Concept Artist

Concept Artist Career

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A Concept Artist imagines and designs things that do not yet exist. Concept Artists tend to work in entertainment fields, where the creation of non-existent entities is in constant demand. This position is based in drawing and illustration, and a Concept Artist’s work might create aliens for upcoming blockbusters or weapons for a video game set in prehistoric time.

Your daily tasks in this position generally follow a set trajectory: First, you meet your client and draw up some quick sketches to determine the direction you are heading. This step can be rather lengthy, as clients will make you go through a lot of paper before they are happy with the interpretation. Once you both are happy with the preliminary concepts (ok, I like the monster design as a cyclops with one hand) then you define, shade, and color a few options. Your client will pick the one they want, and pass it off to the Animator or 3D Modeler.

For this position you need the ability to communicate well with your clients, visualize what they want, and combine their vision with your own ideas to create a new object. As you work in new worlds—like sci-fi and fantasy—you need a lot of imagination. After all, your clients are hiring you to create a look that they want but can’t think of.

How do I become a Concept Artist?

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This field is a subset of Illustration, and as such you are defined by your past works. So build up your portfolio. If you feel like you need some guidance then consider an art school.