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Burning Ambition Part 5: The bigger nightmare of finding a concept artist
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To be blunt, this is also the time that you want to pull out your hair and scream all sorts of foul words in various languages to the heavens. For independent game makers, you’ll quickly find that good artists are the biggest pain in the ass because they are pigheaded, selfish and sometimes refuse to take direction.
Not all artists are like this of course but, truthfully, finding a good one is a major chore.
If you want to start your own company, try to get a few people who know how to do multiple jobs. Since I am trained at writing, character concept art, 3D animation and 3D modeling, I naturally fit as both the writer and artist.
If you can’t do all the work yourself, avoid settling for second best. Finding an untalented person to draw a hundred pictures for your design is a waste of both the artist’s and designer’s time, especially if none of it can be used for the game’s production.
If you want to attract good artists then get involved in the artistic community, both online or in your hometown. Join art forums such as Concept Art.org, Zbrush Central or CG Society, all of which are amazing places to find artist or to just be inspired. Ask questions, get to know names (including screen names), check out colleges or just visit a really great artist’s web page and ask him or her to volunteer some time. If they cannot, then ask if he or she knows of someone who can do some work for free. There is always a starving artist looking for work. Just make sure you allow your artist to use it for their portfolio since that will be a major draw for them to work for free or cheap.
If you are a licensed company, (going back to step one of what you should do before starting your own company), it can be easier to attract some talent looking for real-world experience, even if it doesn’t pay because now your company is legitimate and hopefully well structured. Still, finding artist that can bring your epic video game into reality will always be an uphill battle unless you can come across a couple grants to commission someone to do a few characters as sometimes, just being a licensed company or having a killer game idea isn’t always enough for all artist out there.
So, the best case scenario, you find someone willing to work for free or limited money. They have the talent and style you are seeking, or you are able to draw your own character(s) well enough that they at least come off as decent concept art. Then you are moving ahead with production.
This point is pretty important: It is important to remember that concept art is just as its name implies - it is a concept of what the game might or might not look like.
Many times independent game companies are faced with a cruel public that won’t give them the time of day, and will criticize what concept art you do manage to produce to no end, because it doesn’t fit what their expectations of “concept art.” Having visual reference helps production a great deal, even if the final pieces don’t quite look like what might come out of a triple-A developer’s office. In fact, while major game companies have some amazing artists, some of the biggest games out there don’t have the best art.
Take the original Half Life or even more recent, Hell Gate London. Many of their concept pieces look as if first-year high school art students had done them. Nevertheless, the art got the visual point across and helped demonstrate to publishers and investors their ideas. In just five pieces of artwork, you can say all that you want to prospective investors quicker than you can in a thousand-page design document. If you find a artist you like, don’t worry about what other people say. He or she isn’t making the art for the public.
As I have stated above, artist too, even the best, can be some of the hardest people to deal with. When told by Steven - or my art teachers - that a certain character or piece isn’t quite right, I would take quick offense. It is important for an artist to remember that, while they might have a great idea in their head, they are not drawing or designing something for his/her self.
As I walk on both sides of the fence, I have experienced how hard it can be to draw someone else’s vision or idea that you cannot clearly see, even with a two-thousand page write up in front of you.
A good artist, while free to express their own ideas, has to be willing to take direction and work from either the Art Director or Lead Designer’s writing and verbal directions.
Read all 10 weeks of “Burning Ambition: How to make your mark on the videogame industry:”
Site [Burning Man Studios]
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