Hiding in plain sight

What the talk is about

Trevor Claxton argues that concept art should rest on ideas, not only on polished execution, and that the main tool for this is deep reference research. He advises using real-world photography rather than other artists' work and spending up to a day on research. He walks through ways of using reference: literal use, studying structure and function, reinterpreting features, shapes, materials, abstraction, and emotional impulse. Using a muscle car as an example, he shows how asking who, what, when, why and how leads to factories, machine shops and fresh shape language. He urges stepping out of your comfort zone in small steps, choosing repeating motifs that say something about a character, and moving past overused shapes. In the Q&A he covers specialization, team conflicts and burnout. Useful for concept artists and art directors.