as a 3d modeler, and i cannot stress this enough, PLEASE give us clear art, theres nothing more frustrating that when i find a beautiful environment and the rocks or terrain are made out of an airbrush and i now have to make up shapes, if you still do it then atleast be willing to make a close up shots of the assets clearing out their shapes so the 3d modelers life will be easier
This is the kind of video that you watch sitting on your couch and at the end you throw your phone to the wall and start a new character concept sheet. Thank you so much Trent you've been an inspiration for years now
It sounds like creating concept art has alot in common with making your own D&D campaign it has alot of story telling elements and a huge focus on the narrative, challenging but fun
That is exactly what I was thinking. It is extremely fun and my cup of tea. Maybe instead of going for the animation industry I should go and take a peek on the videogames industry.
watching this as a 14 year old with my dream being a concept artist and it's honestly overwhelming but i'm willing to put in all the effort i can to make it happen as it's all i want :)
Bro do not stop drawing and before you finish school get a portfolio redy don't be like me and think "ah yeah im going to be an artist when I grow up" as a 14 year old like i whouldn't have to find a job in 4 years
It's overwhelming to hear all this all at once and in this urgent tone, but as long as you love to draw you got this. You'll learn all this gradually along the way with practice. And you do NOT have to draw everyday, that'll just run you ragged and make you grow a resentment and get carpal tunnel issues faster. Just focus on the love for it and you'll probably find yourself drawing all the time anyway.
He's cramming two decades of knowledge into a bite sized UA-cam video. "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." I wish that I had stumbled on this gem of a video when I was a teenager instead of 29. Just take it one step at a time brother, you got this. 👍
Character Artist here - THANK YOU, TRENT! Thank you for making this video. Nothing is more frustrating for me than finding myself on a project where the "concept artist" is actually an illustrator or cartoonist. Concept Artist is its on very distinct discipline. Yes, it uses many of the same skills and toolsets as other art disciplines, but it has some that are unique considerations for the job. Particularly the ability to turn forms, to render them in such away where they respect real 3 dimensional volumes. If you cant do that, you are either going to be doing a lot of re-work, or you are giving license to have your designs edited/changed as needed to work in 3D. Also, one step beyond respect for 3D volumes - and this is particularly important for characters - MOVEMENT & ARTICULATION! Your cool armor design, or crazy cool outfit has got to be able to move. Get used to thumbnailing your designs in different action poses - so you can work out issues with articulation ahead of time. It way faster and cheaper for a studio to work out issue in concept then to try and fix that stuff further down the pipeline.
As a old time 3d modeler who dabbles into 2d art from time to time on my free time, I found this video refreshing, it is spot on with what you have to do to get a job in the games industry as a concept artist. So if this is what you want to do, here is another comment saying this is the real deal.
I literally just pick up drawing a month ago and it feels like one hell of a mountain to climb. There's periods of feeling overwhelmed and you just wanna give up, but then you look at your (pencil) drawing from far away and you realize: "hey that's actually not bad for what it is" and you get hooked. It's a crazy cycle, that I hope will eventually get me hooked rather than turned away from drawing.
Hey, don't feel overwhelmed by all of this it's only been a month (well 6 months ) this video is for more intermediate to high ranking artists, just do what makes you happy now. It's not a huge mountain to climb if you just enjoy your time and look at great artists and maybe incorporate some of their drawings' elements into your work and just be happy with your work. Don't be pulled away from such an impressive and interesting hobby. Hope you see this.
A little tip: when youre finished or stuck with a drawing, leave it on your desk for a few days. You will look at it and your brain can sometimes improve the picture any you will start to see what you can do differently
This was refreshing. I spent almost a decade attending 3 different design schools working up to Art Center - graduated with a BS in entertainment design. I haven't been hired in 7 years despite sending thousands of applications. You reminded me that I didn't create enough clear turnarounds and examples of iteration... and I didn't target the style of specific studios. Wish I'd remembered this in the last half a decade since graduation, I'd have a lot less resentment towards the near 20 years I spent following this path and feeling like it went nowhere. At this point I don't even draw anymore. I can't even pick up a pencil, I just feel blocked and burnt out instantly.
Man. I'm sorry to hear that. Too much rejection, and not enough "wins" can be damaging to the motivation. I hope you find a renewed energy to keep trying. Even if its just for the joy of creating, and feeling good about doing the work again.
On first listen this made me think I can’t possibly be a concept artist anymore, but after thinking, this has REALLY motivated me, and I’ve been studying human anatomy for about a week now, it’s improving, and I hope to be as good as this guy one day
This is literally the stuff I'm obsessed with as is lol. Communicating a world and story through character design is so much fun to me. Thinking it all through, designing contraptions that *could potentially* work, aesthetics, anatomy, construction, all that stuff; it's absolutely crack to my adhd autistic brain. I need to learn painting- I've been a line artist for too long and only recently started painting. Differentiating materials is hard. And I need to improve movement and pose clarity. But most of this stuff, I love. So many details but they all *mean something*.
This is The kinda video that you watch once. Then, watch again with a note pad and a pen to take detailed notes of each minute of it. Thank you! I'd really love to see one about comic art.
