Delve into the minds of the world's best fantasy artists, featuring the best of the ImagineFX archive from 2023. The sketching stage is integral to any piece of art – it forms the foundations that everything else balances on. Sketches can often provide interesting insights into the processes and thinking behind the finished piece as well as showing off technique and skill. An artist’s sketchbook is sacred and personal – often thought of like a diary – filled with uncensored thoughts, emotions and unique flourishes that are special to them. The freewheeling excitement in sketches – where artists don’t hold back, don’t over-think, don’t censor – is hard to beat. Featuring the best of the ImagineFX archive from 2023, this book is about captured moments bursting with creativity, straight from the minds of the finest illustrators around the world. Whether made by pencil or stylus, sketches may be loose and generous or precise and economic, but all reveal something about the pure fun of creation.
Welcome to SKETCHBOOKS
Daniel Nikoi Djanie • The illustrator and art director continues to build his digital skills as he experiments with new styles and characters
Diego Munhoz • The Brazilian illustrator brings out the inks, watercolours and gouache for the fantasy figures and comic characters in his sketches
Jon Lankry • Comic capers and animal mash-ups abound in the fun-filled drawings from the French illustrator and animator
Airi Pan • Follow the adventures of the concept artist as she records her life experiences in the pages of her diary-like sketchbook
Aaron Blaise • The animation legend charts his adventures across the world as his sketchbooks take on second lives as journals
Ognjen Sporin • Fantasy images are brought to life in the daily sketches, art challenges and other drawings from the Serbian illustrator
Dibujante Nocturno • Dominic Carter talks to the phenom about rediscovering his love of art, working on Magic: The Gathering, and how daily drawing habits are vital
CREATING COVER ARTWORK • Tenebris is one of Dibujante Nocturno’s most beloved pieces, and even appears on the cover of his artbook. Here he explains how it was made
GOLDEN RULES • The artist owes everything he’s learnt to a disciplined daily drawing habit
Antonio Stappaerts • The creative director and Artwod school founder puts wizards, space vikings and plenty more on display
Kevin Shah • Japanese and Western influences are combined in these beautifully crafted drawings from the freelance artist and character designer
Armel Munyaneza • The 19-year-old freelance artist introduces some of the characters from his Love craftian-inspired personal project Kill all Evil
John Howe • The Lord of the Rings illustrator and concept artist introduces sketches from Middle-earth and other projects
Rodrigo Luff • Learn all about the dreamlike atmosphere displayed in these stunning images picked out by the Moleskine Project artist
Felipe Magaña • The Chilean artist explores inspirations from his favourite books, shows and games within his striking sketchbook pages
Jim Rowden • Cast your eye over a collection of space-based doodles that form the American artist’s cosmic passion for ships and robots
Sergi Brosa • Dominic Carter interviews the Gearbox concept artist and character designer about his career, style and love of post-apocalyptic worlds
ATOMIC DELIVERY – BIKERS GANG PLACE • Sergi talks us through the process of illustrating this pair of biker characters from Borderlands 3
CREATING NEW CHARACTERS • Advice on how to craft your own instantly recognisable designs
Cameron Scott Davis • Meet the kooky cast of characters from the art director’s quirky projects
Cassey Kuo...