Tom Fleming - Draw & Paint Fantasy Females

The role of the female in fantasy art has evolved over many centuries. The Greeks and Egyptians can be credited with the invention of fantasy art, with depictions of their deities in paintings and sculptures. The first fantasy females were these ancient goddesses they were mostly maternal in nature, with the exception of a few, such as Diana, goddess of the hunt. Through the ages women have been portrayed as demure, gentle and beautiful, but the idea of them being strong and empowered did not come about until much more recently.

A very quick pen and ink sketch that gives a feel for a dynamic pose.

Today the fantasy female is liberated, powerful and dangerous while maintaining her inherent sensuality. This is why females are the most popular of all fantasy art and comic book subjects, because women can admire their strength and independence while men can appreciate their beauty and sexuality.

Female figures fall into several different categories within the fantasy genre. There are many classic archetypes such as the vampire or succubus, the faerie or nymph, the angel, the witch or sorceress, the warrior, the mermaid, the pin-up, the goddess and the demon or devil, to name but a few. When drawing or painting a fantasy female there really are no rules except that the subject must stimulate a sense of the unreal. This visual reaction can come from the characters sensuality, strength, pose, costume, facial expression, environment or even a distortion of her anatomy.

Figure study for an archetypal nymph drawn with a .05 mechanical pencil.

My own interest in fantasy art came from a childhood fascination with comic books. I started by copying my favourite superheroes directly from the comic pages, but quickly developed a preference for the greater realism of fantasy art over the stylization of comic book art. I am also a big fan of pin-up art and thought it would be great to combine the two genres.

I was probably around the age of 14 when I discovered the work of Frank Frazetta, Boris Vallejo and Michael Whelan and since then there has never been a moment that I have wanted to do anything else with my life. After all, what red-blooded male wouldnt want to draw and paint beautiful women for a living?

This book starts with the basics of sketching and drawing and works its way up to more advanced painting techniques. Using practical lessons and clear step-by-step demonstrations you will be able to follow the process of creating dynamic and convincing images of fantasy females. Most of the advice is traditional and therefore great for beginners and intermediates, but I also cover some of my tricks and techniques that will be of interest to more advanced artists, too.

Ultimately, the best advice I can give when creating fantasy females is to be sincere and passionate, take risks and do what appeals to you first and foremost with your own unique take.