What I loved the most about this video is to see that my thing is illustration and not concept art, so if you think about it, you helped me a lot! Thanks!
I’ve been trying to figure out what I’d want to be in the creative industry, specifically in the animation industry , and this was so awesome to watch because every little thing you talked about is exactly what I love about art and just sort of… clicked. I love coming up with concepts and ideas in the blink of an eye and bringing them to life and challenging myself to do something completely out of my comfort zone so this was awesome to hear from a concept artist what exactly their job entailed and what it takes to get there! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!!
After 3 years of drawing on a phone with little improvement this video finally gave me the courage to stop listening to the people around me who enjoy what i do and finally give up
Hey, sometimes backing up is the right thing. I just have one word of advise: explore. I've found that most of rhe time I impose way too heavy things over myself, hild myself to standars that tell me that the energy that I try to put there will be wasted so it's better not to even bother. But that has stolen so much energy from me, it did until I found something better: explore. Feel what you feel, and just, listen. To what you want, just you. What you really want. To rest? To be free? Then, pick one small thing to do about it. You don't even have to move, it can be saying something out loud or just making an effort to find a more balanced thought. It has saved me. You seem young. Don't be afraid. You are human. Explore! I wish you the best friend. Take care. May the luck you need be with you.
"The things that were absolute truths yesterday are totally different now" can not be preached hard enough. I'm a hard surface modeler second for work, but an illustrator first as a hobby. The tools of the trade, the ways we get taught, and the end goal is ever-changing. I went to college for 2 years learning how to hand-paint and photo-map environments in Photoshop only for Substance Painter to come out 3 months before graduating. The output was the same but 2 years of learning Photoshop tricks become "old knowledge" practically overnight. That was 9 years ago and I'm still rocking. Adaptation is key to surviving this industry. "You have to be able to paint like this other artist" is also something we were taught in college, and oh my god it is a RUSH to break away from my normal style and be like "I'm gonna pretend to be X today" and mimic their style like putting a mask on. I like my ink and colored shitpost stuff the most, but I can paint a mean landscape if need be.
This is something I have ALWAYS wanted to do. Majored in art, draw all the time. Now, I just need that push to take my art to the next level and start working. BTW, I'm a 41 year old female. Does age really matter if you have the chops? I hope not. I've finally reached a point in my life where I can pursue a career and I want this.
Age doesn't matter as much as experience and presentation. If you have a portfolio of 200 images that are well rendered from the past 2 or less years? They would probably find that convincing regardless of how long you've been in the field.
I hope you’ll achieve your goal. I’m 37 female and I’m currently at the same stage… I’ve always wanted to pursue a career in concept art / character design, but I really need to push my art skills. Back to working on the fundamentals it is :)
just started university and this is a huge wake up call to reality which is extremly scary and overwhelming but im also glad because i think it'll strangely motivate me further
I know this is an old video, but it's so inspirational. I'm often told I'm too idealistic with my approaches, I'm too difficult to please and settle...well, I now know it's not something BAD. thank you
Looking at concept art for games has always been one of my favorite parts of buying said games. Looking through concept art is just as big for me as playing the game itself. My brain just is obsessed with it, I would ADORE to be a part of that process someday
I'm studying concept design at university next year and I'm so thankful for videos like these which will help me to already start improving my art before university even starts.
This is the kind of inner voice you want on a daily. Nothing but positive vibes and just make you wanna continue to be better at your craft. Thanks man🤙🏽
Always a good feeling when an artist in a tut says “you need to have this mindset” and I’ve always have had it. I LOVE world building SO MUCH and I do consider these things with my designs. I was making this one character for fun who was a military medic based in a mountain. He wore a ripped up scarf, and while yes it could be damaged by the elements, it could also be because he often will cut his scarf for gaze if the bleeding needs to be immediately suppressed before he can open his large med kit. He also had a radio for communication, boots with ice grips, goggles for intense snow, a camo pattern for hiding but also a red light he could turn on if safe to do so so others of his country can find him to receive aid, etc. heck, he doesn’t even violate the Geneva conventions, he had an altered logo that was red and white but didn’t resemble a + of any kind. GOD I want to do this kind of work so badly…
You’ve taught me that I don’t want to be a concept artist but a 3D modeler and possibly animator because the technical nature of 3D fits way better with me I wanna make the little trinkets and having a movable model and I’m glad I found it! Concept art will always have a place in my heart and I will always do it but for a job modeling suits me best thank you!
this makes me appreciate more deeply the weight that seems to be placed on concept artists in the industry. I feel like people generally don't see concept artists as people that are integral to breathing life into a story. on the mention of art books.. Mirror's Edge Catalyst has a phenomenal one.
I've always struggled with figuring out what I want to do, always thinking about 3D modelling, writing my fantasy world, painting/digital art etc, but you really hit a chord with me when you were speaking about how concept art basically combines all of that, and even with history too and cultures I love history a lot so honestly you inspired me greatly just now, I know I have the skills to do concept art and as I'm going into my last year at university I think I will make it a priority, even if I have to work to create someone else's world, its all good fun and one day I will create my own and employ others. LFG.
