{"id":8147,"date":"2022-05-27T10:19:23","date_gmt":"2022-05-27T10:19:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web-staging.virtuosgames.com\/event\/virtuos-expert-talks-webinar-how-to-tell-a-story-through-concept-art\/"},"modified":"2025-03-15T14:26:52","modified_gmt":"2025-03-15T14:26:52","slug":"virtuos-expert-talks-webinar-how-to-tell-a-story-through-concept-art","status":"publish","type":"event","link":"https:\/\/web-staging.virtuosgames.com\/ko\/event\/virtuos-expert-talks-webinar-how-to-tell-a-story-through-concept-art\/","title":{"rendered":"Virtuos Expert Talks Webinar: How to Tell a Story Through Concept Art"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>This event is part of a webinar series of Expert Talks organized by Virtuos, aimed at industry professionals and enthusiasts alike to discuss topics revolving around the future of game development.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Concept art is one of the most popular artistic fields in the games industry, but it\u2019s often misunderstood to only be all about creating beautiful and polished illustrations. In reality, concept art is about ideation and using art as a tool to tell a story. Concept artists are responsible for being the \u201cbrain\u201d of art projects, helping modelers, visual effects (VFX) teams, animators, and other art teams visualize project ideas to be developed for production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In April, we ran the third session of our webinar series, themed \u201cHow to Tell a Story Through Concept Art\u201d, discussing the role of concept art in storytelling in games and film. The webinar featured the following industry veterans who shared their insights on how concept art is used in a project:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Moderator: Abigail Canavese, Co-Development Success Manager, Virtuos<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Speaker: Ying Ding, Concept Artist, Ubisoft Montreal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Speaker: Nicodemus Mattisson, Art Director, NetEase Games<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Speaker: Nicolas Vallet, Lead Concept Artist, Virtuos Montreal<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"577\" src=\"https:\/\/web-staging.virtuosgames.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/concept-art-webinar-1024x577.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8203\" srcset=\"https:\/\/web-staging.virtuosgames.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/concept-art-webinar-1024x577.png 1024w, https:\/\/web-staging.virtuosgames.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/concept-art-webinar-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/web-staging.virtuosgames.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/concept-art-webinar-768x433.png 768w, https:\/\/web-staging.virtuosgames.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/concept-art-webinar-1536x866.png 1536w, https:\/\/web-staging.virtuosgames.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/concept-art-webinar-18x10.png 18w, https:\/\/web-staging.virtuosgames.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/concept-art-webinar.png 1650w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Expert Talks Webinar: How to Tell a Story Through Concept Art<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"\u3010Virtuos Expert Talks\u3011 How to tell a story through Concept Art\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FIsXYV0Rca8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Role of Concept Art in Storytelling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ying, who currently works at Ubisoft Montreal, shared that concept art is essentially a problem-solving tool in game creation. However, the role of a concept artist when it comes to storytelling, she added, is to inject extra emotion into the narrative, while giving enough information and instruction to the people in the next step of production (e.g. character modelers) to create the finishing product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nicolas, a lead concept artist at Virtuos Montreal, shared that concept art is mainly an umbrella term for any image-based design work, and can happen at any time in the project from pre-production to post-production. \u201cKnowing where you fit lets you know what information is important for you to convey,\u201d Nicolas said. \u201cConcept artists are there to \u2018fail\u2019 faster and cheaper \u2013 rather than starting a whole production, you\u2019re going to get one artist to draw for one or two days, get back some ideas, instead of going through a full production cycle to know if it works or not.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEssentially, concept art is often the first step in translating an idea into image, and it is as much about finding a logical solution as it is reflecting the culture, history, and story behind the piece.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nicodemus, an art director at NetEase Games, explained that the role of concept art isn\u2019t only to nail down the content in the image, but to shape the frame of the image, and to understand what components go into it while making use of art fundamentals to create a compelling visual. \u201cConcept art provides the visual understanding that may not be all that apparent to another artist later in production, almost like a \u201cvisual oracle\u201d of sorts,\u201d Nicodemus shared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Collaborate to Explore a Story to its Fullest<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the context of working in a larger team, the speakers discussed what it was like collaborating with other game developers as concept artists to explore and expand on a story. \u201cAn idea is perfect until it is tested, it\u2019s going to make sense when you write it down on paper or when it\u2019s in the designer or art director\u2019s head. And then, when you actually get to draw it, you realize how many adjustments you have to make,\u201d Nicolas said. \u201cThere\u2019s a need to be very reactive when you\u2019re doing this \u2013 choosing what information and elements to prioritize, and understand what is within the realm of possibilities.