The Zack Snyder and Marvel creature concept artist shares the benefits of creating art for personal projects.
About the Concept Art Association
(Image credit: Concept Art Association)
Concept Art Association is an organisation committed to elevating and raising the profile of concept artists, their art and their involvement in the entertainment industries. Its annual Concept Art Awards Show showcases and recognises behind-the-scenes individuals working in entertainment concept art.
Jerad Marantz is a creature and character artist with 15 years experience, who works in film, games and television, with Hollywood projects that include Dune, the Oscar-nominated Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, Zack Syder’s Justice League, and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Over the years Jerad has built a skillset that now includes sculpture, painting, illustration, ZBrush, and Photoshop (read our guide to the best digital art software for more details). You can find more at Jerad's ArtStation portfolio page. Read on to discover a typical day in the life of a professional concept artist.
"I wake up at 8:30am and help get my kids ready. On days my daughter goes to preschool, I get her dressed and then watch my son while my wife takes her to school.
"Around 9:30am, I get into my home studio and start working. Since I'm a freelance artist and juggle multiple shows, I start each day by looking at my deadlines and organising my priorities so I know exactly what needs to be done each day. I'm very honest with my clients, so they always know how much time I have to devote to them each week.
Jerad reveals his work on Cyborg for Justice League helped redefine his creative process. (Image credit: DC Comics/ Warner Bros. Pictures)
Batman wears a tactical suit for 2017's Justice League, as concepted by Jerad. (Image credit: DC Comics / Warner Bros. Pictures)
The day begins in 2D
"I utilise multiple techniques for creating so the work doesn't get stale. I generally start my day drawing or digital painting and then by the end of the day will shift into 3D in ZBrush, since it's easier for me to create in 3D, especially if I'm feeling a little tired.
"Right now, I have two young children, so a lot of my breaks are centred around when my wife needs help with the kids. For the most part, I work straight through until dinner time at 8pm with the family, and then doing bedtime routine and family time till 10pm. Then, I typically go back to the studio until 2am or 4am and then start it all over the next day.
"Another thing that's important to me is working on personal projects. As a concept artist, your job is to help other people solve and make everything look cool, but at the end of the day it's not your movie, it's not your show, it's not your game. Having your own project not only makes you a better storyteller and fulfils you creatively, but bringing that storytelling into your art helps you push forward your designs and craft."
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Jerad's concept for the rejigged Steppenwolf, from Zack Snyder's Justice League. (Image credit: Jerad Marantz / DC Comics/ W DC Comics/ Warner Bros. Pictures arner Bros. Pictures)
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Ian Dean is Editor, Digital Arts & 3D at Creative Bloq, and the former editor of many leading magazines. These titles included ImagineFX, 3D World and video game titles Play and Official PlayStation Magazine. Ian launched Xbox magazine X360 and edited PlayStation World. For Creative Bloq, Ian combines his experiences to bring the latest news on digital art, VFX and video games and tech, and in his spare time he doodles in Procreate, ArtRage, and Rebelle while finding time to play Xbox and PS5.
