In one of my classes this semester, I am allowed to do something a bit unusual - just sketch! Usually the pressure is to turn in finished pieces or else terrible things will happen. But because for the purposes of finishing school, I am saying that I want to go into concept and fantasy art, a sketchbook of conceptual drawings is an appropriate thing to have.

I love concept art. But I'm bad at it. Nonetheless I am trying. I've already seen an improvement in my notebook, and while the sketches are very rough, I know that is usually normal for the first phases of any idea. I also know that I have already proven myself capable of taking my designs and translating them into 3d. Still - my approach feels very different from those concept artists who can literally just sit down and draw up a complex and detailed image. I might eventually be able to work up to that level on any given idea if I was asked to concentrate on it... but I can't just DO it. Maybe I'm being unfair to myself. Maybe those same people can't take a sketch and reconstruct it as a 3d model.

I don't even know why I'm worrying about any of this to be honest. I was sort of planning on taking a break from illustration after I graduated and doing some writing instead. In fact, half the ideas in my sketchbook are expressed only in words. I just found that I could describe them better that way. I'd think that being able to work both ways would be an asset, but illustrators have it drilled into them that they solve problems visually - not verbally. It makes me feel different.

I actually did sort of have a point to this entry besides just rambling on. If anyone who actually reads this has some ideas that might be interesting to sketch out, please let me know. Anything is game really - items, character/animal design, clothing design... Places would be cool too, but that is definitely not something I'm experienced with at all. In particular, I love things with an elven slant and would like to have more of that sort of thing in my sketchbook. Concept art doesn't happen in a vacuum though - the whole point of concept art is to give visual substance and direction to concrete ideas that already exist.

I could go on forever... but I won't.