There is a lot of confusion about what is considered concept art or illustration. While the line is not always clear and there is a lot of gray area, there are some key differences. When it comes to pursuing a career in the entertainment art fields, the clients or employers are looking for artists with specific skills, and it helps to know the differences between these jobs.

Character concepts and variations for Fevertown — Character concepts and variations for *Fevertown*

Concept Art and Visual Development

The term “concept artist” is generally used in video games or live-action films, and the term “visual development (vis dev) artist” is typically used in animation. While there are some differences, the main purpose of both their jobs is to take ideas from a script or a brief and turn them into visuals.

Majority of their work is done for behind-the-scene purposes during the pre-production stage, so the work is rarely seen by the public. The work is necessary to bridge the gap between abstract ideas and concrete visuals, so that other departments in the pipeline like 3D artists, animators, or lighting artists can use the designs to build the final product.

There are artists who are generalists and can design everything, while some specialize in something specific like characters, vehicles, or even lighting. Some in-house full-time positions may prefer generalists, while freelance positions are mostly specialized.

Concept artists and vis dev artists design various things including characters, environments, props, story moments, or mood. The process usually include thumbnails, idea explorations, blue sky or mood paintings, design variations, expression sheets, call-outs/details, turnarounds/orthos, layouts, and color keys. The more experienced/senior artist will usually be doing the initial/rough concepts that require more decision making, and the less experienced artist will be doing more refined diagram-like production artwork that is passed onto the 3D artists to use as a guide.

(Note: The terms are inconsistent across different industries and companies. For example, the initial rough painting to explore idea is sometimes referred to in the animation industry as “concept art”, but in the game industry, this is sometimes referred to as “production painting”. There are also sometimes called “blue-sky” or “key-art”. )

Because of the nature of the corporate structure, concept artists and vis dev artists are expected to come up with as many ideas as possible in a short amount of time, so often times highly rendered paintings are not necessary, as long as the ideas are being conveyed clearly. It may help to think of the job as more of a designer than an artist.

Lastly, concept artists and vis dev artists are usually paid by the amount of time put in the work (hourly/daily/weekly/salary).

Illustration

While on the surface, an illustration can look very similar to a concept art painting, the main difference is that an illustration is meant to be seen by the public.

There are many types of illustrations including book covers, box art, card games, website banner, promotional posters, or loading screen illustrations. Unlike designs that will only be seen internally by the production team, illustrations are created in order to promote or sell a product to a public audience, so the polish level of the finish is very important. Illustrators are usually hired for their strong sense of style, composition, level of finish, and their ability to communicate a message.

The steps for creating an illustration usually follow a linear process that include thumbnails, color roughs, finished line drawing, and final rendering.

There are some full-time illustration positions, but the demand for it is usually infrequent, so most of the time, illustration jobs are freelance. While there are some exceptions, freelance illustrators are often paid a flat rate per illustration.

Promotional illustration art for Fevertown — Promotional illustration for *Fevertown*

Fine Art

With the popularity of digital art, there is a lot of fine art being created, shared, and sold online. The line between what is illustration or fine art is becoming blurred. For the purpose of this article, the difference between illustration, concept art, and fine art is the reason the art is being created.

An illustrator and a concept artist are commissioned/hired to create the work based on a prompt/script/direction in order to help sell or create a product (book, movie, game, etc.). The work is a supplement to the product that is being sold.

On the other hand, a fine artist creates work based on their own vision/purpose, and the audience buys it with the purpose of obtaining the actual art piece itself. Originally, fine art is mostly sold at galleries, in person, or online, but there is an increasing amount of fine art created digitally, and the artists make their earnings from selling prints, being partnered with YouTube, or using subscription-based platforms like Patreon/Kofi.

Other Entertainment Art Jobs

There are other disciplines like animation, matte painting, lighting, texture painting, 3D, and VFX, but they usually utilize different software and require different sets of skills. These jobs are more specialized, and have less overlaps with illustrations and 2D concept art. When applying to jobs, you should cater your portfolio towards the specific positions. You can even have multiple portfolios you send out to different places. Clients and employers will want to know if you can do the job, and it is better if they don’t have to guess. Putting the right work in your portfolio will greatly increase your chances of getting hired!

Resolution Art Studio

If you’d like to learn more about concept art, visual development, illustration, and other entertainment art disciplines, check out Resolution Art. We give feedback on your work and discuss topics that will help bridge the gap for artists who want to work in the industry. We offer classes, mentorships, and a community of aspiring and professional artists. You can also join our Discord by clicking here.