Concepts and designNegotiated research An analysis of the place of concept art and design in media, turning pen to paper, into reality.By Martyn Ward

´ The facts & history of artists that have used different techniques to accomplish there works.

´ How these methods have impacted artists and creators today.

´ How concepts come to there final stages.

Early conceptsBrief history of art and design

In the early years of human history, art was one of the defining ways to tell a story and develop different types of concepts.

Leonardo da Vinci (1452 - 1519)

One of the most defining artists in history was non other than Leonardo da Vinci.

Leonardo da Vinci was responsible for such works as the Mona Lisa and the Vitruvian man.

The Mona Lisa set the standard for all future portraits.

The curves of the sitter’s hair and clothing, created through sfumato (use of fine shading), are echoed in the shapes of the valleys and rivers behind her.

Similar methods are used within modern day concepts and designs.

Leonardo da Vinci decided that, in order to better understand the human body, proceeded to obtain human corpses of the deceased and dissect them for further study.

While doing this research he decided that it would be best to illustrate these findings so that doctors can utilise the imagery for medical use.

Designing weapons and technology was a key factor in Leonardo’s conceptual designs.

Leonardo proves that modern ideas where implemented back within history, but due to resources and technological know how being limited, the development of these concepts never came to be until early 20th century.

One particular design was an early idea of a helicopter.

Due to the material founded within this time period, flight was not achieved. In order for this object to fly it would require immense power as well as a lighter frame for it to lift of the ground.

However, it must still be recognized as a great leap of the imagination.

Linear Perspective is a technique in art that allows one to convey depth, forms diminishing in size as they recede from us. This means that parallel lines reseeding seem to converge at the horizon, forming a vanishing point.

Before linear perspective was developed most paintings were viewed as a flat surface, but with the advent of perspective and lighting techniques painting became three dimensional, and faces were rounded and buildings had depth.

Leon Battista Alberti (1404 - 1472)

‘Della pittura’ or On Painting was the first modern treatise on painting.

People before Alberti had written about art in a practical sense, like how to grind pigments for paints and make brushes, but Alberti was interested in more than basic instructions and penned the first scientific and philosophical foundation for art and art history.

He wrote ‘On Painting’ in 1435 in Latin, and it was translated into Italian a year later. He then divided the content into three books.

Book 1 was mathematical. It included a lengthy discussion of linear perspective, the system artists' use as a means of replicating how three-dimensional objects like people and buildings sit in space.

Leon Battista Alberti – Self portrait

Alberti wrote of the vanishing point, the point on the horizon that optics don't allow people to see beyond.

Understanding perspective helped artists render three-dimensional views on a two-dimensional surface like a wall or canvas.

Alberti went into great detail, explaining complicated calculations and a grid system with a series of diagonal lines that, when mastered, enabled the artist to develop skill in rendering perspective.

(Graphic detailing linear perspective and vanishing point, from the On Painting System)

Now we are going to look through Some of the different examples of this method being used, by either Alberti or

other artists around that era.

An example of Alberti and the measured perspective turning 2D into 3D using the perugino perspective.

Pietro Perugino - Sistine chaple fresco - 1481-82

Another example of linear perspective using the same principles of perception in a 3D environment.

The School of Athens by Raphaello Sanzio.

The painting symbolizes the revival of the Greek classics, art, and science during the Renaissance.

It has images of some of the greatest minds of that time. In the centre Plato and Aristotle are framed by arches and all around are others from their schools of thought.

In the painting The Healing of the Cripple and the Raising of Tabitha we see a sophisticated advance in perspective by Masolino. Here, one can see the careful way in which Masolino brings this two part image together with excellent perspective, all converging to one vanishing point on the horizon.

'The Healing of the Cripple and the Raising of Tabitha', by Masolino (1425)

Cimabue’s style provided the firm foundation upon which rested the art of Giotto and Duccio in the 14th century, although he was superseded in his own lifetime by these artists.

Art historiographers from the 14th century to the present have recognized the art and career of Cimabue as the dividing line between the old and the new traditions in western European painting.

The Christ Pantocrator in the apse of the CefalùCathedral in Sicily (Italy), ca. 1145-60.

Byzantine is an art style that originated form the Byzantine Empire, or the Eastern Orthodox Church.

