Pimping a Bro

Down here in Malaysia there is something of a shortage of folk who understand what concept art is.

Concept art distinguishes itself from illustration from the simple fact that you aren't just drawing a pretty image to realism or getting stuck in on rendering details but participating in that uncomfortable white space known as design.

Design is a holistic practice where one thinks about the whole and the minutia all at once. It's about being outside your comfort zone in the distressing space of "I don't know, but I can make it work." and being skillful enough to manipulate a lot and very little. It also takes practice; getting down with the fundamentals of working from scratch, being comfortable of letting others see and criticize your work and not being afraid to walk away from the many many ideas you will be churning out.

You need to know how to fail often and in the right direction.

Perhaps it's due to the way students are educated here but very few Malaysian artists have that mindset. There seems to be a emphasis on getting things right first time and a hesitance to commit to exploring ideas that might fail. There is a certain level of courage you need in order to be a good concept artist.

Warhammer 40K - The Tyranid Outcast by ~RanDize on deviantART

Randy is one of those rare exceptions of a guy who worked with us for a while who knows what it is to be uncomfortable. Not just talented but also diligent and most importantly gutsy with those artistic explorations. His meticulous research into this artistic field is indicative of the hunger one needs to master their craft.

Kayla 01 by ~RanDize on deviantART

Get ye over to his site and his DeviantArt account to have a proper gander of his wares. Also, offer this man some work!

Peace!