Fantasy Art Prompt Generator

One fantasy scene to draw, timed if you like: who, doing what, where, in what light, and one illustrator's task.

A storm-grey ram with spiral horns, hanging wet cloaks out to dry in a canyon carved by a dragon's tail, lit by the glow of a spell in progress. Your task: design the costume from three materials only.

Padlock: keep a part. Arrows: change only that part.

  • Whostorm-grey ram with spiral horns
  • Doing whathanging wet cloaks out to dry
  • Wherein a canyon carved by a dragon's tail
  • Light and weatherlit by the glow of a spell in progress
  • Your taskdesign the costume from three materials only
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    Who: all 183 characters

    Folk and travellers 52

    • apprentice wizard in robes two sizes too big
    • bard with a lute missing two strings
    • beekeeper of glowing bees
    • blind oracle with a pet raven
    • candle maker who bottles small flames
    • centaur courier with saddlebags of letters Centaurs come from Greek mythology.
    • cloud shepherd with a crook of willow
    • court alchemist with scorched eyebrows
    Show all 183 characters (175 more)

    Folk and travellers, continued

    • desert nomad with a sand-sailing board
    • dragon rider with wind-burnt cheeks
    • dwarf smith with a braided grey beard
    • elf archivist carrying too many scrolls
    • exiled knight with a painted-over crest
    • falconer with a hooded hawk the size of a dog
    • faun piper with ivy in his hair A faun, from Roman myth, has a human head and torso with the waist and legs of a goat.
    • ferrywoman who takes payment in stories
    • gnome clockmaker with a magnifying lens
    • goblin tinker with a pack of spare parts
    • gravedigger who is friends with the ghosts
    • half-elf ranger in a patched green cloak
    • hedge witch with a basket of roots
    • ice fisher with a harpoon of bone
    • knight errant on a very tired horse
    • lamplighter of an enchanted street
    • librarian of locked books with keys at her belt
    • merfolk scout with a coral spear
    • mountain hermit with a staff of twisted pine
    • necromancer who only revives houseplants
    • night-watch guard with a dented lantern
    • old queen in travelling clothes
    • orc cook with a ladle the size of an oar
    • puppet maker whose puppets blink
    • retired dragon slayer with a bad knee
    • royal mapmaker with ink-stained cuffs
    • royal taster with a suspicious spoon
    • runaway princess in borrowed armour
    • rune carver with chalk-white hands
    • sea witch with barnacles on her boots
    • seer with mismatched eyes
    • shield maiden with a wolf-fur collar
    • star reader with a brass telescope
    • swamp guide on stilts with a long pole
    • tavern keeper with a sword kept under the bar
    • tooth fairy with a heavy sack
    • travelling potion seller with a rattling cart
    • treasure hunter with a half-burnt map
    • troll toll keeper with a jar of odd coins
    • undersized giant with a tree for a staff
    • village healer with a satchel of herbs
    • wandering monk with a bell on a pole
    • weather mage with a kite of copper wire
    • young squire carrying someone else's shield

