opinion …
It is more than golden section and color harmony that art is featuring … not only academy skills are defining an artist … I think it is courage and it is the will to tell something relevant as well.
about illustration
… after design and composition it is all about light and textures.
no haste …
I think in production it is very important to let decisions and concepts ease down for a while, to let it age like wine … if good or bad idea will be separated on its own after a period of time. Try to keep haste away from your production as long as possible.
out of the sketchbook …
Sometimes showing less of a character or creature is more characterizing than the massive use of details … I guess, this is the only way to design really scary things.
about finding ideas …
I try to keep my eyes open all the time … maybe a knife is enough to find a design for a symbol … or even a drop of grouted wine on the table can look like the head of a monster. Just stay open-minded.
tip … focus
An artwork must have at least one focus. Without having a focus watching a picture would be like reading a novel without storyline. This focus can be created by concentration of details, contrasts or leading of sight by shapes or even the pictures’ content. Otherwise for example a painting will turn to a mud of confusing details or abstract arrangements of compositions like on a “busy scene picture”.
out of the sketchbook …
For concept art it is a practicable approach to take natural or historical designs and just make a rearrangement of some of the elements … strictly speaking in this case we do not talk about designing. This process is called styling …
tip … aesthetics
Many people say ‘aesthetic’ when they mean ‘attractive’ …
‘Aesthetic’ is the opposite of ‘anaesthetic’ … so it means that for example a piece of art is noticeable as an artwork. That’s why a scrap heap isn’t really good for being an aesthetic piece of art … :)
tip … colors
In nature you will find nearly no black coloring … even the darkest black – the color of carbon black – is a bit bluish …