont see your work other than the director or art lead... it's rather a focus on communication.. A director selects you (because he can't draw) to visualize his product before he builds it.. this ultimately saves $ and time in the production phase because he was able to sit down with you and develope his vision.
the ultimate Pictionary...

Conceptart is a PROCESS.... you develop not only an idea but a thumbprint for the givin media (ID, games, etc.)
so the least of this developement process's concern is GREAT artwork but rather research, design, and an utter evolution of how a game will present itself in the end (which is infinately more important than that nice brushstroked highlight you worked so hard on in your last piece)... a conceptartist job is to define the ambience of a product before production takes place.

Take "Legend of Zelda- The Wind Waker" for example:
They took a character/universe in a series that has been a trademark on videogames for more than a decade... and they wanted to change the look, a very challenging goal for such a huge name..
Artistically they wanted to tell the story through the eyes of a child (innocense, fear, naiveness, growth, adventure, loss)...
the art leads' focus was not to create visually stunning conceptartwork.. but rather use that work with others to convey the emotion and theme of the story to the modlers,directors, ect. for them to build.

Put yourself in the shoes of a Director and it helps to understand, do a little roleplay..
:)
You can't draw and even if you could you don't have the time.. ultimately it would save in cost to have someone who is capable to communicate your ideas visually before you go into the full swing of production.

[endregan]

art with a vision!

[WildSpruceMoose]

Its simply what most have said already, art with purpose. Created for games and movies of a fantasy base or if not movies and games or books based on a plot with weapons/characters etc. that do not exist in our world as we know it. Concept art simply helps realize a project. Sure programmers could probably model and animate characters without the sketch or paintning, but its much easier to have something to go on. It has already been described in better ways in several threads though, so I'm ending myself here ;)

[Redder]

con·cept n.

1. A general idea derived or inferred from specific instances or occurrences.
2. Something formed in the mind; a thought or notion. See Synonyms at idea.
3. A scheme; a plan: “began searching for an agency to handle a new restaurant concept” (ADWEEK).

art n.

1. The conscious production or arrangement of sounds, colors, forms, movements, or other elements in a manner that affects the sense of beauty, specifically the production of the beautiful in a graphic or plastic medium.
2. High quality of conception or execution, as found in works of beauty; aesthetic value.

[Alex Gering]

I think we have first to cut the word "art" out of this. I haven't seen concept "art" on this board yet, just mere design or illustration.

It's very clearly defined once we talk about concept illustration or concept design.

[jwo]

playing god.

[WildSpruceMoose]

Originally posted by jwo
playing god.

I like it. I like it a lot.