Don't Do Your Own Concept Art as a 3D Artist
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- Опубликовано: 13 сен 2024
- In this video podcast, we talk about why you shouldn't use your own original concept art if you want to get a job as a 3D artist.
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I've been told this multiple times. I totally accept it. But to me, it leads to a different problem: Losing your sense of ownership of what you make. I don't know if it's just me. Maybe that could be a topic for a future video.
You are absolutely correct. Overall, this is a terribly made video that entirely misses the mark. It's all the more disappointing becsuse they normally don't miss the mark like that.
personally im the same way, I couldn't live just copying other people's concepts for a living. I know plenty of people do that and are fine with it though.
There's also quite a few examples of people that are extremely good at both 2d concepts in addition to 3d, and very often those skills they use to compliment eachother.
Well they talking about just building portifolio. If you want to sell your models or something like that you better come up with the design.
They are talking when you work in like the big studios with 100+ people working on the same projects.
It's like saying: if you know how to handle a brush DON'T design your own paintings. Only paint others people's sketches... It's silly to push as a general concept
This is coming from someone who works in the industry. If you want to work on blockbuster films or games. You have to get over it. They’re not hiring you to create your own universe. They will hire you to fulfil the vision of the IP. Even concept artists have to follow guidelines given to them. They cannot just create what ever they want.
There’s nothing wrong with creating your own personal projects in your spare time. Everyone does it. But if you can’t demonstrate that you can stick to the script, companies won’t be interested. Sense of ownership comes when you see your name in the credits and knowing you contributed to bringing a project to life.
they told Tom Cruise not to do his own stunts.
Yes, but Tom Cruise is an Actor-Stunt-Rainman.
Yeah and how many Tom Cruise are there?
But he has the power of God and anime on his side.
He did brake his foot
difference is there's a lot more 'Tom Cruise' artists than most people realize
It really depends on the studio too. I got hired by Rocksteady as a 3D artist actually because I invent my own stuff. I cannot give any details of course. It was similar at my previous studio job, Pixel Toys (much smaller indie mobile games studio, great fun though) - i had to wear many hats and come up with stuff. My novice rigging skills, for example, helped my career a LOT as it enables visualisation of how things could move in 3d space, which is not easy to do in 2D concept art. All that said, I usually do get stuff from a 2d concept artist first. I am not arguing against the points in the video at all, just saying it is not always the case. Cheers
Are you involved in GTA 6 by the chance?
@@keyay1239 I am not. I am working on Suicide Squad : Kill the Justice League :)
@@keyay1239 Rocksteady =/ Rockstar
i guess Im asking randomly but does any of you know a tool to log back into an instagram account..?
I was stupid forgot my account password. I appreciate any assistance you can give me
@Ray Eugene Instablaster :)
In other words "Jack-of-all-trades" have their value, but Specialist have that title for a reason. Makes sense to me.
Thats essentially our arguments. Concept art is a skill which is as big as 3D itself, not an additional skill like learning UV mapping
There's only probably a couple of geniuses out there that can do both to a high standard (ehem Vitaly Bulgarov!) Us mere mortals have to work our asses off to be good at one.
Well. Get into Solo game development and then you need to be a jack.
@@hiiambarney4489 but you will be stagnant and probably never reach the same quality. I learn alot more and get to do more stuff in a small team than solo.
You said that! 👍
The title of the video should have been: Don't Do Your Own Concept Art as a 3D * Specialist*
Even as a 3D generalist studying, we still recommend building your portfolio on existing art, though there are of course always exceptions.
@@FlippedNormals no.
A 3D spcialist or generalist need to show their own artistic capability beyond simply recreating in 3D.
@DCED for example tifa from final fantast....
@@jamesoden317 I mean, in a pipeline your job is to make 3d from 2d that someone else made. So if you want to get a job it may be wise to do it like that when you study. Cant see that being a deciding factor though unless its obvious you cant use others art.
@@FlippedNormals I understand why you say this, but it still is so sad for me to hear :(
I'm a 3d generalist freelancer and I mostly work alone, so for me it IS very important to know design and art direction. I feel so much of the creative part of the job is taken out when you only reproduce another person's concept in 3D. I completely understand why you would focus on that to get a job in the industry, but still, for me it is a bit sad.
I'll still try to do my own concept arts. That's what I live for.
Maybe be a concept artist?
@@philjpark Among other things, it's the plan, though I wanna specialize in 3D modeling
@Absolutely Dreadful Wow, didn't know I'd rally the debby downers for having a dream. I know the business doesn't work like that, but that doesn't stop me from striving for what I want, like it or not.
@Absolutely Dreadful Oh, I just realized I did not read your emotions correctly in your message. Sorry, text decoding and late night don't mix well together. But yeah, I know it's not what it's all cracked up to be. In I get in an indi company, I might be able to do both professionnaly, but I have plans for more than just my work life and I want to do concepts and modeling in my personnal projects. Plus, that's what I like, adding to it texturing, so I'm sure as hell not giving up on my dreams. I have many universes to create!
I support you, keep staying in this state of mind. Keep your creativity and your pure imgintion. Dont care what people say. You might not be a stereotypical concept artist.
Contrary to the title, this seems like some wildly niche advice. I'm pretty sure this only applies if you're specifically working on portfolio pieces, with the intention of getting hired into a large studio that has dedicated concept artists. Freelance work would often have you creating your own concepts, smaller studios would often have you creating your own concepts, any form of indie or solo projects would pretty much always have you creating your own concepts, etc.
that's the argument of the video.
Hard disagree. If you do 3D well but are bad at design, then you're just bad at design. Get good. You can do both.
The industry changes. 3D concepting is becoming more and more widespread. By restricting yourself only to technical 3D work you're setting yourself up to get bodied by concept artists that take some extra time to learn the technical nuances of taking their concepts to completion.
A good 3D specialist has less value than a good 3D artist. The more technical parts of the job are getting solved with technology. Do not resign yourself to being a human 3D scanner or a human retopology tool or a human UV packer.
Even if all you plan to do is work from concepts made by others, you still need an understanding of the design decisions and artistic intent. I've seen amazing concept art get minced and processed into stale dog shit by 3D modelers that can only copy, not interpret. Even when a concept is adapted well, there is always room for improvement, for elevation. Every time it's squandered, I weep.
The message of this video is "stay in your lane, don't strive to do better, just be a pair of hands filling a seat, you'll never do anything remarkable". Fuck that. Be the "artist" in "3D artist".
exactly. Design is your lifeblood as an artist. Be prepared to be automated away or outsourced otherwise, or paid dog shit.
I would not say 'dont do', rather 'You do not have to'. But still, I will dare to say that knowing basic design principles will boost your work and skills.
Also its super fun and refreshing (at least for me) to design own stuff as a steppingstone from reproducing things from pictures/concepts all the time.
I agree. I was struggling with modeling characters, until I put my pride in butt, and went to anatomy courses. After half a year I was proposed a job. My works were incomparable prior and after.
