Threadbare: Iteration and Exploration

For the past 10+ years, I've worked as a concept artist and illustrator in games—primarily focused on character design. Naturally, that involves an incredible amount of rough exploration. It's the aspect of the job that I enjoy the most! Below are examples of rough sketches which I presented to the art team for feedback.

I soon realized that iteration is key to the design process. The first ideas are usually the most generic—the most obvious. The act of drawing again and again forces you to move beyond that.

There are always points at which I feel like I've exhausted all possibilities. Then, suddenly something new appears! That's when you know you're delving deep.

I also learned that the strongest designs are born from a focus on the abstract shape language, beneath the surface level detail. The relationship of big and small shapes are really the key to meaningful design. The details on top are just the bit of contextual information which tie it all together in a coherent way.

Naturally, this experience influences how I approach Threadbare. However, the major difference here is that I am utilizing much more direct observation of the subject. (I also don't have group of pesky art directors all asking for different features!)

In this particular drawing, the overall stance of the figure was solved early. I wanted something that felt direct and confident. It's the minor shapes, especially of the fabric, hair, and portrait that require a good bit of iteration.

The digital tools are perfect for this sort of process. The ability to freely explore possibilities on a new layer, without fear of ruining anything, is truly freeing.

Not only do I iterate in terms of design, I also play around with different mark making. For this one, I wasn't sure if I wanted a lighter pencil look, or higher contrast look. The challenge of iteration is that I often like multiple, very different, directions. This can lead to serious cases of indecision.

But ultimately, I try to keep what works well and improve on what feels weak.

I'm quite happy with the final composition.

For this series, I expect I'll want a balance of iterative designs such as this, and others which are much more direct and spontaneous from observation. I enjoy both processes.