In film design, concept art serves as a visual foundation for storytelling — a way to communicate ideas, tone, and atmosphere before a project moves into 3D or post-production. It often determines the creative direction of a film, video game, or animation by establishing a cohesive vision that guides every stage of development. Rather than defining every detail, concept artists focus on conveying the overall design intent, allowing space for collaboration and interpretation across teams.

To advance my Photoshop skills and explore environment composition, I undertook the 2019 Inktober Challenge, creating a new concept each day throughout October. Building these scenes required a strong grasp of colour theory and tonal balance, particularly when layering and refining light and mood. Photoshop’s blending modes were instrumental in shaping lighting scenarios and experimenting with atmosphere before finalising the desired look. I used rough, oil-like brushes to quickly block in form and composition, followed by specialised foliage brushes to introduce depth and texture. Finally, selective colour masks and gradient overlays were applied to render material zones and unify the visual tone across each piece — making the series both a study in visualisation and an exercise in efficiency.