[!!] Concept Art Guidelines & FAQ [Concept Art]

[10Kaziem]

We could use some updated concept art guidelines, so here's the placeholder. Updates the following threads into one big thread:
http://tamriel-rebuilt.org/old_forum/viewtopic.php?t=22216
http://tamriel-rebuilt.org/old_forum/viewtopic.php?t=15316


Tamriel Rebuilt Concept Art Guidelines & FAQ

Welcome to the concept art forum! The concept art forum is where new ideas are posted and developed in the form of drawings, paintings, or other art.

This post contains our guidelines and FAQ on how to make concept art for Tamriel Rebuilt. Please read through the guidelines before posting!

Guidelines

What is concept art?
Concept art is drawings, paintings, sketches, and other images of new ideas, places, or things that could be used in Tamriel Rebuilt. Concept art does not include models and textures, which should be posted in [url=http://tamriel-rebuilt.org/old_forum/viewforum.php?f=131]Asset Development[/url].

Who can post concept art?
Anyone! This forum is open to concepts from everyone, artist or not, developer or not. Any skill level. Really!

What can I draw?
We are collecting concept art for anything in or related to the region of Morrowind. Anything else can be posted in the [url=http://tamriel-rebuilt.org/old_forum/viewtopic.php?t=15317]Off Topic Concept Art thread[/url]. If you're not sure what to draw, have a look around the forum and see what other people are drawing or talking about. The FAQ below has some suggestions for places to look.

Where should I post?
Post one thread to show off your concept art. Keep updating it when you make new art. Art for a specific topic or asset with its own thread can go in that thread.

What shouldn't I do?
- Don't insult other people's art (or yours!). We like art of all levels here. Suggest improvements nicely.
- Do not use copyrighted artwork as your own. Plagiarism is not okay.
- When posting artwork that has nudity or sexual content, use common sense; if it's thematic and fits in with the Elder Scrolls, we might use it. If it's gratuitous, we probably don't need it.
- Do not upload images directly to the forums. Use a free image host instead (see FAQ below for suggestions).

Does concept art have to meet a standard?
Short answer: no. Long answer:

Concept art is most useful when it accurately conveys its message. In this respect, practically any "level" of art is useful; anything from quick sketches up to completed masterpieces. A neater, cleaner image may convey the idea better, but sketches are useful, too. Generally, your artwork should convey some combination of the following: the shape and contours of the item, the color, the texture, the size, and where it lives or is used.

Concepts usually fall into the three broad categories: conceptual art, atmospheric art, and functional art.

Conceptual artwork introduces a new idea, and varies widely from quick sketches to more developed art. The most important thing here is to get the idea across.

Atmospheric art generally portrays landscapes, environments, cities, and conveys how it feels or looks to be in a certain place. Atmospheric art is generally looser, as it does not get used as a strict reference image.

Functional art portrays objects as they would actually be seen in game, and covers all possible types of objects, from rocks, to mushrooms, plants, people, hats, houses, and anything else that would be modeled. Functional art tends to be tighter and more representative, as some of it will be used as direct reference material for developers to make models from.

If you have been asked to make functional art specifically as a reference for a modeler, please make your artwork neat and clean, and provide planar views, such as top, bottom, front, back, left side and right side. Otherwise, do as much as you need to get your idea across, but don't worry about making each image a masterpiece.

The next post contains the FAQ. If you still have questions, please post them below and we’ll add them to the FAQ.

[post #2]

FAQ

What kind of art are you looking for?
We are looking for concept art representing ideas, objects, plants, people, landscapes, buildings, and anything else you can think of. We're looking specifically for concepts for things or places in the province of Morrowind, so artwork for other provinces (such as Skyrim or the Black Marsh) should go in the [url=http://tamriel-rebuilt.org/old_forum/viewtopic.php?t=15317]Off Topic Concept Art thread[/url]. Artwork not related to the Elder Scrolls at all can also go in the Off Topic Concept Art thread.

But is there something specifically you need art of?
There might be. If you're looking for something specific to draw, there are a few places we post requests:

• Check the [url=http://tamriel-rebuilt.org/old_forum/viewtopic.php?t=25060]Assets Needed for Morrowind[/url] thread. We post requests for new assets in there, and any new asset needs illustrations first.
• Check for any active FCG or REQ threads in the [url=http://tamriel-rebuilt.org/old_forum/viewforum.php?f=149]Concept Art forum[/url].
• Check the [url=http://tamriel-rebuilt.org/old_forum/viewforum.php?f=131]Asset Development[/url] forum. Assets that are in the process of being developed go there and may need concept art.
• Check [url=http://tamriel-rebuilt.org/old_forum/viewtopic.php?t=24999]Where to Start (Under Construction)[/url], as it has a general listing of what areas are in development and might need concept art.
• Check any active discussion threads, where people may be tossing around ideas that could use illustration.
• Last, we love getting any and all concept art, especially new ideas. You're welcome to contribute to existing requests or make up something new on your own. If you have something in particular you want to draw, go for it, even if there doesn't seem to be a need for it. Our active and request threads don’t cover everything, in no small part because we often realize we need something only after someone’s made a concept of it!