As much as I love art and drawing all kinds of things, I don't think I have the patience or time to even take it up as a serious profession. This video was very informative however and I'm glad I watched it! :)
I consider myself a decent artist but I'm not a pro and everytime anyone sees my sketches they are like "wow you need to work for a game company or movies." I get it from friends and family mostly and I might be decent but I know what's needed to be pro which is explained in this video and I know I don't have the skills for it yet and I just wish everyone would see this so they would stop trying to tell me that I underestimate myself when I'm just being a realist and they have no idea about what the industry requires. It's annoying honestly. Appreciated, but still annoying cause they make you feel like it's my fault I'm stuck working 9 hours a day at a job with practically no future or interest...
Have you been applying for game dev jobs? You might be better at it than you give yourself credit for. Plus, you’ll get better at the job. I’ve been doing this for 20 years. I didn’t know this stuff before I started working.
@@TrentKaniuga oh no lol by decent I mean I have a good understanding of anatomy and some portrait sketching but it's still more of a hobby and there are so many things I still need to learn so it's mostly quick sketches for practice. Also, when it comes to ideas I'm below crap :( can't bring myself to come up with creative ideas to save my life lol. When it comes to ideas that revolve around logic and trying to make stuff make sense I'm really good so game rules and stuff like that works for me but coding isn't for me either so I'm kinda in the art world limbo. I do art for fun... well actually it's more like sometimes that's the only thing that gives my life meaning so I'm not doing art to find a job necessarily. But maybe someday who know. Anyway, sorry for the long comment and thanks for the reply! Much appreciated!
I'm in a similar boat. I do character art and whatnot but nowhere on this level. I went to college, blah blah but now days getting a gaming job is like winning the lotter...there is just waaay too much competition.
This is the best help i could get! Im still young but im practicing every day, testing different styles and studying others. Just this video alone has a lot of different techniques i wanted to try out! I'll step out of my comfort zone to see how it'll go ❤
Love your content, it has always kept me drawing. This year I want put myself out there by starting a UA-cam channel, setting up a portfolio, and joining an art community ❤
I am a 3D student, but I'm still amazed by the work of the concept artist and I wanted to do it too. I already have some basics for my work, but it still very hard to do something that we like. For example, I made a character that named "Black Ink Guy", a guy with a tragic backstory, living with a body entirely made of ink. I already made a scenario for him and what he will look like, but it still very complicated for me to make him perfect. I should thank you for your video. That makes me want to keep going and increase my qualities.
Thank you for this. I think I decided on what illustrator I want to be, since the only enjoyable thing I like doing is designing characters. I also like the little trick about copying and pasting the main illustration, and using as a basis to make the back of the character. Thanks for the tips, I definitely feel super motivated to keep going!
Thanks for the tips! I'm currently I school taking illustration and animation, with a focus on concept art. I'd be happy to learn more from you to get a bit closer to being more hireable as a concept artist!
Jesus christ l feel sorry for every artist and worker in games studios that make games but knowing that l want to learn this to make my own game is the reason l'am amazed by that So thank you to every artist and worker in gaming you all are respected
Well said. Straight talking. That's important to clear up the rose tinted glasses young people (newbies) have about what they think the industry (game or film) is all about. Listen to this people.
Dang. This makes me regret never working on or growing my artistic skills. As I kid I never saw myself as a painter and preferred to play games. As much as it would be nice to be a concept artist now I do love that I get nearly unlimited access to concept art at the touch of a mouse.
It's kind of incredible how many different things you have to have a comprehensive understanding of before you can really excel in character design. I'm honestly looking forward to just that aspect of it, I think getting to a point where I can actually apply all these things will be rewarding. Aha... I can't wait to spend years on something I'm not even looking to pursue as a career.
Thank you for this.. Seriously, thank you. This will help me focus better. This seriously helped me realize what I should be doing over what I've been doing.
A lot of this sounds fascinating and like fun to me. Which surprised me. There's not a lot of things that I find interesting. But especially the storytelling and world building in imagery aspect sounds really cool to me.
I was talking something similar to my brother. We both like this anime called fullmetal alchemist brotherhood. And I was talking to him about the world in it. And I said you can tell she didn't do a whole lot on the world building because the world is just pre world War 2 Germany but with alchemy. And I told him if alchemy like that really existed the world would loom way different, from the way production of good would be made and a more not just the military .
Thank you so much for the information you just gave me!!Till now,I couldn't really recognise the difference between concept art and illustration,that was so mativative and inspiration by the way,I appreciate it.Such a stunning artwork with the character design too.I hope one day to be a digital artist for good!!!
I feel so called out by like 3/4 of the points that you brought up oh my god 😭💀 Loved the video, it was really inspiring and gave me so much motivation! Thank you!
Hey Trent I DID IT! sat the wife down had a hard long talk. in a nut shell I have been watching your videos for sometime. 2 weeks ago you motivated me to stop a 9-5 and finally do something with my art! so thank you!!! also.. can you cover some fundamentals for anything DND style? OR like elden ring style
Why did you stop your paying job? I would recommend you keep your bills paid and work on art until its making enough money to switch to art as a profession.
