Hello, I am concept artist Sunghwa Jung
I have been doing concept design for various game development
and animation projects for 24 years
Currently, I am teaching at Gachon University and ChungKang College of Cultural Industries
While still actively working as a concept artist
Today's lecture topic is "What is Concept Design?"
First, let's take a look at the lecture outline for this session
The first topic is Character Concept Design Techniques
In fact, concept design is essential not only in games
But also in the creation of products and various other types of content
The easiest examples are concept designs that emerge
When developing new models of cars or mobile phones
You have likely heard about concepts or prototype images in various contexts
However, today I will only introduce it within the scope of game development
I will also explain the process of character concept design within the scope of game development
The reason is that even within the confines of game development
There are so many graphic assets that require concept design
Enumerating each one, such as characters, worlds, monsters, architecture
Dungeons, items, weapons, and so on, would be difficult
The second topic is about item and object design
In game development, all graphic resources are collectively referred to as assets
Items and various objects are commonly referred to as props
The third topic is a brief explanation of techniques
For creating effects and animations
Character Concept Design Techniques
So, what exactly does concept design entail?
I believe concept design is a creative process of visualizing abstract ideas
From the mind of the storyteller
As mentioned before
Concept art is a broad and diverse field with a wide range of specialties
Hence, explaining it comprehensively requires
A significant amount of time and effort
To introduce concept design within the given time
Focus and selectivity are necessary
The lecture will be more of an overview rather than an in-depth analysis
First, I will explain the character design process
This is because it is the most important area of focus for concept artists
The preparation stage of the character concept process
Game characters are the avatars of players within the game, representing their identities
Therefore, the attractiveness of the character settings within a game is
Crucially tied to the likability of the game itself
The most common type of character is humanoid
This is natural
As creations made by humans naturally focus on people
Even non-human characters often undergo anthropomorphization
Making them relatable to players
I will focus on humanoid character concept design in the presentation of the production process
In fact, the field of game graphics requires a certain level of innate talent
However, through effort, one can achieve high-quality results
Through further explanation, it will be possible to understand how self-improvement as a concept artist can be achieved
I have divided the preparation stage into three main parts: drawing, coloring, and tool proficiency
Proficiency in tools and operating them is essential
Most games under development
are being made using computers
Therefore, mastering graphic design tools is
Essential for game concept design
Representative graphic design tools include Adobe Photoshop,
Clip Studio Paint by CELSYS, and Corel Painter by Corel
Since each tool has its own strengths and weaknesses
It's best to choose and utilize the one that suits your personal preference
However, it's important to consider that Photoshop is
The most widely used tool in game development studios
During this session, we'll be using Photoshop
Which is currently the most widely used tool in game development, for our lessons
At its core, one of the fundamental skills you should possess is drawing
Drawing is indeed crucial because
It allows you to visually express the ideas in your mind
Drawing, like any skill, requires practice
To depict the images of characters used in games, technical skill is necessary
Are you finding drawing difficult?
Don't worry too much; it's because you lack experience
With enough practice, you can improve your drawing skills to a considerable extent
Through a demonstration, let me briefly explain the basics of drawing
Let's take a look at a drawing demonstration together
I opened a new document and added a new layer
Line is the most important aspect you need
To practice when it comes to drawing
It's important to emphasize different methods for practicing lines
So that you can draw the types of lines you want
I'm currently demonstrating
The process of drawing lines using Photoshop, a digital tool
Preparing by practicing regularly
whether it's with a sketchbook or through manual methods
Will enable you to draw lines freely and confidently
Of course, achieving proficiency in a short period is not easy
If you're prepared with your lines
Let's say we're going to draw an apple
That line, depending on how it's used
Can elevate the sophistication and quality of the drawing with practice and skill
In general, when people who are not prepared with lines try to draw a picture
They end up creating a result that looks messy and disjointed
And the overall quality of the drawing can appear significantly lower
So, after practicing lines sufficiently, when drawing an apple
You should consider the direction of light
And prepare lines that can express these forms
In this case, the light is coming from this direction
I should ideally show you this back part
In much more detail
But due to time constraints, please refer to the simplified demonstration I've provided
By utilizing brushes and erasers in Photoshop
You can gradually remove unnecessary lines
and shape your artwork
into the desired form
And Photoshop itself
Comes with many basic brushes that are very useful
You can utilize these brushes to create your artwork effectively
You can take the time
To carefully draw each pen stroke to express texture
However, utilizing the brushes that are already available
can be a faster way to express texture
Let's use the airbrush tool that's already there
To create a new airbrush
From here
To here
Combine the previously drawn pen strokes by using the airbrush tool like this
Then you can express the texture more quickly
and select the eraser tool
To highlight the brighter areas a bit more
And then, tidy up the details in the pen strokes
And finally, adding shadows
You'll need to invest more time if you want to enhance the details further
