
We've recently been exploring how fan art can be creative, and we've received fan art tips from a range of pro artists. The pieces below from the Chinese concept artist Jin Dongyu provide more examples of how artists can develop their own creativity with personal takes on existing worlds and characters.
Jin currently works full-time at Lilith Games, but he continues to consider the worlds of D&D, The Lord Of The Rings and Game Of Thrones to be major inspirations. In his daily practice, he enjoys drawing images based on these and other well-known worlds.
Jin aims to create images that tell a story, often using Photoshop for this art (see our guide to the best digital art software). Below, he tells us about four examples of this kind of work, including fan art inspired by Elden Ring and by George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones prequel A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms.
Blackfyre Rebellion

“Here is the first of two pieces that are based on the world from A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms. This one here depicts a possible scenario of usurpation taking place.”
Uriel

“This piece is a stylised exercise based on the angel of death, Uriel, as depicted in the recent film adaptation of Frankenstein, directed by Guillermo del Toro.”
The Tarnished

“This practice piece is based on Elden Ring, one of my favourite Souls-like games. It depicts the Tarnished overcoming numerous trials to become the Elden Lord.”
Children of the Forest

“The second of two pieces based on the world from A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms. Magical creatures are created in order to fight against the invasion of the First Men.”
You can see more of Jin’s work on his ArtStation profile.
This article originally appeared in ImagineFX. Subscribe to ImagineFX to never miss an issue. Print and digital subscriptions are available.
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