Twin Fox Studio

Any aspiring artist who takes their craft seriously should have solid art fundamentals. No matter if they’re working as a character, environment, or VFX artists. If one thing is off in your work, it can negatively influence the whole piece. Even those that don’t consider themselves artists can tell if the anatomy of a human figure is wrong or if something isn’t in perspective. This is exactly why you should always study and strengthen your fundamentals, no matter how far you are into your art career.

Art Fundamentals – The Definition

Art Fundamentals are basically the building blocks of visual art. They provide you with the necessary foundation to create realistic, stylized, or general visually appealing artworks. No matter what form or medium you use, these core elements of art will always remain the same. To break the rules you must first learn them. Art fundamentals are very complex and take a lot of time to learn so make sure to revisit them over and over again because you’re always going to discover something new.

1. Lines

Lines are the simplest and most basic element but definitely one of the most important ones. Even painters usually roughly sketch out their idea before starting to layer the color on top of it. By using different line weights you can indicate light & shadow or even give a sense of depth to your drawing by varying the thickness of your line. Lines can even imply emotion. Thick, bold lines convey power and energy while thin lines give the feeling of fragility and grace. Lines are a very versatile tool and can be used in many different ways. From capturing gestures to implementing texture to guide the viewer’s eye towards the focal point of a picture, lines are always somewhat present in every piece of art.

2. Perspective

Perspective is the best tool to fake 3D space on a 2D canvas. It helps to create the illusion of depth and makes a piece feel more realistic. The classic example is if you were standing in the middle of a railroad that goes completely straight in front of you, the rails would slowly but surely merge in the distance until they vanish towards the horizon. They still are equidistant from each other but this illusion is what makes us feel depth and you can do the same thing on paper.

Things also get smaller the further they are away from you and they also look more faded thanks to the atmosphere around us. It’s a rather complex topic especially when you dive into how to calculate perspective properly. The more you practice it the easier and more natural it will get for you to draw things in different angles.

3. Form & Shapes

Form (3D) and shapes (2D) are very crucial concepts when it comes to constructing the things you’re drawing. Boxes, spheres, cylinders, cones & pyramids are the most important forms of all. You can construct everything out of them, no matter how complex it is. Mastering forms will make drawings look way more realistic and three dimensional. Being able to break down complex objects into simple shapes makes it easy to reconstruct them again, even without references. The sooner you start thinking in 3D forms while constructing your object the faster you’re going to improve your skills, but shapes are equally important. Breaking down light and shadow into simple shapes helps quickly analyze your reference and simplify your drawing processes.

4. Anatomy

When we’re talking about anatomy, we don’t only mean the human body. Depending on what you like to draw it can also be different kinds of animals or plants. Either way, learning how it’s built, how the different things connect, and how movement works is going to greatly increase your skills. Even if you like to draw environments you need to learn how to draw simple (or sometimes more complex) figures if you want to put them into your scene. In our daily lives, we are so used to looking at other people that we can easily tell if something is off or not. While drawing plants, animals, or fictional things you can get away with way more mistakes because we aren’t generally trained to recognize the smaller and less noticeable details in that kind of thing.

5. Values & Lighting

Values refer to how light or dark a color is and you can use it to create contrast, depth, and mood. It helps to direct the viewer’s attention to specific points in the artwork, conveys light and shadow as well as atmosphere. Learning how to use values correctly is a very important skill to have as an artist. It is very hard in the beginning so it’s important to not get frustrated by it. Your eyes have to be trained to see the fine nuances between the different shades. The best way to do this is to first study in black and white. As a digital artist, it’s very easy to take a colored piece you really like and turn it into a black & white image. As with all fundamentals, the more you practice it, the better you’ll get at recognizing different values.

6. Color Theory

Color theory is the study of how colors work together and how they affect our emotions and perceptions. The color wheel represents how colors are related to each other, and what the primary colors (red, yellow, blue) & the secondary colors (green, orange, purple) are. To understand how color works and what kind of relationships they have with each other is very important for any aspiring artist.

For instance, two colors that are on the opposite side of the color wheel are called complementary colors. They provide high contrast and usually have a very striking effect. Analogous colors on the other hand are right next to each other on the color wheel and usually have a very calm and harmonious feeling when put together. Colors not only have relationships between each other but they can also have a psychological effect on us. For example, red is often associated with passion or danger while blue on the other hand represents peace or sadness.

7. Composition

Composition refers to the arrangement of elements within an artwork. It’s used to make things look visually appealing and balanced and it also conveys the artist’s intended message. In general, a good composition makes an artwork look more engaging, memorable, and impactful. It’s important to think about the composition even before you start your first brush stroke. A lot of artists make so-called thumbnails before they start with the actual piece. That way they can play around with the composition without wasting too much time.

Composition is a very grand topic and if you want to look into it you can take great inspiration from photography. The rule of thirds is one of the most common compositions where you divide the image into 3 equal sections both vertically and horizontally. Placing your main element along one of these lines or directly on their intersections creates a really balanced and visually appealing composition.

Art fundamentals are the key to becoming a great artist and we only scratched the surface with this article. A lot of people mistake talent for the hard work people put into their artwork. Of course having a good feeling for color or composition can give you a head start but all the great artists out there, from old masters like Leonardo da Vinci to modern artists like Fen Zhu, all of them had to work hard and draw a lot to gain their skills. So remember: No matter your skills and age, everyone can learn how to draw.

If you want to work as a 2D artist in the game industry but don’t know what a Concept Artist does, click here to find out:

What is a Concept Artist? – Twin Fox Studio