Acrylic Alchemy: Tips for Mesmerizing Fantasy Art

My journey through the realm of fantasy art spans three decades, intertwining my passion for bird photography with the intricate world of role-playing game illustrations. The fusion of these worlds has enabled me to inject a dose of realism into the fantastical, crafting pieces that captivate and tell stories beyond words.

The cornerstone of my artistic practice is rooted in the initial stages: sketching thumbnails until I find the one that works, shaping it into a final drawing, and then basing the acrylic painting on this drawing.

The thumbnail stage is crucial for composition, and for breaking down the grand vision into small, manageable sections. It's here that the painting begins to take shape, segment by segment, ensuring each piece contributes to the whole. If you don’t get your thumbnail right before you start your painting, you will have to start the whole painting process over later on.

I prefer working on watercolor board, but watercolor paper works as well. I use a simple photocopy and some coal to transfer my final drawing onto the board for the painting.

The mood is set using lighting, bounce light, shadow and movement. The painting steps themselves are divided into different coloring stages. I usually start dark and go lighter along the way, ending the process with all the finer details.

To breathe life into my artwork, I rely on a meticulously crafted moodboard, a collection of references that infuse realism into the fantastical. Whether it's the anatomy of bat wings, the fierce facial expression of a T-Rex or raptor head, the graceful glide of flying dinosaurs, or the ethereal beauty of cloudscapes, each element serves to ground my creations in a semblance of reality while allowing imagination to soar.

What makes a painting believable, isn’t just physical accuracy. The mood of the character, particularly when it occupies the focal point, is paramount. From the nuanced facial expressions to intricate details of a backpack, or the unique features of a creature companion, everything has to feel real. So it’s very important to look at the real word for inspiration.

Hopefully by the end of the process the painting will capture both the eye and the heart.

For those eager to dive deeper into the world of fantasy acrylic painting, to explore the interplay of realism and imagination, I’m thrilled to be able to share my creative process in the art of fantasy acrylic painting with you in my new Domestica painting course.