What Elements Make for a Good Concept Art Book

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Concept art is about the analogy of an idea, that is subsequently fleshed out to create characters, landscapes, buildings, etc.

To discover the correct volume to learn concept fine art can be tricky since this field is vast. Yous need to find guides which cover- the fundamentals of art, skills for technical painting, conceptual ideas and gives you a clear film of the career prospects in the concept art industry.

At A Glance: Our Top 6 Picks for Concept Art Books for Artists

You lot need to be well-armed with your skills in traditional art to use different painting software, to create your portfolio and to build a professional network. These days concept art has a lot to practice with workflow, speed, and accurateness, only the primary focus lies in design.

It is essential to sympathise how things are designed. If you look at any of the animated movies, will y'all be able to draw what went into making that film roughly? Or at least estimate the ideas behind the creation of each scene?

If you can reply them correctly, then you lot are on the correct footing.

For a budding artist, it'southward challenging to create a masterpiece with an undeveloped set of fine art skills. When time is invested in learning the basics and practicing exercises given in the books, your skill will improve gradually.

Let'south look into the list of unlike books which tin help to build your base in concept art!

Best Concept Art Books for Artists

Contents

• All-time Concept Art Books for Artists
  • Fine art Fundamentals
    • 1. Light for Visual Artists
    • ii. How to Draw
    • 3. Effigy Drawing for Artists: Making Every Marking Count
    • 4. Art Fundamentals: Color, Calorie-free, Composition, Anatomy, Perspective, and Depth
    • v. Man Anatomy for Artists: The Elements of Form
  • Digital Painting
    • 1. Digital Painting for the Complete Beginner
    • 2. Beginner'southward Guide to Digital Painting in Photoshop
    • 3. Digital Painting with Krita two.9
    • 4. Digital Painting Techniques
    • five. Digital Painting Fundamentals with Corel painter X3
  • Concept Art
    • 1. The Art Of Mulan
    • 2. The Art of Pixar: The Complete Color Scripts
    • 3. Surf'south Up: The Art and Making Of A True Story
    • four. The Art Of Robots
    • v. The Adept Huntsman: Visual Development Of A Grimm Tale
    • 6. The Art Of Star Wars Episode Two: Attack Of The Clones
    • vii. The Disney Athenaeum Series: Design
    • viii. The Art of How to Train Your Dragon
    • 9. The Fine art of Monsters, Inc.
    • x. The Nine Old Men & The Art of Blitheness
    • 11. Big Bad World of Concept Fine art for Video Games
    • 12. Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist
    • thirteen. Drawing Nuts and Video Game Art
    • 14. How to Become a Video Game Creative person
    • 15. Across Art Fundamentals
    • Final Words
    • Related Articles

Art Fundamentals

If y'all're an aspiring concept artist, it's essential to understand the fundamentals of art. For every slice that you create, you'll accept to employ the skills that you gain from the fundamentals. The skill set includes measuring, figure cartoon, light and shadow, rendering, perspective, colors, forms, and several others.

1. Lite for Visual Artists

The concepts of light and shadow can get a picayune catchy if you're new to the field of art. These concepts relate to value and how values are rendered in a painting or drawing. Low-cal for Visual Artists will assistance you to understand the artistic techniques and raw scientific points of getting the benefits down correctly.

As you read through the given resources and tips, the concept of calorie-free volition exist crystal clear. Yet, you cannot expect to become an expert at rendering value or a master draftsmen by just reading this book. Constant practice of the ideas that are given in this book will help yous to improve your skills.

Lighting plays a massive function in every slice that you're trying to create. Nosotros advise you to get this volume if you're having whatsoever problems with light in your artwork, the volume explains the intricate details of this subject area.

2. How to Draw

If you desire to acquire about perspective and drawing from the imagination, then this book past Scott Robertson will come of great utilise. He is an educator to digital artists and concept artists at the Fine art Centre and also conducts diverse presentations all across the US.

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For a concept creative person, information technology's essential to learn nearly imaginative drawing and realist life cartoon as these concepts amalgamate to help you create any piece from your mind with realistic rendering.

