Fantasy Art, My Favorite Artists

Started painting at age 2, like all children. Went through the usual string of career choices such as: artist, magician, artist, rock star, artist etc. I officially decided in high school in 1967 that an artist, a "Rich and Famous" one at that, was what I was going to be!

"My greatest accomplishment to date, and one that can not be matched, is the many letters and communications that I have received from people telling me that my art has inspired them or made their day a little brighter." Jim lives in Clearwater, FL with his wife, Cindy, daughter Drew (born in 1992) and his son, Art (born in 1994). Jim's stepdaughter, Rebecca (born in 1974) lives in California. Jim feels that maintaining a close family with a demanding career is one of his greatest accomplishments, and thanks his family for all their support and assistance. His entire family helps with his art business, doubling as Art Director, Assistant (his wife) and Models (his children)."

I have posted a link to this artist's site in the link list below. Please stop by for a visit.

Jonathon Earl Bowser - a Canadian artist of English, French, Scottish, and Chippewa descent - was born in 1962. He began making art as a young child, and graduated from the Alberta College of Art in 1984. After a 5-year career in commercial illustration that helped to refine his technical skills, he changed course in 1989 to pursue instead his own creative visions. His limited-edition prints and collector's plates are now represented by galleries internationally, and his original paintings are in public and private collections across North America, Europe, and Asia - including the government collections of China and Taiwan. The artist's extensive and informative website has an excellent selection of Jonathon's best work, including his unique figurative-landscape paintings that he calls Mythic Naturalism - images looking for the mysterious poetry of which the natural world is made.

I have posted a link to this artist's site in the link list below. Please stop by for a visit.

Born in Lima, Peru, Boris attended the National School of Fine Arts in his native country before immigrating to the United States in 1964.
He has since done a great volume of work for the Fantasy genre, having worked for virtually every major publishing house with a science fiction/fantasy line. Boris has also illustrated for album covers, video box art and motion picture advertising.

Julie Bell is riding at the top in the field of superstar illustrators of the world today. Her credits include creating advertising illustrations for the elite of the corporate world, such as Nike, Coca-Cola and The Ford Motor Company, painting book covers for the major publishing houses in NYC or doing album covers for artists such as Meat Loaf. She was the first woman ever to paint Conan for Marvel Comics, which paved the way for many other commissions from Marvel, DC, and Image Comics to illustrate superheroes in fully rendered paintings. Her first published cover for Heavy Metal magazine broke ground for other illustrators with the introduction of her now legendary Metal Flesh. Her hyper-realistic style is known for its sexy, powerful images of warriors and amazons and a sensitive, exquisite use of color and texture.
Born in 1958 in Beaumont, Texas, Julie has known herself through the identity of "Artist" for as long as she can remember-art comes as naturally to her as does breathing. Though early in her life she moved and lived in 12 different locations, she consistently kept her art at the center of things. She attended 6 different colleges and universities to continue her passion for art, always focusing her studies on the human figure and life drawing.

I have posted a link to these artists' site in the link list below. Please stop by for a visit.

Jeffrey K. Bedrick was born in Providence, Rhode Island in the 1960s and moved with his family to Northern California in the early 70s. His artistic ability was recognized early as it developed in the Bohemian world of 70s hippie culture.

At thirteen, he spent time visiting the studio of his neighbor, renowned surrealist Norman Stiegelmeyer who coined the term "Visionary" to describe a contemporary art movement that focused on spiritual and utopian "visions" experienced in altered states of consciousness - whether through drugs or meditation. Later at sixteen, Jeffrey met his idol, Gage Taylor, a painter of fantastic landscapes and a colleague of Steigelmeyer. Taylor accepted Bedrick as a private apprentice. By eighteen, Bedrick was accepting invitations to exhibit his work alongside his mentors. He continued his studies at the College of Marin with Bill Martin, another renowned Visionary landscape painter. For over 20 years since, Bedrick has produced art in a wide variety of genres and media.

I have posted a link to this artist's site in the link list below. Please stop by for a visit.

A new artist who has gained much fame through the Internet, Meilin Wong is a computer/Photoshop artist.

"I draw because Photoshop is so addictive. Photoshop ROCKS! The undo feature is your friend. :-) I program videogames for a living."

