This book is for anyone seriously considering a career as a conceptual artist for video games, film or animation. Ever wondered how you could become a character designer for video games, film or animation? Veteran art director and concept artist Marc Taro Holmes shares proven methods for honing the skills and building the portfolio necessary to become an entertainment media designer. This book is a rare opportunity to learn the crucial insider knowledge needed to break into the entertainment-design industry - and develop your own style.The projects within this straightforward guide are constructed to help you apply your existing drawing and digital art skills to character design. It's not a how-to-draw book. It's about WHAT to draw if you want to succeed as a concept artist. It's about generating ideas your future art directors need to see. If you want to build that first interview, and gain confidence about this challenging and rewarding career. If you're still working on your skills, or you're already a professional illustrator - this book? will help you build an on-target gaming portfolio, while at the same time turning your mind into an idea-generating machine.Unlock the Secrets to Character and Creature Design???*?Follow the creature design process from start to 35 projects are divided into 4 challenge levels, ranging from brainstorming and drawing character blueprints to completing market-ready illustrations. As the levels advance, the projects become more complex.???*?Learn to solve design Every project introduces you to an open-ended fictional assignment inspired by industry experience. Each project has a list of minimum deliverables--the basics to get to the next stage--plus bonus goals. You receive virtual merit badges for each achievement you complete.???*?Think like a Over the 155 possible artistic achievements, you'll be asked to find a solution to every type of conceptual problem you might encounter as a professional creature or character designer.???*?Build your Work toward creating an outstanding portfolio. Improve your skills and push yourself to create a fine-tuned presentation that could get you your eventual dream job."This is a workout for the imagination, a boot camp for creativity." --Marc Taro Holmes
This is a great book packed with tips and projects. Particularly good for those interested in the design side of gaming or becoming a concept designer. The projects are fun and interesting and help you hone your ideas and practice discipline. The author knows his stuff. Not a book for someone just learning the basics of drawing.
A really well put together book that is substantially less 'how to draw' but more 'how to efficiently iterate, design, and think about what to draw'... with a dash of some portfolio making.
The author essentially is cutting out the crap by having you focus on on adjective or so and tells you to flesh it out. Gives an outline of what your outcome should look like, and why this is important in the office.
I can't stress this is enough - it is not an art skills book, but more of a career and design skills book. Well worth the read to fill in my conceptual gaps.