Becoming a Fantasy Artist

To become a Fantasy artist one would have to follow the same route that anyone wanting to become an artist follows. This means getting educated, getting some guidance, learning from the pros, and lastly, the most important thing, apply what you have learned with constant practice. Practice is, more than anything else, what all great artists have in common. Only a true desire and goal will give you the persistence to follow through. Your reward will be achieving the level of skill needed to succeed. If you suffer from procrastination, you would have to beat this problem first!

Visual art, being a form of communication, follows the rules of communication. Observing the process of learning oral communication, you will see that a child first imitates and copies the sounds he hears around him. Then he utters isolated words, then phrases, then sentences. Then he learns to combine these into more complicated and original communication.

The same process applies to any skill that is to be learned. In art, the process of learning starts first by imitating other artists. The old masters became such by following that process; they first became apprentices of established and skillful masters. They learned their techniques, they assisted the masters in completing commissioned work, sheepishly following directions.

I used to think it was not okay to copy others but that is what artists do all the time, they copy from nature or they get inspired looking at other's artwork. There is nothing wrong with copying as a method of learning until you can create your own original work. As a note, someone once said there is nothing original under the sun, just original combinations of known elements.     

If you look around, you will always have live models. If you don't want to use live models, copy from magazines, copy the great masters! Copy until you can do it on your own without copying anymore. By the way. I'm not condoning plagiarism!

It's good idea to observe how other artists work, if you have the opportunity.

For example, a few years ago I met a Chinese artist who drew wonderful pastel portraits. He never erased and I commented this to him. He told me he went to art school in his country where he had to start a new drawing if it was not right because he was not allowed to erase. It took him 2 years to be able to draw a portrait without erasing! Great lesson of persistence and accomplishment.

He first drew the outer oval, then he placed dots or marks where the hair line, the brows, the eyes angles, the nose and mouth were. He finished one in two hours.

In London, behind the Tate Gallery, there were portrait artists drawing side view portraits. In Disney World there were too (perhaps they still are). All of them did this: they applied pressure to the pencil on the bridge of the nose, under the nose, under the lips and under the jaw. I practiced this for a while and it improved my side view portrait drawing a lot.

I didn't learn these things at art school and although these were not famous artists, they taught me something of value.

To become a fantasy artist one needs to learn how to draw the human figure as well as animals, perhaps learn about weapons, attires, maybe read fantasy literary works. For sure, one needs to have lots of imagination!

I always have had lots of imagination and I realize I instinctively look at all options possible and combine them to come up with what I want or is close. It's like when you want to move the furniture in a room and you're not sure of the available space. What do you do? You draw a floor plan to scale for the room and cut out pieces of furniture at the same scale. Then you will see all your options for furniture layouts, what you can and what you cannot do.

Applying this to the creation of fantasy artwork, write all kinds of options, something like the table below, you can add more columns with all the weapons possible, attires, more creatures, etc. This is just to get your imagination juices flowing and show you the possibilities. If you become an "option's combination thinker" your imagination will soar and you will live in the land of pure creativity which is pure joy.

Again, you can also get inspired by the work of other artists to get options and combine with your own ideas.

For example, a young angel is fighting a dragon at dusk, on a beach and on the background there are planets with weird orbits and at one side there is a silhouette of a larger angel with a sword and his eyes are lit up.

One way or the other you need to get educated, the method is not too important but that you do is. So, if you cannot afford to go to Art School or even if you do, I recommend the books by Jack Hamm to get some education that could improve your skill. He's a great illustrator and instructor, because he teaches basics really well and then he gives you a lot of options and opens your eyes to possibilities.

See his books below. I have the first one which has great reviews at Amazon as all his books do. This book is to the point and it's jammed pack with examples as all his books are.

"Drawing the Head and Figure" by Jack Hamm




"How to Draw Animals" by Jack Hamm




"Drawing Scenery: Landscapes and Seascapes" by Jack Hamm

Recommended Reading and Study

John Howe is one of the world's most renowned fantasy artists who has for many years worked as a leading illustrator of Tolkien's works. There is a book that has practical demonstrations of his approaches and techniques. It's filled with Howe's amazing and fantastical artwork such as knights, dragons, castles, and beasts of all shapes and sizes.

"Perfect for practical artists and fans of John Howe's work, this book provides step-by- step demonstrations, sketches and outstanding finished paintings, some of which were designed specifically for this book." Excellent reviews from readers, go ahead and click on the link below to find out more:
John Howe Fantasy Drawing Workshop

The following is an "indispensable book" according to the editorial review, that gives a thorough grounding in fantasy art techniques for aspiring fantasy artists.

It also has many excellent reviews:
The Fantasy Illustrator's Technique Book: From Creating Characters to Selling Your Work, Learn the Skills of the Professional Fantasy Artist

An excellent book by Boris Vallejo with a foreword by Isaac Asimov, you must read the reviews and look inside it!
Fantasy Art Techniques by Boris Vallejo

Other Educational Resources

The following three showcase the work of Howard David Johnson, one of the most skilled artists today. He learned to draw the human figure perfectly. His Fantasy Art is superb.

Howard David Johnson's Home Page

Howard David Johnson also has an art school:
Howard David Johnson's "Brandywine School of the Illustrative Arts"

He also has these Archives:
Educational Art Suitable for All Ages

This is a famous art school.

This is a link to a teacher's site where you will find some good ideas:
Fantasy Art School

John Howe Fantasy Drawing Workshop ~ This is a breathtaking new practical art course that completely demystifies the drawing and sketching techniques of master fantasy artist John Howe. Learn the basics of drawing as John reveals the secrets behind choosing the best materials and the correct methods for holding and using pencils. Presented as a practical art course, the book progresses from basic linear and energy drawing to more advanced drawing and coloring techniques - ideal for both aspiring and experienced artists. Noble warriors and mystical elves stand side-by-side with savage orcs, dragons and other iconic fantasy characters in this highly practical, must-have guide for all aspiring and improving fantasy artists.
About the Author
John Howe is one of the world's most renowned fantasy artists, best known for his 20 year stint as an artist on the Tolkien list, and his work as Conceptual Designer alongside Alan Lee on the Lord of the Rings movie series and the forthcoming The Hobbit movie. He is an active member of the worldwide fantasy art community, and holds regular exhibitions and lectures on his work around the world. John lives in Switzerland.

John Howe Fantasy Art Workshop ~ Editorial Reviews
Review
Filled with Howe's amazing and fantastical artwork. He knows what he's talking about when it comes to fantastic creatures and scenery. Knights, dragons, castles, and beasts of all shapes and sizes fill up these pages. It's a great read (with a forward by none other than Terry Gilliam) that will entertain, educate, and inform. -- Ain't It Cool News, October 17, 2007
Product Description
John Howe is one of the world's most renowned fantasy artists and has for many years worked as a leading illustrator of Tolkien's works and peripheral products.

John increased his extensive fan base working alongside Alan Lee as Conceptual Designer of The Lord Of The Rings movie trilogy.

"...this book provides step-by- step demonstrations, sketches and outstanding finished paintings, some of which were designed specifically for this book. The book covers a wide range of subjects essential to any aspiring fantasy artist, including materials and the creative process, as well as drawing and painting humans, beasts, landscapes and architecture. Readers will also find further inspiration and guidance on presenting work in various forms including film work, book covers and advertising."

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