Trendy Concept Art for Successful Game Development – AllTopStartups

Imagine that you are a successful video game developer starting a new project from scratch. You need it to bring you money and popularity; thus, you want your game to be attractive and no doubt viral. That is the obvious essence. Yet what will you start with? Could it be the gameplay? Or would you rather go deeper into the game engine selection and some technologies? 

All of that is truly important, yet there is one more step you cannot neglect on your way. That is a concept art creation. Do you know what it is and why you need it in your game development routines? If no is your answer, you can get brief information about the concept art, its intention, and specifics in this article. 

To provide you with only relevant facts and expertise, we have interviewed Stepico’s specialist in 3D art. So, enjoy what we’ve got from him, and we will gladly share it with you.

The Main Idea of Concept Art and How It Impacts Overall Game Development

What is concept art, firstly? You probably understand that drawing is an indispensable part of each game creation. All the fictional worlds we face when playing the game result from the scrupulous work of game artists and designers. Yet, how do they do that? The answer is simple. They take concept art as a background.

The main difference between the final drawings used in the game and the concept art is similar to the difference between the picture you see in the art exhibition and the multiple sketches that an artist developed before they finished the masterpiece. 

Saying briefly, concept art is a source of inspiration for game designers and artists that embodies each game scenario element’s main concept and unique features, i.e., game characters, videos, animation included, and even game locations.

So, highlighting the main idea of the development of the concept art, we can say that it should be as follows:

• It is developed as a preliminary stage to conclude on the game concept, style of art, and peculiarities of the techniques used.
• Concept art is usually developed through sketches, silhouettes, or drawings.
• To gain results, when you decide on how to make concept art, you should consider all the characters, from main ones to secondary and NPCs.

What Features Should Game Characters Have to Make It a Bestseller

The next thing to consider when you deal with concept art visualization is how to develop it step by step. There is no need for impeccable polishing and careful depicting of every detail, yet there are still 5 main steps to follow.

1. Collecting references and inspirational ideas

There is nothing new in this world, and besides, people love to recognize some familiar things when they play a new game. So, getting some sources of inspiration can come in handy. For example, when you develop an MTG-like game, you need to create concept art for several races, and for elves, it will be suitable to search for references made by artists, movie makers, or anime artists. The same works with other plots and characters.

2. Developing a sketch

Sketches can be simply drawn silhouettes that will obtain unique anatomy, facial traits, and equipment elements. But from the start, it could be just a contour.

3. Deciding on the color scheme

That is not just about the style but also refers to psychology. Selecting a color scheme for concept art can help implement the character’s mood, nature, or game atmosphere.

4. Concentrating on details 

There, you should develop the main features and details that depict the character. These can be armor, clothes, or jewelry, as well as specific traits of appearance that still weren’t embodied in previous stages.

5. Visualization

The last stage is the ultimate visualization of the character using special techniques and tools.

Consider it to be a key to successful character development. By following that guide, you may get the fully developed concept of each character and key scenes with them.

Technologies and Trends in Game Art

Main concept art ideas are generated in the artist’s mind. But to bring them to life, you need to add some technologies. Of course, you can simply draw concept art sketches with your pencil. But today, it is simpler and more far-sighted to use digital tool sets as your concept art can be easier transferred into the game environment later on.

The most popular tools for game concept art development:

• For 2D sketches, you can use a digital pen and a graphic tablet and add special software to render and color it. These can be Adobe Illustrator, Corel Painter, Adobe Photoshop, Sketchbook Pro, and others.
• For 3D concept art visualization, you can try your hand at the same Adobe Photoshop, get the merits of the famous Maya illustrator, or 3Ds Max Design.

Of course, the choice of tools and technologies depends on what type of character you decide to develop in your concept art. Besides, it also depends on your habits as an artist, as choosing the tool you are used to guarantees you will gain quite an expected result.

Concluding Thoughts

Concept art development is the #1 step in the gaming industry. It helps to implement ideas in the visual brief. Using concept art pieces, designers and illustrators can further develop each stage, location, and character without missing unique details and important features. Besides, it helps to create the whole game concept and pay close attention to colors, style, trendy ideas, etc. 

So, if you are at the very start of your game development project, getting in touch with professional artists with the right game concept art development skills is a better choice. By the way, Stepico is known for its strong game art teams who create eye-catching art. Contact them today to get expert game art production services for your gaming project.