The teaching style of the author is pretty detailed even so pristine at the same fourth dimension. If you're a novice or an inexperienced creative person, so it can get a picayune catchy to become your concepts clear from this book. However, if you're prepare to put in an ample amount of practice, so the lessons volition go easier to follow.

3. Effigy Cartoon for Artists: Making Every Marking Count

When yous focus on learning virtually figure drawing from a book, it'due south more than like learning to cook from a book. You lot cannot proceeds these practical skills until y'all become easily-on practice of them.

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Moreover, several books share different tricks and techniques of effigy cartoon that tin can exist effectively practical while yous exercise this art. Figure Cartoon for Artists by Steve Huston will help yous to get the basics right for every figure cartoon that y'all create.

If you're a new artist facing trouble in analyzing the figure or rendering it correctly on paper, then this book will act as your guide. Steve has included his figure drawings in this book to give yous a visual presentation of the techniques that he has employed.

But you cannot rely on but this book to improve your skills, because implying the techniques in the studio will exist your most fantabulous instructor. However, we advise you to get this volume if yous want to know the foundational concepts or pick up a few tips on effigy cartoon.

4. Art Fundamentals: Color, Light, Limerick, Anatomy, Perspective, and Depth

In this concise publication of 272 pages, the purpose was to introduce the reader to the fundamental topics. There is no in-depth information on the main fundamentals of art, like perspective, anatomy, or form.

The book will help you sympathize the unlike techniques and their importance to digital art. However, this volume is suitable for beginners to get the basics right, but it cannot utilise it as a professional person study guide.

5. Human Anatomy for Artists: The Elements of Form

The Homo Anatomy for Artists by Eliot Goldfinger has everything you desire to know about mastering the human being figure. It is 1 of the nearly detailed books that you can discover on the homo anatomy.

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If y'all want to draw something from your imagination, then focus on studying the full general concepts of your subject- looks, behavior, and the way it operates. To proceeds explicit knowledge of the homo anatomy can be hard, merely for drawing a figure, it's vital to master every part of the anatomy.

As you have a good understanding of the muscles, facial features, and the poses, and so your effigy drawing will turn out to be perfect. Human Anatomy for Artists is a scientific transmission which gives all the lessons on muscles, basic, and tendons. Every professional person creative person has learned all these $.25 and pieces to get an expert in what they create.

Digital Painting

As you consummate with the fundamentals of art, y'all'll gradually want to move into painting. Few artists will get into the traditional medium (oil paints), but if yous're interested in concept art, and so you should focus on digital painting.

The three aspects of digital painting are:

• To gain an understanding of how the graphics tablet should exist used.
• To understand your choice of painting software.
• Focus on your skillset and goal.

1. Digital Painting for the Consummate Beginner

The book focuses on the process of transitioning from the traditional medium to digital painting. It will exist of more than value for artists who are into oil painting than for the ones who accept experience in cartoon with pencil.

 

But an aspiring digital creative person having the base of operations knowledge of the fundamentals and with experience in the different mediums of traditional art should read this volume. The methods and goals of painting are the same in a conventional and digital forum. This book volition assist you empathise the change in techniques and medium when you lot're new to digital art.

ii. Beginner's Guide to Digital Painting in Photoshop

If you're starting with digital painting, then yous should pick upward Beginner's Guide to Digital Painting in Photoshop. The fundamentals of working with Photoshop in a creative studio has been covered in item in this book.

 

Many artists prefer to select their software for painting, but animation studios and game studios mostly prefer Photoshop. The painting sheet and the brush panel is clearly explained in this book by 3DTotal.

The book has a few exercises that will aid you to understand the background of painting in the Photoshop surroundings. If you're going to pick up this volume, and then you should have some artistic experience. Moreover, without the fundamentals, y'all will not understand much nearly painting from this book.

3. Digital Painting with Krita 2.ix

Photoshop comes with a big price tag, but everyone might not accept that kind of a budget. So, Krita, which is a free and open-source painting software, volition be a good option that works on all the operating systems.

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If you desire to start using this software, then Digital Painting with Krita 2.9 past Scott Petrovic will come of great help. The book begins with a clear description of the interface in Krita and gradually moves into the techniques for digital painting.

