Story Pitch and Concept Art

 Story Pitch and Concept Art  

h. Before fully committing to a script or drawings, the artist drafts an overview of the general “shape” for their story, characters, settings, and other key elements of the story. This is a common step for both professional work and the more personal, self-published work in this exhibit. Through this process, an artist can share broad ideas and consider any elements that may need clarification or expansion before writing a full script or drafting the comic’s layout. 

Concept art is part of this early development and may include character sketches, environments, props, and other elements that set the look and feel of a comic—as with Henry Garvin’s character sheet for Cavity, for example. Artists can experiment with character designs, color choices, and settings before committing to a final version. 

Character sketches or turnarounds help artists to work out facial features, body types and proportions, hairstyles, clothing, and props, as well as a general personality or “mood” the character is meant to embody. Luan Nguyen’s concept drawings for An Unexpected Encounter provide a full turnaround of his main character, showing a 360-degree view of the design, as well as a range of character expressions and actions. This work provides a reference model for the artist and can help maintain consistency throughout a comic.