Question about concept art

[bluecheese]

Hi, I'm sorry if this is the wrong place to ask questions. But one thing I've been wanting to know is how the development of concept art for video games in the larger companies happen?

For example, do the artists do all of the work? coming up with the ideas, sketching them out, and creating finalized images. Then they get on the software that makes the concept come to life for the video game?

Or is the work more split up between different people on who does what for the game?

[Hitsu//San]

Uhm yes and no. Most gamer doesn't know than other than the various artists that creates the concepts for the game there are art directors and lead artists that gives a general guidance through the developing of a specific looking for the game. I'll make you a simple example, if i was working on the next Gears of War as a concept artist and one day i'll come up with a male character dressed like a female dancer that shoots rainbow and stars from a gun with the shape of a unicorn probably the current art director of that game will trow this thing out of the window. So you're free (most of the time) to sketch and create whatever you feel that can work for the game but before it becomes part of the game itself it must be approved by an art director in various steps.

This is how it works in house. If you work freelance on the other side generally you have a really specific topic to follow from the beginning and at least every week your work must be submitted to the client and the client is going to tell you what is ok for you to develop more or the general direction you have to follow again.

I think i didn't forgot nothing, if i did let me know!

[dpaint]

It depends at what stage the artist is brought into The project. Sometimes I'm asked to create art to pitch to investors and working from a story brief I come up with the art on my own with very little feedback. People take what I have and develop it further but the initial ideas are mine.

Other times there is already an established look to the art and I am supposed to expand the world and characters adding new things that fit into the world. Then I am riffing off of whats been done and there is more input into design from others.

Another scenario is just pure creation and design where the designers are looking for cool art and characters to make a story around. This is the rarest examples but it has happened to me when I was working in house and the company was brainstorming for projects and let the artists do what they wanted for a short time to get ideas flowing.

[bluecheese]

Thanks for replying! this was very interesting information to know and gives me an idea of how the work is being handled.