As an online illustration student, Alyssa Hoffee has already made quite a name for herself. While at RMCAD, she scored one of the most highly coveted internships in the gaming industry, that of a concept artist at Activision Blizzard. Even if you are not familiar with the video game production house, you are likely familiar with some of the titles they have created, including: Call of Duty, Candy Crush, World of Warcraft, and Overwatch.
In her internship, Hoffee got a peek behind the curtain of one of the most creative, fast-paced, and exciting industries in the world. In this blog, we explain what concept art is, how concept drawings inform the final design of video games, and how it landed Hoffee the internship of a lifetime.
What is Concept Art?
Concept art is exactly what it sounds like. It is art that imagines or conceptualizes an original idea. Concept art is usually in the form of illustrations and used as the first step in a variety of media production pipelines such as film, television, and video games. Later down the line, these drawings are used for reference by other members of the production pipeline where they are fully developed.
What Does a Concept Artist Do?
In Hoffee’s case, she was assigned as a concept art intern for the game Overwatch. Before any new characters, settings, or items can be added to the game, someone must first do concept drawings. Many of the concept drawings that Hoffee was responsible for were new playable skins for the game. Her role as a concept artist was to communicate initial ideas about a character through shape, color, and contrast. However, she first had to learn the visual style and tone of the Overwatch games.
Luckily for Hoffee, she has been a long-time fan of the game overwatch. “I have wanted to work for Overwatch since I was 13. I always looked up to the art in those games and I kept the art books with me for years.” After playing the game and studying the art style for nearly a decade, she became familiar with the distinctly unique tone of the game, with its sci-fi subject matter, colorful armor, and exaggerated physical features.
How Did She Get the Internship?
Since it had been her dream to be a concept artist at Activision Blizzard, she knew she had to get serious about building a portfolio that reflected that. As such, for an entire year when she wasn’t doing classwork, she was only drawing concept drawings. Honing in on her strengths and repetitiously weeding out her weaknesses until her work was undeniable. Still, Hoffee’s work was cut out for her. The acceptance rate for an internship at Activision Blizzard is less than 1%. Even after refining her talent to near perfection, she needed to build a portfolio that proved her knowledge of both the organization and the intellectual property.
“When I finally got that offer, it was insane to me! I got hired 30 minutes after my interview, and it usually takes about a week to two weeks to get a call back on anything. I was floored. I had hit the jackpot.”
What was the most important takeaway?
Hoffee learned a lot about being an artist and a working professional during her three-month internship at Overwatch. She shared what it was like stepping into such big expectations, saying “You have to go from zero to a thousand in a mere second, and you’re staying there for three months.”
Working under hard deadlines, using brand and character to inform creative decisions, and completing work faster than she ever had before, were all key takeaways from her time at Activision Blizzard. However, she said the most important thing she learned was to take a minute to slow down and get to know her team.
“I didn’t understand the importance of my connections while I was making them.” After her internship, she realized just how impactful her fellow interns and staff members were to her growth as a concept artist. Reflecting back she said that “having a social gene as an artist is so important. I think once people see your talent they will seek your talent!”
What was the Most Rewarding Part of the Internship?
After months of focusing on concept art and building connections in her office, Hoffee grew more confident at Activision Blizzard. She began collaborating with team members outside of the concept art department. For Hoffee it was a dream come true “to make a concept for a character and then have an animation rigger answer my questions about the character’s anatomy, mechanics, and weaponry.”
This gave her powerful insights into how her work influences the other steps in the game design process. Now that she knew how her drawings influenced animators she could work around their needs. “It was like being an engineer. I love that part of concept art. It’s extreme. It’s the hardest part, but it’s the coolest part!”
Tips For Other Aspiring Concept Artists
Hoffee’s number one piece of advice is to “always stay passionate.” As creatives, every single day is about honing your craft and pushing your creativity to its limits. However, Hoffee knows that her own advice is easier said than done. When deadlines move, team members change, and all the inevitable setbacks occur, you may lose sight of your passion. In those instances, Hoffee shared that her internship prepared her to find motivation in the success of others.
Even when work seemed harder than usual, she was motivated by her coworkers. Being “surrounded by people who are exuding success every single day is extremely motivating.” Hoffee encourages artists who may feel like they are in a creative rut to look to the successes of their friends, colleagues, and classmates. Regardless of their medium, being surrounded by fellow artists and designers will “make you soar farther than you ever could ever imagine.”
By the time her internship concluded, Hoffee felt that she had leveled up as an artist tenfold. She remarked, “You mature a lot when you enter those sorts of spaces, both as a person and from a career perspective.” At the age of 22, she had already worked at her dream job and learned more about the realm of concept art and game design than she had ever imagined. “I think it’s a wonderful thing to have that knowledge and be able to share it!”
Conceptualize Your Future!
Concept art begins with a vision, and so does a career in illustration. Follow your passion into a career of collaboration. At the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design, creative careers start here. RMCAD offers an on-campus Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration degree as well as an online Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration degree. Both programs offer an emphasis on concept drawing as well as a challenging curriculum focused on the skills required for various industries. Request more information about our online and on-campus programs today.