Then I asked a fellow clothes designer to explain me the principles of clothes. It helped me a lot understanding how they are sewn and should be on characters.
I'm not sure how pushing polygons makes one any better at being a good artist.
As someone who pursued concept art and illustration for a decade and had success with 3D in the last few years, I can totally agree that if you started off as a 3D artist you don't really learn the types of skills necessary for design because of the technical burden 3D tools represent. Working with just a digital canvas and lineart frees you to think about the big picture, which simply doesn't happen on the same level as when making 3D art.
That said, in my experience there's plenty of market for generalists that have both the artistic eye for design, and the technical skill to execute on them in jobs outside of the big studios, and I feel like discouraging artists to develop their designs can be incredibly counterproductive unless you're laser focused on always having someone do that for you. Maybe as a bit of hyperbole I see plenty of artists out there with wonderful technical skills, portfolios that makes jaws drop, and zero ability to work without a team behind them and an art director telling them what to do, so personally I can't see myself specializing to that degree any time soon.
Hopefully as a bit of constructive criticism to @Flippednormals, I've found it strange that with as much professional experience as you have, I've personally found some of the work presented on the channel from a purely design/proportion point of view lacking, which to me indicates the direction the sort of thinking presented in this video will lead to. As an artist working as much on the "what" and the "why" as the "how" I've been able to catch up fairly quickly, because learning the tools themselves have significant diminishing returns compared to learning to develop your eye for design, and as such I'd have to ultimately disagree with this video unless your goal is to work in a large production as quickly as possible.
Amen! Very well put. Also exactly my thoughts watching this channel. Very strange. To me, the stuff presented on this channel seems to lack a lot of things, first and foremost: life. Most stuff is very obviously stiff and you can tell that the author does not have a very good feel for form and geasture other than recreating the stuff he sees by the numbers, like technically sculpting it, without a sense for the life in the subject, the design, the "feel" of the subject. I would argue that those 2d skills like drawing and painting as a basis for developing your design skills are what will get you a long way further ahead in 3d, also when working from other concepts or ref. Without those fundamentals, you can only recreate things, but you cannot capture them. That shows me that you can set yourself apart even as a small fish if you have the discipline and the courage to learn the fundamentals of art...instead of jus being a human copy machine... and thereby, not following the terrible advice in this video. Whats fine for them, is not neccessarily fine for you nor is it law. Jus because someone has worked on harry potter does not put them into an omnipotent point of overview. If you look closely at really good and lifely 3d artists portfolios, you quickly get to notice that they can draw and paint. And most likely, also design their own concepts. 3d is, apart from the technical aspects, as closely tied to the fundamentals as any art form. They are essentially telling people to stop growing as an artist here, very questionable.
Harry Sanders yup. Don’t forget he’s a RUclipsr, real professional artists are creating everyday
Yep, all these RUclips "3D tutorial/advice gurus" always gear their advice and tutorials towards people looking for a job "chopping wood" in some huge studio. Their mindset is that everyone must specialize in something and work as a cog in the machine. Now, if you are concepting entirely in 3D, and don't have the chops in other disciplines, yeah you are going to struggle. But the very title of the video is misleading. There are 3D artists who ARE concepting original stuff, and doing well. Those are the people who end up leading a design team. It's a rarity, and should not be a focus if you are building a portfolio or looking to "break into" a studio, but to say you should not be original, jesus fuck is that short-sighted. Now, I am nowhere near where I should be, but woe to anyone who would tell me that I should not be doing my own concepts. Nothing brings me more joy, than to be able to hash out something that came from my own head, and make it work, regardless of whether or not a finished piece is "marketable", "readable" or "works for a design studio or dev team". It doesn't put food on my table. But seriously, no melodrama here, it literally keeps me alive. I concepted some jewelry for my characters years ago, for an example. Did it on a whim, just having a blast. Done entirely in 3D. It doesn't pay the bills, but I tell you what....... I put some of it in my online store, and people have bought them. People have told me that IRL they would love to have a pair of earrings I concepted. That's worth more to me than some job in a building where I am chopping wood for a production. And I'm not any good at this 3D thing. I'm really only good at one thing: ideas. I'll use any tool available to get an idea visualized. FlippedNormals can go take a leap off a cliff now. I'm done with them.
The problem I see when looking for positions is that the ‘Concept artist’ position is often loaded with requirements for all pipeline skills. Concept art, 3D modelling, sculpting, texturing, rigging, uv mapping, animation, in various different programs from zbrush to maya to max and the whole adobe suite. Sometimes includes ‘advanced knowledge’ of game engines (unity or UE4) and even code! It’s exhausting, confusing and off putting. It often feels like the only people who are hired are prodigies that use their sorcery on all of it. This can’t be the case, yet why do they put these as requirements when you guys say it’s best to be a specialist at one part of the pipeline?
Pretty late to comment, But companies do those obscene requirements that are not even remotely possible for an average human being to achieve in less than 10 years is because, to avoid those novices, fresh outta trashy Art School/Uni spamming the big studios and thinks they are entitled to get a position at those big, ambitious studios and their portfolio is trash and nowhere near perfect, you see building a very high-quality portfolio which gets you a job could take years! Seriously, apply if you think your portfolio is good enough.
It really depends on where you want to go. Your perspective seems entirely from big studios with loads of specialized people. All the companies I've worked with never had or wanted that level of specialization and at least for me I would probably NOT have gotten most of my jobs when I had only shown that I can do only other peoples' work well.
For when you are going to go to a studio where you have to work off concepts from other people - of course you need to be able to do that. And there is no questioning that you need to do it that way and there probably won't be any input from your side if the scale of the whole production is big enough.
I can absolutely understand your perspective from a point of wanting to get into this super specialized industry but I think giving advice in superlatives like "in 99% of all cases" and "the reality is" is really dangerous when you do not specifically state that there exist a lot of other prefessions outside of the high-pay Hollywood and AAA production studios.
What I found to be true for me and maybe (probably) it's not so much for you is: When the result is finished and plausible then after a certain level the majority of people does not care if the design is pretty acurate and good looking or insanely accurate and only doable by a professional who has never done anything else in his life. The 80/20 rule sometimes stings when it comes to wanting to be perfect but outside of the top-tier production studios it's a very real and not even so bad thing. I would never dare to think I can design a period costum piece for a high budget baroque era movie. That's out of my league and I would question the sanity of everybody who'd say that a design of mine looks good for that. But for an indie game where maybe the story is more prominent than being acurate or for a contemporary piece ... sure thing. Not the main characters but the more it goes into the background art or the longer I work on the project and know the style. Why not? I mean - this goes in the direction of fan art - just that you do also get actual feedback on a small team.
Actually the last few sentences are the most important thing in this whole video, I think: Be aware of practicing and producing content for the place you want to be at. Don't do your own concepts if you find them hard to do or if you want to be in a specialized position where it's not demanded. There *is* a world outside of Hollywood and AAA studios, though. And some people find that appealing.