    Dragons and beasts 48

    • ancient dragon with moss on its back
    • basilisk with a crest of raised scales The basilisk is a reptile of legend, said to be the king of serpents.
    • bat-winged cat
    • bear with runes painted on its fur
    • boar with tusks carved like scrimshaw
    • cockatrice with a rooster's comb A cockatrice is a dragon or serpent with the head of a chicken.
    • dire wolf with frost on its muzzle
    • dragonfly the length of an oar
    • giant owl with spectacle markings
    • giant snail carrying a market stall
    • giant spider that weaves tapestries
    • giant stag with lanterns hung from its antlers
    • giant toad with a crown of mushrooms
    • giant tortoise with a village on its shell
    • griffin with a lion's hindquarters A griffin is a lion in its body, tail and hind legs, with an eagle's head and wings.
    • heron as tall as a watchtower
    • hippogriff with ruffled neck feathers A hippogriff, Italian in origin, is a winged horse, an eagle from the chest up.
    • horned serpent coiled round a standing stone
    • jackalope with horns too big for its head The jackalope of North American folklore is a jackrabbit with antelope horns.
    • kelpie with waterweed in its mane A kelpie is a water horse from Scottish folklore.
    • kraken with one tentacle in a sling
    • lizard with crystals growing along its back
    • manticore with a scorpion tail The manticore of Persian legend has a human face, a lion's body and a scorpion's tail.
    • marsh dragon with reed-coloured scales
    • moth the size of a cart horse
    • mountain goat with stained-glass horns
    • pack mule with six legs and a calm expression
    • pale cave dragon with no eyes
    • phoenix moulting its last few feathers In Greek legend the phoenix is reborn from its own ashes.
    • qilin with a mane like smoke The qilin is a Chinese chimerical creature and a good-luck symbol across East Asia.
    • raven with a key on a ribbon
    • river otter as long as a rowing boat
    • roc with a wingspan wider than a ship The roc is an enormous bird of prey from Arabian legend.
    • sabre-toothed cat with a braided collar
    • salamander that lives in live coals The legendary salamander is a lizard-like creature credited with an affinity for fire.
    • sea serpent with a frilled neck
    • seahorse big enough to saddle
    • snow dragon with fur instead of scales
    • storm-grey ram with spiral horns
    • swamp hydra with one sleepy head
    • tiny dragon the size of a wren
    • two-headed dragon that disagrees with itself
    • unicorn with a chipped horn
    • whale that swims through clouds
    • winged horse with muddy hooves
    • winged serpent with jade-green feathers
    • wyvern with torn wing membranes In British heraldry a wyvern has two legs and two wings, while a dragon has four legs.
    • young dragon still growing into its wings

    Spirits, giants and made things 43

    • bog spirit draped in moss
    • bronze automaton with a dove nesting in its chest
    • candle ghost with a melting crown
    • clay golem with a cracked shoulder In Jewish folklore a golem is a human-shaped being made from lifeless matter, usually clay or mud, and brought to life.
    • clockwork knight with a wind-up key
    • driftwood elk with sea glass for eyes
    • dryad with bark for skin A dryad is a tree nymph from Greek mythology, originally the spirit of an oak.
    • fallen star that grew legs
    • forest spirit with antlers of living branches
    • frost giant with icicles in his beard
    • ghost knight in rusted armour
    • house spirit that lives behind the stove
    • kappa with a dish of water on its head A kappa is a pond and river creature from Japanese folklore, with a turtle-like shell and a water-filled dish on its head.
    • kitsune with a stolen rice ball Kitsune are the fox spirits of Japanese folklore.
    • lantern spirit with a paper body
    • living suit of armour with nobody inside
    • mirror ghost seen only in reflections
    • moon spirit in a silver veil
    • mountain spirit in a cloak of scree
    • mushroom spirit with a spotted cap
    • nixie with river weed in her hair A nixie is a shape-shifting water being from Germanic folklore.
    • ogre in a carefully mended waistcoat
    • one-eyed giant with a shepherd's crook
    • patchwork familiar stitched from old cloaks
    • porcelain knight with a hairline crack
    • river spirit in a coat of fish scales
    • sand spirit that keeps losing its shape
    • scarecrow that came to life last autumn
    • selkie with a sealskin over one arm Selkies are the shape-shifting seal people of Scottish folklore.
    • shadow that lost its owner
    • snow spirit with breath of frost
    • spirit of a dried-up well
    • stone gargoyle on its night off
    • stone giant mistaken for a hillside
    • storm giant with a thundercloud for hair
    • tanuki in a straw hat The tanuki is the Japanese raccoon dog, which legend makes a shape-shifting trickster.
    • tengu with a fan of feathers Tengu are beings from Japanese folklore with both human and bird features.
    • tide spirit with a shell for a face
    • troll with a bird's nest on its head
    • walking oak with a door in its trunk
    • will-o'-the-wisp with a flickering blue face A will-o'-the-wisp is a ghost light seen by travellers at night over bogs and marshes, said to mislead them or to guide them.
    • wind spirit made of autumn leaves
    • wooden figurehead that stepped off its ship

