Imagine youâ€re walking along a street in a big, busy city.

Despite all the noise and movement, something shiny catches your eye.

Itâ€s a key.

You pick it up and realize itâ€s the most unusual and ornate key youâ€ve ever seen.

You take it home, toss it in a drawer and forget about it.

…or maybe you display it, so you can share it with others. After all, the key is a beautiful work of art in and of itself.

Now imagine, one day, a good friend comes over for coffee.

They notice this beautiful key you have displayed and they say to you: “I think I know where to find the lock. Itâ€s on a door just down the street. Wanna go see whatâ€s inside?”

A single piece of Concept Art is a key.

Some aspiring Concept Artists spend all their time collecting keys but never bother to unlock any doors.

They scroll the Internet, collecting single pieces of Concept Art and toss it all into a hoard file on their hard drive.

Sometimes theyâ€ll share it on Social Media but, either way, theyâ€re not learning anything about what it really means to be a professional Concept Artist.

Your random collection of keys wonâ€t unlock anything on their own. You have to find out whatâ€s behind the doors and why.

I know it can be overwhelming to research the history of Concept Art and stay relevant in such an innovative industry…

…but this list of The Best New Concept Art Books will help you do both.

Watch The Episode:

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[download the mp3]

Introduction:

Hello, my friends and welcome to The Visual Storytelling Podcast – where I help Artists and Writers find healthy, fulfilling careers in Animation, Games, Comics, Film and Illustration.

Iâ€m your host Chris Oatley. Iâ€m a Visual Development Artist and Illustrator – most notably for Disney – and if you want to become a professional Visual Storyteller like the guests on this show or many of my students, check out my courses and resources here at ChrisOatley.com!

Join the notification list for my free mini-course: Youâ€re A Better Artist Than You Think You Are: How To Improve Quickly Without Ever Picking Up A Pencil

…and I’ll follow-up via email when the next session opens!

The Art Of ‘God Of War’

<img width="150" height="150" src="https://i0.wp.com/chrisoatley.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/VSP04-BestNewConceptArtBooks-SquareArt-_0000_GOWC.jpg?fit=150%2C150&ssl=1" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="Book Cover: The Art Of 'God Of War'"