As you continue to invest more time and gradually refine the pen strokes
The overall quality will improve
And similarly, I've drawn an apple
and I'll also illustrate a box
Digital tools often have features
That allow you to quickly create straight lines for objects like boxes
You can use such features
Practicing drawing lines without relying on tools
and striving to recreate the desired line shapes is
Crucial for improvement
Similarly, set up the lighting
Afterwards, using pen lines to gradually indicate the texture in areas untouched by light is
A practice that helps in creating texture
As you can see, the overlapping lines gradually decrease the texture intensity
It allows for darker and more nuanced expressions
I've also demonstrated the use of lines in drawing
Showing how shadows can be depicted to bring the drawing to a close
This line work requires a significant amount of time to complete
Many practices are necessary
But with effort
You can acquire the ability to draw pictures
With a sufficient level of completion
That's what I believe so
After determining the character's shape through drawing, the next step is coloring the character
Actually, color is a concept that depends on light
Because everything we visually perceive is directly due to light
Understanding light can make you a significant level of artist
Because there is light, we can perceive
The color and mass of objects
However, for basic concept design required in games
If you have drawing skills to accurately represent shapes and coloring skills
You can accomplish the basic concept design
By developing proficiency in color harmony and expressive techniques
You can enhance the completeness of character concepts
Once you have mastered the two aspects described above
It seems you have attained the minimum preparation required for a character concept artist
Let's look at a demonstration together
I'll demonstrate the process of coloring
Using the apple we drew during the drawing process
There are various techniques for coloring
However, due to limited time, I cannot introduce every technique
So, we'll explore the simplest way to color today
Think of it as a very traditional approach
First, let's merge the layer containing the outline
and the layer with the gradient for shading
After emerging
We'll fill in the color within a defined area
On top of the merged layer
I explained to you earlier about the aspect of observational skills
Many people tend to think of apples as simply red
But the surface of an apple actually contains various colors
Observation is key to experiencing
and understanding these aspects
The surface of an apple can contain green hues as well
and it can also include shades of orange, yellow, and more
Paying close attention to those aspects would be helpful
You'll often notice areas where the apple is slightly less ripe
or where green hues are still present in certain parts
So, I hope you'll pay closer attention to apples
The next time you see one
I first applied an overall red tone to the apple
Then added shading to the apple to create volume, keeping in mind the direction of the light source
I'll use varying degrees of darkness and lightness
To accentuate the form and texture of the apple
In the beginning, you can use bold colors
In the later stages, you can always refine and tidy up
So there's no need to be overly cautious and lose confidence in applying colors from the start
Now, as I begin to subtly depict the reflections in the background
You'll notice that the volume and form of the apple improve significantly
Also add some details here and there in the middle of the apple
When colors are layered in multiple stages like this
It allows for a much more natural depiction of the apple
Now in the final stage, the apple has a glossy feel on the surface
In the part where the light comes in and highlights
Peaks are formed like this
Expressing these parts a little will make it look much more lively
And when you want to express something fresher
It would be nice to add things
like leaves
It's also okay to boldly use low-intensity colors
To highlight the volume and contours of the apple
By blending them in darker areas
I've shown you an example of coloring
Using this traditional approach
We will move on to entering the character concept process phase
The first step is creativity
Creativity is the most important elements for concept artists
The second is observational skills
Having a habit of constant observation is crucial
For enhancing the completeness of design
Consideration of design psychology is essential as well
It involves leveraging the aesthetic cognition that people possess, whether consciously or unconsciously
First, you need to practice to enhance your creativity
The purpose of concept design, as mentioned earlier is
For game designers, who are product managers
Visualizing abstract concepts
That are not yet fleshed out in the game design of a product manager
Therefore, it's a job that requires considerable creative ability
It requires a lot of practice and effort to develop creative ability
For example, if you have knowledge about armor through research
Understanding its function and form, when there's a related concept in a project
You can quickly come up with a convincing design
Games often require us to visualize imaginary world and experiences
That we haven't encountered before, unlike movies or dramas
Practicing creativity often begins with
Letting go of preconceived notions and biases
I recommend letting go of any preconceived notions that have developed unknowingly over time
and trying new approaches
Indeed, creative ability is often considered the most essential skill and challenge
For concept artists
Amidst the vast array of game art, it's the creativity that makes game art stand out
Capturing the attention of users
You can create a new character using images of a cat and a knight
Like the one shown in the next image
Observing objects closely is necessary in everyday life
Many things often go unnoticed as we pass by them
However, I believe that by taking a closer look
We can experience more artistically
It's true even just by looking at a single tree-lined street
or observing the common weeds growing around us
People generally have aesthetic sensibilities and preferences
For visual idioms that resonate with them
Therefore, leveraging the visual idioms that people have can enhance persuasiveness
How should I adjust the proportions to make my character look more realistic?