@@TrentKaniuga is there a way I can explain more of why and how I am able to do this? I feel if I could you would have a completely different perspective. The way I wrote it doesn’t really sound the greatest but I promise you it’s motivational.
I think I want to be a splash artist, not a concept artist. Thank you for clearing up the difference between splash art and concept art. I figured they were both in the same field but I was wrong. I can now focus on a path for me.
I'm not an artist at all, never drew or did something like this. But now I have to since I want to create a game. Well, let's say it's quite difficult to get anything done and I'm scared to paint anything with colour since I don't know how. Haha I'm so lost even though I watch a lot of videos. So I guess I skip that part and just move on to simple basic shapes. My game will be legendary!
I see this is an older video and for all I know I may have commented on already, but this video shows me I need to decide what kind of artist I want to be
I'm an illustrator in my off time. Love painting portraits, photo bashing, painting over photos etc. This was really well put together and I thank you for all your insight! I've subbed! 🇿🇦🔥
Well said about properly learning how to draw character anatomy. When I was in art school (I'm a sculptor), soooo many young hotshot guys wanted to become character designers for the gaming industry. They were exactly like you describe. Their entire sketch books were filled with often very well rendered fullbody anime girls. I remember when we had the "anatomy for the artist" class, which involved nude models in various shapes and sizes that our professor painstakingly saught out by posting notices at all the gyms in the area. All those guys were thrilled for the first part of the semester when we had female anatomy studies. Lots of naked young women. Then... suddenly one day there was a ripped naked dude infront of us when we got to class. A week later those most of guys dropped the class, because they didn't like how it suddenly got "totally gay". Our professor had a few comments about them. She knew a lot of male students would drop out as soon as we went into male anatomy, and she wished them well in their career as starving artists selling gum at the gas station. Granted, this was 12 years ago, and a lot of students came in from adjacent conservative areas. Depicting ...impressive male characters was still a sensitive thing. If you showed a knack for it, or as much thoroughness as drawing girls, you were in the "maybe he is..." category. IOW not part of the "bruh" crowd. Nowdays college/uni students are probably a lot less homophobic. But yeah... guys, your precious sexual prefs don't matter shit if you wanna get paid big money. Suck it up and draw those bulges like you love them.
as a 3d modeler, and i cannot stress this enough, PLEASE give us clear art, theres nothing more frustrating that when i find a beautiful environment and the rocks or terrain are made out of an airbrush and i now have to make up shapes, if you still do it then atleast be willing to make a close up shots of the assets clearing out their shapes so the 3d modelers life will be easier
Yes! This is the kind of info that I’m always trying to teach concept artists.
this is both inspiring and overwhelming, thanks trent you triggered my anxiety
x2 I mean I know I have to do that but I rather exist doing that than thinking like this maniac and overwhelming myself for it.
Agreed. I was overwhelmed
Same, I'm going to do a concept art degree this year and I'm both terrified and so excited
Better than going through it without knowing a crap about it.
@@yenahh6954 true
This is the kind of video that you watch sitting on your couch and at the end you throw your phone to the wall and start a new character concept sheet. Thank you so much Trent you've been an inspiration for years now
same thought :)
same thought as well!!
I threw my phone half way into the video
Yes but when I throw my phone to the wall i just sit there and remember... Damn, i don't even know how to draw
@@Lunaticluna19 Well this video is a good excuse to start learning!
It sounds like creating concept art has alot in common with making your own D&D campaign it has alot of story telling elements and a huge focus on the narrative, challenging but fun
Yeah, it's world building. You're mixing a writer with an illustrator.
That is exactly what I was thinking.
It is extremely fun and my cup of tea. Maybe instead of going for the animation industry I should go and take a peek on the videogames industry.
watching this as a 14 year old with my dream being a concept artist and it's honestly overwhelming but i'm willing to put in all the effort i can to make it happen as it's all i want :)
never stop drawing, draw every day or youll get worse, i know that might sound scary but its what i did. i spend years and never got any better
Bro do not stop drawing and before you finish school get a portfolio redy don't be like me and think "ah yeah im going to be an artist when I grow up" as a 14 year old like i whouldn't have to find a job in 4 years
It's overwhelming to hear all this all at once and in this urgent tone, but as long as you love to draw you got this. You'll learn all this gradually along the way with practice. And you do NOT have to draw everyday, that'll just run you ragged and make you grow a resentment and get carpal tunnel issues faster. Just focus on the love for it and you'll probably find yourself drawing all the time anyway.
