Communicating with Concept Artisits

[MrFrosty]

Hello. I am a new Sci-fi writer and I and I have some things for an upcoming project that I would like to get some concept art done for. I know what concept artist (CA) do, but I am not sure how to communicate with CA.
For example, if I want a spaceship for my main character, do I let the CA just come up with something or can you say “a little millennium falcon mixed with the Enterprise”. I know you can give pointers, but I don’t want hinder the CA’s creativity.
So I guess my question is, what’s the best way to communicate with CA’s to get the best results?

Any comments or info is very much appreciated!

Mr Frosty

[MRico]

Ummm...just tell them what you want. They make something....you don't like a specific part, ask for them to change it according to what you want done. You'd play the role of the Art Director.

[cookepuss]

It depends on the artist you're working with and what type of relationship you have with him or her.

1) They may be closed to all but the most significant input, choosing to interpret your material in one of several ways. Nothing inherently wrong with that, provided that the artist isn't a diva.

2) On the other end of the spectrum, you can explicitly tell the artist what you have in mind. Contract art is, in lots of ways, a job of compromise. To the artist, you are a customer and, as the saying goes, "The customer is always right." The artist may not always like what he or she is producing, but will often bend and acquiesce to the will of the client. That's just the nature of contract work. In that case, you'd better have a good idea of what you want.

3) The middle ground is more of a meeting minds. The artist will often sit down with you and discuss your needs in a preliminary meeting. They'll probably sit down and work out a couple of extremely rough concepts that fill those needs. Additionally, they may even come up with some that fill those needs, but also extend them in ways you didn't anticipate. They'll come back to you with all of the options and let you decide which ones you may want to pursue.

At that point, they'll go back and take those approved prelims and polish them into something credible. They may come back to you a couple of times more, depending on how involved you wish to be and how many meetings you choose to set up. Each time, they'll get you to sign off on any accepted or rejected piece. This is to legally protect both you and them.



I would be open with any artist you pursue. See examples of their work. Maybe get a list of their former clients as references. Scope them out and see how easy or difficult they are to work with. This will ultimately determine how to work with them, if you so choose.

No artist will do contract work just for the creative challenges. At the end of the day, it's about the money. If he can please the client then he's guaranteed a payday and a shot at some return business. An artist who's a pain in the ass and won't accept criticism or won't implement changes may just end up being the type of artist you won't work with.

Naturally, artists don't want to copy somebody else's work. For legal reasons, asking them to create something like the Millennium Falcon may prove a point of contention for them. Intellectual property rights are a hot issue. Nobody wants to get sued. Nobody wants to be known as a hack. Giving them a guideline is one thing. Asking them walk that fine like between inspiration and infringement is tough. There's a fine and often debatable difference between "in the style of" and "this plus that minus the other".

The bottom line remains, don't be afraid to communicate with your artist. Always try to get the artist to speak up too. Communication works both ways.

[cookepuss]

Ummm...just tell them what you want. They make something....you don't like a specific part, ask for them to change it according to what you want done. You'd play the role of the Art Director.
Yeah, but if its contract work the roles aren't always so clear. It isn't as clear as boss/employee. Ideally, there has to be two way communication. "This is what I want." "This is what I can give you." There's a lot of communication. It isn't always a situation of, "I tell and you do." (You know how demanding and unforgiving some ADs can be.) A client may also ask for something that an artist is either unwilling or unable to deliver. There are many reasons for that, legal and creative. Clients can be an unreasonable bunch. :)

Plus, some contract artists are ball busting divas. I can name a few with whom I'd never EVER EVER EVER work.

[MrFrosty]

Thanks for the feedback. I have some more noob questions, hope i don't offend:

So when discussing terms with a freelance artist, how many "re-do's" or edits are normal? I know asking for like 10 different versions might be excessive, but what if it takes that long to get it right?

Are there standard terms or contracts or does each artist have their own rules?

Is it wrong to say for example "you want something more like Alex Ross (comic artist)" would that be offending the artist or copying Ross's style?

thanks again.

-Mike

[Ksan]

Depending on who you work with, you should be able to say what you need without feeling like you will offend the artist.

You the boss, so what you say, goes. If you have something specific in mind, it should be attempted. If you need more help, give them free reign and see what comes of it.

A lot of the narrowing down of the style comes from the thumbnail stage. Thos are smaller rough sketches, done really quickly. This is to prevent too many re-do's or adjustments later, very important. Prevents losses in time and money. As a concept artist, this can be the most frustrating stage, because this is where clients tend to be the most wishy washy cause some people have a hard tome seeing how a line drawing or quick value study will translate. Conversely, if we haven't communicated out thoughts effectively as artists, we have dropped the ball.

Comparing to a style should not offend too many artists. It can help get them to see what you want. However, don't ask someone to copyright, big trouble.

In the end, if you don't like something, it should be no problem to change it. Happy to comply. Just don't abuse it. Ex. Like if someone does a full scientific illustration of a spine fully rendered and colored, and at the end you go, "oh my it's beautiful , perfect, exactly what you said it would be.....but i wonder if instead of a profile view it could be....3/4? Can you do that by tomorrow?" Yes...that really happened to a professor of mine. The client thought he could magically rotate the spine. Scientific Ilos don't go fast, so that's...rough. So, be reasonable, but don't be afraid to ask.

An artist should have their own set of rules and contracts, but honestly, a lot of illustrators get their stuff from the GAG (Graphic Artists Guild) Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines, at least that I know of. Check it out if you have questions, it's a nifty book. Be aware of what kind of copyright exclusivity you need from a piece, the more exclusive, the more expensive. There are tons of options, some time based. Unfortunately, original IP stuff tends to need to be ultra exclusive.

All in all, you are the boss. The CA is there to make your visions reality, and maybe better than you imagined. Never be afraid to ask, familiarize yourself with copyright, and always be courteous and it should be fine. Best of luck!

[blankslatejoe]

personally, revisions can be the bane of any contract work.

In the past I'll start with a half a dozen thumbnails, each only about 5-10 minutes. Then I'll chat with the client and either work one up to near-finish or produce a new batch of thumbs. I'm pretty hesitant about moving on from the thumbnail stage unless the client and I are both clear on a direction.

It always depends on the client, but if I suspect a client is indecisive or picky, then when a piece gets to the near-finish I charge for any major revisions. Minor revisions (tweaks, hue shifts, design shifts, etc) I don't charge for, but anything that I'd spend more than a half hour on gets billed. I don't charge a whole lot for revisions, but it's important to make it clear that the client can't change things willy-nilly for free.

Anyway, when you start talking to your artist urge them to do a lot of thumbnails until you find the shape, composition, palette, and a pretty clear vision of where you're going. Goodluck!