Learning Outcomes

Knowledge & Understanding

1. Demonstrate a critical understanding of business aspects of working as a concept artist including copyright issues pricing, and the rights of an artist.

Having worked as a freelance concept artist in the past I have had experience dealing with different types of agreements and levels of secrecy.
Allot of studios make you sign NDAs (non disclosure agreements) These documents are written up to prevent the artist creating content for that particular company  from talking about the work created there or any other aspect of the project. This is very important in a highly competitive industry such as games, movies and other media.
While in contrast some studios/individuals are very happy for you to show your work in your personal portfolio. The reasons for this can be about publicity, if enough people see the work being created by your artists and it gets them hungering for more it increases the numbers of people willing to buy the game. Using public domain media outlets such as YouTube. Vivo and other sites a company can muster a great following long before the game is even released, if they deliver what looks to be a promising product.
   

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2. Demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of concepts, information and techniques at the forefront of Concept Art. 

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Cognitive & Intellectual Skills

3.  Synthesise complex concepts and professional practice into the production of original imagery.

All the Briefs assigned to use from Ubisoft Dreamworks and Atom Hawk demanded a high level of skill that is expected in the industry.  

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4.  Demonstrate a critical understanding of the key issues relating to Concept Art practice.

Being the greatest artist in the world is one thing that all artists strive for but it is all for not if one cannot follow a brief or an individual's instructions.

Having the skill set to understand and interpret not only the brief but also what the client is asking for and most importantly figure out what the clients wants and deliver it successfully and helpfully exceed all expectations. On top of being able to produce the work the client is also after speed, the client wants concepts churning out faster than most artists can ever hope to match but it is an important skill to master. Speed comes from experience and a solid understanding of the foundational principles of art, light, form, perspective , texture and anatomy.

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Practical & Professional Skills 

5.  Demonstrate a professional and effective approach to the specialist area of 'Pitch Presentations'.

During the course I had to present all our my work created for the industry briefs to the individuals who gave us our assignments. During these presentations it was important to show work from the research conducted at the outset of the brief, through the development stages and all the way through to the final pieces.

We also had to show a good understanding of the research undertaken and a clear goal evident in the work produced. 

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6.  Analyse and interpret challenging client briefs and produce relevant and original work in response.

The briefs provided from the industry were typical of what one would encounter in the actual industry. Although adherence to the brief was expected so to was innovation and original thought process in the creation of compelling and striking imagery. One was allowed to stray or bend from the confines of the brief if the concept made sense within the context of the project.

I strayed from the stated style of the Atom Hawk brief in terms of the Lamp Head Boss. The theme of the game was stated to match that of studio Ghibli which comprises mostly of bright vibrant and cartoonish landscapes and characters. However I opted for a more realistic and sinister Lamp Head that was inspired by games such as God of War and Gears of War. Since I stayed within the context of the game e.g. nature overgrown the altered style still could have worked within The Realm game world.

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7.  Demonstrate critical understanding of specialist techniques relevant to Concept Art.

I used a number of techniques in the creation of my characters and environments for all the briefs ranging from pure sketching to texture usage.

Techniques such as silhouetting were also utilized for rapid concepting of characters and vehicles.  Model sheets were also created to make the designs accessible to 3D modellers 

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8.  Explore and evaluate a range of visual responses to a brief.

Using the techniques such as thumb nailing and silhouetting I was able to produce many different variations of a single character to give myself plenty of options when considering costume, weapon and figure design.

Key Transferable Skills

9.  Reflect on practice and recognise and critically appraise strengths and weaknesses

I have learnt an staggering amount about myself as a concept artist especially my strengths and weaknesses.
My weakest brief was DreamWorks this was made abundantly clear during my presentation as it was clear I lacked direction and narrative concerning my character.

I should have caught myself at an early stage and realized that I was struggling with my current approach and to try something different instead of stubbornly trying to make it a reality.
However I did feel the character herself was interesting and compelling. Personally I think more research might have helped me ground the concept a little more as I felt quiet nebulas in the aspect of where this character lived who she interacted with and who she was as a person.

Atom Hawks brief encouraged me to explore painting with tone and making an atmospheric and cinematic environment rather than worrying over the small details such as perspective, scale and distance.

However I felt my character was very successful especially the final piece the only criticism which i admit I am very guilty off is over complication of a design. I personally find myself drawn to complexity especially extremely busy complexity with lots of mini scenarios all battling to grab your attention. However this level of complexity is not usually suitable or desirable for character or environmental design for games and other media.


I feel my Ubisoft brief was successful all round however It was pointed out in the presentation that I lacked consistency in my design methodology. This is a problem I am beginning to notice more and more and I think it stems from me being a perfectionist. I am never satisfied with anything I produce so I always try to enhance or expand upon the character, prop or environment in the next concept I produce. This is something I am going to have to look out for in future and strive for consistency in my artistic design.