But what if my art never gets used?
Any and all concepts are helpful to us and help inspire us to keep making Tamriel Rebuilt and develop new assets for TR_Data. Even if your piece of art is never "used," it will still have helped. Art is always useful for inspiration and to help define and visualize the lands and cultures we create.

What is a Focused Concept Group (FCG)?
A Focused Concept Group is a sticky thread for concept art concentrating on a specific topic (such as the Deshaan Plains). FCGs are used to gather a large amount of concepts in preparation to begin serious asset creation for a region or topic. These are held within the concept art forum and are essentially open assignments from modelers to artists. As always, anyone can contribute. FCG threads will stay stickied at the top of the forum until the requests are fulfilled.

I can't draw, but I have an idea...
If you have an idea you'd like illustrated, post it in the [url=http://tamriel-rebuilt.org/old_forum/viewtopic.php?t=25060]Assets Needed for Morrowind[/url] thread.

What does it take to be promoted?
Make good concept art for us, then ask. There's no special showcase or promotion guideline for concept artists. Just make art! Keep in mind that being promoted for concept art is entirely aesthetic. (If you want to participate in Interiors, for example, you still have to make a showcase for that.)

Where should I upload my art?
There are a variety of free image hosting sites where you can put your artwork. Please do not upload your art directly to the forums. Here are a small selection:

Imageshack [url=http://www.photobucket.com/]Photobucket[/url] [url=http://www.deviantart.com/]deviantART[/url] [url=http://imgur.com/]imgur[/url]

Of these, photobucket and deviantART are recommended, because they do not delete old images. DeviantART does not allow direct links. You can also try Dropbox. There's nowhere online that's entirely perfect for free image hosting, but these are pretty good.

How can I make my art be visible as an actual picture instead of a link?
You can post it directly:

Code: Select all

[img]image address[/img]

You can post it in a thumbnail:

Code: Select all

[url=address of full size image][img]address of thumbnail[/img][/url]

If you have lots of images or the images are bigger than about 800 px square, please either use thumbnails or the spoiler tags to save everyone the hassle of scrolling and image loading.


This sticky thread was developed from [url=http://tamriel-rebuilt.org/old_forum/viewtopic.php?t=22216]this old FAQ[/url] and these [url=http://tamriel-rebuilt.org/old_forum/viewtopic.php?t=15316]guidelines[/url]. The discussion thread for this sticky is [url=http://tamriel-rebuilt.org/old_forum/viewtopic.php?p=330029]here[/url].

[Gnomey]

First up, the first post is currently already set up like an FAQ, so I'd consider just merging the two posts and maybe adding a bit of introductory text at the start. (I might make a suggestion for that later; it's not as important). As it is now, there's a lot of redundant information that is repeated with slightly different wording.
If properly condensed, maybe this could be merged with [url=http://tamriel-rebuilt.org/old_forum/viewtopic.php?t=25063]Concept Art Tutorials & Help[/url]?

What can I draw?

The first bit is a little redundant now, as we'll only ever work on Morrowind. Everything not related to Morrowind goes in the Off-Topic Concept Art sticky or individual threads such as showcases.
The last bit is also not quite right, but it's a grey area. Basically, we don't want gratuitous nudity and sexual content, but if it is consistent and thematic with the world we are trying to portray we're not going to rule it out. This has been our stance since the Hammerfell days, so you can tell how old that guideline is. And it's worth noting that Morrowind generally handles such themes [url=http://www.imperial-library.info/content/boethiahs-pillow-book]indirectly[/url] rather than overtly. It gets most overt in places like the 36 Lessons, which most people probably don't bother to read in the first place, and less bother to try and understand.
As far as answering the question is concerned, my general advice to concept artists would be to look both in the Concept Art forum and at active discussions elsewhere for ideas on what to draw. A lot of the stuff in Concept Art might be more along the line of asset design and functional concepts, but when we're discussing stuff like Indoril Castle-Estates, the Imperial Navy, or even vaguer topics like the themes of Morrowind or What is Morrowind atmospheric concepts would be really helpful as well.

What shouldn't I do?

The point about not talking down ones own art is worth stressing. As someone who tends to do that, it's really not helpful. At worst, it can create this sense that only high-quality polished artworks are welcome, when rough doodles jotted down on a notepad or in MS paint can often do the job; perhaps not as functional concepts to be used directly by modellers or as PR showpieces, but certainly to develop ideas.
The bottom line is that, while there's always room for improvement and constructive criticism, as long as the image conveys what it needs to there's nothing wrong with it.
The bit about nudity and sexual content is redundant; it's already stated above and, as we are taking a more nuanced approach to the subject, I think it works better there.