This piece has many errors in perspective, detailed by the floating figures and disproportioned shapes.

Christ Before Pilate AgainDate: 1308 / 1311

In later years perspective and the quality of painting improved dramatically and everything had a sense of realism.

This is a defining characteristic that embodies many modern day artists to create illustrations and paintings to be as realistic as possible.

Officer and Laughing Girl, Vermeer, 1655-60.

Officer an laughing girl, also known as officer and a laughing girl, or De soldaat en het Lachende Meisje, was painted by the Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer between 1655 and 1660.

Vermeer decided to paint in a very realistic manner, which makes the viewer believe that a photograph was taken during that moment, giving the sense of realism.

Girl with a pearl earring, Johannes Vermeer c. 1665

‘Girl with a pearl earring’ incorporates a style known simply as a ‘Tronie’.

‘Tronie’ is a 16-17th century meaning for “face” which is a common or type of work in Dutch Golden Age and Flemish Baroque painting that shows exaggerated expressions or characters in costume.

The Art of Painting (detail)Johannes Vermeerc. 1662–1668

Johannes Vermeer, the astronomer, 1668

Modern day concepts for different forms of media

Did past artists influence us on how we create concepts today?

Most modern day artists have developed a way of conveying different ideas using simpler and less realistic designs, to allow more freedom to the imagination, for the artist and the viewer.

A Simplistic design for cartoons and illustrations can have an impact even if the product isn't as realistic.

These concepts fit into different art styles and allow for animation to be easier to create.

In some cases the designs will be tested in many different ways.

Dobby went through a selective process in order for his final outcome to be as you see it within the films.

With certain illustrations increased detail is needed, especially in realistic environments and dense structures.

You could say that artists have evolved to understand more about how the world functions,

rather than sticking to just realism.

In Osaka, japan, art battles take place and have a limited time frame to draw an image of the artists choosing within 20 minutes.

You can see similar events take place in events simply labeled as game jams.

Game jams enable indie artists and developers to create a game within an allotted time frame, while using a certain theme to set the foundation as to

what the game will be as the final outcome.

‘The last of us’ concept art

Using methods from linear perspective and realism, this concept art becomes more realistic and understandable to the viewer.

From a simple glance the artist has perfectly portrayed a post apocalyptic setting through concept art, making it clear as to what the game’s focus is.

What most designers within different mediums do to help with the outcome of a project, is to heavily incorporate different themes and styles to get the perfect fit, depending on the genre.

The artwork referenced here is from the game Bioshock, this is a perfect example of a style that has been heavily incorporated within the games genre, being horror.

Destiny, original concepts for the 3 classes within the game.

In order for designers to convey there ideas to their development team, concepts have to be created and put through a group consensus as to what will be the final outcome.

Storyboards are a key part to concepts and design within the industry, as it allows the artists to convey there ideas more vividly.

Final outcome

“You are a mosaic of all the things that matter the most to you”

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(Bibliography)

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(Online references and sources)

(Books and literature references)

Rembrandt Paintings Complete Edition. (1971). 4th ed. London: Phaidon Publishers Inc., p.VII - XIII.

Ricket, M. (1965). Painting in Britain in the middle ages. 2nd ed. [Place of publication not identified]: Penguin Books, pp.9 - 198.

Powell, N. (1973). Fuseli: The Nightmare. Chatham, England: The Penguin Press.

Leonardo da Vinci. (1975). London: George Weidenfeld and Nicolson and Book Associates, pp.12 - 169.

Frank Zollner. Botticelli. (2005). London: Prestel.

..

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(Extra references)

Neoseeker. (2018). Destiny Concept Art - Neoseeker. [online] Available at: http://www.neoseeker.com/destiny/concept_art/ [Accessed 5 Mar. 2018].

Voguesugar.com. (2018). A Muggle Went To The Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studio And Took These Incredible Photos. [online] Available at: http://voguesugar.com/warner-brothers-harry-potter-studio-tour/10/ [Accessed 5 Mar. 2018].

YouTube. (2018). Global Game Jam 2018 Keynote and Theme. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Roxls_2W2M [Accessed 5 Mar. 2018].

YouTube. (2018). Alter Gravity | Global Game Jam 2017 - Winner. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Tv0H0DTj2w [Accessed 5 Mar. 2018].

Any questions?