Derek Weselake
Concept Art | Visual Development | Illustration | Art Direction | Creative Consulting | [email protected]
Select Commercial Projects
Private Portfolio and Some Projects require a password. Contact me for job screening related access. [email protected]
Stylized to Photo Real
Multiple Genres | 2017-2018 
Semi-Realistic to Photo Real
Sci-fi FPS | 2022 
Stylized
Urban Fantasy | 2014 |
Semi-Realistic to Photo Real
Military Fantasy | RTS | 2018-2019 
Stylized to Semi-Realistic
80s Genre Hopping | 2019 - 2024 
Semi-Realistic
Modern | fantasy | Sci-fi | 2015-2016 |
Semi-Real to Photo Real |
Military Sci-fi | Action | 2017 
Stylized
Fantasy | Cyberpunk | 2017 
Semi-realistic
Cyberpunk | Sci-fi | 2015 |
Stylized
Sci-fi Action | 2017-2018 
Stylized
Time Travel Adventure | 2021 
Stylized to Photo Realistic
Various Genres | 2013+ |
Select Personal Projects
Stylized | Fantasy Life Sim
|
Photo Real | Post-Apoc Cyberpunk Fantasy
|
Stylized | Cyberfantasy Space Adventure
|
Semi-Real to Photo Real | Fantasy
|
Public Portfolio
|
|
|
Screenshot paintover concepts for Live Ops Events. This is for an 80s themed game.
Animated Guidance
Sometimes I will do little animations to communicate an idea
Sometimes I will do little animations to communicate an idea
|
|
|
|
Check out my Full Gameplay Portfolio Here
BROKEN MONDAY
These were done for my personal project BROKEN MONDAY. The idea in this looter shooter is you can befriend demons and they can possess your weapons changing the effect of their ammunition, or in a vampire demon's case use your own blood to make bullets if you are out of ammo, hurting you each shot. They should be able to have synergy and play with each other, rewarding creativity. Timing is just as important as what you choose to combine. I came up with the gameplay as well as any designs in these examples.
Pinball game for Video Horror Society
I spent a month designing a playable Pinball game that would of eventually been made to work in the lobby of the game.
AENiGMA GAME: STORM HACKER My Solo Developed Indie Game
While I am specialized in concept art, I am also a game designer in my off time developing this game, I originally took on this project out of the love of studying game design and to better understand and communicate with my team members that I do concept art for. See more about the game HERE
Character Design
Below: Hi Resolution Example
|
|
|
Card Art
3D done by 3D team at BlackBird Interactive.
Composition, Model tweaking(Making Stylized models for RTS appear more real), posing, Lighting, VFX, and Paintover by me
Composition, Model tweaking(Making Stylized models for RTS appear more real), posing, Lighting, VFX, and Paintover by me
Illustration | Keyart for my Solo Developed Indie Game STORM HACKER
Fanart
I used to do Fan Art back in day, here is some.
Storyboard
Fan Logos
I made these minor updates on classic logos as a fun side fan project to my Love Letter Project
I made these minor updates on classic logos as a fun side fan project to my Love Letter Project
Storm Hacker Marketing and Branding
Marketing art for my solo developed Indie game AENiGMA GAME: STORM HACKER
Below: Fun information sheet I handed out at conventions
VFX Concepts
Texture | Pattern Examples
Example of helping beyond my role, I helped fix an issue with the eyes in our final models by doing this quick guide without being asked. Our character lead did an amazing job improving them after.
Individual Concept | Illustration
My Process Changes based on the project but I will break down the most common
Step 0: Research
This step is when I take in as much information as possible doing things such as:
- deep diving the web for any sort of information/media I can find on the topic
- creating/seeking my own references in the real world
- going to the large library I live next to and diving into all the information that isn't even online
- travel, ever since I started my career 10+ years ago any sort of travelling I do becomes a fun research trip where I have taken over 90,000 photos and filled pages and pages of notes. I purposefully try to engage with the culture as much as possible to build my internal visual library with unique experiences I can draw on later.
- deep diving the web for any sort of information/media I can find on the topic
- creating/seeking my own references in the real world
- going to the large library I live next to and diving into all the information that isn't even online
- travel, ever since I started my career 10+ years ago any sort of travelling I do becomes a fun research trip where I have taken over 90,000 photos and filled pages and pages of notes. I purposefully try to engage with the culture as much as possible to build my internal visual library with unique experiences I can draw on later.
Step 1: Ideation
Ideation can come in many forms, from thumbnail sketches, photobashing, to blocking in different shapes and meshes in a 3D landscape in different comps. This step may be skipped if given a screen or sketch from another artist to paintover.
|
|
Step 2: Build
I take the chosen sketch to finish or screen to paint over and bring it further. If this is an in Engine 3D Concept this step takes longer but is more thorough. A blend of 3D and 2D to a flat 2D output can make this step go fast and detailed.
Step 3: Polish and Revise
I check in with my clients or coworkers and we discuss what tweaks can be made. I will often do variations of the final image or concept.
Step 4: Callouts, Alts, and Skins
Callouts: When say an environment concept is done the 3D team may need separate callouts or variations of certain objects and characters in a scene that have no real world ref, in this case I will sometimes concept these out from step 0. This step can also include doing turn-arounds of a character or doing vfx/animation concepts.
Alts or Skins: I will take the finished result and make variations as needed
Alts or Skins: I will take the finished result and make variations as needed
|
|
|
|
Process Examples
Animated Guidance
Sometimes I will do little animations to communicate and Idea
Sometimes I will do little animations to communicate and Idea
|
|
In-house responsibilities
Every studio has it's own flow and culture but typical I jump between these
Phase 1: Bluesky or Green Sky
At the start of a project I am often called on to do bluesky or greensky(if an established IP with not much wiggle room) concepts or keyframes to help get a project rolling or as part of a pitchdeck.
Phase 2: Production
Typically during production I do concept after concept and do a bit of Phase 3 or 1 between them
Phase 3: Support
There is a ton of content in project development that a concept artist is utilized when the game is being polished, from doing flyers, graphic designs, skins, graffiti, VFX concepts, Storyboards, ect
Phase 4: Live Ops
Nowaday games are often infinitely updated with events to keep players entertained and this will have me looped back to Phase 1 or 2. As a lover of festivals and events I actually have quite a bit of fun doing this.