Creating Compelling Fantasy Art that Jumps Off the Page

Let’s face it—there’s a lot of fantasy art out there, and the talent level is only going up. Fans want immersive environments that suck them in, highly stylized characters that are often from mythical races, and an unlimited assortment of weapons, gear, and loot to discover. One of the biggest challenges is that details matter, and without the right assets and techniques, the genre can quickly overwhelm you. If it takes a week to produce a single legendary weapon, who’s got the time to build out an entire fantasy world from scratch? 

Fortunately, there are a million tips, tricks, and tools to give your next fantasy project an incredible flourish that will leave your audience hungry for more. Here are some of Cubebrush’s top resources for fantasy art creators. 

Weapons, Weapons, Weapons!

A great character with a mediocre cutlass may as well be a sprite in a faceless army, so it’s always worthwhile to invest some time in a custom blade. But does every orc and goblin need a one-off piece in their grubby little hand? 

Nope. Once you’ve got your style in place, you can save a lot of time by curating your environment with premade assets that match—and there are thousands to choose from! Here are a few favorites:

• Fantasy pole arm. Got a game with a gothic feel? This spiked hammer will go great in the hands of your legion of warriors. 
• Ancestral weapons. With over 60 bows, swords, shields, spears, and more to choose from, these stylized low-poly models will outfit any army. 
• Magical maces. Each of these five clubs will go brilliantly on the belt of a low-tier god or high-level hero. 
• Dazzling daggers. Made for fantasy and RPG games, these 36 mystical daggers give you plenty of options for your next adventure. 

Skeleton Mage Fantasy Tutorial

If you’re struggling to get the creatures in your imagination onto your canvas, this fantasy tutorial by Greg Rutkowski is a must. You’ll get a step-by-step look at how he paints this otherworldly horror-scape featuring a terrifying skeleton mage. 

Some of the key elements he covers are things like how to handle composition, color, light, and value. These elements can be extremely difficult to manage in fantasy art because there’s typically no reference to evaluate, and it often involves tricky elements like glowing spells and misty landscapes. 

With several hours of high-res video footage including commentary, Greg will share his top tips and tricks for conjuring up a compelling fantasy scene with ease. 

You’ll get:

• Skeleton Mage tutorial with 2 hours of video and commentary

Fantasy Fabrics

Every prince, high elf, and underworld lord will be decked out in fantastical garments that reflect their personality and powerful status. As any student of fashion knows, fabrics worthy of royalty are often intricately woven in complex patterns with rare, expensive materials. 

Are you prepared to create every stitch from scratch? Fortunately, you don’t have to with this amazing set of 26 seamless fantasy fabrics. Each of these tiles gives an instant upgrade to clothes, rugs, tapestries, and linens with complex geometric patterns and colors. And if red and blue aren’t your thing, creator Donnie Maynard Christianson has several other options to choose from!

This pack includes:

• 26 seamless fantasy fabrics

Fantasy Art Reference Pics by Faestock

One of the trickiest parts of fantasy is the seamless blending of real and imaginary elements. A mage, for instance, may be a magical entity, but he’s still a human being on the outside. Even when you distort or exaggerate various body parts of your creations, they should all be rooted in the fundamentals of good anatomy. 

Faestock has a library of nearly 500 fantasy-themed reference images featuring everything from wood elves to wandering bards. Shot with nude and non-nude live models with a range of costumes, colors, and props, you’ll get a 360 view of how demon witches, faeries, and halflings distribute their weight and move through space. Start exploring their collection!

Battle Spiders Animation

Battle: Good. 

Spiders: Great. 

Animation: Amazing! 

Fantasy without grotesque, violent minions for your characters to slaughter just wouldn’t be the same. This pair of carapace-carrying eight-legged terrors is not only a perfect fit for fantasy art projects, but they’re both animated to give you instant action. 

Made in two entirely different styles, this pair could be staged in separate environments or be two different legions in an army of arachnids. They’ll also give creators a taste of how to conceptualize compelling fantasy creatures that strike the right balance of realism and exaggerated insanity!

You’ll get: 

• 2 Battle spider animations

Start Bringing Your Fantasies to Life with Cubebrush

There will always be new realms to explore in fantasy art. Whether you’re creating games, scenes, or just sketching in your spare time, you’ll never run out of inspiration with Cubebrush’s enormous library of fantasy assets, resources, and tutorials. 

If you’re looking to make your fantasy an artistic reality, start exploring Cubebrush today!