concept art
Pre-production visual development
Concept art is visual design work created during the early stages of developing films, video games, or other media projects.
Artists produce sketches, paintings, and digital illustrations to establish the look of characters, environments, and objects before full production begins: The concept art for the villain went through dozens of iterations.
Unlike finished production art, concept art explores possibilities and communicates creative vision to the team.
Planned visual sequence drawings
- sceneDramatic unit or locale
- sequenceOrdered succession of elements
- cinematographyMotion picture visual craft
- production designCreating a film's visual environment
set design · costume design · matte painting · prop design · shot composition · visual effects · animatic · keyframe
Artwork made using software
- renderingInterpretive depiction or performance
- compositionArranged elements forming whole
- perspectiveAttitude or spatial rendering
- anatomyStudy of organism structure
lighting · color theory · brushwork · linework · shading · value · contrast · focal point
Hasty informal drawing
- thumbnailReduced preview image
- keyframeFixed animation reference point
- pitchFrequency of sound
- briefingConcise information session
iteration · revision · reference · moodboard · turnaround · orthographic · callout · blockout
Legendary fire-breathing reptile
- castleFortified medieval residence
- wizardPractitioner of sorcery
- elfSmall magical creature
- goblinMalicious folklore creature
unicorn · phoenix · troll · mermaid · warlock · sorcery · enchantment · grimoire
storyboard
Planned visual sequence drawings
- sceneDramatic unit or locale
- sequenceOrdered succession of elements
- cinematographyMotion picture visual craft
production design · set design · costume design · matte painting · prop design · shot composition · visual effects · animatic · keyframe · lighting design
digital painting
Artwork made using software
- renderingInterpretive depiction or performance
- compositionArranged elements forming whole
- perspectiveAttitude or spatial rendering
anatomy · lighting · color theory · brushwork · linework · shading · value · contrast · focal point · depth
sketch
Hasty informal drawing
briefing · iteration · revision · reference · moodboard · turnaround · orthographic · callout · blockout · speedpaint
dragon
Legendary fire-breathing reptile
goblin · unicorn · phoenix · troll · mermaid · warlock · sorcery · enchantment · grimoire · mythology
character design
Visual development of personas
HUD · level design · 3D modeling · rigging · shader · lighting · mesh · NPCs · cutscenes · loading screen
- game developmentgame engine, game design, game engines, game designer, rendering
- animation artcels, backgrounds, storyboards, character design, key frames
- drawing typespencil sketches, ink drawings, life drawings, figure studies, portrait drawings
- artRenaissance, painters, masterpieces, paint, Baroque
- art formspainting, drawing, sculpture, photography, music
- artepintura, oleo, sketch, croquis, tempera
concept artfine art
Aesthetic visual creations
commissioned portrait · museum piece · art for art's sake · collectible art · decorative art
art, concept, conceive, conception, misconception, conceptual, preconception, conceptualize, conceptualization