Once yous cover the basics, the book moves into the shortcuts along with a few quick tips that volition assist to broaden your knowledge. The book appears more than similar a Krita software book and less like a book on digital painting.

The author as well mentions the unlike techniques which can be used to improve your workflow in digital painting. We recommend this volume for semi-experienced artists who have an thought to pigment on a tablet, simply information technology might not be of corking aid to beginners.

Information technology's essential for you lot to know the proper use of a graphics tablet before you dive into this book. Scott has done an excellent job of presenting Krita, only do watch a few tutorials to sympathise if this software will come of employ to you lot.

iv. Digital Painting Techniques

The goal of this volume does non assist y'all master the skills and techniques that y'all will require while painting digitally. This volume of 288 pages is a precious stone which targets the semi-experienced to advanced artists.

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At that place is sufficient practical information given in this book to paint different objects and to render them accurately. This book is from 3DTotal, and it'due south part of a more extensive series. You lot should start with this volume, but nosotros propose y'all to read the other books in this serial too for understanding the teaching style.

Equally y'all get your easily on the other volumes, you'll be able to learn a lot about the 3DTotal staff while the given exercises volition enhance your painting skills.

v. Digital Painting Fundamentals with Corel painter X3

If you're looking for another alternative to Adobe Photoshop for digital painting, then a quality substitute is Corel painter. This book does an outstanding job introducing Corel painter. The 256 pages in this book embrace various fundamental topics like color theory, mixing of colors, balance, and composition.

You can probably learn the unabridged interface of Corel Painter, through the given exercise exercises. Most of the projects focus on shortcuts and techniques in Painter to help y'all progress in this field.

For a beginner, this book volition be of great apply if they are fix to put in the required attempt to learn about digital painting. The central concepts are given a lot of focus throughout the book, which makes this slice not bad for any artist.

Concept Art

If you have an excellent foundational knowledge of art and you know how to paint, then it'due south all virtually exercise. As yous repeat the techniques that you take learned, y'all'll gain a articulate insight which volition lead to constant growth by fixing the gaps

Concept art act is the guideline, inspiration, and the mood that is prevalent for moving picture or game production. We have a list of a few concept art books which yous tin can use for amalgam new ideas and for making a mark in this field. Nevertheless, if you want to gain some excellent skills in concept art, then these books volition be your guide.

i. The Art Of Mulan

In this book, y'all'll find that the main text has been broken down into iv parts which have been detailed pretty well. This volume gives a clear description of how this pic was created. Disney puts a significant accent on the story, and that is prevalent in this book. Some subtle and exquisite pieces of art are present in the first two sections of the book.

 

The research process that was followed by the artist is an exciting part of the book, as they visit China, and travel throughout the country. For a volume from the nineties to take such details about the enquiry trip will y'all more dandy towards following them on this journey. The artists explain the learning process and how they were inspired to create every different scene.

This big piece explains the philosophy and details that went into the story, art, and the production of the pic Mulan.

The design and layout of the book are fantastic as it connects well with the world of the film. If you're an agog fan of animation, and so nosotros advise y'all to treat yourself with this volume.

2. The Art of Pixar: The Consummate Color Scripts

When nosotros remember of a book past Pixar, it's pretty normal to expect some playful and funky concept art. Unlike the other books of concept art, this piece features an extensive drove of color scripts.

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Many of us got to know about color scripts just subsequently Pixar books fabricated this concept famous.

This volume goes beyond the intricate details in the images and the creative style used in each of the colour scripts. The Art of Pixar: The Complete Color Scripts is visual anthropology, which is made by the art directors from the about influential studio of filmmaking.

3. Surf's Up: The Art and Making Of A True Story

This book is filled with sketches, concept art, movies stills, and 3D WIP imagery. You will find an adequate amount of character designs of penguins, along with the color keys and concepts of unlike sequences from the film.

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The diverse extracts from the film that is present in bits and pieces within the volume make the book and the reader travel along with the film.

Yous are as well given a small sneak peek into the character creation phase, where you'll get to run across the unlike stages of from 3D models to concept sketches.

On the whole, if y'all love animation, then this is a must-accept book for your collection!

4. The Art Of Robots

This book is similar to any other another art volume by Pixar. As you take a glance at the images, you lot'll sympathize the amount of thought that was put in for highlighting every intricate detail.

