'Allo, all. I'm a senior in high school. A senior with a dream...to be a concept artist for video games. Now, I read the FAQ and it said all kinds of interesting things about the programming schooling for games, but that didn't help me.. I want to know what companies look for when they hire a concept arist. A BFA? An emphasis on Computer Art? Or just very realistic renderings in a portfolio? Being college-bound and what have you, I could use all the advice that you can give me. Thanks so much for your time, everyone!

Moved to Visual Arts.

Good luck and welcome. [smile]

Well, your art education doesn't really matter.
It's hard to judge code by looking at it, so education is quite a thing there, but for any art related positions... we just want to see your work, it's all about the portfolio and your personality.

'Realistic' renderings isn't the whole deal tho, realism is the leading trend nowadays, but there's enough room and need in the industry for different styles.

Now, if we had two equaly talented and cool guys to pick from, we'd of course take the one with better art education... or the youngest, since after a few years they'd look like 80 anyway.

Take as many life drawing and painting classes as you can. Also, I'd focus a good deal of your time on architectural rendering and landscape work, and even some industrial design classes may prove helpful. Companies that are looking for a concept artist need to see very strong and well-rounded skills...you have to prove that you can render anything that is asked of you.

Please, please don't try to fill your portfolio with character drawings done on white backgrounds, when applying for jobs...your submission will quickly find it's way into the recycling bin. If you do have character pieces, try to have them integrated into convincing background or narrative settings.

Degrees are nice, but portfolio skills are really the main thing being looked at, when applying for a job. A Bachelor of Design or Fine Arts may help in cases where applicants have similar skills, but different levels of education.

If you want to know specifically about concept art, I strongly recommend you go check out ConceptArt.Org.
Not that Gamedev isn't good, but it's just that there are so many talented professionals over there, that I doubt you'll be dissapointed.

Hope this helps :)

Philippe