M. Caradonna – Concept Art
Posted June 10th 2011
General Information
Name: Marco Caradonna
Job Title: Concept Artist & Illustrator
Company: Blitz Games Studios , Marco Caradonna Concept art & Illustration(self employed)
Location: Leamington Spa UK
Interview
GOE: Tell us how you came to be a concept artist and illustrator. How did it all start, and how did you get to where you are now?
Well, I’ve always had a passion for drawing and visual arts in general but it wasn’t until 2003 that I realised I wanted to be a concept artist ( I barely knew such a profession existed before). After attending the European Institute of Design in Turin I worked briefly in the advertisement and animation industry in Italy. That was a really happy period for me. After losing the job I decided to move away from Italy and I landed in London on February the 16th 2009 with a bag, a backpack and my dream. For the first year and half I worked part time in a restaurant as waiter and chef assistant to pay the rent and bills, while working as a freelance illustrator during the evenings .
It has been really hard but I’ve learned a lot and I’m quite proud I finally decided to quit my part time job to go fully freelance in July 2010. Well, to be honest, it didn’t work too well at the beginning. But I slowly managed to expand my client-base and from tabletop RPG I ended up working for Endemol on a big US licensed production(the 3d animated series from the NInentyNine Comic). While I was busy working on this project I received an interview invitation from Blitz Games Studios as they were looking for a concept artist for their pitch team. After a quite hard selection process(two interviews inclusive of tests)I finally made it and I accepted an employment offer from them. So here I am
I can’t really express how I feel now but you can easily imagine I think
GOE: What experience do you have working in the video games industry?
Strictly speaking quite small but I worked five years in the advertisement and entertainment industry
GOE: Where do you want to be in five years? And what is your ultimate aspiration?
I’ve been asked this question already (actually it was part of my interview questionnaire) I’d say probably I see myself as a senior artist( perhaps lead artist)by then, somewhere within the industry The last question is kind of difficult because I can’t say exactly where or what I would like to be, but I know for sure that I’m looking forward to improve and will continue trying to be the best artist I can be (It sound cheesy but that’s the way it is)
GOE: What are your areas of expertise? What are you best at?
Quick colour iterations and key frames I’d say environments, I really love them but I’m working hard to fill the gap between these and other subjects. In fact, ideally speaking a good artist should look at characters, monsters, spaceships and everything else just as 3d shapes. There’s no difference.
GOE: What is your personal touch / talent? What is your particular style? What is it that makes you such a good artist?
Ehm..well, I think I haven’t achieved yet a particular style or artistic maturity yet. For the time being I’m trying to observe and mimic artists I admire as much as I can, and am trying not to be too worried about style itself. I’m quite confident it will show up somehow in the future Concerning the last question there’re so many talented people out there that I always question myself whether I’m really that good like you say
GOE: What kind of art do you enjoy making the most?
I really like dystopian worlds and post-apocalyptic settings but generally speaking I like any piece of artwork that is able to convey emotions to the viewer
Why do you want to work in the video games industry?
I realised quite recently what I wanted to do in life, even though I’ve always had a never-ending passion for visual art.(When I was young I loved painting dinosaurs and monsters
) So really it isn’t really a matter of videogame rather than animation or feature films. I love concept art and creating ideas. That’s it I guess the videogame industry lets me paint more sci-fi and fantasy stuff rather than other fields so I’m happy with that but I wouldn’t mind working on movies in the future.
GOE: Where do you currently work?
I’ve recently been hired from Blitz Games Studios (a leading indipendent game developer based in Leamington Spa,UK) and it has been amazing so far. Even if I’m taking a little break now I’ll be ready soon to accept new freelance commissions
GOE: What are some of the problems you run in to at times? Or your least favourite thing about being an artist?
As well as many other fast paced work it requires some extra effort every now and then to get a job done .And being so fast it can be difficult sometimes to keep on top of things and keep your skills updated
GOE: And what do you absolutely love about it, and what is your favourite thing to do while creating a new piece of art? Well I make up for a living drawing cool stuff what else should I ask for?
Check back next week to see Marco Caradonna’s showcase on GOE.
