by Eliott Lilly | Dec 18, 2015 | Articles
Despite our artistic ambitions, and desires to improve and to grow as artists, it remains important to know when to sit back and take a break from it all. Since ‘Tis the season to be spent with friends and family, we here at the Big Bad World Of Concept Art, intend to do just that. This will be out last post for the year, but we will be back in January with all new content and a bunch of things for you to look forward to, such as:
- More Recommended Resources (tutorials, photo packs, reviews, links to great brushes etc.)
- Part 3 and 4 of the “How to design” series
- Artist interviews,
- Your questions answered,
- And much more.!
In the mean time, be sure to take advantage of these great deals while they last.
Happy holidays everyone! See you all in January,
-Eliott
by Eliott Lilly | Dec 16, 2015 | Articles, Resources
Artist, Peter Stapleton explains how to effectively apply textures to your artwork for the best results.
Applying textures to your images in Photoshop is a great way to add details and realism to your artwork. But it’s not as easy as it sounds.
The trick with using textures is to blend them seamlessly into the rest of the painting. You know you’ve gone too far when the underlying form starts to become lost. They should be used subtly.
– Peter Stapleton
by Eliott Lilly | Dec 9, 2015 | Articles
Anybody can be an “artist”, but what makes an artist “successful” can be a mix of a few key elements. I talk a lot about discipline and focus in An Insider’s Guide For Students, but Cubebrush.com recently published an article called: 5 Reasons Why Some Artists Are Successful that offers additional insight and explains why some artists are able to make a name for themselves. Since the article is a very good and simple read I think it’s worth your time to check out. Hopefully you will relate to some of these reasons.
I can even think of a few additional reasons why some artists are successful myself. The main thing that I think is missing from their list is: “Commitment to their craft and focus on the execution”. I can’t stress how important those two things are when you are trying to make a name for yourself and get paid doing the thing that you love. But that is my thought, I’d love to hear what you think as well. Feel free to leave your own thoughts on this in the comments below.
by Eliott Lilly | Dec 7, 2015 | Articles
How to create a design language within your art
Sometimes, the difference between a decent image and an amazing image can be as simple as the idea behind it and how well that idea is conveyed. I’m not referring to how well you can render or light the subject matter in your image, rather how cemented that idea is throughout the image itself. In order to make an idea feel intentional to the audience, the concept artist must repeat this idea as an over arching theme throughout the image. The repetition of that idea becomes an visual pattern, and that pattern then, becomes the design language of the image. Having a solid design language not only ties the elements in your image together, into a unified and cohesive design, but it also solidifies your idea and its intent.
Let me explain by using one of my favorite students’ work, as an example. The assignment was to draw a interior hallway of a space station. (This is an example of a typical assignemnt I might get from work) My student, Eskinder, did a great job on his homework, but there is defiantly room for improvement. In the images below, I show him (and you) how to design an interior space station with intent, focus and clarity.
The notes explaining how to design a hallway interior using a solid design language are taken from my “Intro to Concept art” Class, which I am currently teaching at Richland College (located in Dallas Texas). Have questions? Ask away in the comments below, or drop me a line at: me@eliottlillyart.com
by Eliott Lilly | Dec 2, 2015 | Articles
Here are a few notes explaining how to design props for video games.
In some shape, form or fashion, “crates” have made an appearance in every game ever made, but are often overlooked and under-appreciated. They can be so mundane and uninteresting looking that the player just passes them by, or they can be “set pieces” that not only look cool, but are over-designed to be functional, breakable, and/or intractable. As a professional concept artist working in the video games industry I can promise you that at some point in your career, you will be tasked with designing a “crate”. In fact, since the need is so high, I’m willing to bet, that if you stocked your portfolio full of crate designs, weapons, and environment paintings, then you will have an abundance of job opportunities dropped in your lap.
That said, I should point out, that drawing “Crates” isn’t as easy as it sounds. A crate is a container that holds something else, and it can look like just about anything. (And that’s where the problem comes in). How do you design a crate that is functional, credible, and unique, but still fits within the game universe? I have developed a system that identifies the key points necessary to make the design of the prop a “success”, and how to design and implement those points. I hope this gives you an insight into my conception process and how good references can influence my final design.
One example of a game that includes a huge variety of unique in-game props is Fallout 4. The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic retro-futuristic setting and therefore the surroundings and props reflect this. If you are a fan of Fallout 4 you might also want to take a look at this guide to companions such as Codsworth. Another example might be the all-time favourite and oldy but goldy, League of Legends, if you haven’t played this or even heard of it, then you’re clearly doing something wrong! How have you lived? Also, the props are great, with so many colours and awesome designs, it’s nice to have a bit of fiction. If you haven’t had much experience then perhaps you need to hop across to this site to find the Best Tier List for LoL and the ranks as well. It’s too good not to try.
The notes explaining how to design props for video games are taken from my “Intro to Concept art” Class, which I am currently teaching at Richland College (located in Dallas Texas). Right-click on each image and “open it in a new tab” ( otherwise, you will be taken directly to the file).
Have questions? Ask away in the comments below, or drop me a line at: me@eliottlillyart.com
.
?
by Eliott Lilly | Nov 29, 2015 | Articles, Resources
Here are some fantastic deals for digital artists to take advantage of over the Black Friday – Cyber Monday period.
Creative Bloq has published a great list of Black Friday/ Cyber Monday deals for artists. You can check out their full article here: 14 top Black Friday deals for digital artists Hector and I have picked out a few of our favorite Cyber Monday deals from their site and have expanded the list here, on the blog. There are also a couple more outside the list that you can check out as well. Black Friday is the perfect time to grab a bargain so now’s the right time to shop if you’re looking for something specific. If you miss out on a deal or perhaps what you’re looking for isn’t on sale, you can always use sites like https://www.raise.com/coupons/amazon to find discount codes that can be used throughout the year so that you can still save a little bit of money.
Art Camp at a special discounted price of 10% off. Go grab it now and start improving your art.
Adobe is offering 20 per cent off deals on their annual Creative Cloud (CC) memberships.
Corel is offering 30 per cent off PaintShop Pro X8 Ultimate,15 per cent off CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X7, and 30 per cent off Painter 2016. Sale ends 3 December.
Tutorials, tips and tricks for digital artists at all levels. Get Plearning today!
Save up to 40 per cent on MODO and MARI with The Foundry’s Black Friday specials:
- 20 per cent off upgrades to MODO 901
- 40 per cent off new seats of MODO
- 40 per cent off new seats of MODO Extended Bundle
- 40 per cent off new seats of MARI
As part of your MARI maintenance you’ll also get MARI 3 for free once becomes available in early December. Sale ends at 11:59pm (PST) 30 November 2015.
Use the code “starwars” at checkout to get 50% off on any product in the store!
Use this link to get a great deal on Jan Urschel’s reference packs (001-009) that include: air force, abandoned buildings, sky, ground vehicles, military, and a few more.
60 per cent off on all iClone add-ons, and the three-in-one Creative Suite for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Offer ends on 30 November 2015.
Easily create your own comics, manga and illustrations from start to finish with Manga Studio 5 and Clip Studio Paint Pro, on sale now with over 65 per cent off. Sale expires 30 November 2015. Of course, you could just download Manga Studio ex for windows for FREE from kubadownload.com, but if it is Manga Studio 5 you want in particular then this is the best price you will get.
Selected CGWorkshops are on sale so get over to their site and enjoy some new knowledge.
We hope you find a good deal on what you’re looking for. If you’ve spotted a deal we missed, please be so kind as to share it with the community in the comments below! Thanks.
