Maïlys Garcia: concept artist
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Visual development artist, concept designer, concept artist — these terms describe Maïlys Garcia’s work: laying the foundations of an animated project by creating its visual bible. We spoke with the artist who helped put the director’s vision on paper.
“I’m an extension of the director’s imagination. He has a vision for the characters, the settings and the finished look. I have to listen carefully, then draw,” Maïlys Garcia explains with a laugh.
Maïlys began working on the animated short Where Rabbits Come From in early 2021. She was the first artist to join director Colin Racicot, who had discovered her work on LinkedIn. Impressed by her illustrations for a recent children’s book, Colin contacted her directly to ask if she would help him establish the project’s visual foundations.
It was such a beautiful project, exactly the kind of work I love!
recalls Maïlys Garcia, a year after completing her contribution.
A concept artist establishes the visual foundations of an animated film or video game during preproduction, when the film is still a screenplay. That means waiting months, sometimes years, to see the result. The artists who join later build on and draw inspiration from this work.
It took her about two months to create everything the team needed for the next stages of preproduction: environment sketches, character expression sheets, poses and a size comparison lineup. Who is tallest? Who is smallest? Those decisions matter too.
Creativity, precision and observation are essential qualities for a concept artist, says Maïlys. She feels that no expression is inherently harder to draw than another: it helps to have good references, and sometimes a mirror beside the computer.
While waiting to see the finished film, Maïlys is working on video game projects at a Montréal company. She has also illustrated a second children’s book, Pareils… ou presque, by Marie-Claude Audet, published in February 2022.