Sonic Concept Art

[Anti Alias]

Sonic Unleashed Sonic's model ssems to be dated from circa 2005 doesn't it?

[Tobbii]

Some Tiara art people missed:

The first one is actually from Sonic Mars, and that game was even meant to feature Sally and Bunny Rabbot once:

[Vec]

Edited June 24, 2012 by Non-Specific Vec Figure

[Marcello]

More X-treme Metal Sonic concept art. (Pun Intended?)

[azoo]

I'm not sure why anyone hasn't posted all of these.

Here's lots of level artwork from Sonic 1's conceptualization, all drawn by Mr. Ohshima himself. (also eff, the cruddy glitch with the pictures scrolling halfway down the post will never stop haunting me..)

The very beginnings of designing Green Hill Zone. Includes proof behind the usage of foreground objects in the stage parallax, as seen in the pre-alpha screenshots.

Unused exotic stage design. Seems like a precursor to Star Light Zone's design.

A Japan-based setting, featuring underwater segments. Possibly early Labyrinth Zone artwork.

Scrapped Sonic 1 ice level, also showing possible split-screen gameplay that was then moved into Sonic 2.

Yet another area from an Asian-like setting. Looks like the level layout concept here was reused in Sparkling/Spring Yard, though.

What seems to be early concepts for Clockwork/Scrap Brain. Very interesting.. I wish some of these were realized in the final version.

More early Clockwork/Scrap Brain artwork.

Marble Zone artwork. Seems like it had the most unchanged design since it's conceptualization.

Edited June 24, 2012 by Azukara

[Rexeljet]

*snip*

I'd really love for there to be a remake of Sonic 1 using all these scrapped levels, tropes and gimmicks, or a new Sonic game that uses all of these scrapped things... A man can dream.

[Balding Spider]

More X-treme Metal Sonic concept art. (Pun Intended?)

And While The gameplay we've seen for the game might have been Mediocre, or in some people's eyes just flat out bad, I was always interested in the concepts and Idea's for this game.

So the final version of this new Metal Sonic was going to be a... Metal Ristar? Okaaaaaay?

[...]

More Sonic 3 level concept art. Hydrocity, Marble Garden, Ice Cap, & Launch Base.

Edited June 24, 2012 by Fix-It Felix

[...]

Concept art for Big Arm.

[Chaos Warp]

I like how they chibifiy Sonic and Co. in the concept arts lol.

[...]

I like how they chibifiy Sonic and Co. in the concept arts lol.

Me too. The only one I have a gripe with it Knuckles, it doesn't look like him at all xD

And here is some Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity concept art for tracks & environments in the game.

Edited June 24, 2012 by Fix-It Felix

[Detective Shadzter]

More Sonic 3 level concept art. Hydrocity, Marble Garden, Ice Cap, & Launch Base.

I used to have a fold-out Sonic 3 map and guide that featured a lot of this concept art. I wish I still had it. There's a lot of merchandise and things I had as a kid that I wish I still had. It would all be so rare and valuable these days XD

Does anyone here have that fold-out map and guide? I can't remember now, but I think it might have come with an issue of Sonic the Comic or a SEGA magazine.

[...]

I used to have a fold-out Sonic 3 map and guide that featured a lot of this concept art. I wish I still had it. There's a lot of merchandise and things I had as a kid that I wish I still had. It would all be so rare and valuable these days XD

Does anyone here have that fold-out map and guide? I can't remember now, but I think it might have come with an issue of Sonic the Comic or a SEGA magazine.

I heard it was in the Sonic 3 instruction manual.

[Detective Shadzter]

I heard it was in the Sonic 3 instruction manual.

I did think of that possibility too, but again, I wasn't sure. Hard to remember anything from when I was a kid, and I don't have any of my old SEGA consoles and software any more.

[...]

Sonic & Knuckles level concept art. In chibi style!

[Lady Soniko]

i believe this style is called "Sketchog" and makes a frequent appearance in SEGA's merchandise and freebies.

[...]

i believe this style is called "Sketchog" and makes a frequent appearance in SEGA's merchandise and freebies.

I know. I love the Sketchog style. I even use it sometimes when I draw Sonic doodles.

[Gabz Girl]

Most of the concept art for these games are so detailed and colourful! I also like that early concept for Sonic Riders. A shame they didn't go for it, cos I think it looks ten times better than the final one. D:

Concept art of Dark Gaia escaping from the Earth's core in Unleashed's opening sequence.

Hoooooly... O__O Thats incredible. Must've taken the guy/gal who made this an eternity to finish!

Edited June 25, 2012 by Gabz Girl

[...]

All this concept art (especially the Unleashed ones) proves that there are some extremely fucking talented artists working at Sonic Team. The graphics in Sonic games are usually always good, but why don't they make a Sonic game with a style that looks exactly like the paintings and such from the concept art? Kind of like a Rayman Origins sort of thing. That'd be awesome, in my opinion.

Imagine if they made a full-length 2D Sonic game with the Sketchog style. It would be pretty cool.

[Lady Soniko]

All this concept art (especially the Unleashed ones) proves that there are some extremely fucking talented artists working at Sonic Team. The graphics in Sonic games are usually always good, but why don't they make a Sonic game with a style that looks exactly like the paintings and such from the concept art? Kind of like a Rayman Origins sort of thing. That'd be awesome, in my opinion.

because sonic runs through it so fast it'll just be a blur of colour

[Lady Soniko]

Yeah, because all the 2D Sonic games are just blurs of colors, what with the incredible speeds.

i was implying an modern sonic gameplay in 2D, actually.

[Blue Blood]

All this concept art (especially the Unleashed ones) proves that there are some extremely fucking talented artists working at Sonic Team. The graphics in Sonic games are usually always good, but why don't they make a Sonic game with a style that looks exactly like the paintings and such from the concept art? Kind of like a Rayman Origins sort of thing. That'd be awesome, in my opinion.

Very little of the concept art is drawn in house at all. For Unleashed, much of the work was done by Massive Black and AOKI Studios. All that cool art of Dark Gaia tearing the world apart, the art of the levels? Not Sonic Team. Sachiko Kawamura (art director) spoke once about the studio they enlisted to design the human characters.

[Lady Soniko]

Massive Black made the Gaia and concept art for this game? no wonder it looks familiar...

[...]

Concept art of Skeleton Dome.

[...]

Concept art of Evil Foundry & Dinosaur Jungle.

Edited June 25, 2012 by Fix-It Felix