How can I make it look cuter?
or how can I make it look like a cool hero?
In design psychology, there are many elements such as
Proportion, composition, lighting arrangement, and mise-en-scène
These are the areas you can explore further through in-depth study
I will provide few examples
In general, everyone possesses some degree of aesthetic sensibility
But due to the inability to express those sentiments themselves
They may lack confidence in drawing
Generally, what are some ways we try
To make characters appear younger/youthful?
Or how can we make them feel cuter?
These aspects are of great interest to developers
Creating casual characters or fancy characters
Prompting them to put in a lot of effort to achieve those qualities
For instance, one common way to make a character appear younger is
By giving them a slightly oval-shaped face, as humans generally have
If you draw a horizontal line down the middle of the face
and then add a vertical Iine
Then, you can define the forehead where the hairline begins
By focusing on the area between the central line and the rest of the face
And from here to this point, you divide this distance into three equal parts
Typically, from here, you would draw the eyebrows
Let's take a look again
I'll try to explain on the left and draw on the right
At this stage, dividing the distance to the chin into three equal parts
If each segments is in a 1:1:1 ratio
What people consider the most beautiful is the way people look at them
There are some prejudices about aesthetic composition
How can we make it look more younger/youthful while maintaining the aesthetically pleasing proportion?
What defines looking younger/youthful is the angle here
and the first line going up to the eyebrows
Mark up to the glabella
and then the second line is the nose
The shorter the distance from the top of the nose to the end of the nose
The more it appears younger
When this distance is shortened, it appears more young
Let's give it a try
Remove certain lines here
Maintaining the 1:1:1 ratio as a reference for the character's facial expression
But I'll try extending the distance from the nose tip to the chin
When extending it downward like this
Shall we compare it to the previous one?
Let's create another one separately and compare them
When extended like this, having a longer lower face
It makes you look a little older
So if we look at the cause separately
When you have a face like this
You place the eyes along the middle line
The height of the eyes often contributes to the perception of youthfulness
It would be the same above
It's because when the lower face becomes longer, the overall eye height rises
Above the midline compared to the length
I will simplify it a bit more
If your raise the irises above the midline in this situation
You'll get a different feel when you move the position of the eyes
I will make a comparison
Here and here
With these adjustments
The character on the right looks much younger
These are the same facial proportion differences
That occur naturally as people grow and age
As people age, the positioning of the eyes shift from being lower in the face towards being more centered
Which contributes to the adult appearance gradually taking shape
Even though it's a natural phenomenon
People tend to associate certain facial features
With youthfulness or aging
It's a natural process that leads to such perceptions
And using these two aspects
We develop characters in comics or games as hero types and regular types
Which are commonly known as NPCs, or non-player characters
When designing typical characters
The overall facial shape of a hero is typically represented by an oval
And in general cases, drawing a bit closer to a circular shape gives
A stronger impression of the hero when compared to an oval shape
Let me give you an example
This is a very large oval right now
You first draw a circle
and express it like this
Then you need to think about the overall composition
Even if the face is not oval-shaped and is depicted in a more typical, normal way
Using things like hair, accessories, hats, or helmets
To shape the overall look
and outline it in an oval shape
It gives more a heroic appearance and affects people's perception accordingly
Of course, factors like height and proportion play a role as well
Proportions like the golden ratio (9:1) or the eight-head figure
Often contribute to a heroic perception
It's because these proportions are not commonly observed in real life, which adds to the sense of heroism
When depicting characters like this here
We represent the face in a more ordinary form
Then, by using forms like helmets
We shape the overall character to fit into an oval
Giving the impression of heroism to ordinary people
So, when we look at ancient generals or warriors with helmets, for example
They often wore helmets
That were designed to appear more imposing
By raising them upwards like this
That, too, is an image they created
To emphasize the appearance of a hero
or the awe that people generally feel
And in the same situation
When comparing
I will change then style to a more rounded shape on the right side
