The best project
for me was Star
Wars. The team
was awesome...
Deadlines are usually tight.
Typically, you receive a brief on
Monday, finish it Thursday, then meet
or speak with the client on Friday. Your
concept designs must not only solve
but also preempt problems for every
person on the production line. For
example, can the actor interact with it?
Can the cinematographer achieve cool
shots with it? Can the director create
better, more compelling moments in
the story with it?
You could be designing a small prop
that takes a couple of weeks, or you
could be spending four years
designing a whole world, a whole
universe. Ben says: “I’ve had jobs
where I was asked to do one little prop
for two weeks that ended up with me
being hired to design the rest of the
film for two, three years after that.”
As a concept artist, you’re always an
apprentice in a job where nobody ever
really becomes a master. Tools, trendsand workflows change quickly and
often, so you have to keep studying.
Ben has over a decade’s experience in
the industry, but he still watches
tutorials every single week. The thing
that all top concept artists have in
common is “being highly adaptable
and having the curiosity and
enthusiasm to never stop learning.”LIVING IN YOUR IMAGINATION
So you still want to be a concept
artist? Well, there are few more things
you need to know. You get to be
creative every day. You get to live in
your imagination. You may even get
paid to play the occasional video
game. You might meet the odd movie
star and visit the odd film set. You get
paid to draw every day.
Your ideas – landing parts or cockpit
buttons, characters or creatures – will
become reality. Your solution to a
certain problem will become greater
than the sum of its parts, as hundreds
of people work together to put it up on
the big screen, or as part of a gaming
experience played by thousands.
Every now and then, you’ll get the jobOne of Ben’s most
famous piece, Gorilla
Tank – which is also
available to buy as a
model kit.Feng says too many young artists
lack patience: “They’re aiming for
the moon and wanting to get
there in a single day.”
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