 

The selection of art and the quality of the designs in this book is vast. There is a lot of sets and grapheme design. Interestingly, yous'll besides find pages with photos of materials and characters that were used for texturing the 3D models.

If yous're already a fan of the Fine art of Pixar books, and then you'll relish this piece. This artbook has some of the most amazing, talented, and awe-inspiring pieces of piece of work.

5. The Skillful Huntsman: Visual Evolution Of A Grimm Tale

The iii artists Mike Yamada, Khang Le, and Felix Yoon share their experiences equally students of the Art Centre at Pasadena, CA. They explicate their journey and the unique sketches that eventually paved their way into the entertainment industry.

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As you read this book, you'll realize how it feels more like as though yous're going through a pupil projection or a  journal. Each of the concept artists has created the characters, props, surround, and other painting for The Adept Huntsman past following the Brothers Grimm story.

In this jam-packed book, y'all'll become a collection of design techniques and cute concept art. The book is filled with conceptual sketches, where you can run into the process of an thought giving birth to an entire piece.

With this book, you lot'll exist able to become a glimpse within the minds of the three artists every bit they continue to develop their vision and create a well-known story.

Scott Robertson, who is a renowned teacher from the Art Center, leaves comments below each page where he critiques and gives an insight to the work. It's amusing to run across how a teacher continues to critique the piece being created by his students.

The descriptions are brief enough and will non take your focus away from the designs. It is also exciting to read how the students of concept fine art create a piece that is based on an existing storyline.

If you honey interpreting folklore and creating stories, then this volume volition exist a gem in your collection.

half-dozen. The Art Of Star Wars Episode II: Assault Of The Clones

This part of the trilogy has more details about concept art than The Fine art Of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. In this volume, the pages are filled to the brim with surroundings painting, storyboards, character designs, ships, and sculptures.

The volume shows how the dissimilar aspects- the weapons, the characters, location, and crafts had evolved in diverse stages before it came on screen.

Every page has captions given past the artists which depict the idea that they are trying to put across through every image. It is like the artist is providing you behind-the-scenes details to present an artistic side to assistance you understand the movie-making process.

As usual, the sketches and character designs in this volume announced larger than life, especially the environment paintings. Moreover, you'll go the entire script of the movie at the back of the book.

Nosotros recommend this book for Star War fans, concept artists and sci-fi artists. Y'all'll be amazed past the talent that was put into consequence to create such a stunning piece of concept art.

7. The Disney Athenaeum Serial: Blueprint

The Design edition of The Disney Archives Series is one fantastic book that will take you lot through the consummate visual development history of Disney Animation. The book besides has a few excerpts from other abased projects.

Attempt looking into The Disney Athenaeum Serial: Blueprint, which is a concept art book that was written way further than the last decade. Nosotros advise yous not to compromise on your creative potential, by just focusing on books from this decade.

8. The Fine art of How to Train Your Dragon

The character designs in this book are not over-rendered while they accept been well-balanced with some ballsy environments and loftier-resolution pieces.

 

The book features around 350 pieces of evolution artwork, which includes concept painting, story sketches, and character designs.

If you're looking out to have a reference fabric that will guide your sketching piece of work, and so getting this book will help you to a great extent.

nine. The Art of Monsters, Inc.

The Art of Monsters, Inc. is filled with a ton of set cartoon and character designs. Other than the credits and caption in this book, there is no other text that yous can detect.

 

The various art concepts in this book are very colorful, and yous'll enjoy every console of the pastel cartoon by Ralph Eggleston and Dominique Louis. With this book, yous can get inspired every bit y'all observe the excellent quality of skills used in creating art.

This collection of concept fine art has been created by using different mediums, and it was made before digital painting came into the arena.

10. The Nine Old Men & The Fine art of Animation

The Ix Old Men & The Art of Animation has some expert animation drawings, and it consists of the grandfathers who are part of the history of Disney's animation.

 

Each affiliate in this book talks about the projects and career of each of the animators along with sequences that give y'all more explanation.

When nosotros consider how rare, stiff draftsmanship has get these days, nosotros sympathize that such pieces of books are essential to set the standard in concept fine art.

