3 answers
Kayley
Student
Grafton, Ohio
6
Questions
Asked
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What are the advantages and opportunities for advancement with concept artists and art directors?
I'm a senior in high school and have wanted to do art since I was little, and recently made the big decision to seriously pursue it. I want to be a concept artist/illustrator, but I also want to know more about being an art director. #art #arts #artist
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3 answers
Mansi Sharma
Technical engineer
20
Answers
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Updated
Mansi’s Answer
The art director's level of experience, training, and responsibility also affect wages. Art directors who work full time usually receive benefits. Typical benefits include sick leave, paid vacation, and health insurance. Art directors who are self-employed must provide their own insurance.
Thank you! I appreciate your feedback.
Kayley
Terry Norton-Wright
15
Answers
Buena, New Jersey
Updated
Terry’s Answer
That's great, Kayley! I think this is a great focus to have. Art directors manage the production and supervise the vision of advertising campaigns, films, games, and any other businesses that require art elements. I would check out job listings for art directors and see what kind of experience you need to have to get that kind of a job. I would also log onto https://roadtripnation.com/ and look for interviews by art directors for even more information. Good luck!
Andy Wang
Senior Storyboard Artist
110
Answers
Albany, California
Updated
Andy’s Answer
Hello Kayley,
It's great to hear that you're interested in a career in the arts. I know how you feel and having that passion and drive since you were young is a wonderful thing. When I was in 6th grade I made a time capsule and the career I had envisioned for myself back then was illustrating for video games. Years later I achieved that goal and have been working in this industry for more than 15 years.
There are some finer points to go into in addressing your question. Concept artists and art directors may have very similar and yet distinctly different roles depending on the industry. Everything from advertising and industrial design to video games and movies/television require certain amounts of specialization.
Video games, for example, require artists and directors to work with game designers to create creatures, characters, props, and environments with specific gameplay goals and/or technical limitations in mind. Movies and television will have a bit more freedom but need to allow for shorter development time. To keep this answer more manageable I'll try to stick to the generalities.
Having worked both as a concept artist and an art director I can give you some insight into both roles within the video games industry. Working as a concept artist is an amazing experience. Working with a great team to turn ideas into playable games enjoyed by many people never gets old. It's important to have good communication with the art director, writer, animator, and everyone else to make sure your designs will work within the specifications of the game and technical limitations. Of course you'll have to make sure that your designs also fit the look and feel of the game as set forth by the art director and leadership of the project.
As an art director it is your job to coordinate all aspects of the aesthetics of the project. More often than not your team will have multiple concept artists, modelers, animators, etc. You'll work with the artists to make sure that they are maintaining visual cohesion i.e. all of the concept artists paint in the same style, the modelers have the same fidelity, and the animators are consistent in their performances. While art directors may from time to time do paint overs and corrections, the majority of their job will be spent in meetings or poring over materials coming in from all departments and outsourcing partners. You won't be doing as much art so be prepared for that.
When I took on an art director role it was my second job in the industry and I wasn't ready to give up doing art (I'm still not ready). The great part about being art director is that you get to set the vision for the project. It will be your responsibility to coordinate with the art department leads. So while the role of the art director is still a creative one, there is a greater focus on managerial and organizational skills.
But just because you're an artist, it doesn't mean that the only avenue for advancement is art director. Some of the larger companies will have career advancement tracks focused on the individual contributor role. That track will focus more on the craft and would see the artist focused on mentorship and helping to set look and feel for multiple projects throughout the company. These specific roles are not as common and you will most likely see the career track either staying a concept artist or advancing through to management roles.
Art directors may advance into a creative director role where you would have a higher level perspective on the project, working with executive producers and management to set the overall creative direction of the project, not simply focusing on the visuals. This could involve narrative and design aspects if your project revolves around story or gameplay mechanics.
I know this was long but I hope that it contained some useful information. I would recommend that you look into more details on the specifics industry(s) that you are interested in. Most big productions (movies, television, games, etc.) have behind the scenes documentaries where you might gain more insight into what goes on in art production. So I recommend looking into that. Also, as you go into college, avail yourself of internship opportunities. Even if you don't get to actually produce art, they are great opportunities to see how things are done and to allow you to get to know the people who are doing the work. Ask questions, listen, and pay attention.
Good luck in your career and your future.
Sincerely,
Andy Wang
Find behind the scenes books and documentaries about projects that you enjoyed.
Look into internship opportunities in college.
Keep drawing and painting!
It's great to hear that you're interested in a career in the arts. I know how you feel and having that passion and drive since you were young is a wonderful thing. When I was in 6th grade I made a time capsule and the career I had envisioned for myself back then was illustrating for video games. Years later I achieved that goal and have been working in this industry for more than 15 years.
There are some finer points to go into in addressing your question. Concept artists and art directors may have very similar and yet distinctly different roles depending on the industry. Everything from advertising and industrial design to video games and movies/television require certain amounts of specialization.
Video games, for example, require artists and directors to work with game designers to create creatures, characters, props, and environments with specific gameplay goals and/or technical limitations in mind. Movies and television will have a bit more freedom but need to allow for shorter development time. To keep this answer more manageable I'll try to stick to the generalities.
Having worked both as a concept artist and an art director I can give you some insight into both roles within the video games industry. Working as a concept artist is an amazing experience. Working with a great team to turn ideas into playable games enjoyed by many people never gets old. It's important to have good communication with the art director, writer, animator, and everyone else to make sure your designs will work within the specifications of the game and technical limitations. Of course you'll have to make sure that your designs also fit the look and feel of the game as set forth by the art director and leadership of the project.
As an art director it is your job to coordinate all aspects of the aesthetics of the project. More often than not your team will have multiple concept artists, modelers, animators, etc. You'll work with the artists to make sure that they are maintaining visual cohesion i.e. all of the concept artists paint in the same style, the modelers have the same fidelity, and the animators are consistent in their performances. While art directors may from time to time do paint overs and corrections, the majority of their job will be spent in meetings or poring over materials coming in from all departments and outsourcing partners. You won't be doing as much art so be prepared for that.
When I took on an art director role it was my second job in the industry and I wasn't ready to give up doing art (I'm still not ready). The great part about being art director is that you get to set the vision for the project. It will be your responsibility to coordinate with the art department leads. So while the role of the art director is still a creative one, there is a greater focus on managerial and organizational skills.
But just because you're an artist, it doesn't mean that the only avenue for advancement is art director. Some of the larger companies will have career advancement tracks focused on the individual contributor role. That track will focus more on the craft and would see the artist focused on mentorship and helping to set look and feel for multiple projects throughout the company. These specific roles are not as common and you will most likely see the career track either staying a concept artist or advancing through to management roles.
Art directors may advance into a creative director role where you would have a higher level perspective on the project, working with executive producers and management to set the overall creative direction of the project, not simply focusing on the visuals. This could involve narrative and design aspects if your project revolves around story or gameplay mechanics.
I know this was long but I hope that it contained some useful information. I would recommend that you look into more details on the specifics industry(s) that you are interested in. Most big productions (movies, television, games, etc.) have behind the scenes documentaries where you might gain more insight into what goes on in art production. So I recommend looking into that. Also, as you go into college, avail yourself of internship opportunities. Even if you don't get to actually produce art, they are great opportunities to see how things are done and to allow you to get to know the people who are doing the work. Ask questions, listen, and pay attention.
Good luck in your career and your future.
Sincerely,
Andy Wang
Andy recommends the following next steps: