7 Great Modern Fantasy Artists
A list of some of the best modern fantasy illustrators on Artstation
Some people browse Instagram all day, some people argue on Twitter. When I want to mindlessly kill time and feel guilty about it, I go to Artstation and browse SFF art.
So, I thought it would be cool to share with you some of my best finds over the years.
The amazingly objective criteria for choosing the artists: they draw fantasy illustrations, upload them to Artstation, and I love their work. The pool of talent is ginormous, so don’t be mad if you love someone artist who isn’t on the list — recommend someone in the comments! I’ll probably make more such lists in the future.
I had to compress the images to bring the page to a reasonable size. If you want to see them at their full splendor, make sure to visit the linked galleries of the artists.Tony Sart
Tony Sart's Artstation Gallery
Tony Sart is a Russian digital concept artist and illustrator. And that’s all the info I was able to find about him. Is this even his real name? Tony’s Art?
Nonetheless, his work speaks for itself. He brings a familiar feeling of 80s/90s classic fantasy art and mixes it up with a great dose of humor. I’d love to see him draw something from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld — it should be an amazing fit.
This piece has great storytelling, the characters convey a lot of emotion (I love how heartbroken the soldier sitting next to the door seems), and gems like the Goblin taking a photo with his, um, stonephone (?), makes it S-tier in my eyes.
Urban fantasy piece called “Fantasy is now”. Elves, orcs, and dwarves in a modern setting. The details are awesome — Fangorn station. Eye phone. The white hand on the tank top.
And some classic fantasy/video game art humor. Fits the times.
Anato Finnstark
Anato Finnstark’s Artstation Gallery
A freelance illustrator and concept artist from France who’s worked for some major studios (Wizard of the Coast, Dark Horse, etc.). Very recognizable style and an amazing atmosphere. One of my current favorites.
You’re not a real fantasy artist until you have a great Lord of the Rings piece of art. And this Gandalf vs the Balrog illustration is brutal. Shadow and flames. You don’t need a lot of details to make something extremely impactful.
And the Witch-king of Angmar. The background and cold colors build an awesome agoraphobic atmosphere. Part of Anato’s Nazgûl Collection.
Look at those trees. Look at that broken statue. Look at the mist and the breath of the horse. Look, I tell you!
Anato also has some Bloodborne works. Not a surprise one of the most atmospheric fantasy artists has worked on one of the most atmospheric fantasy video games.
Randy Vargas
This list wouldn’t be any good without an artist who does regular Magic the Gathering work. It’s fair to say the classic card game by Wizards of the Coast has had a huge influence in shaping what we expect out of fantasy art. And Randy Vargas is, IMO, one of the best MtG artists.
(It’s worth mentioning that he’s recently also done work on Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archives new Call to Adventure board game.)
It’s amazing how a little detail — the glowing magic markings on the woman and circles around her legs and gun, can imply so much. Also, the magic explosion is awesome.
MtG flexing its creature/character design muscles. The contrast between the strong dark blue of the exoskeleton (?) and the duller bronze and brown of the armor is awesome.
And a classic yet dynamic illustration of a green elf warrior.
Diego Gisbert Llorens
The list needs a great Warhammer artist as much as it does an MtG artist, and Diego Gisbert Llorens is one of the best to use their skills in Games Workshop’s classic fantasy world.
A human, a dwarf, and an elf walked into a dungeon full of orcs, spiders, and other creatures of the dark. It simply never grows old. The design of the armor is perfect.
Fantasy environment art is amazing, but it’s even cooler with an interesting character in the foreground. That sky, though.
Johan Grenier
Johan is another great artist that does work for Wizards of the Coast and Games Workshop. He has also previously worked for Ubisoft.
When I think of Warhammer art I think of one of those very long pieces of art with an epic battle on them that are used as covers or wraparound art for packaging. This is one of my favorite examples. I love how it naturally pulls your eyes towards the center.
Why do you have to ride a horse, when you can ride a huge vampire-bat-demon and a blue wingless dragon-beast. Subtlety and restraint aren’t what makes Warhammer great.
Another epic battle. I couldn’t help myself.
Bayard Wu
A Chinese illustrator and concept artist working in the games industry. He has a 1st Prize in the Blizzcon 2013 Original Art Contest, and Master Prize in CGHub. He can draw what you’d expect out of commercial game art, but at the same time, some of his best pieces (usually personal pieces or fanart) feel like S-tier traditional drawings.
This is my favorite Game of Thrones art ever. You can feel Jaime’s speed and determination, Drogon’s immense size and power, and even though you see very little out of Daenerys, the way the light falls on her hair makes the Mother of Dragons stand out in an instant.
Wu is famous for his original characters Ms. Hammer and Orc girl. Here are Ms. Hammer and her battle ram owning some orcs on wolves. While some Warcraft influence is obvious, the art style is still very distinct.
And some dynamic poses of Orc girl, showcasing Mr. Wu’s mastery of his craft.
That color and emotion. Blood and tears.
Marc Simonetti
A French concept artist and illustrator who currently works in cinema (Aladdin, Maleficent 2).
Yet, he is best known for his work in SFF literature: his GRR Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire illustrations, his work on Frank Herbert’s Dune, Pratchett’s Discworld, Robin Hobb’s Assassin Trilogy, Rothfuss’s Name of the Wind, Terry Brook’s Shannara cycle, Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen (our Malazan Book of the Fallen in-depth review), you get the picture.
He also dabbled in the games industry — Activision, Ubisoft, MtG, EA, Square Enix, etc.
If that’s not an impressive SFF illustrator CV, I don’t know what is.
Dune. If you thought SciFi can’t be epic, you’re wrong. Also, how can you make something as mundane as a wall so visually stunning?
An epic fantasy battle from Gardens of the Moon. Moon’s Spawn hanging over the city of Pale (not a big surprise we chose Marc’s work for our Malazan Book of the Fallen review). Tattersail engaged in a mage battle against Anomander Rake, who is barely visible in the little red doorway on top of the flying fortress.
A book cover for Tides of Titan. I have not read the book, and yet the setting already looks extremely interesting and original.
What the Iron Throne is actually supposed to look like. Makes the throne room of the TV series seem insignificant in comparison. Writers and illustrators have only their imagination as a constraint, so it’s awesome to see what happens when things get turned up to 11.
And what better note to finish on than one of the most badass dragons in the history of fantasy: Balerion the Black Dread. This illustration is a cover for The Book of Swords by GRR Martin.
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