Last time I covered a few basic introductory questions about being/using a storyboard artist on your productions. This blog I’ll concentrate on another aspect of my job, that being a concept illustrator.

1- What is a concept illustrator and why do I need one for my production?

As a concept illustrator you usually work more closely with the art department (i.e. production designers, art directors) than you do as a storyboard artist who mostly work with the directors and principal photographer. And each specific job comes out of different parts of the film’s budget. The concept illustrators job is to simply draw concept illustrations of props, monsters, sets, spaceships, vehicles, characters, or anything else that comes along that needs to be fleshed out before being built. Usually there are many variations of one concept until you get it just right.

2- Do concept illustrators work traditionally or digitally?

Both. I myself work with both but I am mainly a traditional artist, drawing on paper and then scanning and painting in Photoshop if needed. I simply cannot draw on a tablet directly into the computer. It’s just not the same. However there are a lot of artists that prefer that to paper and pencil so it’s a personal preference really.

3- Can you be a storyboard artist as well as a concept illustrator?

Yes, obviously. I am both. But each discipline has skills unique to each. Where the storyboard artist is concerned with telling a clear story visually and suggesting camera moves etc., the concept artist concentrates (as stated before) on producing images to be made from detail provided to him.

4- What is the level of detail for concept illustrations?

This varies widely and goes through many revisions and approval processes. It usually starts very very sketchy and as you get closer to an agreeable image that works within budget and for the use intended, then you move on to fully painted very detailed images. So you have everything from pencils sketches to fully rendered and completely detailed color paintings or even matte paintings on occasion. Whatever the job requires for each piece is what you do. And there may be more than one illustration required for each object. For instance, take the space marines from the “Alien” movies. You might need two different sets of drawings. One suggesting what the character themselves looks like and then another set of drawings for their weapons. So it can get very intricate.

5- How fast would a concept artist work?

Very. Always. Because in my 20 years of experience, whenever I am called in, the production needed the art last week. Some things never change. However, one piece of art my be worked on for days before a final stage is met. Unlike a storyboard artist who usually works by a target number of frames per day.

Well that’s it for this blog. I hope I shed some light on the differences that exist between the skills of a concept illustrator versus a storyboards artist.

See ya next time!

Craig