"I must have started drawing around 1995. As I recall, it was partly because I wanted to try my hand at making web buttons. (My first home page was in Feb 1995.) The desire to have images for roleplaying game webpages was the primary impetus that forced me to draw a few more things that year. Next I was modifying photos for rpgs and even trying the occasional drawing from scratch. This habit snowballed into a serious Photoshop addiction. I strongly believe that the modifying of scans (trying my darndest to keep them looking photographically realistic) was crucial to what I can do now.
"For an idea of what I was drawing back then, take a look at the Hydra roleplaying game page. (I did not do the way-cool silvery hydra beast on the top page.) Particularly, have a look at the Rogues Gallery pictures. I did many of them. I did things like changing eye color, hair color, etc. After a while I could do things like in my Mythical Creatures gallery. The demons came even later.

"I use the airbrush mostly these days. I started with the paintbrush though, at about a 6-12% opacity. I used to use the airbrush at about that opacity too, maybe 12-18% but now that I'm more experienced and have a pressure sensitive tablet, I'm using about a 50% opacity airbrush.

"I draw with volumes and carve away excess with the eraser. Not lines and fill in the way I think most people draw naturally. I started doing the volumes thing a couple of years ago when a friend of mine who took an art class said that's what she was taught. It takes some getting used to but helps me.

"As for colors, I tend to draw in muted colors, usually on black. At some point when the picture starts to please me, I use the hue-saturation dialog box to brighten and enliven it. It used to be that more often than not, I'd turn the picture mostly-blue but I'm learning to wean myself from that color. ;-) Then, I'll often turn the "keep layer transparency" checkbox on then airbrush the colors that I like over that part of the image. With the airbrush mode set to "color" you don't smoosh or mess up any details or lines, you just change color. Pretty cool. I also really like the dodge and burn tools, they're great for making things look 3d, and making highlights really shine."

I have posted a link to this artist's site in the link list below. Please stop by for a visit.

"I believe in making a difference through my art. In my work, I seek to act as a messenger, alerting people all over the world to the deterioration of the global environment, and to the need, as well, for greater understanding and respect for the world's diverse cultures. The Earth's irreplaceable treasures are steadily being eroded, but each of us, collectively and as individuals, can make a difference and must! This is my message."

I have posted a link to this artist's site in the link list below. Please stop by for a visit.

Why have i chosen these artists? Well I love so many fantasy artists, but these I found first, some time ago, while either exploring the web or in book stores.

Jim Warren has an imagination that can capture the spirit of not only the adult, but also the child, there's no more wonderful introduction to art for the youngster than to walk through the gallery of Jim Warren.

Boris Vallejo & Julie Bell, the strength they give women in muscle tone and the warrior within, it just captured me. When I read more about Julie Bell and her desire to show the strength all women had in her work, I do not know something inside me got stronger and saw the art in an entirely different way and it inspires me in my art. I am learning more and more about muscle, strength, and representing the inner women. I have finally completed some in 3d that I am pretty pleased with, I have them displayed in my Zazzle gallery below. I have books of their art and lessons. Boris is famous for illustrations for heroes posters, music album covers.

Jonathon Earl Bowser has a storybook, historical type look to his work. I love his maidens and the story feel to his works.

Christian Riese Lassen brings magic, love, and his respect for nature and animals to his work. Anyone that loves nature and the wild would feel it "a must" to own one of his works.

Then those who do computer art like Meilin Wong, I love using the computer in art, from unbelievable amounts in shades of colors to so many tools in one place. Meilin Wong is one of many I have found on the web.

This brings me to what I use and do artistically. I enjoy the use of Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro, I create scrapbooking pages for print. I can load drawings and then paint them with the most awesome colors and giving more definition. I use 3d programs where my imagination can go wild with worlds and creatures, creating stories. I can create perfect patterns for sewing and crafts to print out. I touch up photography or can combine my creations to my photography. I am always learning something new and finding so many wonderful works on the web.

Beautiful art and designs by Zazzle artists


Kind of Magic Card by darkermusings
create card designs on Zazzle
The Dragon Lineage Poster by EnriqueButler
Large format printing by Zazzle

Dragon Luck Mall by dragonsdragon
Browse Feng Mousepads
Lookout by lydian
Learn where to sell art prints online online using Zazzle.

Beautiful art and designs by Zazzle artists


"WILLOW" Pegasus Fantasy Art Poster by RavenSpiritPrints
sell your art prints online for free
Pegasi Sky by SpiritualGifts
Become a part of Zazzle's iphone affiliate program

Sword of the Forest by SophiaDeer
Join Zazzle's greeting card affiliate program
'Go Time' Mousepad by Articyn
More 3d Mousepads