While drawing on walls with markers in her home in South America, Cecile
Foshee dreamed of becoming an artist when she grew up.
After moving to the United States as a young adult, she met her husband
and settled down. With the birth of her three children, Foshee's childhood
dream was forgotten, but not for long.
"My daughter asked me once what I was going to be when I grew up,,"
remembers Foshee. "As soon as she entered kindergarten, I went to school."
Since then, Foshee has been working in animation and concept art. She
now teaches students interested in this field at the Art Institute of Phoenix.
"It's something I love doing and something I've known I love doing for
as long as I can remember. I was always inclined to create things and this
is just the perfect fit for me," she says.
Foshee says she enjoys the challenge of creating new concepts. She can
become so involved with a project that she doesn't even notice the hours fly
by when working.
However, the deadlines can make her job tough. Foshee points out that
having to be artistic on a timeline can be stressful and can cause creative
blocks.
Pierre Fortin has been in the concept industry for years. Like Foshee,
he too knew he was destined for an art career.
"When I was in elementary school, I was already doing cool drawings. Teachers
would walk around with my drawing showing it to the class," says Fortin.
"I was a very shy guy when I was young and that was my way of communicating
my thoughts to people."
As a concept artist, Fortin is able to communicate his vision of unknown
universes and ideas to audiences everywhere.
"You end up creating your own world," says Fortin. "It's almost like a
Buddhism kind of trance you get in when you work. That's what I enjoy."
Fortin also appreciates the stability that concept art jobs offer. Most
jobs are contract. But the pay is steadier than it was when chasing commissions
for his fine arts projects in the early days.
"I was really fascinated with what digital could do. And that's when I
ended up jumping and I found myself in the field of games," Fortin says.
"I did the gaming industry for three years."
Katy Hargrove has worked as a concept artist for video games as well as
for cartoon television shows.
"I love drawing creatures,'' she says. "I love seeing what I can come
up with. That surprise, never knowing what will happen, is very entertaining
and satisfying."
Hargrove admits concept artists aren't always pleasantly surprised with
their creations or their projects.
"People in this industry share a lot of heartaches with one another about
failed drawings, or awesome projects that lost funding or were scrapped,"
she says.
But she says concept artists also share cool art.
"I see tons of art from all over the world every day because of folks I
work with sharing it around," adds Hargrove. "I got my current job because
someone I work with now was sharing [my art] with other people he worked with."
Hargrove would recommend this career to anyone who loves drawing, although
she does warn it's not all fun and games. Keeping the creative juices flowing
during long projects can be challenging.
"The trick is to just keep going. Don't stop drawing for anything. Get
the bad drawings out of your way," reveals Hargrove.
Persistence is a skill freelancers need to develop, especially if they
want to see a paycheck at the end of a project.
"An employer rarely pays you up front. Sometimes you won't see your check
for a project for several months after a project and only because you kept
following up on it," explains Hargrove.
Despite its challenges, concept art is a viable career choice for anyone
with strong drawing skills and a passion for expressing new ideas through
art.
"A lot of students go into art because they think it's the easy way out.
It's a misconception," says Foshee.
Still, it's a worthwhile field to go into. "If they like to create, if
they like to draw, I would really encourage them. Creating is very rewarding."