    Small folk and animal folk 40

    • acorn-hatted sprite with a thistle spear
    • badger blacksmith in a leather apron
    • bat librarian with a lantern on a chain
    • bee queen in a cloak of pollen-yellow velvet
    • beetle knight in polished green plate
    • brownie with a broom twice its height A brownie is a household spirit from Scottish folklore that comes out at night to do the chores while the owners sleep.
    • cat sorcerer with singed whiskers
    • crow merchant with a coat full of trinkets
    • dormouse wizard with a thimble for a hat
    • duck pilgrim with a walking staff
    • ember sprite no bigger than a thumb
    • fox thief with a too-long scarf
    • frog wizard in a lily-pad hat
    • garden gnome who is tired of standing still
    • goblin child with a pet beetle on a lead
    • goose guard captain with a dented breastplate
    • hedgehog innkeeper with a ring of keys
    • heron judge in a wig of reeds
    • kitten familiar with oversized ears
    • leaf-cloaked pixie with a snail-shell shield
    • lizard bard with a gourd banjo
    • mole miner with a candle on his helmet
    • moth tailor with silver scissors
    • mouse knight with a needle sword
    • otter ferryman with a pole and a lantern
    • owl scholar with cracked spectacles
    • pixie cartographer with a map of a vegetable patch
    • rabbit messenger with a satchel of sealed letters
    • raccoon alchemist with stained paws
    • robin postmaster with a bag of tiny parcels
    • shrew apothecary with a belt of tiny bottles
    • snail-riding pixie with reins of spider silk
    • sparrow herald with a tiny trumpet
    • squirrel archer in an acorn-cap helmet
    • stoat spy in a cloak of white winter fur
    • thumb-sized fairy with moth wings
    • toad king with a crown of reeds
    • tortoise sage with a scroll case on its shell
    • vole gardener with a wheelbarrow of seeds
    • weasel duellist in a feathered hat

    How this list was compiled: Original list written for Draw This Next, September 2026. Every figure is made up and none comes from a game, book, film or series. The short notes on beings from folklore and heraldry were checked against Wikipedia on 2026-09-18: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_legendary_creatures_by_type, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyvern, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griffin, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manticore, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilisk, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salamander_(legendary_creature), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will-o%27-the-wisp, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dryad, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golem, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kappa_(folklore), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brownie_(folklore). Beings that could not be checked carry no note. Licence: own work

    Doing what: all 118 actions

    Quiet moments 30

    • bandaging a friend's wing
    • brewing tea over a tiny blue flame
    • building a nest out of stolen spoons
    • carving runes into a walking staff
    • cooking stew in an upturned shield
    • counting a very small hoard
    • feeding crumbs to a row of tiny dragons
    • grinding pigment from crushed gemstones
    Show all 118 actions (110 more)

    Quiet moments, continued

    • hanging wet cloaks out to dry
    • keeping a glowing egg warm
    • knitting a scarf long enough for a serpent
    • mending a torn banner
    • nursing a sick owl back to health
    • packing for a journey at the last minute
    • patching a hole in a flying carpet
    • polishing a crown that belongs to someone else
    • pressing strange flowers into a heavy book
    • reading a map the wrong way up
    • resting beside a sword stuck in a stone
    • sharpening a blade that hums
    • sleeping on a heap of unread books
    • sorting potion bottles by colour
    • sweeping up after a spell went wrong
    • teaching a small creature to read
    • trying on a helmet that does not fit
    • tuning a harp strung with spider silk
    • untangling a ball of enchanted thread
    • watering a plant that bites
    • winding a clock that runs backwards
    • writing a letter with a quill as long as an arm