We also need to stretch the shape a bit sideways to achieve a rounder look
Let me draw the guidelines for the rounded shape like this
Perhaps even a bit rounder would be better
Similarly, the process of growing a height of 9 or 8 heads tall is
Quite similar to human growth
Human babies are initially about 3 heads tall when they are born
But as they grow, they eventually reach a height of around 7 or 6.5 heads tall
Typically, proportions of 8 heads or more, such as 9 heads are
Less common in the real world
That's why many people perceive characters with such proportions as heroic
This kind of character design aligns with
The basic aesthetic conventions that people have
Indeed, leveraging these aesthetic conventions can
Greatly enhance
The appeal of the artwork one is creating
So, regarding these asepcts
There are elements like aesthetic conventions, design psychology
Proportions of the subject, composition, as well as lighting and staging
By utilizing these elements
We can effectively express the aspects we want to portray
Now, let's utilize the concepts we discussed earlier
To create some concept designs
First, we'll start by creating concept designs using silhouettes
Concept design using silhouettes is
The most suitable design approach for game development, so I'll introduce it during this session
When developing, character and world design are created based not the product manager/game designer's concept proposal
During this process, you'll collaborate closely with the product manager
Early on, you'll use silhouette art to quickly and diversely generate ideas
And converge towards final designs through collaboration with the manager
I'll explain the production process through a simple demonstration
I'll show you the process of creating concept art using silhouette
As you know, silhouette art, as I mentioned earlier
Silhouette art is a crucial concept design method in game development
Because of the necessity for close collaboration
Between design and planning stages
When a person looks at an object
The first thing they typically perceive is its outline of the object
Since shape is the first ting to be perceived
Inspired by the fact that shapes are perceived first
This process involves quickly sketching the outline of the character at the roughest stage
When conceptualizing character concepts
The demonstration I'm about to show you will cover themes like casual
RPG, and knight characters
Among the brushes provided by default
You can choose a solid brush
With a sharp edge
Which creates a solid outline with a sharp and defined edge
It doesn't matter what form it takes
You can work very roughly
Because we'll organize everything later
Even though it may seem like I'm just applying black paint randomly
In my mind, I'm drawing the picture while keeping in mind
Some of the details of the character inside
In a little while, once everything is tidied up
I'll also try to express some internal details
While showing you what I'm envisioning in my mind as I work roughly like this
Since it's a casual line
The character's proportions can be divided using head size to human scale
In casual lines, SD characters, or Super Deformed character, are used
"Deformed" here means that they have been significantly altered
So think of them as highly transformed
I'm currently designing a 3-head tall character
Which is often used for creating cute characters
You can go even shorter than that
You can even go for 2 or 2.5 heads tall if you like
Thinking about the proportions of the character, I proceed with styling in mind
Considering what form would best suit the character's basic style
It seems like the outlines are starting to take shape now with the character holding a knife
Since it's supposed to be a cute character
It's holding a knife with a slightly cute feel rather than something too sharp or violent
I'll also add a shoe here
Actually, the first thing to do when working on such concept designs is
To gather references
You can collect various materials needed for your character design through
Google search or other sources
And after thoroughly familiarizing yourself with the collected materials and digesting them
Designing your character will be much more effective
Without doing so, there's a high likelihood of ending up with a design
That feels outdated or lacks persuasive power
You can establish a focus this way
First, one character has already been created
And we just copy paste this one
Let me copy and paste this
Then show some detailed sketches on top of the design
We worked on in the beginning
I'll show you the process of detailing in the next session
But for now, let's just roughly sketch out the details
If I show you a rough version now
At this stage, picking up slightly brighter colors from the back
And roughly representing the image I have in my mind
The hair is also a bit there
and this part resembles the shape of the hats worn in medieval times
And let's try to make the character's face look cute like this
You should roughly aim for this kind of feeling when drawing
So, can you roughly see what I had in mind
While working on this silhouette?
