User:Sealion730/Game art design

Roles
There are several roles under the art development umbrella. Each role plays an important part in creating the art for the video game. Depending on the size of the game production company there may be anywhere from two people and up working on the game. The fewer people working on art design the more jobs people will have to create the different facets of the game. The number of artists working on a game can also be dependent on the type of game being created. For most games there are many roles that must be filled to create characters, objects, setting, animation, and texturizing the game.

Video game artists must use the same design principles that any other kind of artists use. This adds to the aesthetic value of the art created for video games. The greater understanding of these techniques adds to games to make them have a unique experience.


 * Lead Artist/Art Director

The art director/lead artist is a person who monitor the progress of the other artists to make sure that the art for the game is staying on track. The art director is there to ensure that all the art created works cohesively. They manage their team of artists and distribute projects. The art director often works with other departments in the game and is involved from the conception of the game until the game is finished.

2D artists[edit]

 * Concept artist

A Concept Artist works with the game designers, producing character and environment sketches and story-board and influencing the "look of the game". A concept artist's job is to follow the art director's vision. The produced art may be in traditional media, such as drawings or clay molds, or 2D software, such as Adobe Photoshop. Concept art produced in the beginning of the production serves as a guide for the rest of development. Concept art is used for demonstration to the art director, producers and stakeholders. A Storyboard Artist is a concept artist who designs and articulates scene sequences for review before main art production. A Character Designer is a concept artist that designers characters for the game based off of the vision of the Lead Artist/Art Director. An Environment Designer is similar to the character designer, but instead of characters they design the settings where the video game will take place.


 * Storyboard Artists

Storyboard Artists often work with the concept artists and designers of the game from conception. They develop the cinematics of the game. The storyboard artist creates an outline for the rest of the artists to follow. Sometimes this is passed on to other departments, like game writers and programmers, for a base of their work. The storyboards that are created breakdown scenes and how the camera will move.


 * Character Designer

Character Designers portray the visual and personality traits of a character based off of the concept and description given to them by the Lead Artist/Art Director. The characters features can be translated through anatomy, cosmetic features, facial expressions and poses. The Character Designer must work closely with the Lead Artist/Art Director in creating multiple variations of their characters until a product is produced that satisfies the role. The final concept is displayed in a Model Sheet which can be used by 3D Modellers to create a three dimensional representation of the character, or can be used by 2D animators to make sure the representation of the character remains faithful during production.


 * Environment Designer

Environment Designers, similar to Character designers, create portrayals of the Ideas of the game designers and the Lead Artist/Art Director for the environments and spaces the characters will exist in within the video game. Environmental designers use topography, geography, architectural stylings, and landscape design to create different moods of the spaces. They must work closely with the Lead Artist's/Art Directors to create designs that will be cohesive with the story and the characters of the video game.


 * Texture/2D artist

A texture/2D artist adds texture to the work that has been created by the 3D modellers. Often 2D/texture artists are the same people as the 3D modellers. The texture artist gives depth to the art in a video game. The artists apply shading, gradients, and other classic art techniques through art development software.


 * A sprite artist creates non-static characters and objects or sprites for 2D games. Each sprite may consist of several frames used for animation.
 * A texture artist creates textures or skins and applies them to 3D model meshes.
 * A map artist or background modeller creates static art assets for game levels and maps, such as environmental backdrops or terrain images for 2D games.
 * An interface artist works with the interface programmer and designer to produce game interface, such as game menus, HUDs, etc.