One of the many reasons I love working at MLC is that I’m surrounded by amazingly talented people every day. Ask anyone who has ever played Pictionary with me and they’ll confirm, I am useless at art!
However, I’m fascinated by beautiful artwork and the process behind creating it. The role of concept art is invaluable for most game devs, whilst others use it less.
This is why I wanted to discover more about it, and why it is such an important step in game design.
Our senior 2D artist, Ludmila, gave me the lowdown on the vital role concept art plays in game design. It’s a bit different from what you might expect if you’re thinking of the world of traditional art academia. So, let’s start by clearing that up. This isn’t about conceptualism in the fine art sense; it’s about bringing the game’s creative vision to life.
Concept Art: More Than Just a Sketch
In the world of game development, ideas can come from anyone on the team, but not everyone (ahem, Hannah 🙋🏼♀️) has the artistic skills to turn their ideas into a visual reality. That’s where concept art comes in, it’s about making those initial ideas visible to the rest of the team.
It’s not just about “what will it look like?” but also “how will it feel?” Is it grounded in realism? Are we transporting players to a fantasy world? Or should it make players feel like they’re on the edge of their seat?
The Role of the Art Director
Generally, the Art Director guides the team in answering these questions. Each artist contributes their interpretation, often with multiple options from their own point of view. Once these concepts are on the table, the Art Director picks the style that best matches the project’s vision. From there, it moves through the pipeline – linework, colouring, and final rendering, with plenty of feedback along the way to make sure it hits the right mark.
Ludmila mentioned that every part of game development has its own importance, coming from her perspective as a gamer. The way a game is received, how it can be improved, and what kinds of players are willing to pay for it all tie back to the art. She explained it like this; think of game development as having mechanical parts (control), automatic parts (code), insertion parts (music), and inception parts (art). The art, in particular, is where players get hooked. It’s the artist’s job to help create a world that feels real, even if it’s entirely fictional.
What Makes Concept Art So Important?
Concept art gives game developers a way to capture a moment of the story or gameplay with a single image, transforming a loose idea into something tangible. That initial artwork doesn’t just sit on the side, it sparks discussions about mood, tone, and the overall feel of the game. It’s what ensures everyone on the team is working towards the same vision. Ultimately, concept art serves as the foundation for the game’s style guide. This covers everything from colour palettes, to the time of day in key scenes, and trust me, that’s just scratching the surface.
Concept art covers everything: environments, characters, props, and slice-of-life sketches. Sometimes, it may take a backseat to other development processes, but it’s an essential step that allows the team to explore all the creative possibilities. Playing with these ideas takes time, brainstorming, and research, but when it’s done right, it unites the entire team and shapes the overall vision of the game.
It’s an exploratory process that lets the team experiment with the aesthetics of characters, settings, and assets before they dive into coding or animating. As players, the end result we experience is often the culmination of this creative journey – the result of the many alternative ideas explored and understood during the concept art stage.
What’s the Process Behind Creating Concept Art?
As Ludmila explained, concept artists usually start big, focusing on the broad strokes before drilling down into the finer details. A concept might begin with a simple feeling or a single sentence, then the artist’s inner eye (I think I believe only truly creative people have 👀) starts imagining castles, dungeons, dragons, or whatever else suits the vision. This mental image gradually takes form on the canvas, and the result is thousands of tiny details that define the game’s look and feel.
A key part of this process is research. Ludmila stressed the importance of creating a mood board to gather inspiration. Finding artists who have explored similar ideas or solved specific artistic challenges can provide fresh perspectives. Real-life photos are just as important for reference, helping to open up options and explore new angles without deviating from the Art Director’s overall vision.
Collaboration Between 2D and 3D Artists
In game development, the art team is often a blend of 2D and 3D artists, and while the two disciplines may seem worlds apart, they’re closely connected. In fact, 2D art is critical for 3D artists, as Ludmila pointed out (and let’s be honest, some 3D artists couldn’t draw a stick figure if their life depended on it – no names will be mentioned, but I’ve seen the results during our Christmas drawing games 🤫).
The 2D team’s work informs key decisions for 3D, such as dynamic character poses, storyboards for cinematics, and even map layouts. Once the concept art is fully developed (front, back, profile, backgrounds, the lot) it’s handed over to the 3D team for modelling, or straight to animation, depending on the project.
The Power of Concept Art in the Game Development Journey
Ludmila summed it up perfectly: concept art is the starting point for every game development journey. It inspires the team, helps create a distinct style, and ensures the game stands out in an increasingly competitive industry. After chatting with her and learning more about the process, I couldn’t agree more.
If you’re looking to get your game’s vision onto the canvas and explore its full potential, we’d love to help so get in touch. At MLC, we provide everything from art direction and concept art to ensure a cohesive style, right through to full game art production.