\u201d Nicolas further explained the importance of using this reactiveness to create a feedback loop with the designers, writers, and clients, to help reflect their idea clearly into a visual that can be pushed into production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"520\" src=\"https:\/\/web-staging.virtuosgames.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ss1-1024x520.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8205\" srcset=\"https:\/\/web-staging.virtuosgames.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ss1-1024x520.png 1024w, https:\/\/web-staging.virtuosgames.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ss1-300x152.png 300w, https:\/\/web-staging.virtuosgames.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ss1-768x390.png 768w, https:\/\/web-staging.virtuosgames.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ss1-18x9.png 18w, https:\/\/web-staging.virtuosgames.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ss1.png 1169w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Nicolas explains how concept artists collaborate with other developers<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe (concept artists) are only one step in the process, and we need to know if things fit within the possibilities of the project,\u201d Nicolas added, stressing the importance of knowing what comes next in the production. \u201c\u2018Can it be modeled? Can the engine support it?\u2019 These are important questions to ask to ensure that your choices stay relevant until the final product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conveying a Clear Story Through Concept Art<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another key highlight of the webinar was the discussion on how to convey a clear story through concept art. Ying laid out the basics of visual communication \u2013 ensure that your information is clear and that you have a good understanding of the story before starting. \u201cWrite down your ideas, don\u2019t rush into your drawings, and do a lot of research. That will help make your drawing a lot stronger than if you just went straight into it,\u201d Ying shared. She elaborated on the relevant types of background research, such as human psychology and color theory, adding that such information would help a lot in composing a more thoughtful piece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nicodemus chimed in on how ambiguity serves a purpose in conveying a clear story. \u201cLess is more, and it allows the viewer to fill in the gaps with their own stories,\u201d he explained how viewers will always apply some level of interpretation to a piece of work. He elaborated further on Ying\u2019s point on the importance of background research, encouraging the efficient usage of archetypes and typologies as tools to help the audience identify visual elements in an art piece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"526\" src=\"https:\/\/web-staging.virtuosgames.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ss2-1024x526.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8206\" srcset=\"https:\/\/web-staging.virtuosgames.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ss2-1024x526.png 1024w, https:\/\/web-staging.virtuosgames.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ss2-300x154.png 300w, https:\/\/web-staging.virtuosgames.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ss2-768x394.png 768w, https:\/\/web-staging.virtuosgames.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ss2-18x9.png 18w, https:\/\/web-staging.virtuosgames.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ss2.png 1169w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Nicodemus talks about using typologies and archetypes to convey a story<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When asked about the amount of detail required to tell a story, Nicolas emphasized that the clarity of intention is key, rather than the amount of detail. \u201cConcept art is often about suggesting rather than solving everything, 100%. If you have a very efficient team that\u2019s able to understand what you\u2019re doing, the most random scribble can also be understood,\u201d he said. He stressed the importance of \u201cfocusing on clarity and trimming the fat\u201d and focusing on what must absolutely be done rather than the distractions around it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFocus on what you need to do, and avoid the trap of adding \u201ccool\u201d things everywhere. If everything is meant to look cool, nothing will be at the end because it\u2019s all going to be at the same level.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Virtuos would like to thank all speakers and attendees for participating in our webinar. We hope it was an insightful session for everyone and look forward to advancements in game creation, making the games we develop better together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/web-staging.virtuosgames.com\/ko\/career\/\">EXPLORE A CAREER WITH US AT VIRTUOS<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Experts from Virtuos, Ubisoft Montreal, and NetEase Games shared their experience in storytelling through concept art in their past game projects.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":18548,"parent":0,"template":"","event-tag":[61],"class_list":["post-8147","event","type-event","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","event-tag-past-events"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web-staging.virtuosgames.com\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/event\/8147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web-staging.virtuosgames.com\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/event"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web-staging.virtuosgames.com\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/event"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web-staging.virtuosgames.com\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web-staging.virtuosgames.com\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"event-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web-staging.virtuosgames.com\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/event-tag?post=8147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}