Your 3D portfolio should demonstrate that you can make excellent 3D art, regardless of what it's based on. I do agree that most of the time it's better to model a professional concept artist's work since that is their career focus so it's most likely to give you a better output for your own work. But having your own concepts in there also shows that you have the ability to solve creative problems and have artistic skill.
Point being, don't go to the extreme. You can have 10% of your portfolio be original art. Model what you think will give you the absolute best results.
I haven't finished the video all the way through, but what I'm getting from this is... If you suck at something, don't let it drag down everything else you do. If you want to be specialist at a big studio, don't do that stuff. If you want make something independently, learn everything you can hope for the best.
What I got from the video: There will always be people better than you. So just stop trying.
@@TheCrimson147 I kinda got that too, like I honestly feel a nice middle ground is just time not doing portfolio work to figure out why your designs suck, instead of limiting yourself to what you think you're good at.
I agree with the video. I have been a "Jack-of-all-trades" Freelance Artist for a while and decided to pursue my dream of being a Concept Artist, and came to Montreal, Canada to study the fundamentals. After spending several months to get a good taste of what the skills and knowledge are to be a good Concept Artist, I felt that it would take a pretty long time to master and be really good at. So I decided to return my focus to 3D art or 3D modelling since that's where I had relatively more experience and expertise in. I keep the Concept Art and drawings as a hobby now, where I take breaks from 3D to draw, and when I do I do it without any pressure and just enjoy the drawing. It's been a humbling process for me but for the sake of time and being realistic, I'm strengthening my 3D art skills to build a career as a 3D Artist. For example, I've been practicing digital sculpting and I actually like that a lot, and the possibility is still there to concept sculpt something original and be creative. I realize that being good at Concept Art requires effort, focus and dedication, much like any other job, so if it takes the fun out of it I rather just keep that as a hobby. I still intend to become a good Concept Artist, but not before breaking into the AAA games industry first as a 3D Artist. What are everyone's thoughts on that? Cheers :)
Can't say I agree because as a 3D artist for games, there have been more than a few times where the 3D modeler team have to do the concept on their own. Because there are not enough concepts and the production can't stop just to wait for the concept artists. And I've worked for few studios but what they have in common is that they all have concept/3d artists that can easily do both at any time. So what you say might be how it is on 3D VFX industry, but on 3D game development, i can say that being able to do both will favor you greatly than just being able to do one.
Youre definitely onto something here. Now we aren't saying that concept art isnt a useful skill - it is. Rather, people underestimate how hard it is. Instead of spending a lot of time making sure the design is working, they will throw something quick together and start 3D modeing right away, without understanding that you're rushing the most important part of the project.
If you want to learn concept art and 3D, take both skills seriously, and realize that they are in many aspects *very* different.
I just want to come back to this and say that I had a meeting with a VFX art director and 3d modeller the other day who works on high end TV and films. He works almost exclusively in 3d and so do his concept artists.
He confirmed to me that concept artists can and should be 3d as well... 2d concept artists need to get comfortable with that! It is my own belief that the potential and the possibilities of working in 3d often far surpass what you can achieve in 2d. However they each have their own qualities. Needless to say I am sure there will always be room for both and it shouldn't be one versus the other. People that make videos or comments telling other artists how to work are probably not pushing real boundaries themselves.
Don't be afraid to go against the grain.
It's nice to see opinions like this. I love both 3d and concept art, and actually always thought that 3d concept art is the way to go, even with the possibility of being more time- and cost-efficient than having the 2 roles separated. I anyway don't see much value or excitement in just translating 2d work into 3d... that feels like a boring task for a machine, and I could even see it being automatized in the future if we consider the current state of AI-implementations in various fields. Although ofc maybe concept art could be handled or extended by AI too, but maybe in the farther future.
if all of us thought in this way, there would be no new amazing artists entering the industry every single day, in order to be a master at something, you first need to be a student. if nobody should create because there is always somebody better, then there will always be someone who's better because you will never improve on yourself and what you're struggling with. don't give up on things because some geniuses works are intimidating, take them as a challenge to rise up and meet those standards so that you can be the one inspiring others. the WORST thing you can do as an artist is get swallowed up in the talent of the community, because it will make you feel very small in one second. just focus on yourself, and on your craft. and i PROMISE, you will improve every day and you will get there if you want it enough. experienced or not. you will get there.
Well, in all fairness, you may not require to come up with the designs, but as 3D artist you have to understand them, what makes them work, what details can be interpreted freely, and which has to be strict. And for that purpose practicing your design skills will be useful. Not to mention the fact that it will liberate you from strict guidelines of someone else's designs and will help to understand sculpting and anatomy a bit deeper.
Absolutely! You definitely need to have an eye for design at a certain level, but it's a lot easier to refine a concept than to come up with it.
This is a fair enough topic. As somebody who wanted to be a concept artist when they were younger and be creative, and ended up moving to 3D modeling, sculpting, mainly wanting to do creatures and characters, this is somewhat shaky ground for me to comment on, since I have my obvious biases.
But I think there's inherent value in, as you said, doing stuff on your own on the side. Call me a nerd, but I'm simultaneously a role-player who loves creating his own universes, which in turn are their own stories, and with that comes sort of a drive to get your ideas out on paper, somehow, spending time to extract what's bubbling inside of your head and turn it into something, whether it's writing, a 2D concept or comic, a sculpt, or a game demo. I feel it shows versatility.
But at the same time, as you already argued, a company will look at your value in the production pipeline first and foremost. If you can do a bit of everything, that might be cute and interesting, but not really practically useful for them. Still, even if you do plenty of sculpting, modeling, etc. of you rown concepts, those concepts may not be great, but any practice still helps you grow as an artist. You're not likely to be less capable as a sculpter just because you sculpt based off your own concepts rather than an actual concept artist's designs. I feel like, for anyone who has that nagging creative drive, there might be a solution in the balance.
Either by having a portfolio that consists of meshes made from your own concept as well as others', or by consistently using the concept art of others for inspiration.
Hahahah, i had the same idea xD. "i'm going to be a concept artist", now amb just modelling ahahah
well if you going to do your own stuff they better be good that is thing, unfortunately if it not something amazing like wow, they won t give a shit.It is a business unfortunately.If its for your own personal projects thar is good loolol not to sound harsh
If you want to make money, conform. Non-conformists usually starve and die broke.
Sorry, I completely disagree. As a self-taught technical artist and developer, I have found that 2D skills have greatly increased my ability to execute ideas in 3D. Even if those skills are secondarily translated, such as understanding the importance of value and form through still life studies. Just because someone has studied clothing for 30 years doesn't mean you can't learn the fundamental skills of perspective drawing, value, and color theory. I find it shortsighted to say that just because you have a low chance of becoming excellent at a skill comparatively that said skill should just be left to someone else.
Well said
"Creating original concepts every time you want to do a character...It's super hard to do" - Have you been to Artstation?
I don't get the point you were trying to make
@@keyay1239 it’s not that difficult.