11. Big Bad World of Concept Art for Video Games

If y'all're studying art and you cull to brand your career in the field of concept art, then you'll love this book. In this book, the author Professor Eliott Lilly speaks about the pupil's work and his feel of teaching the young minds who aspire to be artists.

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The  Big Bad World of Concept Art for Video Games offers a few distinct tips for selecting the right classes, the right school,  the practice exercises to focus on, along with suggestions to help y'all improve your portfolio. In that location are also tips shared past the author on how a young creative person wanting to brand a career in the video game manufacture can become jobs.

The works of students and professionals are widespread in this book to help yous understand the level of progress and quality skills of different artists. Past post-obit this book, you'll proceeds the required knowledge to prepare you for the competitive path in the life of a concept creative person. This will, in return, help y'all to strop your skills as an artist.

The author is straightforward and transparent with his thoughts, which helps to make this piece a expert read. It is going to inspire you lot to larn different techniques to meliorate in the field of concept art, or it will make you 2nd approximate your career option.

Irrespective of the outcome, we believe that this book volition be of great use for you to empathise the field of concept art.

12. Imaginative Realism: How to Pigment What Doesn't Exist

If you're an aspiring concept artist, then you lot should read Imaginative Realism. The book will help you empathise how yous tin paint the things that don't be and gives y'all dissimilar tricks over 224 pages.

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Every concept creative person is paid to create designs of things and characters that don't exist in real life. You might find that the book is not written for concept artists, but only if you focus on the details subconscious behind each page will it go helpful for you.

In this book, James Gurney shares different techniques for helping you return diverse concepts like humans, creatures, edifice, surround, and more.

It's unproblematic to have different imaginative ideas on your listen, but the real test comes when you accept to return them correctly. With this book, you'll understand how to represent your ideas on paper.

xiii. Cartoon Basics and Video Game Art

If you're into video game art and you desire to employ your skills with a purpose, then you should try to give this book a read. You lot'll understand how concept art is applied to the world of video games.

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The circuitous and rich history of gaming, forth with a description of the unlike artistic styles take been covered in this book. A large portion of the book focuses on describing how video game art tin be efficiently interwoven with fine art and how this concept has advanced over the past decades.

There are many sections in this book which talks about the different fundamentals of fine art like lighting, figure, composition, and general techniques used for sketching. This is an artists book, even though it takes a dip in gaming.

Drawing Basics and Video Game Art has more to practise with the history of game art and is not much of a cartoon book.

14. How to Become a Video Game Artist

Sam R. Kennedy, who is a renowned game artist, has several years of experience and swain workers who are employed in the gaming manufacture. The help that was rendered past his colleagues was to put to productive utilize past the author in making How to Become a Video Game Artist.

In every chapter, you lot'll find a description of the different jobs in the field of concept art- animators, surround art, grapheme art, and GUI designers. Each of the chapters consists of stories from professionals who are employed in this industry and the communication given in this book helps to guide the aspiring concept artists.

The volume describes the skills, requirements, and demands of each task, which gives y'all a clear overview of the professions. The last chapter has tips past the author for the aspiring concept artists for refining their portfolios and how they should exist preparing themselves for the field of game fine art.

15. Beyond Fine art Fundamentals

When you take covered the basics of traditional art, yous'll be left wondering how you can advance towards concept art from an ideal point of view.

 

When yous plan to design a piece, it should be technically creative forth with it being philosophical to a certain extent. The topics that have been covered in  Beyond Art Fundamentals cannot be hands found in any other book.

In this volume, you'll find several professional artists sharing their opinions and views gestures, mood, emotion, and gives you ideas to create designs that volition fit in perfectly with the story line.

According to the view of professional artists, every image should have a specific emotion, purpose, and a feeling associated with it. This book helps you lot to sympathize these subtle nuances that need to be incorporated in your artwork and the dissimilar approaches that y'all should use for creating every piece.

Final Words

Utilise these books to your benefit to assistance you develop the fundamental skills of art, a professional network, and the right portfolio. These volition pave the way for yous to become a professional person concept artist. There is no better fashion to learn than practicing religiously and following the experiences of other artists in this field.

Till next fourth dimension keep exploring the field of fine art!

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