Concept art vs Conceptual art

Term explanation

I have to admit that, surprisingly, even some of my professors at the University have mixed up the meaning of these terms. I remember one of them suggesting that they are one and the same thing.

Now, I don’t want you to think that my professors were idiots, because that’s not the case. It’s just that some of them simply don’t want to learn and acknowledge digital art as a contemporary form of art. And even though I have to agree with them on the fact that traditional art will always be more valuable than digital art, we have to remember that digital art it’s still a form of art.

So, that being said, let’s see what is concept art and conceptual art.

Concept art

- refers to art created in a digital manner. More than that, it’s a form of illustration for an idea, a character or a design usually meant to be used for films or games.

The sketch can be made using pencil and paper but ultimately the final version is created in digital programs such as photoshop.

The image below is an example of concept art. It’s an idea of how a particular character could look like.

 

Conceptual art

- refers to a modern art movement in which the idea or concept is of high importance. The ideas presented in this period usually consist of installations where an object is picked by the artist and reveled as an work of art.

One of the artists that paved the way for the conceptual movement is Marcel Duchamp. One of his famous conceptual works is a standard urinal basin signed under the pseudonym of “R.Mutt”.

 

Drawing from imagination

Drawing exercise

In a previous article I’ve been telling you about drawing from imagination, explaining that, in my opinion this is a very important step in the evolution of an artist.

So, let’s assume that you know how to draw various things and now you’re looking for a more challenging exercise that will improve your skills.
The following exercise is very simple and fun.

First step

Just think of a word that describes an object or a thing that you can easily draw. Like a plant for example! Try to imagine a certain type of plant then make a sketch.

Second step

Add a description to your main word using another word. Example : alien plant.
Now just try to imagine how an alien plant could look like. You can construct the subject using different parts of normal pants, and combine them to create something new, or you can just improvise.

Third step

Repeat the second step by adding another word to the description. Example : tall alien plant.
Try to respect both descriptions!

You can add descriptions until you run out of ideas! Tall alien plant with fruits, tall alien plant with fruits in forest and so on!

Remember, with every drawing you make your skills will slightly improve!