Does concept art have to meet a standard?

Here, again, I'd stress that the most important aspect is whether the concept art is able to convey its intended message. This is all the more important because, as I state above, I want to encourage the use of concept art to develop ideas, rather than simply churning out modeller-ready functional concepts and PR-ready atmospherics.
We will want functional concepts, and those need to be neat, clean and usable.
We will want promotional concepts, both atmospheric and functional, and those generally require a strong, pleasing aesthetic.
But primarily we want concept art to conceptualize ideas through a visual medium, and while it's always a bonus if such concept art is a masterpiece it's not necessary and perhaps not always practical.

Who can contribute artwork?

I'd add: you do not have to be an artist.

But is there something specifically you need art of?

This is as above; we haven't had an FCG in a while, or even a UCG. Just checking the CA forum in particular and active discussions in general is probably the way to go. Perhaps a specific link to the [url=http://tamriel-rebuilt.org/old_forum/viewtopic.php?t=25060]Assets Needed for Morrowind[/url] sticky would be a good idea.
I'm not sure if FCGs or UCGs really have a future as such. While, if the Concept Art forums make an incredible recovery, we might want to do something similar in future, we already operate differently than we did then, and will probably be best served using a different approach. For the time being, I'd actually encourage posting concept art directly in discussion threads and then perhaps collecting it in the Concept Art forums.

What does it take to be promoted?

It might bear mentioning that concept artists strictly speaking do not get anything out of being promoted anyway other than, perhaps, recognition; members have as much access as developers at the moment (unless I'm forgetting something) so unless you want to claim something -- in which case you would need to be accepted into the applicable usergroup through the showcase process -- you don't lose out on anything by being a member.

Where should I upload my art?

Now I'm hardly an expert here, but from personal experience I'd very strongly advise against ImageShack and Photobucket. I've found both to be very unreliable, and both have swallowed some of my images. So far Imgur has been very reliable, but being the pessimist I am I'd note that ImageShack seemed very reliable when I first started using it nearly a decade ago.
ImageShack and Photobucket were no doubt good recommendations back then, and now most of the image links in the Concept Art forums are broken. Dropbox being another offender for different reasons.

[10Kaziem]

Thread updated. Thoughts? If no one has any thoughts, then I can add links and post this.

[10Kaziem]

I have updated the first post again with some changes and also I added links. I think this is ready to go, so if anyone has any suggestions, please post them here. If everyone's good with this, I can post it for real and desticky the old threads.

[Gnomey]

My suggested changes, including merging the two posts as they were essentially both set up like an FAQ.

[spoiler]Tamriel Rebuilt Concept Art Guidelines & FAQ

Welcome to the concept art forum! The concept art forum is where new ideas are posted and developed in the form of drawings, paintings, or other art.

This post contains our guidelines and FAQ on how to make concept art for Tamriel Rebuilt. Please read through the guidelines before posting!

What is concept art?
Concept art is drawings, paintings, sketches, and other images of new ideas, places, or things that could be used in Tamriel Rebuilt. Concept art does not include models and textures, which should be posted in [url=http://tamriel-rebuilt.org/old_forum/viewforum.php?f=131]Asset Development[/url].

Who can post concept art?
Anyone! This forum is open to concepts from everyone, artist or not, developer or not. Any skill level. Really!

Where should I post?
Post one thread to show off your concept art. Keep updating it when you make new art. Art for a specific topic or asset with its own thread can go in that thread.

What shouldn't I do?
- Don't insult other people's art (or yours!). We like art of all levels here. Suggest improvements nicely.
- Do not use copyrighted artwork as your own. Plagiarism is not okay.
- When posting artwork that has nudity or sexual content, use common sense; if it's thematic and fits in with the Elder Scrolls, we might use it. If it's gratuitous, we probably don't need it.
- Do not upload images directly to the forums. Use a free image host instead (see FAQ below for suggestions).

What can I draw?
We are collecting concept art for anything in or related to the region of Morrowind. Anything else can be posted in the [url=http://tamriel-rebuilt.org/old_forum/viewtopic.php?t=15317]Off Topic Concept Art thread[/url].

