Thursday, May 7th, 2015 Posted by Jim Thacker

Gnomon releases guide to Character Concept Design

The Gnomon Workshop has released Character Concept Design, a new tutorial revealing how Weta Workshop senior concept designer Johnny Fraser-Allen tackles a real production job for the studio.

The video, which runs for over three hours, deconstructs Fraser-Allen’s work on a character concept that can be developed into a burlesque-styled charity fundraiser hosted by Weta for The Neonatal Trust.

Rapid, production-ready techniques for concept painting in Photoshop
Using a photo as a base, Fraser-Allen begins by building up costume layers and groups in Photoshop, with the aim of providing a variety of designs for review early in the creative process.

Having received feedback from Weta Workshop co-director and five times Oscar-winner Richard Taylor, Fraser-Allen integrates the changes to create a final approved design.

During the course of the training, Fraser-Allen sets out ways to explore possible design directions quickly and iteratively, while still emphasising the core character and demands of the costume.

About the artist
Johnny Fraser-Allen is a senior conceptual designer and sculptor at Weta Workshop, where he designed characters and creatures for King Kong, The Hobbit trilogy, the Narnia Chronicles and Tintin.

With Weta’s help, Fraser-Allen has spent the past eight years creating ‘The Gloaming Trilogy‘, an immersive world comprising three novels’ worth of written story, over 40 sculptures and over 150 illustrations and paintings.

Pricing and availability
Character Concept Design is available as a digital download from The Gnomon Workshop, price $59.

Buy Character Concept Design from The Gnomon Workshop’s online store

Full disclosure: CG Channel is owned by the Gnomon School of Visual Effects