    On the road 28

    • carrying a sleeping dragon hatchling
    • climbing a staircase with no top in sight
    • crossing a river on stepping stones that move
    • delivering a letter sealed with black wax
    • dragging a treasure chest that is far too heavy
    • escorting a very small king
    • fleeing with a stolen crown
    • following a trail of floating lanterns
    • hauling a cart of moonstones uphill
    • hiding from a shadow passing overhead
    • leading a lost traveller home
    • leaping a gap that is slightly too wide
    • leaving an offering at a wayside shrine
    • lighting the way with a borrowed star
    • looking down from a dizzying height
    • making camp for the night
    • paying a toll in riddles
    • pulling a boat ashore
    • racing a storm to shelter
    • reading a signpost written in symbols
    • returning home after a hundred years
    • riding on the back of something much bigger
    • searching for a door that was there yesterday
    • setting out at the start of a long road
    • smuggling a baby griffin under a cloak
    • sneaking past a sleeping guard
    • tracking enormous footprints
    • wading through knee-deep mist

    Magic at work 30

    • bottling a small thunderstorm
    • breathing fire to light a row of candles
    • calling down the first snow of winter
    • casting a spell that is going slightly wrong
    • catching falling stars in a butterfly net
    • drawing a circle of salt and chalk
    • feeding a fire that burns green
    • forging a sword in dragon fire
    • gluing a broken magic mirror back together
    • growing a tree from a seed in seconds
    • holding back a flood with a single gesture
    • lifting a curse from a garden of statues
    • opening a book that glows from inside
    • painting a door onto a blank wall and opening it
    • planting seeds that sprout as lanterns
    • pouring starlight from a jug
    • pulling a sword out of a frozen lake
    • reading a spell aloud from the wrong page
    • reading the future in a puddle
    • sewing up a small tear in the air
    • slowly shrinking and pretending not to notice
    • stirring a cauldron that stirs back
    • studying a map that redraws itself
    • summoning something much smaller than expected
    • trading shadows with a stranger
    • turning autumn leaves into birds
    • unlocking a chest with a song
    • waking a statue with a word
    • weaving a cloak out of fog
    • whispering to a swarm of glowing moths

    Meetings and trouble 30

    • accepting a quest from a mouse
    • arguing with a talking sword
    • asking a sphinx for directions
    • being measured for armour by three spiders
    • comforting a giant who is afraid of the dark
    • dancing with a partner made of smoke
    • facing an old rival without drawing a weapon
    • guarding a door nobody has opened in years
    • haggling over the price of a magic bean
    • handing over a key with great ceremony
    • hiding a dragon from the neighbours
    • judging a contest between two wizards
    • kneeling to be knighted with a wooden spoon
    • listening to a secret told by the wind
    • losing a staring contest with a statue
    • meeting a reflection that waves first
    • playing chess against a ghost
    • presenting a gift to a suspicious king
    • refusing a crown
    • rescuing a knight from a very polite dragon
    • reuniting with a long-lost companion
    • saying goodbye to a travelling companion
    • sharing a meal with an old enemy
    • sheltering a flock of tiny birds
    • signing a contract with far too much small print
    • standing between two armies with a white flag
    • swapping stories with a talking skull
    • teaching a young dragon to fly
    • trading a song for safe passage
    • waiting for someone who is very late

    How this list was compiled: Original list written for Draw This Next, September 2026. Each action is written to suit any body, from a mouse to a dragon, and to work in any place. Licence: own work

    Where: all 101 places

    Wild places 28

    • among standing stones on a bare hill
    • at a crossroads with a signpost pointing five ways
    • at a hot spring ringed with snow
    • at the edge of a bottomless lake
    • at the mouth of a cave shaped like a sleeping face
    • beside a river of slow-moving stars
    • beside a waterfall that flows upwards
    Show all 101 places (94 more)

