Bioshock 1 and 2

Some of my all time favourite games is Bioshock 1 and 2. I think that this is one of the games that made me want to try to pursue a career in video game design/illustration/character design/concept design etc. I have always been obsessed with the 50's style, as well as with things a bit more gruesome, such as zombies, so this game really has it all for me.

Here are a few of the concept art illustrations and digital art pieces for the game:

The Big Daddy characters are huge enemies in the first game and in the second, you play as one. This means that they had to be designed and experimented with to perfection.

Here you can see how many times these characters are drawn, redrawn, from all different angles.

Some of the images are really simple and aren't realistically detailed, but these still give a good idea of the character.

Usually character drawings are done from both the front and back view.

You can see here how the images can get really detailed.

This is the female version of the Big Daddy - the Big Sister. These guys are complete assholes in the second game, where they are introduced.

I also really like this image - character experimentation for the Big Sister using only silhouettes. This allows you to see the most interesting aspects of the character without being overcome with the beauty or detail of the painting itself. It also shows off good gesture and personality.

The little sisters are incredibly creepy characters - little drug-crazy girls who you can decide to let live/save or kill (for their drugs).

I love this image. The girls - "Little Sisters" - seem so innocent at first glance ... okay, maybe not in this image, but certainly in others! They have these cute little faces, bows in their hair and pretty dresses, and they play with butterflies. But then you notice that their eyes are glowing, there's blood all over their clothes and their holding a sharp syringe which they stick into dead bodies...

This is a beautiful full digital painting showing some one the characters in the Bioshock environment. I love that it is someone's job to make these detailed and beautiful images.

This is a detailed illustration of the Big Daddy's drill, which is one of the main weapons in the game. You can see that parts have been annotated. This really makes me think of any other kind of product design - like this is something that needs to have all the right parts to be fully functional. It also shows how much consideration and work goes into designing characters and other aspects of video game environments.

After a while, the drawing above turns into this.

I remember reading that the inspiration for some of these zombie-like characters (splicers) came from real-life photographs of some gruesome surgeries that were done on people who had been deformed as a result of the war.

I love the 50's style of this female splicer, especially her deformities. It is bloody creepy and makes a really unique female character.

I love how experimental concept artists can be with their images and the lengths to which they can push each limb.

Of course, with character design comes costume and accessory design. I think this is of great importance when giving the character a personality. Clothes and accessories are an important indication of who that character is - they give the player a strong indication about who and what that character is and about their motives/personality etc.

I love how concept artists experiment with every aspect of the characters, drawing them over and over until they have the perfect result. It is really cool how sketchy these drawings can be and at the same time how much they can tell you about who that character is.