I imagined a shield-like structure for the back
You can quickly come up with an idea
and quickly spread another design like the one you just saw
To create another design
Let's take a look
I wanted to express the character wearing a cute hat
More like a knight
So I'm going to draw it in armor style
Later, when I work on the details
You'll get a sense of how the armor will be represented
From this rough sketch, you might already have a rough idea of
What the image will look like
I'll try to depict the crest on top of the helmet a bit
And I'm envisioning the shield at the back
Being held forward like a shield
So you can see how a silhouette of a shield like this would be included here, right?
You can boldly and crisply sketch it out
Details can be refined later by removing unnecessary parts
and adding necessary ones
Through this process of detailing up, improvements can be made as needed
If you're too cautious from the start because of fears like not being able to fix or make mistakes
Time will just keep passing by
And the cute sword in front
Can be made into a form more suitable for combat
Let's try to make it a bit sharper
To add a different image
To make the legs appear longer
Extend them downward a bit more
Here
I'll give the character leather boots reminiscent of those worn by ancient knights
Now that the outlines are done
Let's see together how these outlines will transform into the final design
Let's sketch out how we plan to render this lightly
To see how we've drawn it so far
At this level of representation
This is the most fundamental form of silhouette concept art
As you saw, I quickly copied the first design and moved it over, right?
I moved it, and the second one appeared
When the second one comes out, you can use the first one again
Pulling out the first one again
You can use it to change the image in a different way
Here, previously the character was wearing a hat, but now I'll remove it
After removing the hat, I'll use the hair to recreate the silhouette
The overall appearance
By shaping it like this
You create another form for the character's appearance
And then, erase the image that was used as a shield earlier
I'll make a bag that looks like
It's meant for a long journey somewhere far away
You can also see that between 10 to 15 minutes
Three other characters were created
Visualizing the images in the mind of the product manager in this way
and after the meeting, if the manager favors the second one
Then the silhouette concept work will be based on the second one
Ultimately, it's the process of finalizing the character design
with the approval of the manager
Item and Object(Props) Design
Next, let's explore item and props design within the game
Due to time constraints
I'll provide a brief overview of the following sections
First, let's talk about item design
This refers to all the objects that players can acquire and use within the game
Items serve various purposes, such as empowering or enhancing the abilities of players in combat
or decorating the appearance of in-game characters
Additionally, various in-game assets such as gems, potions, and
All assets used in the user interface (UI)
Can also be considered part of item design
Objects refer to various buildings, vehicles, landmarks, and
Other elements used to construct the game world
This area also falls within the purview of designers
Techniques for Creating Effects and Animations
The animation and effects part is a bit different
From concept design in practice
The animation and effects part are so separate and operate independently
However, animations and effects play a significant role in the impact
and immersion of players within the game
If animations feel awkward, no matter how cool the character is
It can significantly diminish the overall quality of the game
The effective application of effects enhances gameplay satisfaction
and makes special moments feel more spectacular
In the second lecture
I'll provide more detailed explanations on animations and effects
Above, we've explored the preparation and production process
For character concept creation
and also introduced animations and effects
It's unfortunate that due to the short lecture time
We couldn't delve deeper into the explanations
In the next lecture, I'll aim to provide more comprehensive explanations
So please refer to the video for further details
Thank you for staying with me through this lengthy lecture
Character Concept Design Techniques Concept Design Creative process of visualizing abstract ideas from the mind of the storyteller Character Concept Process Preparation stage Tool: Proficiency in operating tools is required
Drawing: Fundamental skill set required Coloring: applying colors to characters Entry Stage: Creativity, observation, design psychology Mature Stage: Silhouette concept art
Utilizing silhouette art to quickly and diversely shape ideas and converge them into final concepts through collaboration with product managers
Item and Object (Props) Design Item Objects that players can acquire and use within the game Object Various buildings, vehicles, landmarks, and other elements that compose the game world
Techniques for Creating Effects and Animations Animation and effects They greatly influence the sense of impact within the game and enhance player immersion
Effects elevate the enjoyment of gameplay and make special moments even more spectacular