@@jerryatricks4168 Sure creating any original concept may be easy, but creating good, eye catching and memorable original concept isn't
@@keyay1239 To me it sounds like "just focus on scales playing, don't learn orchestration/melody, if you are just the piano interpeter". Who will be better at it? The concept design is the heart of art. I don't believe in artist who doesn't draw.
Honestly, can't fully agree on that. Just because someone did it wrong shouldn't apply the false assumption for everyone else. People nowadays are giving away so much potential of theirs in terms of being specialised on one particular thing.
i'm confused... isn't it a good thing to practice 2d art while keeping up with your 3d one?
The problem is that it's insanely hard to get good at design while doing 3D. If you have 3 years (in uni for instance) to learn 3D, it's impossible to learn concept art and 3D at the same time. It's better to focus on learning proper 3D skills while using existing concept art then.
Your portfolio will be *much* stronger that way.
@@FlippedNormals ooh i see, i saw some people using their 3d art for 2d drawings it can be very useful and way easier and accurate
FlippedNormals true. But learning the software/technical side of modeling aside. A good knowledge of form / anatomy is essential to gain speed and quality in your models.
So drawing and sketching is essential to hit the top as a 3d artist.
But you don’t need to be good at the design part in concept art.
Just be good in using the 3d tools and good in reading a 2D concept design so you can translate it as best into 3d
rOCkIz yes. But often it’s very basic 3d.
Modeling for production 3d vs 3d modeling for preproduction viz dev is Teo tracks. They share things but are still very different
@@litjellyfish Yes, but here they are talking about pure concept art. I did my fial degree project, trying to create a concept for a character on 3D. I'm never going to do that again ahahah. I like the face and some things but it has a lack of personality.
I found this very encouraging, because I feel like I'm not original enough by today's standard.
This originality takes a lot of time to create, and it's great to know that it's not immediately required to be a 3D professional.
There is no such thing as originality, just artists that are great at stealing and adapting to what they want/need
Oh boi. Alright. If you're trying to enter the industry (especially Film) it is safer to just focus on the 3D recreation aspect to get into the industry. I'm a hard surface artist so I'll talk from that side.
1. Recreating someones concept in 3D is relatively easy and gets boring quickly in my opinion, you can get great at that in 3 years( that'll probably trigger someone haha), after that you'll want to do something else, as an artist it is suffocating to be stuck to recreating other peoples designs at least for me.
2. This only allows concept artists to handle design, there is no correlation between technical hand skill and you're ability to design well, it shouldn't be only them that get that chance. Not all people who can draw are good at design and vice versa. If you know vitaly bulgarov or Alex Senechal you know what I'm talking about.
3. I'm new to the industry I worked at an advertising VFX company in London and they hired me specifically because of my own futuristic designs in 3D, that was my first job freelance and I designed everything and it went straight to production (i.e also me because I was the modeller) from a business perspective they don''t need to pay a concept guy AND me, they just paid me lol
4. I've now worked at Ubisoft for 1.5 years now and I have worked from only 1 concept in that time and even then it had some changes I implemented myself. Otherwise they know I can design in 3D well enough that its faster to iterate directly so they trust me with that and the only reason they know that is BECAUSE I specifically ignored this advice (which my lecturers also repeated) and I worked at concepting AND posted it publically.
4. The Artstation challenge, Vehicles of the Future was specifically no 2D, no photobashing pure 3D AND it has to be original Design. That criteria for me was perfect BECAUSE i design in 3D. I saw production artists run into a wall, they don't exercise their design muscles because they spend all their time recreating other peoples work, with no concept guidance, they're lost. I personally I couldn't be like that as its too dependent on a random persons work being present.
My advice, 3 straight years is long enough that you should be able to model anything from concept. After that learn to design your own stuff if you want to. It's very hard yes, its harder than modelling in fact but if you really want to be good you'll do what it takes.
@@cyl3656 No problem :)
BaM! Glad to hear that perspective, exactly what I assumed and how I also feel. Design skills are not obsolete jus because your medium is 3d or 2d. Its what it takes. Being an artist means learning and training these things, and a lack of this knowledge can show, even if you recreate others work. All your points are extremely valid. Ignoring the advice in this video is probably the most benificial thing you can take away from it.
Hey, can you recommend any good books or materials on design in general? I always find it difficult to find good information on general theory for design. It's always designing robots, or designing creatures, or designing vehicles etc. It's always way too specific. I consider myself a pretty good 3d modeler, but right now I want to go beyond other people's concepts as you said. I am also learning lighting, rendering an generally good presentation as I am lacking in those areas as well. Any guidance will be greatly appreciated! :)
@@mariorad529 Hey Mario, Nowadays most of it it is observation and studying, however I was taught directly by a mentor over the last 4 years and luckily he made a proper tutorial
gumroad.com/l/visualdesign
Its $16 but more than worth it and its what he manually taught me over 2 years accumulated lol
This is great for introducing the vocabulary of design language, it allows you to frame and understand why we like things do or do not work based on the way the brain works. Once you understand the fundamentals inside out you can break those rules of course but its a great foundation. And its applicable to everything, nature, hard surface a spoon, characters, it doesn't matter.
More sources and books:
I'm still to finish these but these are the main ones I've heard about
www.amazon.co.uk/Universal-Principles-Design-Revised-Updated/dp/1592535879
www.amazon.com/Architecture-Francis-D-K-Ching/dp/0471752169/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1506898002&sr=8-2&keywords=form+space+order
autodestructdigital.blogspot.com/2011/10/find-design.html
Hope that helps :)
Rjeeez 95 Next year I’ll goin to college i dont know how to draw like zero drawin skill(haven’t tried or given it time) but i like the idea of being a part of makin a game and i kanda liked 3D modeling (my first thought was i do both like coming up wit original characters ect. But then i saw this video and learned that there is actually ppl for that. So know should i go to concept art although i like the 3D modeling bcz i want to do both, and since you did both. Why cant i just make a character in 3D directly? Thank you in advice
I am just getting started in 3D stuff and I find it really hard to come up with my own "original" ideas cz I don't have strong drawing skills so I went into ArtStation, pick some concepts I like, then mix what I like of each and BOOM there's a new concept. I'm not that good though, yet, but it's better to make something based on something already made instead of learning drawing first, then come up with ideas, sketch, concept art, etc. If you're a beginner like me, be smart about it. If you're gonna post on any social media always reference the original artwork, even if it's 10 images, give credit to the author
This video was a surprise from these guys who usually have great content... The problem with this argument is that without showing any original concept in your portfolio and replicating only what exists, it is entirely possible to hide the lacking of imagination and sense of anesthetics, proportion, and so many important things required to be an artist. The true mastery of the techniques are exhibited when they are used in an effort to realize and implement new ideas, which is why major breakthrough feature production by places like ILM and PIXAR often also involve inventions of new technologies. It takes much more effort, proficiency and creativity to utilize the same techniques for original and new ideas, and that is why the portfolios which show original concepts stand out and shine from the sea of sameness. In music, there is only so much distance you can travel as a cover band, no matter how closely you can play the tunes. To be able deliver value as as an artist while making a living in any field of art, you need good chops as well as a clear identity.
