In Concept

        Before you put anything out in the world,  it starts off as an idea. After which, you flesh this idea out, shaping and melding it. Eventually, you'll have a few concepts laid out.  From there, you can present the idea to others, pick and choose what you want and don't want, shape it out, etc. Now, there are multiple levels to a concept, from uncolored sketches, to fully formed products; as you can imagine, I wish to talk more about this today, and get a grasp on what happens with concepts.

       Now, not every idea we like is going to make it to the final product. Sometimes things are going to be too expenseive. Other times, you can't just find the right materials. You could come very far to seeing this concept being made, but still have to pull it, simply because things won't work out. Sometimes, you just need to work around the constraints life gives you. Don't let that get you down however, you can always go back to the drawing board, and try again!

       One of my favourite things about concepts however is how we can see the evolution of a project. You see ideas that were scrapped, or different designs for characters before the ones you eventually received. Were they radically different? Were they similar? That's what's fun about them.

Image collage courtesy of Kamen Rider wiki

           As you can see, a lot of these designs were used for the same season of Kamen Rider, before they were eventually turned into Kuuga. Some elements may have been used for other riders later on as well; what's really important to observe however is just how drastically different some of these designs are. For context, here is what Kuuga became.

Image courtesy of Kamen Rider wiki

      

       This is the reason I love concepts. Not only does it give you wriggle room for an idea, but it allows you to see a the development over time. Whether the end result is great, or mediocre, the process is important in many ways. Once again, thank you for reading, and stay tuned!