    Wild places, continued

    • in a bamboo forest hung with paper charms
    • in a bog crossed by a single plank path
    • in a canyon carved by a dragon's tail
    • in a desert of half-buried statues
    • in a field of enormous pumpkins
    • in a forest where the trees have faces
    • in a grove of silver birches
    • in a hollow tree big enough to hold a market
    • in a meadow of waist-high glowing flowers
    • in a reed bed beside a slow green river
    • in a thorn thicket with one narrow path through it
    • in an orchard where every tree bears a different fruit
    • in the ruins of a garden maze
    • inside the ribcage of a long-dead giant
    • on a beach of black glass sand
    • on a cliff path above a sea of fog
    • on a frozen lake with something moving under the ice
    • on a hillside of terraced gardens and tiny shrines
    • on a salt flat that mirrors the sky
    • on a tidal island joined to the shore by a causeway
    • under the cap of a toadstool as wide as a barn

    Built places 28

    • at a city gate carved like an open mouth
    • at a roadside shrine covered in ribbons
    • in a castle kitchen after a feast for giants
    • in a clockmaker's shop where every clock disagrees
    • in a glasshouse of plants that turn to watch
    • in a harbour of ships with painted eyes
    • in a hatchery of warm sand
    • in a kitchen where the pans stir themselves
    • in a laundry where wizards send their cloaks
    • in a lighthouse with a captive star for a lamp
    • in a mapmaker's attic hung with drying charts
    • in a market built along the back of a bridge
    • in a stable for winged horses
    • in a tavern with a dragon skull over the fireplace
    • in a temple courtyard hung with a thousand bells
    • in a toll house at the foot of a mountain pass
    • in a tower library reached only by ladder
    • in a village built inside a giant's helmet
    • in a village on stilts over a marsh
    • in a walled garden with a locked gate
    • in a windmill whose sails are dragon wings
    • in an abandoned throne room with a tree through the floor
    • in an alchemist's workshop with a scorched ceiling
    • in an armoury where the weapons whisper
    • on a bridge of houses over a gorge
    • on the battlements of a half-built castle
    • on the steps of a ruined amphitheatre
    • outside a hut that stands on chicken legs

    Below ground and under water 22

    • at the bottom of a dry well
    • in a burrow with a round window
    • in a catacomb turned into a wine cellar
    • in a cave with paintings that move
    • in a coral palace on the sea floor
    • in a crystal cavern that hums
    • in a dragon's hoard that is mostly cutlery
    • in a dwarven hall with pillars like tree trunks
    • in a flooded crypt with stepping-stone tombs
    • in a forge at the heart of a volcano
    • in a geode the size of a cathedral
    • in a kelp forest with a sunken bell tower
    • in a labyrinth with chalk arrows on the walls
    • in a mine where the ore sings
    • in a root cellar under an ancient oak
    • in a sunken city street with fish overhead
    • in a tunnel lined with pale fungus
    • in a vault of sleeping kings
    • in an ice cave with things frozen in the walls
    • in an underground river port
    • inside a seashell the size of a whale
    • under a bridge with a front door set into it

    High places and sky 23

    • at a monastery cut into a cliff face
    • at a signal beacon on a lonely crag
    • at the edge of the world where the sea pours off
    • at the lip of a waterfall that falls into the sky
    • at the top of a beanstalk
    • in a belfry full of roosting wyverns
    • in a cloud harbour where sky ships dock
    • in a nest the size of a house
    • in an observatory on the highest peak
    • in the crown of a tree a mile tall
    • on a bridge of woven cloud
    • on a castle balcony that hangs over nothing
    • on a chain of floating rocks linked by ladders
    • on a dragon's landing perch above a city
    • on a glacier with a ship frozen into it
    • on a kite-borne platform above a harbour
    • on a lonely sky island with one tree and one bench
    • on a mountain ledge above the clouds
    • on a mountain pass strung with faded flags
    • on a staircase cut into a thundercloud
    • on a tower roof among weathervanes
    • on the deck of an airship with patched sails
    • on the shoulder of a walking mountain

    How this list was compiled: Original list written for Draw This Next, September 2026. Every place is invented. None is taken from a game, book, film or series. Licence: own work