That last story about hiring the Star Wars guy reminds me of the fella who did an awesome Cyberpunk level in Unreal Engine and got hired by Cyberpunk 2077 because the developers saw his work.
Well, imo, if you want to be a cog in a machine go for it. And be great at it as well!
In the future though, i believe creativity and originality will be the things people look for along with the technical skills.
well said
It doesn't matter whether you're concept artist or 3D artist. If you're not a director or producer, you'll end up like a "cog" anyway.
@@qwarybatrad9142 that's not the most optimistic outlook, there's plenty of examples of people that dont have to act like they're just cogs, especially in indie dev teams. The game i work on allows me to experiment with a lot of different creative tasks, and many other workers in indie or even medium sized studios do the same. I would agree though that when you get into larger game dev companies like EA or Blizzard you become pretty expendable.
@@qwarybatrad9142 Its far easier becoming a lead artist when you have creative skills along with technical (be a good sculptor) rather than someone who can only sculpt but has zero creative vision.
Well said
The best I could say is if you could do concept art then sure go ahead but make sure you know those stuff. Concept Art needs a lots of brainstorming and solid foundation of anatomy, perspective, color theory and what not. So make sure it looks good because a good 3D asset isn't any different from bad asset if the concept is crap.
I feel like this topic could be very interesting and you made some good points, my beef with it is that it's very unstructured and seems more like a podcast in format than a real video trying to make a point and justify said points. the fact that there's a clickbaity title and thumbnail really doesn't help either.
Other than that your points seem overly generalized, I can think of plenty of artists that are extremely good in both 3D and 2D, and those skills more often than not compliment eachother. Kai Lim and Ben Mauro are two examples off the top of my head.
Not only that but if you're only ever going to focus on copying concept art as a 3d artist, you're not going to enjoy your job for very long if at all. Maybe some people can see themselves doing that for most of their life, personally, I wouldn't last a week.
As I read the comments I just can't believe how many ppl actually misunderstood the video. They don't say: " You can't do both things, you should choose only one ", what they are saying is that in studios everyone has a particular job, your job can be a 3D modeler, a illustratior, a concept artist, an animater, etc etc. You are not only going to do your work faster but you will produce a much better quality piece for the time your director gave you than if you had to do multiple things by yourself. The opportunity of having only one job ( lets say sculpting ) helps you do it on 100% and its a lot easier for everyone when they don't have to think for multiple tasks at once.
On the other hand if you are a freelance artist or even if you work in studio, when you work on your own projects its even better if you can make everything by yourself. In my opinion to be creative and come up with good concepts and be able to sculp and render everything afterwards would be amazing but its just not the kind of work that would get you hired in a studio and that's what ppl dont understand that the studio will hire you becz you can be usefull for THEIR project not so you could make whatever you want and start making a whole new movie or game becz you wanted.
No offense to anyone but I think that only half of the ppl understood what Flipped Normals said and thats due to the reason most ppl want to believe they are some kind of prodigies and can be better than everyone in everything but they probably just haven't realised the harsh truth of reality. Sure there are ppl who can be very good at all this stuff ( concept art , illustrations, sculpting, animating, etc etc ) but they are rarer and surely don't waste their time BSing in the comments and talking how mighty and incredible they are.
Anyway, everyone can decide for themselves whether they want to listen to the words of a random guy or no. Just wanted to share my thoughts on the subject.
P.S. awesome video and ty for sharing your advices with us
That's absolutely spot on! Thanks a lot for your comment. This is exactly what we wanted to convey.
Really interesting subject. But I think it really depends of the company. And I think the best solution, in order to have higher chances to have a job is to do both. And By that I'm not saying to show how to do "concept art" but showing you can come with ideas to make original characters of your own. You can do rough sketches in Zbrush, basic blocking out etc...to get an idea and try multiple designs etc...a lot of 3D artist do that. And I think it's much more faster this way and you can at the same time see if your design actually work well in 3D. So having like 2 pieces that show you can come up with original ideas and 2 other pieces where you show that you can translate 2D concepts EXACTLY in 3D should be good.
...unless you're a solo indie game dev and your go-to fiverr concept artists all just figured they're too good for the world and increased their prices by 3x
Love it when the duo breaks down how things are done in industry/how to get in. I just did a studio tour of The Mill, Framestore, and Carbon this past weekend and pretty much everything you guys said is what the artist there said, especially the senior artist
You are talking when you work in like the big studios with 100+ people working on the same projects.
It's like saying: if you know how to handle a paintbrush DON'T design your own paintings. Only paint others people's sketches... It's silly to push as a general concept, even though it's true in some cases.
Basically having primary, secondary and tertiary skills. It is completely fine learning other things but picking what to concentrate on and sticking to it is important.
If... you can get into a studio and work for blockbusters and stuff, sure. But it's a little more realistic to say that most people who are learning 3d on youtube will get to work for indie games at best (or at first) where the budget doesn't allow to get a specialist for everything in which case being able to do multiple things on a fairly good level can serve you better than being god level good at one thing. Like ok sure dream big but it can get very pricey to bet on just one horse for someone merely starting out, I think it's a better idea to specialize after you've already secured something for yourself and know that you have the will and mental fortitude to take that one skill very far. Unless you can comfortably afford falling flat on your face of course.
I think this video caught the attention of many people who don't quite understand the full scope of what concept art is. Anyone who wants a better understanding should watch some Trent Kaniuga or FZD School (specifically) to get a better understanding.
It's one thing to use reference and to model generic assets in order to showcase your skills. Thousands of bookcases are at your disposal on Google Images. If thats all you need, and it needs to be basic and lacking of any story.. you don't need concept art. But I would argue the best way to showcase the full range of your skillset is to model lived in environments, or story driven elements. And trust me, there is likely not enough time in the day for you to plan that all out and then also model on top of that... and if you are lacking all the knowledge concept art requires, it probably won't be that good of a design. Its like trying to manufacture furniture without an industrial designer. There are tons of concept artists on Art Station who would probably be happy to let you model their personal concept art and use the model in your portfolio.
This video speaks volume.. to all artist out there that are literally starting drawing/molding from scratch..learn the concept of making a human anatomy 1st. I started from scratch (knowing little to nothing) and 6months passed and now I'm actually familiarizing myself with the fundimentals. I work on Zbrush 7 days a week for about 6-8hrs after work and its paying off...I'm beginning to appreciate not only Zbrush but Flipped Normals...because there putting out content that actually gives a student that push they need. Amazing video guys💪🏽💪🏾
I absolutly disagree with this video. Yes, certainly, if you only do 3d, you will increase your technicals skills, but your creativity, your sensitivity will disappears and you will only be a technical machine. It depend what you want to do after. At Framestore, and in a lot of studios, you have technical AND artistic supervisors, and when you draw, because it is really harder sometimes, you give more attention to some details, and more important, you understand why. As anatomy, you have to understand how things work, what in some details or ambiance give emotions, what is the essence which gives you feeling this thing is a pleasure to see. For me, draw gives the opportunity to focus an artistic eye essential to your personal deveolpment and to keep pleasure to work.
