Further Research

Video Game Concept Art Analysis

Samwise Didier

WarCraft - Dwarven Scout

 This piece caught my eye simply because of the dwarfs face. I love the way that he is staring straight into your eyes, i think that it gives a strong sense of realism, almost as if he could jump straight out at you. I also think the lighting that Didier has added to the beard on this dwarf is amazing, it gives it a really shimmery look. Not only the lighting on the beard, but generally all the lighting on the dwarfs robes, gun and shoulder pads gives him a "shining" look. I think this i because he resembles part of the Alliance (Good Guys), so Didier has tryed to add some sparkle to him to show power and goodness, that he is there to help.

I Particular like the style used on this piece because not only has Didier managed to give the dwarf a "Holy" look, but at the same time, a rustic look, giving real detail to the leather and robes that it is wearing.

 WarCraft - Tuskarr

When i first saw this, i instantly loved it. This is because my style is Shading, and creating depth without the use of colour. When i use colour i think it gives it a "Tacky" look, but keeping it black and white keeps it looking proffesional and stunning. Much the same as the Dwarf in the first picture, this Tuskarr has amazing lighting effects on its facial hair. I think Didier decided to light this differently because he has not made it look "Holy", instead he has tryed to make it look "Neutral" to represent that the Tuskarr is neither on the Good or Bad side of the Warcraft story. My favourite part of this piece has to be the tusks. I think the detail Didier has gone into to give the effect of them being engraved is amazing, i also think the pattern he added to them is very distinctive and instantly catches your eye.

WarCraft - Furbolg

In this piece, your eye is instantly drawn to the green cloak that the Furbolg is wearing, i think that is very effective because it gives a tribal value, telling you that a Furbolg will generally be in a pack, not on its own. Not only does the luminous green cloak give that away, but even more so does the staff it is holding. Wrapped around it you can see various charms and beads, giving you a clue that this particular Furbolg could be something similar to a witchdoctor. I think the final clue that it is a tribal character is the tribal marking on its shoulder pad, i think that Didier has made it obvious that the symbol on its shoulderpad belongs to some sort of tribe or group. Aside all of this, my favourite part of the piece is the Furbolgs face, i love how he was given depth to it, and made the wrinkles on its face look very distinct. 

Verdict

Overall i think that Didier style is very similar to how i would like mine to be. I love to go into extreme detail, add lots of shading and depth, but at the same time keep the character slightly cartoony, so that the features can be exaggerated. The only thing that i think my style will differ from Didier's, is that i prefer not to use alot of vibrant colours, and choose to stick to black and white whenever possible, whereas Didier seems to use colour in almost everything, with the odd black and white image every now and then.

All images from : http://www.sonsofthestorm.com/gallery.php?artist=samwise

Activity 1 - What is the purpose of concept art?

Activity 1 - What is the purpose of concept art?

The Purpose of Concept Art

The general purpose of concept art is that it creates a plan of an idea, the idea is made and the concept artist takes the idea and creates a plan. The importance of the plan being made is that, when it comes to creating the idea, character or scene using animation, the animator has something to work from. In other words, concept art forms the blueprints of an idea.

How it is Done

Concept art can vary in detail, usually a piece of concept art will have a few versions made before it, gradually getting more detailed until the final masterpiece is made. Sometimes a piece is made quickly and only sketched as a guideline to give the person with the idea a view of what it would look like. Not only is concept art sketched, but can also be done on a computer using programs such as Photoshop, and sometimes they are even sketched, then finished on a computer. Computers are used to do concept art because of the ability to undo and the large amount of colours and shades and different techniques that can be used to make it easier and quicker to produce a piece of art.

Where it is used

Concept art is usually used in Film and Games, but can be used in other media. Its usually used in Film and Games for designing characters, creatures and scenery. It is usually used the most in fantasy films and games such as Lord of the Rings. This is because the artist has more creativity and its the quickest way for a person with an idea to see it for themselves.

Examples of Concept Artists
-John Howe
John Howe is a Canadian Concept Artist who has done work for a wide range of films and other selected Media. He has done art for movies such as, "Beowulf", "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" and a few others, but the one i am mainly interested in is the "Lord of the Rings" Trilogy. Howe, alongside Alan Lee, worked as chief conceptual designers for the "Lord of the Rings" Trilogy, designing many of the landscapes, creatures and characters. Not only did he do Art for the films, but he also did art for the "Lord of the Rings" Board game. - ( Small Inspiration from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Howe_%28illustrator%29 )

The particular section of his Art for the films that interests me most, is the Creature and Character designs. I am most interested in them because of the amount of detail and imagination that went into making them the stunning pieces of Art they turned out to be.

Example 1 : "Moria Orc"

Image From : http://www.john-howe.com/portfolio/gallery/categories.php?cat_id=66&page=3

This is probably my favourite piece of Art that John Howe has ever done. What draws me to this sketch in particular, is the vivid and slightly Gothic, sharp shapes that are used to make the image of the Armor on the Moria orc. The Shading really helps give depth to the sketch, and gives it a more Sinister look. The helmet and shield i would guess, are based from early Armor used by Knights, this is because of the visor and Rectangular shape of the shield. He has taken that design and made them more compact and added spikes, to give the idea that the Moria Orcs are not only part of the, "Evil" side in the story, but a Creature that is dangerous and should be avoided.

 -Ben Procter
Ben Procter is a Concept Artist who has done work for many films including "Avatar", "Pirates of the Caribbean", "The Matrix Reloaded" and many more, also he has done alot of work for many Music videos, Commercials, Television shows and Video games such as "Need for Speed : Underground" and "Medal of Honor : Frontline". So he has alot of experiences doing art for many different types of Media, and many different skills in each one. - ( Some Info taken from : http://www.gnomonschool.com/programs/entertainment-design/advisory_board/ben_procter.html?KeepThis=true&TB_iframe=true&height=380&width=600 )

The film that i am going to focus on the most is "Transformers : Revenge of the Fallen". He was lead robot illustrator on not only "Transformers : Revenge of the Fallen", but also on the first Transformers film back in 2007. He was Responsible for the Concept design and the Final Rendering of many of the Robots involved in the film such as, The Matrix of Leadership, The Doctor and The Twins, plus a few more which featured in the film. - ( Some Info taken from : http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Ben_Procter )

Example 2 : "The Doctor"

Image From : http://conceptartworld.com/?p=2772

I chose this image out of the few i could of picked from the site, because of the amount of detail that is included. Much like the first example i gave, alot of detail and lighting skills were used, but this example is majorly different. This was Designed using a computer, giving the advantage of using different lighting skills and being able to zoom in etc to gain the ability to add a lot more detail, some things which even might not be noticed, but still add to the magnificentness of the piece of art. Not only is it more detailed because of the ability to add better lighting and zoom in to add detail, but because it was made on a computer, Ben Procter would of also had the ability to easily undo something he had done wrong and wanted to change, this gives him the ability to keep changing it until it is perfection, whereas with John Howe's sketch, it is much harder, therefor a much more abstract concept. I think that Procter has done a great job in making "The Doctor" look real. My favourite feature would probably be the eyes, simply because of the different shades of red and orange, making it look like they are almost Burning.

Conclusion

After analysing both artists and their work, i think that id prefer my style to resemble John Howe's rather than Ben Procter's, simply because i love how abstract it is, and that it isnt "too" perfect, leaving the designers and viewer some imagining to do.

Activity 1 - What is the purpose of concept art - by Josh Keogh