I have a weird….. hybrid, if you will, when I have an idea I want to model.
1. Draw it and model it – I’m not the most amazing person ever at concept art. In fact, my line of thinking can be too restrictive on such a process (I’m trying to loosen it up). But sometimes, I have a very strong idea of how it looks and I want to draw it down so I don’t forget. And maybe I’ll play with the shapes and design a little bit. But mostly it’s a kind of recording process. Then I can model from that.
2. Wing it sometimes – Sometimes, I just find reference images, like different vases as an example, and just go with my eye. Maybe I like how there’s an asymmetrical look to a vase, but I want the base to be fatter or slimmer or whatever I think looks good. Improvisation is good.
While having concept art helps to nail down what you want, especially if you want a certain look or style, it can be a tool you choose to use or not. Concept art helps you explore what you’re looking for in your game. You don’t have to master it, but having another tool to pull from certainly helps. Or you can just have a bunch of reference images to pull from. Just make sure when you’re modeling, your models are consistent in style across your game assets. Nothing ruins immersion like an out of place asset (unless that’s the intention.)
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