I think they r refering the more advanced theories of concepting and designing, I dont believe they would disregard doing lifedrawing or classical anatomy studies.
In the industry, you have to specialize in a role. If you're capable of successfully translating existing designs into 2D, then you'll be a great fit for 8t
We've both done life drawing, sculpting and painting.
But, those were done in order to support our 3d work, not in order to pursue it as a career.
Doing these additional tasks can really help elevate your 3d game
@@FlippedNormals then why did you make a whole video effectively telling people not to? You may not see it that way, but more than enough people are.
James Oden it’s a shame so many people are misunderstanding the video. They are talking about concept art. Not traditional 2D skills as a whole. There’s a big difference.
this just illustrates the differences between a "3D artist" and a "3D technician" ... any 3D artist should first understand the underlying principles of art itself, to fully realise their potential ...
you want to learn how to translate a design into 3D ? ... then first you must understand how translate a design from your mind ...
you want to learn 3D sculpting ? ... cool, start by using clay, or drawing a picture, it's the exact same processes ...
creativity is not a 9 to 5 job ... if it is, your doing it for the wrong reasons
Indeed
You just made me aware of the existence of concept artist. I went and google a bit about what concept art entails. Good to know because now that I see sometimes what I was looking for was a concept artist. As layman, was not aware of this separation. Very educational.
This is really subjective. If you contact blizzard they'll tell you they don't want non-blizzard style. If you are in a big company, you're specialist. If you are in a smaller company they will want you to be versatile - I was producing 3D content for games in the studio all the time, then some days I'd be on concept art. The problem with these types of opinions is that they're sold as gospel, which they are just another opinion of someones experience while they were in a few studios. It completely depends where you work. Big companies have segmented workflow. Work in a game studio of 40 and things are completely different, work in 300 and you're specialism is obviously what you're going for.
One thing I can also think of is that by using other people's concept art you force yourself to be exposed to good standards of concept art, in turn improving your own ability.
i disagree , if u have desire to do it - go for it. If u draw your concept you doing "precalculation" what u really want in 3d model. If you have good drawning skills YOU SHOULD DO your own concepts - and expand your character design there as much as you can - draw poses, face exepressions, focus on strong shapes taht u want to keep in 3d. SO yea DO YOUR OWN CONCEPTS .
Needed to hear this. 100%. Thanks gents. When i get hired youll be a big reason why. Thanks again
Very useful topic. I've done a few models and hand-painted textures and I wanted to come up with my own concepts, but hearing this discussion made me realize that, if I really want to pursue that 3D career, I should really just use other people's concepts. Thanks for the video!
We're really happy it helps! Doing your own concepts is so much fun, but your portfolio will most likely be better if you base it of existing art.
James Cameron did the OG concept art for the Terminator. Look it up its damn near exactly what ended up on screen and it had to be built by hand.
James Cameron and Ridley Scott are two of my "go-to"s when it comes to concepting. Those people have vision, and they LEAD. It's a huge gamble choosing not to be a cog in a machine, but damnit the payoff is ENORMOUS if you end up making it.
Ok, but what about if you want to create models to sell it on microstocks? Don't you have to come up your own stuff?
I get what you guys are saying in this video, it's good advice for people looking for jobs, and to be disciplined working with a studio, and to be a good employee.
But to become an ARTIST, you gotta come up with ideas and execute it yourself, with artistic ownership, even if it's BAD, it's art and it's YOURS.
It's not an attack on being a 3D specialist, it's just that this is not a rule and you should use what they said according to your intention in life.
I had a long, winded argument with my friend about this. "But it's so boring to model other people stuff", I see his point, but as a 3D artist you get hired to translate concept into 3D. Yes, one day you can do your own concepts in 3D, even now and then in your free time for fun, or when you're I dont know, Raph Grassetti? You learn so much when you model from concepts!
I agree and disagree. If the design is bad then yes you can end up having a model that while faithful may be lacking in proportions or appeal. But if you have a concept and can execute(adjust the 2d/3D issues to suit) I think you should try but maybe not have all exclusive in your portfolio
This whole topic is one of my main issues with my current school (yeah i know school is a waste but I'm almost done so quitting now is kinda stupid). "Hey you wanna be an animator? Just go ahead and make your own concept, model it, texture it and rig it."
Thats exactly what we're talking about - if you want to be an animator, it's a complete waste of time to design, rig and model your character. Just animate as much as you can!
if you look at 3D as just a recreating something with a technical method. sure. if you look at 3D as an artistic process, I think understanding the conceptart is as important as just recreating it without knowing whats going on. for sure as a 3d artist its an addition and not the right focus when you still learning the basic 3d techniques. But I think "don't do" is as much of a limitation to the own skillset as losing focus on the technical study. be aware, but don't ignore
It's really a question of how much cake can you comfortably eat if the mission is to finish it all. You have cakes at parties, and only if the cake is plentiful or there are only a few of you do you indulge, otherwise you share.
Really, the description should read... You shouldn't use your own original concept art if you want to get a job as a 3D artist *in a large machine where your vision wont be (anywhere near fully) your own.
Can you play in other peoples sand pits? Even if it is unlikely to ever be your sandpit?
If you want your own sandpit, then don't lose focus of that... but being part of a machine requires the suppression of your ego somewhat.. otherwise you come off as a better than thou, big I am type... but maybe you just have something to say. Who knows, it's just how it is.
So it isn't a golden rule, it's a practical one for getting a job in a medium to large studio. Do not stop pursuing your own vision, or expanding your skill set. You may be better at something else and you never realised until you tried it. Set goals or personal projects which require both skills you have and skills you don't. It'll be rewarding, difficult, interesting and expanding.
Sorry if this post is a bit metaphorical and filled with cake and sand.
Very good! Good Cake and Sand!
Summation of this video: Be a copyist not a creator, be a technician not an artist, be a follower not a leader. What a dispiriting and utilitarian message to be giving to the world.
Thanks, i thought i was alone seeing it as drastically as that. I find this video really disturbing.
A cog in a machine, be a cog in a machine...
the idea is horrifying
I find this topic incredibly familiar, although character design and developing my skills as a character artist tends to be my priority, when it comes to modeling, it's night and day between pieces based on reference art and your own designs, as you guys said, the amount of focus put only on modeling/sculpting shines better when the design is all just solve perfectly. The struggle of spending a lot of time in a piece of your own design is so much bigger that leads to frustration usually blaming your skill level and putting a bigger burden. As a wise mustachioed man once said " NEVER HALF ASS TWO THINGS, WHOLE ASS ONE"
Thats it!
I know exactly what you're talking about.
Doing 3D art when you don't know exactly what the final design is supposed to be is nothing short of a NIGHTMARE.
I'm spending months doing something a completely distinct department was supposed to.
Thats it!
