Illustration
Hire Concept Artists
Concept artists explore how characters, environments and objects could look before a game, film or product goes into production.
The role
What concept artists do
A concept artist creates quick explorations, mood boards, paintings and design sheets that help a team choose a direction. Their work is about solving visual problems for production, not only making finished illustrations.
Typical deliverables
- Character and creature concepts
- Environment paintings
- Prop and vehicle designs
- Mood boards
- Production design sheets
Tools you will see
- Photoshop
- Procreate
- Blender
- ZBrush
- PureRef
Choosing
How to choose concept artists
What to look for
- Multiple design explorations, not only polished paintings.
- Designs that consider production and function.
- Experience in games, film or your industry.
- Clear communication of scale and materials.
Questions to ask
- 1How many initial explorations would you create?
- 2How do you prepare concepts for 3D artists?
- 3Can you work from our lore or brief?
- 4How do you handle feedback from a larger team?
Planning
Before you post the job
Exploration first
Budget for rough options before detailed paintings, so the team can choose a direction.
What drives cost
Number of designs, detail, orthographic sheets and rendering level.
Hiring on Open Lance
- Posting a job and reviewing proposals are free.
- Each milestone is funded into escrow before work starts and paid when you approve it.
- Hire fixed-price, hourly, as a monthly Dedicated Hire, or buy a packaged Drop-In.
- Client fees are shown before you pay and added on top of the work.
FAQ
Questions about hiring concept artists
Concept art or illustration?
Concept art solves designs for production. Illustration is usually final artwork for audiences.
Can concept artists use 3D tools?
Yes. Many use 3D blockouts for perspective and speed.
Can concepts be used as marketing art?
Sometimes, if polished and permitted by the agreement.
Related
Related skills
Post a job for concept artists
Describe the work and compare proposals. You only fund the first milestone once you have chosen someone.