W, keep going G
He's cramming two decades of knowledge into a bite sized UA-cam video. "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." I wish that I had stumbled on this gem of a video when I was a teenager instead of 29. Just take it one step at a time brother, you got this. 👍
Character Artist here - THANK YOU, TRENT! Thank you for making this video. Nothing is more frustrating for me than finding myself on a project where the "concept artist" is actually an illustrator or cartoonist. Concept Artist is its on very distinct discipline. Yes, it uses many of the same skills and toolsets as other art disciplines, but it has some that are unique considerations for the job. Particularly the ability to turn forms, to render them in such away where they respect real 3 dimensional volumes. If you cant do that, you are either going to be doing a lot of re-work, or you are giving license to have your designs edited/changed as needed to work in 3D. Also, one step beyond respect for 3D volumes - and this is particularly important for characters - MOVEMENT & ARTICULATION! Your cool armor design, or crazy cool outfit has got to be able to move. Get used to thumbnailing your designs in different action poses - so you can work out issues with articulation ahead of time. It way faster and cheaper for a studio to work out issue in concept then to try and fix that stuff further down the pipeline.
AI solves this
@@ClaimClam no
@@Ttea83 yes
@@ClaimClam no
What brush would you use for like a fur coat? Do you have any preferences and recommendations 🤔
As a old time 3d modeler who dabbles into 2d art from time to time on my free time, I found this video refreshing, it is spot on with what you have to do to get a job in the games industry as a concept artist. So if this is what you want to do, here is another comment saying this is the real deal.
I literally just pick up drawing a month ago and it feels like one hell of a mountain to climb. There's periods of feeling overwhelmed and you just wanna give up, but then you look at your (pencil) drawing from far away and you realize: "hey that's actually not bad for what it is" and you get hooked. It's a crazy cycle, that I hope will eventually get me hooked rather than turned away from drawing.
Yes right 👍🏼 but nowadays AI is replacing Artist
@@nidhipanwar5528 not at all its easy to destinguish ai art
Hey, don't feel overwhelmed by all of this it's only been a month (well 6 months ) this video is for more intermediate to high ranking artists, just do what makes you happy now. It's not a huge mountain to climb if you just enjoy your time and look at great artists and maybe incorporate some of their drawings' elements into your work and just be happy with your work. Don't be pulled away from such an impressive and interesting hobby. Hope you see this.
A little tip: when youre finished or stuck with a drawing, leave it on your desk for a few days. You will look at it and your brain can sometimes improve the picture any you will start to see what you can do differently
@@splishsplash3492 for me sometimes it takes a quick trip to a kitchen and doing a chore to reset my view and immediately see a problem in my drawing
Bro watching your art progress alone scared me shitless. That's incredible.
This was refreshing. I spent almost a decade attending 3 different design schools working up to Art Center - graduated with a BS in entertainment design. I haven't been hired in 7 years despite sending thousands of applications. You reminded me that I didn't create enough clear turnarounds and examples of iteration... and I didn't target the style of specific studios. Wish I'd remembered this in the last half a decade since graduation, I'd have a lot less resentment towards the near 20 years I spent following this path and feeling like it went nowhere. At this point I don't even draw anymore. I can't even pick up a pencil, I just feel blocked and burnt out instantly.
Man. I'm sorry to hear that. Too much rejection, and not enough "wins" can be damaging to the motivation. I hope you find a renewed energy to keep trying. Even if its just for the joy of creating, and feeling good about doing the work again.
On first listen this made me think I can’t possibly be a concept artist anymore, but after thinking, this has REALLY motivated me, and I’ve been studying human anatomy for about a week now, it’s improving, and I hope to be as good as this guy one day
I just love concept art, i don't aspire to be one but i just love it, I can look at them for hours lots of love and respect for all Artist
This is literally the stuff I'm obsessed with as is lol. Communicating a world and story through character design is so much fun to me. Thinking it all through, designing contraptions that *could potentially* work, aesthetics, anatomy, construction, all that stuff; it's absolutely crack to my adhd autistic brain. I need to learn painting- I've been a line artist for too long and only recently started painting. Differentiating materials is hard. And I need to improve movement and pose clarity. But most of this stuff, I love. So many details but they all *mean something*.
yessssssssssssss
This is The kinda video that you watch once. Then, watch again with a note pad and a pen to take detailed notes of each minute of it.
Thank you! I'd really love to see one about comic art.
What I loved the most about this video is to see that my thing is illustration and not concept art, so if you think about it, you helped me a lot! Thanks!
I’ve been trying to figure out what I’d want to be in the creative industry, specifically in the animation industry , and this was so awesome to watch because every little thing you talked about is exactly what I love about art and just sort of… clicked. I love coming up with concepts and ideas in the blink of an eye and bringing them to life and challenging myself to do something completely out of my comfort zone so this was awesome to hear from a concept artist what exactly their job entailed and what it takes to get there! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!!
IM RIGHT HERE TOO AHH
After 3 years of drawing on a phone with little improvement this video finally gave me the courage to stop listening to the people around me who enjoy what i do and finally give up
Hey, sometimes backing up is the right thing. I just have one word of advise: explore. I've found that most of rhe time I impose way too heavy things over myself, hild myself to standars that tell me that the energy that I try to put there will be wasted so it's better not to even bother. But that has stolen so much energy from me, it did until I found something better: explore. Feel what you feel, and just, listen. To what you want, just you. What you really want. To rest? To be free? Then, pick one small thing to do about it. You don't even have to move, it can be saying something out loud or just making an effort to find a more balanced thought. It has saved me. You seem young. Don't be afraid. You are human. Explore! I wish you the best friend. Take care. May the luck you need be with you.
