Game concept art can be weird - it’s visual problem solving with lots of technical requirements. And it means making appealing designs without pointlessly over-rendering them, because you’re rarely working on the final product. It also requires communicating across different disciplines, all pushing toward the same goal. It’s magic, and it’s why I love it so much.
However, game art has a utilitarian through-line that illustration doesn’t always have. Making concepts with good, consistent worldbuilding that also fulfills technical needs and builds toward an end product beyond aesthetics is challenging, but these tips will help you focus on the priority: making cool art for a cool game.
See our guides to the best digital art software and the best drawing tablets if you need the tools of the trade. If you're looking at making games, see our pick of the best game development software.
01. Vibes or specifics?
Make sure you know what your brief’s expectations are and don’t proverbially overfog the pudding. When creating concepts for modelling there’s no point adding atmospherics. Save them for the mood and vibe concepts.
02. Talk to designers
Going cross-discipline asking how a level should feel, both to play and in terms of the emotions that a player should experience while in it, is supremely valuable knowledge. Just make sure it doesn’t conflict with your art lead’s direction.
03. Think about the world
Introducing kinds of metal, stone carving, or costuming that make sense within the game world? Find a sweet spot between variety and cohesion: even small things like roof tiles or fabric patterns make a world feel logical.
04. Tell small stories
Small stories about the world and the NPCs that live in it makes it feel more interconnected. Can you show story with a collection of tragically discarded objects placed in a scene, a much-loved and repaired item, or a ritual scar on someone’s cheek?
05. Know when to stop
I know the appeal of rendering until your wrists turn to dust, but knowing when your concept is clear enough to work from is a vital and key skill to develop.
Think about how ideas translate to 3D
Don’t make your 3D artists cry! Your concept art will be all the more appreciated if you help make their lives a little simpler.
06. Use 3D blockouts
It can be really difficult to find a pure character concept role in games, so developing your environment portfolio is really important! Open up Blender or Unreal, chuck some cubes down, and run around with a camera until you get angles that interest you. Draw on top.
07. Be your own cinematographer
Speaking of running around with a camera, using 3D blockouts allows you to play with things like lighting and camera lenses. Try a fish eye lens or a tilt shift blur rather than having to worry about creating it by hand - you’ll be shocked at how different a 3D space can feel!
08. Getting around
How often are you thinking about traversability and gameplay when you’re making an environment concept? Because you probably should - things like stairs, platforms, doors and walkways are going to be your players’ bread and butter.
09. Material callouts
In a game art pipeline we should always be trying to solve problems for the next person in the art production process, which is why material callouts are so helpful. Include swatches of the materials you’ve used to help the 3D artist know exactly what you’re looking for.
10. Help 3D artists with sketches
When you’re drawing cool armour or a mech head, add extra sketches to explain its form. If you don’t understand it, how on earth will the 3D artist?
For more concept art tips, see our expert guide to how to design ships and vehicles.
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This content originally appeared in ImagineFX magazine, the world's leading digital art and fantasy art magazine. ImagineFX is on sale in the UK, Europe, United States, Canada, Australia and more. Limited numbers of ImagineFX print editions are available for delivery from our online store (the shipping costs are included in all prices).
