Imaginative thinking is the most important aspect of concept development

What the talk is about

Olha Starodubtseva explains why imaginative thinking is the foundation of concept development. A concept artist does not simply paint a pretty picture but works with images in the viewer's mind, and the results must be practical for later production, since early mistakes cost time. She walks through the stages of work: studying the topic with mood boards and references, silhouette, tone, design, anatomy and proportions, line, portrait, color and materials. For each stage she names typical mistakes, such as overloading with details, sterile design or uniform color saturation. She closes by urging lots of practice, a broad visual library, protecting a personal style and not being afraid of shortcuts. In the Q&A she covers working with game designers and specialization. Useful for aspiring concept artists.