CONCEPT ART CREATION METHODOLOGIES : Visual Development of “Rock Boy”

Concept art is often mistakenly referred to as art that is created using the same principles as when creating 2D art assets or illustrations, despite concept art at its core being based in design. The objective of this thesis was to define what common design methods are used by modern game industry professionals to create concept art. Throughout the thesis, common methods of concept development were established, and then supported through their practical implementation in the production of concept art for the case project “Rock Boy”. The thesis content was based on the insight of interviewed concept artists. The answers were subject to parallel analysis and as a result the author identified the major concept art creation methods. The main issues discussed were the role of storytelling in the process, reference use, research, and photo bashing. The Thesis also discusses how a game project’s subject matter and art style reflects on the type of methods used when creating concept art. The final product was a concept art portfolio consisting of six distinct environment pieces, five character designs, as well sketches made during the development. Secondarily, this thesis provides two concept art creation tools; the Median Approach and the Outlying Approach. These two approaches were designed to make concept art creation easier to learn, teach, and implement. The final product and research accumulated valuable knowledge on what the profession of a concept artist entails, and what are its defining elements and peculiarities. This thesis should not be taken as a full guide to concept art creation as it is limited in its scope; it mostly discusses concept art in terms of the game industry and deals with very specific design questions. A more in-depth research would require more time, resources, additional interviewees, and a new line of refined questions. Despite that, this thesis holds as a solid foundation for future research in this area