Is there something specifically you need art of?
There might be. If you're looking for something specific to draw, there are a few places we post requests:

• Check the [url=http://tamriel-rebuilt.org/old_forum/viewtopic.php?t=25060]Assets Needed for Morrowind[/url] thread. We post requests for new assets in there, and any new asset needs illustrations first.
• Check for any active FCG (Focused Concept Group, see below) or REQ (request) threads in the [url=http://tamriel-rebuilt.org/old_forum/viewforum.php?f=149]Concept Art forum[/url].
• Check the [url=http://tamriel-rebuilt.org/old_forum/viewforum.php?f=131]Asset Development[/url] forum. Assets that are in the process of being developed go there and may need concept art.
• Check [url=http://tamriel-rebuilt.org/old_forum/viewtopic.php?t=24999]Where to Start (Under Construction)[/url], as it has a general listing of what areas are in development and might need concept art.
• Check any active discussion threads, where people may be tossing around ideas that could use illustration.
• Last, we love getting any and all concept art, especially new ideas. You're welcome to contribute to existing requests or make up something new on your own. If you have something in particular you want to draw, go for it, even if there doesn't seem to be a need for it. Our active and request threads don’t cover everything, in no small part because we often realize we need something only after someone’s made a concept of it!

But what if my art never gets used?
Any and all concepts are helpful to us and help inspire us to keep making Tamriel Rebuilt and develop new assets for TR_Data. Even if your piece of art is never "used," it will still have helped. Art is always useful for inspiration and to help define and visualize the lands and cultures we create.

Does concept art have to meet a standard?
Short answer: no. Long answer:

Concept art is most useful when it accurately conveys its message. In this respect, practically any "level" of art is useful; anything from quick sketches up to completed masterpieces. A neater, cleaner image may convey the idea better, but sketches are useful, too. Generally, your artwork should convey some combination of the following: the shape and contours of the item, the color, the texture, the size, and where it lives or is used.

Concepts usually fall into the three broad categories: conceptual art, atmospheric art, and functional art.

Conceptual artwork introduces a new idea, and varies widely from quick sketches to more developed art. The most important thing here is to get the idea across.

Atmospheric art generally portrays landscapes, environments, cities, and conveys how it feels or looks to be in a certain place. Atmospheric art is generally looser, as it does not get used as a strict reference image.

Functional art portrays objects as they would actually be seen in game, and covers all possible types of objects, from rocks, to mushrooms, plants, people, hats, houses, and anything else that would be modeled. Functional art tends to be tighter and more representative, as some of it will be used as direct reference material for developers to make models from.

If you have been asked to make functional art specifically as a reference for a modeler, please make your artwork neat and clean, and provide planar views, such as top, bottom, front, back, left side and right side. Otherwise, do as much as you need to get your idea across, but don't worry about making each image a masterpiece.

What is a Focused Concept Group (FCG)?
A Focused Concept Group is a sticky thread for concept art concentrating on a specific topic (such as the Deshaan Plains). FCGs are used to gather a large amount of concepts in preparation to begin serious asset creation for a region or topic. These are held within the concept art forum and are essentially open assignments from modelers to artists. As always, anyone can contribute. FCG threads will stay stickied at the top of the forum until the requests are fulfilled.

I can't draw, but I have an idea...
If you have an idea you'd like illustrated, post it in the [url=http://tamriel-rebuilt.org/old_forum/viewtopic.php?t=25060]Assets Needed for Morrowind[/url] thread.

What does it take to be promoted?
Make good concept art for us, then ask. There's no special showcase or promotion guideline for concept artists. Just make art! Keep in mind that being promoted for concept art is entirely aesthetic. (If you want to participate in Interiors, for example, you still have to make a showcase for that.)

Where should I upload my art?
There are a variety of free image hosting sites where you can put your artwork. Please do not upload your art directly to the forums. Here are a small selection:

Imageshack [url=http://www.photobucket.com/]Photobucket[/url] [url=http://www.deviantart.com/]deviantART[/url] [url=http://imgur.com/]imgur[/url]

Of these, photobucket and deviantART are recommended, because they do not delete old images. DeviantART does not allow direct links. You can also try Dropbox. There's nowhere online that's entirely perfect for free image hosting, but these are pretty good.

How can I make my art be visible as an actual picture instead of a link?
You can post it directly:

Code: Select all

[img]image address[/img]

You can post it in a thumbnail:

Code: Select all

[url=address of full size image][img]address of thumbnail[/img][/url]

If you have lots of images or the images are bigger than about 800 px square, please either use thumbnails or the spoiler tags to save everyone the hassle of scrolling and image loading.

This sticky thread was developed from [url=http://tamriel-rebuilt.org/old_forum/viewtopic.php?t=22216]this old FAQ[/url] and these [url=http://tamriel-rebuilt.org/old_forum/viewtopic.php?t=15316]guidelines[/url]. The discussion thread for this sticky is [url=http://tamriel-rebuilt.org/old_forum/viewtopic.php?p=330029]here[/url].[/spoiler]

[10Kaziem]

I like it! If no one else has any comments, we'll go with Gnomey's revision.

EDIT: No objections have been voiced; posting this and unstickying the old threads.