The Concept Artist's Skill Set

What the talk is about

Valerii Orlov talks about the skills a concept artist needs today, drawing on more than 15 years in games and film. He argues that knowledge goes stale ever faster, so artists should develop broadly: the industry has sped up, tasks on projects vary widely, and studios increasingly hire for a specific style and ability. Core skills he lists are quick sketches, 3D work, character and asset design, painting over 3D models, and above all original ideas and personal projects in different styles. For generating ideas he shows three methods: random blots, combining household objects, and randomizing parts in Blender. He closes with the trend toward VR/AR and encourages trying tools that simplify the work. Useful for concept artists at any level.