Currently, Martin Deschambault is a Senior Concept Artist at Ubisoft who lives and works in Montreal, Quebec. Below is a series of concept art pieces he developed for Assassin’s Creed Origins. The 2017 action-adventure game is set in Ptolemaic Egypt. If you enjoy this style, you may also like this Destiny concept art collection. Similarly, this Uncharted 4 concept art showcase by Hyoung Taek Nam is worth a look.
First, this piece captures the game’s protagonist, Bayek, in the middle of combat astride a war elephant. In fact, it’s one of the more dramatic character-and-creature studies Deschambault produced for the game.
Martin Deschambault’s design process
“My design process starts with pencil and paper thumbnails just to freeze my composition idea, or start with some hard black and white sketches in Photoshop to find nice silhouettes.”
Next, these concept art environment studies show off the range of Egyptian landscapes Deschambault explored. For example, they move from sun-scorched oases to half-buried ruins along the Nile Delta.
“Sometimes I do a quick 3D model in Google SketchUp because I want to structure my idea a little bit more. Other times I just start with the mood. I will use photo textures for the scale and contrast, but I prefer to paint over them. This way I can stylize and blend the textures with my brush work.”
Meanwhile, alongside grounded historical scenes, this concept art piece shows Deschambault’s more speculative side. In addition, it’s a First Civilization transportation unit that blends the game’s ancient setting with its mysterious precursor technology.
“I have some basic composition guides I use, but after time you want to find a way to present your concepts differently. For that, you try different techniques and after time and practice, you get interesting results.”
More concept art from the Assassin’s Creed Origins series
Together, this concept art series highlights the range of characters, environments and creatures Deschambault created for Assassin’s Creed Origins. Overall, it moves from bustling cities and desert wildlife to towering monuments of Egyptian mythology.
Finally, for more of his work, visit his website.
