3D Concept Artist Question

RubberDuck

Hi guys, I just have a few questions about 3D Concept artists.

How does a 3D Concept Artist differ from a 2D Concept Artist?

How would you define a 3D Concept Artist?

Thanks in advance.

Punio

You'll find they're more one and the same. 3D Concepts will invariably be finished in a 2D package; as well, you'll find many 2D concepts are paintovers of a 3D base. A concept artist these days will know both 2D and 3D.

As an example check out http://www.bulgarov.com/, a super talented artist.

RubberDuck

Punio wrote: »

You'll find they're more one and the same. 3D Concepts will invariably be finished in a 2D package; as well, you'll find many 2D concepts are paintovers of a 3D base. A concept artist these days will know both 2D and 3D.

As an example check out http://www.bulgarov.com/, a super talented artist.

Thanks for the info! That really cleared things up a bit haha

Pavlovich

Not to keep throwing this link around, but I discuss (rant?) on this for about an hour here:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6pdeECc5d4[/ame]

pior

Yup, it is now quite common to expect from concept artists to be able to dabble in Zbrush/Modo/WhateverWorksForThem (you pick !)

However, it's important to keep in mind than "knowing 3D" doesn't automatically give someone a strong design sense. At the end of the day, what matters for the Art Director is the conceptual skill of the artist. And there is no shortcut for that !

In other words, the strong visual vocabulary of someone like Bulgarov doesn't come from his knowledge of XSI, but rather, from his observation skills. It comes as no surprise that he is also a very strong 2D artist

LRoy

pior wrote: »

Yup, it is now quite common to expect from concept artists to be able to dabble in Zbrush/Modo/WhateverWorksForThem (you pick !)

However, it's important to keep in mind than "knowing 3D" doesn't automatically give someone a strong design sense. At the end of the day, what matters for the Art Director is the conceptual skill of the artist. And there is no shortcut for that !

In other words, the strong visual vocabulary of someone like Bulgarov doesn't come from his knowledge of XSI, but rather, from his observation skills. It comes as no surprise that he is also a very strong 2D artist

This reminds me of the feng zhu talk about the subject.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnflBERf2zM[/ame]

RubberDuck

Thanks for the response everyone, gladly appreciate it!

What I did notice through my personal observation is that most Concept Artists (2D/3D) are freelance. Are they used less in a studio environment?

Torch

How do you all feel about designing in 3D as a start for a concept, e.g. Creating a solid silhouette with good gesture and using that as a base for a concept, is that a viable route? I guess in an ideal situation you would paint several thumbnails to start for fast iteration, but I mean it more from the POV of someone from a 3d background with an interest in basic concepting.

I think Gav did some silhouette ideation for his dom war Bishop entry ages ago before going into sculpting, which was interesting.

pior

Torch - I would say that it is viable, but not always the fastest nor the best approach. It can be great for "random" aliens and mechas, but not so great for, say, a sleek swordsmaster character or a well designed weapon.

Put differently ... 3d exploration is a very useful tool, as long as it is not used as an excuse for a lack of fundamentals