Grant Smith
Creative Director
Marketing
Writer
Sam Garcia
Samuel Garcia is a Concept Artist & Illustrator working in the film and game industries. He's originally from Havana, Cuba and grew up in Miami creating and writing stories from a very young age.
He’s obtained multiple art degrees and course completions from MDC’s Magic Program in Miami, Full Sail University and Brainstorm School. He's had the pleasure of designing for clients such as Netflix, Gearbox, 9B Collective, VOLTA, the Concept Art Association and many others, crafting concepts for characters, creatures, props and environments, key art, keyframe designs, storyboarding, costume illustrating and promotional/poster art. Sam's works have also been featured in both Concept Art Association’s Gallery Shows as well as WACOM with a combination of demos and interviews under Rising Star.
To date, he has built up an impressive glossary of skillsets and designs showcased in his portfolio that display a high dedication to story-driven world-building.
Please contact samrgar@yahoo.com for inquiries.
Q
How do you manage critical feedback on your work?
Critical feedback is part of the design process. As a designer, I want to hear feedback and want to bring your vision to life. So we'll work closely to make sure that happens every step of the way!
Q
How is your approach towards each of your creative skills different? Is the starting point the same?
The starting point is always the same. What's the story behind what we're building? After deeply understanding that, I'll begin sketching blue sky ideas trying to establish the direction of the character/item/weapon etc.
Q
How did your journey into the creative world begin?
A lot of things contributed to my love for concept art, but one of the biggest was probably looking through the special features of the second DVD disk that came with The Incredibles film I had at the age of 10. I learned a lot about the design process and world-building, and that's what sparked the idea that maybe I could that too!
Q
You have worked as a Concept Artist at multiple studios and on multiple projects. With each project demanding a different aesthetic, how did you shift gears to excel in that position?
Deeply understanding the story and allowing yourself time to explore relevant references, materials, story moments, personalities and design language informs how you will approach the project. It may be a new, completely unexplored world, but that's what designing is every time, understanding the story well so that the ideas could flow. And I'll use whatever medium seems best to accomplish those ideas whether it be sketching, photobashing, 3D blocking or modeling.
Q
Your concept art portfolio includes a wide array of subjects, from environments to characters, among other things. What’s your process for approaching such varied designs?
I like exploring the main ideas that are part of the brief, but I also like including additional variations or suggestions that I may be inspired by as I'm designing or gathering references. Sometimes I may want to create a composition that includes more objects for a scene or I may want to place the character within an environment or a story moment. It depends on the subject matter.
Q
Was there something specific about Concept Artist that made you realize it was the path for you?
I love the process of creating visually. So, Concept Art is my home!
Q
What is your dream project?
I don't know if I have a dream project. I just know I really enjoy designing with passionate individuals that want to make their ideas a reality. That's honestly the dream for me.
Q
Every Creative has their style but it can be difficult to bring that style to different projects with different clients, all with their own styles. How do you bring the two together?
If there's room for canon explorations, I'm all for it! I like exploring styles and stretching them until there's a limit. It helps gauge what you really want in the design. That's always a ton of fun.
