Top 7 Creativity Tips to Inspire Game Artist

Imagination is unarguably a key component of game art. Widely recognized raster and vector maps of games hardly reveal the principle of the art’s influence on the player’s experience. Logos, characters, and story-driven scenery all contribute to the game’s creation. 

Nevertheless, artistic temperaments are not invulnerable even to temporary cresting. Well, what can a game artist do when sitting in front of an empty canvas, eagerly awaiting the idea? Read these seven ideas on how to refocus, unleash your creativity, and bring your ideas to light!

Embrace Yourself in Various Art Genre

Key learnings come in the most unusual of places. If you have problems, don’t be limited to game design – try other types of art you would like to create or develop. Fine art, such as photography, sculpture, painting, or even architecture, is eye-opening and helps enrich one’s visual collection. Why not try: 

• Museums and Art Exhibits: These are real wealth pots for inspiration. Read through the artistic work of different artists and try to understand the colours used, as well as the composition, among other things.
• Movies and Theatre: Look at the stage ‘props,’, lighting arrangement and how the characters/actors are positioned in a particular play. Of all the mass media, cinema is the most abundant in the use of visual images.
• Nature: Being in the real world, one can see many wonderful colours and gradients and wonderful textures. Go for a walk in the woods or have a picnic in a park and study how light and colour interact with the living environment.

Switching between projects in various disciplines maintains the outlook and provides you with something new to draw from. It also demonstrates that inspiration can come from anywhere: you never know when you’re going to get your next game character or environment!

Test New Approaches and Methods

When you remain consistent with the various approaches you use, your work may begin to appear rather formulaic. One more piece of advice is to force yourself to use different tools to create, switch software, or try a new technique. Here are some fun ways to mix it up: 

• Sketch with Non-Dominant Hand: This can add an element of surprise to your artwork, which is always good. It is not about perfection and, in fact, this exercise is all about letting go of control.
• Try Unfamiliar Software: If you tend to work with Photoshop, at least for the trial, switch to Blender or ZBrush. Every piece of software that you use has different sets of features, and it has a different perspective towards designing.
• Create Limitations: Do not use more than one colour or work only with a chosen set of brushes, for example. At this time, restrictions will make you start thinking laterally.

There is nothing like the spirit of experimenting, and you know that creativity thrives on it. Have a go with new methods of working; this way, you will discover new avenues and ways of creating your art.

Just Draw with Least Expectations

Do you recall that fun time in childhood when you used to draw without any intent of making something practical out of it? Fremont drawing or sketching without any purpose is known to be a good way to clear your mind. Take at least 5 minutes each day, and let your hand draw what it wants. Here’s how to make the most of your doodle time: 

• Set a Timer: Pay attention to your feelings and let your mind and hand go on whatever path they wish for five to ten minutes.
• Focus on Random Shapes: We have to begin somewhere: the shapes, the scribbles, or the abstract line work, and then perhaps an interesting image arises.
• No Erasers Allowed: Do not consider an error to be a problem since it could open the door to the arrival of a perfect idea.

These kinds of carefree drawings can free your mind from creative block and inspire you.

Learn About (and Analyze) Your Favourite Pieces

Each artist that we know has those items before them that they like. Instead of just consuming them, give them a closer look over the analysis. Fun fact: There is a psychology behind this. What makes them work? Why do they hold your interest? This kind of focused analysis can suggest to you issues that you could then use in your own work. Here’s how to get started: 

• Identify Key Elements: Consider the use of colour, lines, positions on the picture plane, and the general atmosphere of the painting.
• Recreate and Remix: It is advised to take the things you adore and attempt to reproduce them by putting your personal touch on them.
• Note the Artist’s Style: What makes this work of this artist? What does it have to do with their style, space, texture, or contrast? Choosing an artist or a work you like may help you better understand your aesthetic preferences and give you an idea of how the effect is to be achieved in one’s own art.

Work Together and Ideas with Other Act Tory

It is sometimes lonely to be a game artist, but getting back together with others who understand the feeling is a good way to restart the fire and find new inspiration. In addition, cooperation makes you view issues from a perspective that you may not otherwise have viewed. Here’s how to make collaboration part of your creative process: 

• Join Art Challenges: With artists from other art fields, you can join themes or art events such as monthly or weekly drawing prompts like Inktober.
• Share and Seek Feedback: Get an account on any platform like DeviantArt, ArtStation, and Reddit or any platform like this and then post your artwork. Many times, when feedback is constructive, it turns out to be very informative.
• Start a Group Project: Help plan and complete a small part of a game or character design with friends. The fact that it is always nice to have someone to whom you can turn with the idea makes inspiration shared beautifully.

Collaborating with people makes you feel that it is okay to work alone most of the time, but invention does not have to be a personal activity. Also, seeing other artists get excited and passionate about their work inspires creativity!

Switch Up Your Environment 

It is important to understand that your physical surroundings contribute greatly to your creativity. If things have been pretty stagnant where you work, then it is about time that you changed things up a notch. Transition to a different environment, even for a short time, is always refreshing.

• Go Outside: Go to a café, a park or a library, with your sketchpad. Travel is always a good inspiration for something new.
• Create a Creative Space: If it’s not possible to remove yourself from the environment, attempt to rearrange the physical layout of your environment. Such simple changes may include, for instance, creating brand new posters, switching the source of light or even changing the genre of background music.
• Try Working in Short Bursts: At other times, it can be helpful to divide spaces over the course of the day so the mind remains new to the creative environment.

Moods respond to novelty, so part makes a minor renovation which is able to free your head and open it for fresh calves.

Embrace Play and Experimentation Without Fear of Failure

This is the best time to play and experiment in business without having to worry about some of the things that could have happened before. Also, do not forget that creativity requires you to take a break and allow your fun and err on the wrong side. 

As long as it is not obscenely silly, illogical, or even borderline sloppy-looking, it is perfectly okay. Here are ways to keep that spirit of play alive: 

• Keep a Creative Journal: Use a napkin, the back of the envelope, or any piece of paper as a medium to write or draw any wild ideas or thoughts which come to the mind without worrying about how they look or are written. This is your playground, and you do not run the risk of being fired for being creative.
• Engage in Creative Exercises: You might set yourself mini challenges such as, “What if this character was underwater?” Or “How would I draw this character in ten minutes?”
• Celebrate Your Failures: It strikes me that we should revisit projects that did not turn out as planned and pat our backs on them because they are products of the creative process and can be as educational as positively completed enterprises.

You wouldn’t think art is supposed to be fun and relaxing, so don’t overthink it. Fortunately, when you let go of worries about being perfect, sometimes you come up with your best work.

Wrapping Up

Creativity is a muscle that also has to be exercised; it has to be developed and, at times, trained vigorously. No matter if you are trying out new practices, experimenting with new methodologies or working with other artists, these few could be of great help should you seek to spark creativity again.

So, next time you’re struggling, come and revisit this post to be reminded that your creative voice has value and it is worth contributing. Now go ahead and turn something out for yourself!

At MAGES Institute, we help game artists to pursue their career with the right skill set and abilities to stay consistent in the changing world. For more details, get in touch with us today.