Concept art

[2] Concept art usually refers to world-building artwork used to inspire the development of media products, and is not the same as storyboard, though they are often confused.

Concept art is not only used to develop the work but also to show the project's progress to directors, clients, and investors.

Interpretation of ideas and how they are realized is where the concept artist's individual creativity is most evident, but subject matter is often beyond their control.

In the United States, the average annual gross salary for a concept artist in video game industry was $60,000-$70,000 a year in 2017.

[6] Digital media production, including the television and video game industries, has grown substantially in the 21st century.

[7] As such, there is a push for countries across the world to increase the availability of art education so that local artists have the skills to capitalize on the booming media industry.

A lot of concept work has tight deadlines where a highly polished piece is needed in a short amount of time.

Knowing the foundations of art, such as anatomy, perspective, color theory, design, and lighting are essential to all specializations.

Example of concept design workflow (blue) followed by 3D modeling (red). Reference and inspiration for 3D modeling is a common use of concept art.
Concept artists are expected to draw many iterations of the same concept. Often, they may reference real-world objects.