"The things that were absolute truths yesterday are totally different now" can not be preached hard enough. I'm a hard surface modeler second for work, but an illustrator first as a hobby. The tools of the trade, the ways we get taught, and the end goal is ever-changing. I went to college for 2 years learning how to hand-paint and photo-map environments in Photoshop only for Substance Painter to come out 3 months before graduating. The output was the same but 2 years of learning Photoshop tricks become "old knowledge" practically overnight. That was 9 years ago and I'm still rocking. Adaptation is key to surviving this industry.
"You have to be able to paint like this other artist" is also something we were taught in college, and oh my god it is a RUSH to break away from my normal style and be like "I'm gonna pretend to be X today" and mimic their style like putting a mask on. I like my ink and colored shitpost stuff the most, but I can paint a mean landscape if need be.
As a dm and long time artist this video reconfirms that concept art is right for me. Thank you for making me feel a bit less crazy
This has to be the most useful video I've seen about how to be a concept artist, thank you very much
This is something I have ALWAYS wanted to do.
Majored in art, draw all the time.
Now, I just need that push to take my art to the next level and start working.
BTW, I'm a 41 year old female.
Does age really matter if you have the chops? I hope not. I've finally reached a point in my life where I can pursue a career and I want this.
It does not! Many great people achieved their peak when they were older. You can be great as well, and I'm sure you already are!
You've inspired me :) thank you
it does not from my knowledge,as long as you have the skills and proper portfolio, you'll be able to land a job hopefully
Age doesn't matter as much as experience and presentation. If you have a portfolio of 200 images that are well rendered from the past 2 or less years? They would probably find that convincing regardless of how long you've been in the field.
I hope you’ll achieve your goal. I’m 37 female and I’m currently at the same stage… I’ve always wanted to pursue a career in concept art / character design, but I really need to push my art skills. Back to working on the fundamentals it is :)
just started university and this is a huge wake up call to reality which is extremly scary and overwhelming but im also glad because i think it'll strangely motivate me further
I know this is an old video, but it's so inspirational. I'm often told I'm too idealistic with my approaches, I'm too difficult to please and settle...well, I now know it's not something BAD. thank you
I was just aggressively taking notes for 12 min I can't belive this goldmine exists in youtube!
thank u so much!!
Looking at concept art for games has always been one of my favorite parts of buying said games. Looking through concept art is just as big for me as playing the game itself. My brain just is obsessed with it, I would ADORE to be a part of that process someday
I'm studying concept design at university next year and I'm so thankful for videos like these which will help me to already start improving my art before university even starts.
This is the kind of inner voice you want on a daily. Nothing but positive vibes and just make you wanna continue to be better at your craft.
Thanks man🤙🏽
Always a good feeling when an artist in a tut says “you need to have this mindset” and I’ve always have had it. I LOVE world building SO MUCH and I do consider these things with my designs. I was making this one character for fun who was a military medic based in a mountain. He wore a ripped up scarf, and while yes it could be damaged by the elements, it could also be because he often will cut his scarf for gaze if the bleeding needs to be immediately suppressed before he can open his large med kit. He also had a radio for communication, boots with ice grips, goggles for intense snow, a camo pattern for hiding but also a red light he could turn on if safe to do so so others of his country can find him to receive aid, etc. heck, he doesn’t even violate the Geneva conventions, he had an altered logo that was red and white but didn’t resemble a + of any kind. GOD I want to do this kind of work so badly…
You’ve taught me that I don’t want to be a concept artist but a 3D modeler and possibly animator because the technical nature of 3D fits way better with me I wanna make the little trinkets and having a movable model and I’m glad I found it! Concept art will always have a place in my heart and I will always do it but for a job modeling suits me best thank you!
this makes me appreciate more deeply the weight that seems to be placed on concept artists in the industry. I feel like people generally don't see concept artists as people that are integral to breathing life into a story. on the mention of art books.. Mirror's Edge Catalyst has a phenomenal one.
Bro greeting from Bolivia!!! This is the best video that I ever found in UA-cam... Thank you I've found a new perspective in this field...
i had increased my artistic level by +100 just by watching u draw in this video.
I've always struggled with figuring out what I want to do, always thinking about 3D modelling, writing my fantasy world, painting/digital art etc, but you really hit a chord with me when you were speaking about how concept art basically combines all of that, and even with history too and cultures I love history a lot so honestly you inspired me greatly just now, I know I have the skills to do concept art and as I'm going into my last year at university I think I will make it a priority, even if I have to work to create someone else's world, its all good fun and one day I will create my own and employ others. LFG.
After this video I am so glad I just looked it up because I was curious. Not because I wanted to become a concept artist.
As much as I love art and drawing all kinds of things, I don't think I have the patience or time to even take it up as a serious profession. This video was very informative however and I'm glad I watched it! :)
Same here, I will forever be a hobbyist, but definitely a very informative video
as someone who wants to do this kind of thing for a living you have no idea how helpful this is
thank you so much
will be coming back to learn more
You really nailed the From Software aesthetic, this looks like it would fit right into their concept books.