You can't really call yourself an artist if what you're doing is just 3Difying someone else's creative work. If you do that, you're a 3D specialist, generalist or polygon pusher, you're not an artist....
If you want more creative freedom work at smaller studio's, or for yourself. You could have added this difference.
That!
People in this comment section have to understand that not making their own concept art doesn't mean they can't sculpt their own design.
Most of senior 3D artists I know have high end jobs in studios and they still do amazing personal art in their free time. You can even find a concept art and making it way better in 3D, that doesn't mean the art is not yours. You did all the design work, 3D art is not just translating 2D, it is a completely different language.
I'm making my own solo video game so I have to do both. This channel has helped me a lot so far. Thank you
The only way I could agree with the title of this video is if it were a matter of education. If you come up with your own concepts you are much more likely to design within the constraints of what you are currently capable of. If someone else designs the concept it could force you to use new techniques or collaborate with people you may not normally work with.
Your argument applies to practically all specialties in this industry. My specialty is visual effect (skill/ability fx to be specific), most of the time I am not required to draft the fx concept from scratch, but someone else, maybe the art director or the game planer draft a short storyboard with the necessary references for all the related staff, me the fx artist, the modeller, the rig animator and the camera animator. All I am asked to do is make the vfx dynamic, exciting, just look professional.
I have 2 types of personal works,
1.- the speed personal works those one were the concept is already exist and it's super fast to do cuz I'm not breaking my head tryng to do something original and is a peace that i can put on my demoreel in a short time.
2.- the long and expensive time works were I do the concept and try to improve some areas like lighting or grooming.
So i understood the point, I don't why are so, SOOO many people get mad on the comments, It's not personal, it's a good advice that we can take if we don't have the time to do a personal peace for a new demo.
Don't smaller companies tend to have people that do everything because they can't afford hiring one specialist for each area?
Yes exactly - also the jobs they do are less complex, meaning you dont have to be that specialized to do the job.
well, back in school when we learned different topics so we can have rich general knowledge... the benefits of this ‘useless’ knowledge is the capacity to learn new skills faster so if you want you can be good character designer and 3d artists at the same time, also it’s personal choice to not seek new information and ways to improve yourself faster even if you are pro... because it doesn’t matter if you have years of experience if you don’t work actively to improve your skills
Your channel is really influenced by capitalism.
Hey, everyone in the comment section, do whatever you like : if you want to turn your own concept art into 3D, go for it and have fun !
My teacher has said the same, from my understanding it comes from a deep respect for the concept artists, their education and their very different skill set. It's like asking a concept artist to learn 3D without understanding the complexities of it. (The whole pipline). While you can technically get education for both, dong one without learning the other demeans the value of each field and their disciplines. That to do both at once lacks focus. If you concept your work work it will take significantly longer and you can't look at it objectively as easily. With that said, I mean it's just general advice. No one is actually stopping you. He's only talking about this when it comes to work.
At the game studio where I work, I tend to pass on portfolios that don't demonstrate design skills or creative problem solving by showing at least one or two models featuring original designs. But I need 3D artists who can work with limited or no concept support, which is rare when working in a film environment. So this really depends on where you want to work and what you want to do. What's in your portfolio will determine the kind of work you're hired for.
I always make concepts for my 3d. Mainly with pencils and charcoal, after that Digital. I think the only problem with this is that 3d is much more easier than concepting
I've been told that apparently, clients do like when their 2D artists have some knowledge of 3D. Would this just be so it's easier to communicate with the 3D artists?
I'd imagine it's so that the 2D artist has a better understanding of what a 3D artist needs to do their job? I've found there are certain headaches when a concept art doesn't show all of the character or objects, or if a concept looks cool but couldn't actually function in real life(ie a metal arm that wouldn't believably be able to move).
Especially for mechanical stuff it's much preferred to have at least a 3d blockout as a base - I've had to work on too many damn concepts outsourced to M.C. Escher, apparently. Love trying to make shapes that literally defy logic.
Part of the Concept Artist job description is specifically to design things that can be translated into 3D, which is among the many reasons that it's a difficult job: You need to know and understand a lot of shit to do a functional design. Thinking forward. A 3D artist thinking about design is just moving backwards in the pipeline, which is not helpful.
Great video as usual guys!! as an aspiring artist, these videos are beyond useful!!
This is one of those things where I know I should follow this advice, but I'm so good that I don't need to listen, except that everyone thinks that way and like most people think they are good drivers, we can't all be creative geniuses. I'm the exception of course, a creative genius AND a great driver. Except what if I'm not....
So a 3D modeler shouldn't learn how to do concept art?
I see what you mean now. However,I am going to create my own concept and studying ahead of the process can benefit me.
I guess a cool idea could be having a pair of artists one concept student, the other 3D student which then use each others work as a way to improve, find inspiration and at the same time maybe even create a universe together that way.
I have big issues with this. I love making concept art. It puts my thoughts where they need to be to start modelling. The whole idea of "it has to be unique" is total rubbish. EVERY top notch artist will use reference material. It doesnt just pop up in your head. You need ideas, to kickstart your brain in coming up with something. Simply said, you need inspiration. And that means going out and explore. Kids today cant come up with ideas because they sit behind the computer full time trying to come up with something. Youd be surprised what a little sunshine can do. Why would i model something someone else made?? Id feel like an employee of myself. Part of the fun is the imagination. If someone else comes up with a concept, it doesnt mean my model will be more unique, it means that someone else made it and i didnt!
Good talk, agree 100%.
Even if you are equally good at 3D and concept (which you likely aren't) junior 3D+junior concept are still worse than junior 3D+senior concept. So if you are building your portfolio to land a job as a 3D-artist why not increase your chances and work from a concept by an experienced professional?
Doesn't mean that studying design, composition, color theory etc etc isn't of great value regardless of which art field you are pursuing a career in. It's just the simple fact that your are not as good as a pro at it and it will show and hurt your portfolio.
lol I'm a 3D concept designer, what do?
good question
Where can you find royalty free drawings with side, front and back view to model?
This reminds me of game of thrones when the directors tried to play the role of writers which they couldn't possibly compete against a professional writer in, especially like George Martin so the whole thing went down catastrophically and remains to this day as one of the worst artistic decision ever
You just have to get your mind set on a character based on things outside of the character ie world setting, money, job title, education, age and function in the world, stroy or plot, etc, unless you have the perfect one in mind. Those characters are usually more affecting their environment than the other way around ( this is personality I mean). A little heads up; that perfect character you already have in mind, sometimes works best as a support character instead of the main character.
