Concept art is a form of illustration which is used to present the idea or message in movies, games, animation and other before the idea is put into the final product. Concept art should not be mixed with conceptual art. It takes a lot of time and effort to create a work of concept art. For those of you who are not familiar with the term concept art, in the following paragraphs, we will try to explain what concept art is, we will tell you something about its purpose and history, and finally, we will explain the differences between concept art and illustration.

CONCEPT ART: DEFINITION AND PURPOSE

As we mentioned before, concept art is a part of a bigger production. It is a form of illustration which has the aim of presenting the bigger picture, of presenting the idea before the idea is put into production. For example, before making a dragon in the movie, a concept artist needs to draw many dragons. He or she first draws some rough sketches of a few concepts, then does some shading, and finally, the whole team opts for one concept which will be created and placed into a movie. It is a slow step. A lot of concepts are made, and a lot of drawing has to be done before choosing one solution.

Concept art is done in order to save money and time. Imagine if all the animations were done based on the first sketch. A lot of changes would have to be made, which would waste a lot of money. For that reason, all the changes have to be done before the final product.

HISTORY

Disney company used the term ‘concept art’ for the first time in order to define a person who draws a person or thing that does not exist but it will exist in the future. In the 1930s, when the term originated, concept artists were attached only to the movie industry. However, nowadays concept art can be found in the video game industry and animation as well.

ILLUSTRATION VS. CONCEPT ART

Even though concept art and illustration have a lot in common, there are some crucial differences between the two. The quality and technique of illustration are almost the same as the technique and quality of concept art. However, the two differ in their purpose. The purpose of the illustrator is to create a precise and amazing work of art. However, the purpose of the concept artist is to explore the ideas and convey them properly in order to make them fit the bigger picture.

We hope that we helped you learn more about concept art and that now you will enjoy it even more.