I consider myself a decent artist but I'm not a pro and everytime anyone sees my sketches they are like "wow you need to work for a game company or movies." I get it from friends and family mostly and I might be decent but I know what's needed to be pro which is explained in this video and I know I don't have the skills for it yet and I just wish everyone would see this so they would stop trying to tell me that I underestimate myself when I'm just being a realist and they have no idea about what the industry requires. It's annoying honestly. Appreciated, but still annoying cause they make you feel like it's my fault I'm stuck working 9 hours a day at a job with practically no future or interest...
Have you been applying for game dev jobs? You might be better at it than you give yourself credit for. Plus, you’ll get better at the job. I’ve been doing this for 20 years. I didn’t know this stuff before I started working.
@@TrentKaniuga oh no lol by decent I mean I have a good understanding of anatomy and some portrait sketching but it's still more of a hobby and there are so many things I still need to learn so it's mostly quick sketches for practice. Also, when it comes to ideas I'm below crap :( can't bring myself to come up with creative ideas to save my life lol. When it comes to ideas that revolve around logic and trying to make stuff make sense I'm really good so game rules and stuff like that works for me but coding isn't for me either so I'm kinda in the art world limbo. I do art for fun... well actually it's more like sometimes that's the only thing that gives my life meaning so I'm not doing art to find a job necessarily.
But maybe someday who know.
Anyway, sorry for the long comment and thanks for the reply! Much appreciated!
I'm in a similar boat. I do character art and whatnot but nowhere on this level. I went to college, blah blah but now days getting a gaming job is like winning the lotter...there is just waaay too much competition.
I had no idea what to do and learn for character artwork, but your explanations helped me to think and act. Thank you very much.
The amount of work put into this video is absolutely fascinating thank you for the awesome content!!
what are you talking about? There was no *work* put into this video. It was all talk & advice. You must be blind.
This is what separates the good from the great. Thank you. ❤
You are a treasure on the youtube!
This is the best help i could get! Im still young but im practicing every day, testing different styles and studying others. Just this video alone has a lot of different techniques i wanted to try out! I'll step out of my comfort zone to see how it'll go ❤
Good on you for telling how it is, I wish more youtubers where honest like this
I wished I saw this years ago.. But it's ok, never too late, and this is such a motivationnal boost !
Love your content, it has always kept me drawing. This year I want put myself out there by starting a UA-cam channel, setting up a portfolio, and joining an art community ❤
I am a 3D student, but I'm still amazed by the work of the concept artist and I wanted to do it too. I already have some basics for my work, but it still very hard to do something that we like. For example, I made a character that named "Black Ink Guy", a guy with a tragic backstory, living with a body entirely made of ink. I already made a scenario for him and what he will look like, but it still very complicated for me to make him perfect.
I should thank you for your video. That makes me want to keep going and increase my qualities.
I love the Watchers of the Abyss aesthetic in the thumbnail art
Wow, you're amazingly talented
Thank you for this. I think I decided on what illustrator I want to be, since the only enjoyable thing I like doing is designing characters.
I also like the little trick about copying and pasting the main illustration, and using as a basis to make the back of the character. Thanks for the tips, I definitely feel super motivated to keep going!
Thanks for the tips! I'm currently I school taking illustration and animation, with a focus on concept art. I'd be happy to learn more from you to get a bit closer to being more hireable as a concept artist!
this video is comforting for me, I am glad to be on the rignt track
Im 17 and im trying to become a concept artist after college, thank you for this video!
jampacked with actionable advise. holy crap what a gem Trent!
Love your hair Trent!
Jesus christ l feel sorry for every artist and worker in games studios that make games but knowing that l want to learn this to make my own game is the reason l'am amazed by that
So thank you to every artist and worker in gaming you all are respected
Good luck with the game! Have a nice day. 🩷
@@VittDev thank's bro
@@Kruczy_bieg you're welcome!
Well said. Straight talking. That's important to clear up the rose tinted glasses young people (newbies) have about what they think the industry (game or film) is all about. Listen to this people.
Thanx for everything Trent. Your amazing.
this is so overwhelming
but in a good way
Amazing as usual. you say exactly what you need to hear to build your career, thank's a lot Trent
Your video is moving me sir. Thank you for giving this lesson
Dang. This makes me regret never working on or growing my artistic skills. As I kid I never saw myself as a painter and preferred to play games. As much as it would be nice to be a concept artist now I do love that I get nearly unlimited access to concept art at the touch of a mouse.
It's kind of incredible how many different things you have to have a comprehensive understanding of before you can really excel in character design. I'm honestly looking forward to just that aspect of it, I think getting to a point where I can actually apply all these things will be rewarding. Aha... I can't wait to spend years on something I'm not even looking to pursue as a career.
Damn this really is working nonstop early to make it and never have to work again (because you'll like your job)
Thank you for this.. Seriously, thank you. This will help me focus better. This seriously helped me realize what I should be doing over what I've been doing.
A lot of this sounds fascinating and like fun to me. Which surprised me. There's not a lot of things that I find interesting. But especially the storytelling and world building in imagery aspect sounds really cool to me.