On this I completely disagree. I started my artist journey as a 2d artist making my own characters. When I went to 3d, the 2d skills a had really helped when constructing my characters. Granted I started modeling other people's characters but when I got better, I started making my own characters from my own conceptsarms have had those modeled critiqued by professionals in the industry and they told me that the models were great (obviously they weren't perfect but what is). I agree with what your saying if your strictly talking about a production environment then yes. Do the job that is assigned to you. But as a modeler period I think it's important to create your own designs and see them through
Omg how did you guys know my struggle right now? I feel like I can do anything but end up doing nothing. I studied 3D animation then I tried learning concepting using youtube cause I don't want trouble, I tried mastering my drawing skill/2D animation since I'm not getting accepted in 2D company and 3D company/studio in my country is rare or just a myth, I tried learning 5 programming language in youtube Phyton, C#, C++, Mel, and Vex to learn pirated software like houdini and unity ended up scratching the surface of Phyton, and then came to conclusion that I should start in humble beginning and create a simple character portfolio but I only have old pirated version of zbrush and maya which my last friend gave me I only have internet on my phone heck there's no point to study sculpting custume when there is Marvelous Designer. Glad there's software called Blender that runs smoothly in my potato laptop and RUclips channels like Flip Normals exist. Don't go in this path on your own it's really hard
You can use your phone as a modem for your computer.
@@DavidBoura thanks I have tried it before it will work until my cute ammount of limited data and money runs out. Glad they have promo of 1Gb everyday for youtube only so I can watch tutorials everyday
2D are good as inspiration and experimentation of style, vision, and creativity, 3D are good for executing that vision consistently, accurately, and repeatedly.
not good advice. it may cause some people to think they shouldn't learn 2d art or concept design because they are 3d artists, while the more you know about 2d art the better you get as a 3d artist
I have to do other's concepts. Though I can draw, I don't want to design my own concepts. It's wasting valuable time especially since i love 3d more than 2d.I think of it this way, designing own concept and model is 2x the time and work when I should focus on getting better at 3d.
@FlippedNormals On a film what sort of art work are you typically given to work from to model a creature? As you say the design is already locked down so I assume you get more than just sketches to work from? I saw on a video that the modellers on Lord of The Rings worked from scans of physical models, with the advent of things like Zbrush is that still the case? Your videos are super helpful by the way! Thanks very much! :)
To be fair though one can not be considered a 3D artist if he puts together other people's concepts. Do that and you are 3D modeler or a 3D sculptor, more of a craftsman (nothing wrong about it). The 'artist' is supposed to put forward his own vision and ideas on his work.
I sometimes use 3D to aid illustration and character design and I use character design and illustration to work out problems in 3D. I agree that it's better to focus more on one, but they are complementary skills. BTW, the full quote is, "A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one." B-)~
Loved and agree with "but oftentimes better than a master of one.", never heard of that one before :)
it's not the same with 3D specialization. 2D Illustrators can really improve their workflow with 3D tools, but it's not exactly the same the other way around
I was struggling modeling and texturing characters, because the provided concept design was just the start. I mean, 10 pixels defined a robotic joint, and you still had to interpret the form. Also I had to come up with the back of sci-fi costumes all by myself.
So maybe in top studios the concept is as detailed there's no room for interpretation.
So I am really confused hearing this opinion, as it contradicts my own experience.
But I would draw not to compete with concept designers, but to improve the modeling. I still know I can't beat those specialists. Still, having some artistic vision is great, and it's a bad soldier who doesn't want to be the general.
Also, being a concept designer what actually is? Knowing proportions, anatomy is a part of it? As it is a prerequisite for character modelers, as well as clothes comprehension. So I'm kind of sceptical on this, I think one still needs to know the basics of concept design, just not being as good as specialist concept designer. Still, many top modelers are good at drawing.
About being the jack of all trades, I think it's a matter where to stop your collateral knowledge. Learning basic rigging and skinning gave me more understanding of topology in weeks than studying it abstractly for months.
Actually being a good specialist involves knowledge of complementary skills. You just don't have to be that good as the specialists.
But I agree: being able to interpret someone else concept is already a good enough level, but it also requires a ton of concept design understanding.
If there's a bad 3d artist, usually he gets an advice to draw a lot to become better. I think it depends where to stop, and not getting too far. I don't know, I hate the idea of not drawing at all.
Also, you didn't touch the value of artistic education. if someone has it, he will have a huge advantage over those modelers, who don't. Would you advise for a modeler, not knowing how to draw, not to learn it?
About that teacher, who knows costumes of different eras, of course there are specialists in each field. But it doesn't mean movies are always created to realistically depict stuff. And lots of things don't exist at all.
Many of you guys are missing the point. Most 3d artists are not concpet/designers. I can tell you that I struggle with the concept phase because I am not a designer, if you give me something to create I can do it...that's the point with this video. If you put together a model based off a bad concept...it's gonna look bad in your portfolio compared to modeling something that a designer/concept artist did (since that is their specialty).
Concepts Artist use 3D, learning to draw can enhance your hand eye co-ordination and help develop an artists' eye if you're a 3D Artist, in the end don't get attached to them if you're working in a team. And see where your energy is going. Are you a 3D artist spending 40% of your time concepting and drawing? Then you're not just a 3D artist. Nothing wrong, it's great, but you'll take longer to master both together, you will miss out on the momentum factor of growth, it would take more time and energy. Don't listen to anyone if you love both and you're committed to go the extra mile, this is for the exceptions out there. If you wanna do something bigger than a job, learn relentlessly with clear intention on what you wanna create and what you wanna master. People often end up not getting good at both because of the less time and energy spent. Not because it's impossible. target 25,000 hours (extra 5000 hours because of the momentum factor and you're developing a hybrid skill)
Don't agree at all. Not everyone follows the same path. I started as a traditional / 2d / Concept Artist before learning 3d and I very much do my own concepts. Yes, it's a separate profession/discipline but there are some people who excel at multiple disciplines and don't have to "specialise".
I always feel so weird looking for concepts online. I know its not helping me, and it slows down portfolio piece production significantly(cause of the amount of stuff that goes out into the garbage is crazy), but the idea of taking someones concept and making it 3d with my name on it outside a professional environment always feels so weird(even though I give credit). To make things worse, at this point I'm not even sure how to approach a concept artist for this.
Its something that has to change though. I'm wasting too much time. For example, my current project, something that if I just worked through should have taken a week or two, has grown into a month long project because I keep going back in to change small things... I'm wasting way too much time, and while I like what I make(usually) I need a job.
Contacting them over email or artstation is great. Something like:
"Hey, Im a 3D artist and I love your concept art! I'd love to use 'piece A' as the base for a portfolio piece, with your permission. I'll give you full credit, naturally.'
I message the artist on artstation/Instagram and introduce myself, let them know how much I love their piece (I usually mention something about it so it’s obvious I didn’t just copy and paste it to a bunch of people), and ask if they would be alright with me sculpting it in 3D. I credit them, link to them, etc and so far everyone I’ve contacted has been excited to see it and very supportive.
What if you are both a professional concept artist AND a professional 3D artist... then you're basically "allowed" to make fully your own stuff right?
I am the revrse side I can do concept above indermediate but cant do 3d that production level . Wanted to but getting really high level one of them takes so much time like years. Trying to be both becomes pointles. I don't have that much time unfortunately. Also retopology unwrapping and texturing takes so much time to learn and do. But I wont give up learning 3d at the side slowly.