12 Fantasy Drawing Prompts That Will Push Your Imagination

“A library that exists between dimensions, with books floating in mid-air and doorways opening to different worlds. Rendered in deep jewel tones of emerald and sapphire.”

The key here is the “between dimensions” part — how do you show a space that’s not quite anywhere?

“A valley where it rains upward, with droplets rising from puddles into a sky that’s somehow below. Soft pastel tones of lavender and blush.”

Inverting gravity is a great exercise in thinking about how light and water actually behave.

“A forest where every tree is a petrified ancient warrior, their armor still visible in the bark. Muted earthy tones of terracotta and sage.”

This one is all about texture — the transition from organic bark to carved stone.

“A cartographer mapping a world that keeps changing, surrounded by maps that contradict each other. In warm amber and burnt sienna tones.”

The frustration on their face tells the whole story.

“Twin sisters — one made of fire, one made of ice — reaching toward each other across a threshold. With colors shifting from deep orange to violet.”

The contrast between the two figures is the entire composition.

“A clockmaker who builds clocks that count down to death, working alone in a tower. Lit by a single dramatic light source.”

Single light source + a morally complex character = instant atmosphere.

“Melancholic and dreamlike: a celestial guardian made entirely of starlight, standing at the shore of a lake that reflects a different sky.”

The double-sky concept gives you a lot of room to play with color.

“Epic and awe-inspiring: an ancient dragon coiled around a hoard of glowing crystals, at the ruins of a castle swallowed by an ancient glacier.”

Scale is everything here. Make the dragon enormous.

“Mysterious and ancient: a shapeshifter who has forgotten their original form, in a landscape where the sky and the ground have switched places.”

Two layers of identity crisis — the character and the world.

“A phoenix reborn from a pile of ash and embers, depicted entirely as a silhouette against a bright background.”

Silhouette-only forces you to tell the story through shape alone.

“A mermaid who traded her voice for a pair of wings, drawn in a single continuous line without lifting the pen.”

One-line drawing + a character with a story = a great 15-minute exercise.

“A forest spirit with antlers wreathed in autumn leaves, using only 3 colors plus black and white.”

Limited palette is one of the best ways to level up your color sense.

Want more? Our drawing prompt generator creates prompts like these with 150 billion+ unique combinations. Choose your theme, mood, and difficulty.

Browse all drawing prompt categories including fantasy, nature, urban, and cozy themes.