I was talking something similar to my brother. We both like this anime called fullmetal alchemist brotherhood. And I was talking to him about the world in it. And I said you can tell she didn't do a whole lot on the world building because the world is just pre world War 2 Germany but with alchemy. And I told him if alchemy like that really existed the world would loom way different, from the way production of good would be made and a more not just the military .
Perfect motivation I needed 🤍
Things I love is that League of Legends often shows on their UA-cam channel concept arts of the champions that are released
One of the best videos out there. Thank you very much
great advice! just what I need right now for my next project. thank you trent!!
oooh yeaaa! (liked that Warcraft2 sound at the beginning xD)
Thank you so much for the information you just gave me!!Till now,I couldn't really recognise the difference between concept art and illustration,that was so mativative and inspiration by the way,I appreciate it.Such a stunning artwork with the character design too.I hope one day to be a digital artist for good!!!
I needed this video more than I thought I did, thank you very much for this masterpiece🤘
Absolutely fascinating thank you
I feel so called out by like 3/4 of the points that you brought up oh my god 😭💀
Loved the video, it was really inspiring and gave me so much motivation! Thank you!
BRUH THAT'S SOUND SO COOL! Sounds like my dream come true.
I loved watching you render that sword and armor. Like damn that was neat. I watch stuff like this and man my head feels empty in comparison.
Hey Trent I DID IT! sat the wife down had a hard long talk. in a nut shell I have been watching your videos for sometime. 2 weeks ago you motivated me to stop a 9-5 and finally do something with my art! so thank you!!! also.. can you cover some fundamentals for anything DND style? OR like elden ring style
Why did you stop your paying job? I would recommend you keep your bills paid and work on art until its making enough money to switch to art as a profession.
@@TrentKaniuga house is paid car is paid, I'm in a position to
@@TrentKaniuga is there a way I can explain more of why and how I am able to do this? I feel if I could you would have a completely different perspective. The way I wrote it doesn’t really sound the greatest but I promise you it’s motivational.
omg i literally just went from having a great day to being overwhelmed and having a panick attak and im only halfway through the video.
You give such great advice omg, your on my list of people to study off of on my free time lol
Thank you for having the sale, and making this video
I worked on indie horror movies and horror videogames from 2013-2018..just like this.
THANK YOU SO SO MUCH!! tha caps are intentional and deserved. YOU'RE AWESOME!
I love concept art and have wanted to do it forever but I'm such a perfectionist i have a hard time producing stuff quickly.
This comes just in time, when I've finally decided to hone my concept art skills. :D
Time to get your Easy art lessons!
I’m sending this to my fellow students in my college. Some of them really don’t get the “You can’t draw only cute anime girls” thing
Thank you for sharing your wisdom about concept art.
if i can draw and paint like this at some point in my life then i can die happy
You say exactly what you need to hear to build your career
Love it! Awesome. Thank you for your leadership.
I think I want to be a splash artist, not a concept artist. Thank you for clearing up the difference between splash art and concept art. I figured they were both in the same field but I was wrong. I can now focus on a path for me.
I'm not an artist at all, never drew or did something like this. But now I have to since I want to create a game. Well, let's say it's quite difficult to get anything done and I'm scared to paint anything with colour since I don't know how. Haha I'm so lost even though I watch a lot of videos. So I guess I skip that part and just move on to simple basic shapes. My game will be legendary!
What type of game are you planning to do?
Amazing work 👍
Awesome sum up, love the pace of information.
I needed to hear this, thank you.
In the first 1:32 I learned more then I learned at Stevensville Ohio Harding Middle School in 1 year wow
I see this is an older video and for all I know I may have commented on already, but this video shows me I need to decide what kind of artist I want to be
I'm an illustrator in my off time. Love painting portraits, photo bashing, painting over photos etc. This was really well put together and I thank you for all your insight! I've subbed! 🇿🇦🔥
Well said about properly learning how to draw character anatomy.
When I was in art school (I'm a sculptor), soooo many young hotshot guys wanted to become character designers for the gaming industry. They were exactly like you describe. Their entire sketch books were filled with often very well rendered fullbody anime girls.
I remember when we had the "anatomy for the artist" class, which involved nude models in various shapes and sizes that our professor painstakingly saught out by posting notices at all the gyms in the area. All those guys were thrilled for the first part of the semester when we had female anatomy studies. Lots of naked young women. Then... suddenly one day there was a ripped naked dude infront of us when we got to class. A week later those most of guys dropped the class, because they didn't like how it suddenly got "totally gay". Our professor had a few comments about them. She knew a lot of male students would drop out as soon as we went into male anatomy, and she wished them well in their career as starving artists selling gum at the gas station.
Granted, this was 12 years ago, and a lot of students came in from adjacent conservative areas. Depicting ...impressive male characters was still a sensitive thing. If you showed a knack for it, or as much thoroughness as drawing girls, you were in the "maybe he is..." category. IOW not part of the "bruh" crowd. Nowdays college/uni students are probably a lot less homophobic. But yeah... guys, your precious sexual prefs don't matter shit if you wanna get paid big money. Suck it up and draw those bulges like you love them.