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Character concepts with Betty Jiang

Character artist, Betty Jiang reveals her inspirations, how to keep a fresh portfolio and important skills needed to be a concept artist.

Character artist, Betty Jiang reveals her inspirations, how to keep a fresh portfolio and important skills needed to be a concept artist.

Tell us a bit about yourself: who are you, what do you do, and where are you located?

Betty Jiang: My name is Betty Jiang, and I work full-time as a contract concept artist (specializing in character designs and illustrations) for videogame studios.

I am currently located in Toronto, Canada, but I'm hoping to relocate one day to Japan, and live in a house with a tatami floor, own an akita, and have raw eggs with natto every day for breakfast.

What's the story behind your artwork in general? What inspired you to become a concept artist?
BJ: I think attending a local art university really pushed me into the working for the gaming industry, because at that time I was pretty anti-social and usually sought out comfort in playing videogames. I was especially impressed by the game Metal Gear Solid. After playing Metal Gear Solid 4, I basically decided to make it my life goal to be able to design characters as badass as Solid Snake or Big Boss one day.

I'm not sure if there's an exact story for all my artworks, but whenever I work on props or characters, I like to think about them in action in my head, accompanied by some intense anime soundtrack. Thinking up little stories for everything I'm painting (even rocks) makes it more fun, and also keeps me awake when I'm in "rendering mode,” allowing the final result to have more character to them.

What do you think are the most important skills or qualities an aspiring concept artist needs?
BJ: Being flexible and adaptive are some good characteristics to have, but I think at the end of the day, if you are hard-working, and have a passion for what you do, you will get a lot out of the concept art industry.

(Although personally I wish I was more organized, and more confident, so I can stop losing sleep over work and scaring off clients and other artists with my easily flustered personality.)

Your portfolio is incredibly diverse – you can clearly turn your hand to a lot of things! Do you have any tips for making a great portfolio and keeping it fresh?
BJ: Why thank you! I have to say, I get offered characters, because nobody really hires me for anything else when they take one look at my current portfolio. I think I was much more diverse when I first started working because I was super uptight about trying to be good at everything.

Being open to new things will keep not only your portfolio fresh, but also your mindset. It's good to expose yourself to new things, especially when it comes to art, even if it might not be your cup of tea. Having good friends who have been working in the industry also really keeps me on my toes, because I look up to and strive to be as good as them one day.

Also, please do go out and have fun at least once a week. I wish somebody told me this earlier, when I first started and basically trapped myself in my room doing work every day and seeing nobody for weeks. (My definition of fun back then was doing dungeons on World of Warcraft, and not even with friends!)

This work habit is okay for a short duration of time, but eventually your brain will turn to mush, you'll start to get sad, and your work will start looking exactly like the sad person you really are deep down.

You're a talented painter traditionally as well as digitally. What transferable skills have you picked up by practicing both?
BJ: I think because I started off painting traditionally, changing to painting digitally wasn't as hard – aside from the fact that I didn't own a tablet at the time, so I painted in Photoshop with a mouse!

The best thing I got out of learning how to paint traditionally first is having the patience for somewhat minor and obsessive details that show up a lot in my work. (Now that I think about it... is that even a good skill to have?)

How do you like to unwind after a hard day's (or night's) work?
BJ: Well, the first thing I do is sleep. The best sleep is the one you have after knowing all your work is done, and you don't have to wake up for anything. Afterwards, I try to direct my attention to other hobbies, like gaming, fashion, playing with my dog (uh, not exactly a hobby), and painting things to give to friends.

Or I do nothing. Nothing is always good.

Finally, and most importantly, what superpower do you wish you had?
BJ: After coming back from a trip to Japan, I would say I want the superpower to speak any language I want (because I looked Japanese, but as soon as I opened my mouth, they were like, "Oh my God, who is this foreigner?”)

Related links

Head over to Betty Jiang's ArtStation
Check out Beginner's Guide to Digital Painting in Photoshop: Characters

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