Based in France, Xinyue Li is a freelance concept artist who works closely with NetEase Games. She says she loves telling emotional stories through her characters, whether that’s by drawing quiet moments or bold, fantastical worlds.
Previous clients have included Fireball Studio, Ocellus studio, and she also contributed to Marvel Rivals, Marvel Mystic Mayhem, Apex legends: Takeover and Smash Cup. She works mainly in Procreate and Photoshop.
Here she tells us about four examples of her work. If you're inspired, see our guides to digital art software and the best drawing tablets.
Peeling time
A dwarf peeling potatoes in jail? It's a surprisingly touching and prosaic scenario for a piece of fantasy character art and all the more interesting for it. He's accompanied by a dog who’s hoping someone will play with it.
“I liked the idea of flipping the usual tough-guy dwarf into something that was softer and funny,” Xinyue says.
Goblin slayer
Xinyue describes this character as “a confident warrior with goblin heads in hand”. “I grew up loving fantasy, and this piece was inspired by Even Amundsen’s bold characters,” she says.
03. Character sketches
These were designs for a personal project featuring a Desert Courier and her creature companion. Xinyue says there were inspired by Sixmorevodka and Project Black.
04. Desert Courier
And here's the Desert Courier in situ in a finished piece, resting quietly at a window, her eyes drawn to the vast night sky.
“For this piece, I wanted to evoke the stillness of travel; the hush before motion,” Xinyue explains.
You can see more of Xinyue's work on her ArtStation profile.
For more inspiration, see our feature on what is concept art? and our character design tips.
This article originally appeared in ImagineFX. Subscribe to ImagineFX to never miss an issue. Print and digital subscriptions are available.
