Coming up with original concept art of any sort can be a challenge, that’s why it is important to do research, make lots of iterations, and get feedback from others.
For the fishing pole and lure concept art, the idea started with what it is based off in real life and doing some research of what you are going to base your art on. Doing research starts with asking yourself lots of questions such as what area of the world you are focusing on, what era is this item made in, what materials are in that area, etc. Once a general sense of who, what, when, where, and why are set, it makes a lot of other parts of the world come together. For instance, if the fishing rod is made of bamboo there should be bamboo in that area. Everything has to make sense in order to have the item exist.
The next step is to make lots of iterations of the item you are trying to create. For example, the lure took a lot of thinking based on the gameplay of the rhythm game. Most basic lures today are made to mimic the prey of fish. This idea didn’t make a whole lot of sense with the way the lure would be following the ghost fish. It also eliminates the design of a predator animal as well. Something like a shark or a bird would be following a fish, but for our game, the player isn’t hunting the fish. Because the lure is only seen during the rhythm game, it logically makes sense to base it off an instrument. It took making these iterations as well as positive feedback to come to this conclusion as a group.
Getting feedback is one of the most important parts of creating concept art, especially as a group. Having someone else look at your work with fresh eyes can help give input on what you have created and give you practice on how to explain your ideas to others. Some good feedback could be color palette, silhouette, the material, or plainly asking for initial reactions. Asking other artists is crucial, but it is also good to ask those without artist experience. Having a pair of lay eyes look at art can help get a grasp of what most see right away.
Finalizing concepts can take some time, but with practice these steps can flow faster and get help establish a pattern of research, iterations, and then feedback.
Ashton Musielewicz
from the Divining Rod Team