A small question regarding concept- and pixel artists.

[Fistberg]

I'm currently studying for my Bachelor's degree in Games Art and in my final year personal project I'm trying to find out the following; Do concept artists need to have in mind that their drawings should translate well into a sprite or is that not much of a concern anymore now that you don't have to deal with strict hardware limitations?

I'm doing this to give me a better understanding of the concept to pixel art process so that I know what to expect and what is expected of me; whether I'm the concept artist or the pixel artist.

I hope to gather information from both dedicated concept artist and pixel artist.
What's your experience/opinion on this matter?

[rem92]

I dont have a lot experience with pixel art... but i would guess that if you know that your concept will be translated into pixel art, you wouldn't do a a realistic illustration on it, it would be too troublesome for the pixel artist, i guess the concept could be as close in shape and color to what the pixel art is supposed to look.

[JeffX99]

As a designer you always need to consider what and who you are designing for...what is the end product and who is the target audience.

[JFierce]

Depends on the pixels. 8 Bit with only a few colors, 16 bit with some more, or really high res pixels. etc etc.

http://media.smashingmagazine.com/im...xel-art-11.png

http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets...010/03/014.jpg



Main point is to get the concept across and the main features of what your trying to create down.

[tobbA]

I kinda doubt this would be as much of an issue for pixel art as it is for (low poly) 3D art. At least when it comes to lower resolution sprites. I remember reading in an interview with Yoshitaka Amano that initially when he started working as a concept artist on Final Fantasy he tried to draw his characters similar to what the final product would look like, but the pixel artists for the game wanted him to draw the way he usually did, because it would be more inspiring for them.

[Fistberg]

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate all the feedback I get.

I kinda doubt this would be as much of an issue for pixel art as it is for (low poly) 3D art. At least when it comes to lower resolution sprites. I remember reading in an interview with Yoshitaka Amano that initially when he started working as a concept artist on Final Fantasy he tried to draw his characters similar to what the final product would look like, but the pixel artists for the game wanted him to draw the way he usually did, because it would be more inspiring for them.

Interesting. I found one interview with Yositaka Amano where he mentions his work process, but not as specifically as you describe.
http://manga.about.com/od/mangaartis...a/YAmano_2.htm
I need to see if I can find the one you're talking about.

[Fistberg]

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate all the feedback I get.

I kinda doubt this would be as much of an issue for pixel art as it is for (low poly) 3D art. At least when it comes to lower resolution sprites. I remember reading in an interview with Yoshitaka Amano that initially when he started working as a concept artist on Final Fantasy he tried to draw his characters similar to what the final product would look like, but the pixel artists for the game wanted him to draw the way he usually did, because it would be more inspiring for them.

Interesting. I found one interview with Yositaka Amano where he mentions his work process, but not as specifically as you describe.
http://manga.about.com/od/mangaartis...a/YAmano_2.htm
I need to see if I can find the one you're talking about.

[Fistberg]

Thanks for the replies! I appreciate all of it.

I kinda doubt this would be as much of an issue for pixel art as it is for (low poly) 3D art. At least when it comes to lower resolution sprites. I remember reading in an interview with Yoshitaka Amano that initially when he started working as a concept artist on Final Fantasy he tried to draw his characters similar to what the final product would look like, but the pixel artists for the game wanted him to draw the way he usually did, because it would be more inspiring for them.

A while ago I found an interview with Yositaka Amano where he talks a tiny bit about this, however not the extent you seem to recall.
(Here) I'll do some extra digging to see if I find the interview you're talking about.