    Light and weather: all 69 lights and weathers

    Sun, moon and flame 23

    • at dusk with one window lit
    • at first light with long blue shadows
    • at midnight with a ring around the moon
    • backlit by a low red sun
    • by firelight with deep shadows behind
    • by the light of a full moon
    • by the light of a single candle
    • during an eclipse
    Show all 69 lights and weathers (61 more)

    Sun, moon and flame, continued

    • in dappled green light
    • in flat grey noon light
    • in light bouncing up from water
    • in shafts of light falling from high above
    • in the blue hour just after sunset
    • in the last gold light before sunset
    • in warm light from an open doorway
    • lit by a lantern held low
    • lit by torches along one side
    • under a green and violet aurora
    • under a pale winter sun
    • under a sky crowded with stars
    • under a thin crescent moon
    • under two moons
    • with the sun directly behind the main figure

    Magical light 22

    • by the light of a floating orb
    • by the pulse of a glowing crystal
    • in light filtered through stained glass
    • in light that casts shadows the wrong way
    • in the cold blue light of a ghost
    • in the glow of molten gold
    • lit by a captive star in a cage
    • lit by a crack of light from another world
    • lit by a dragon's breath
    • lit by a single phoenix feather
    • lit by a sword that burns without heat
    • lit by fireflies that spell out a word
    • lit by glowing mushrooms
    • lit by green witch-fire
    • lit by hundreds of drifting sparks
    • lit by paper lanterns in every colour
    • lit by the glow of a spell in progress
    • lit from below by glowing runes
    • lit only by a jar of glow-worms
    • with every shadow tinted violet
    • with moonlight pooling like water
    • with the only light coming from an open book

    Weather and air 24

    • in a blizzard with one warm light ahead
    • in a drizzle of glowing pollen
    • in a fine warm rain
    • in a gale that bends everything sideways
    • in a sandstorm the colour of rust
    • in a shower of falling petals
    • in a sun shower with a double rainbow
    • in a swirl of autumn leaves
    • in drifting ash and embers
    • in hard frost with every edge white
    • in heat haze that bends the horizon
    • in heavy snow with no wind
    • in low mist that hides the ground
    • in rain that falls upwards
    • in still air full of floating dust
    • in thick fog that hides the far distance
    • just after a storm with everything dripping
    • under a sky the colour of a bruise
    • under clouds lit pink from below
    • with a thunderstorm on the horizon
    • with lightning frozen mid-strike
    • with sea spray blowing across the scene
    • with sleet blowing in from one side
    • with storm clouds shaped like wings

    How this list was compiled: Original list written for Draw This Next, September 2026. Each entry sets the light source, the time of day or the weather for the scene. Licence: own work

    Your task: all 64 tasks

    Design decisions 16

    • add writing in an alphabet you make up
    • base the clothing on a real period and change one thing
    • borrow every creature part from a real animal you can name
    • build the magic from one shape, all circles or all spikes
    • decide what the main figure wants and show it in the pose
    Show all 64 tasks (59 more)

    Design decisions, continued

    • design a border pattern that belongs to this world
    • design the costume from three materials only
    • draw the main figure much older than you first pictured
    • give the main figure one prop that hints at a past
    • invent a crest or emblem and repeat it three times
    • keep everything ordinary except one strange thing
    • make every built object look like the work of one culture
    • make one thing in the scene far bigger than it should be
    • show wear and repair on everything that gets used
    • sketch three thumbnail versions before you commit to one
    • start with the main figure's silhouette, filled in black

    Composition 16

    • add one tiny figure to show how big everything is
    • build the picture in near, middle and far layers
    • crop so close that part of the main figure leaves the frame
    • draw it from the ground looking up
    • frame the scene through a doorway, arch or gap in the trees
    • hide a second creature for the viewer to find
    • lead the eye in with a path, river or staircase
    • leave a third of the picture empty
    • overlap shapes so nothing floats on its own
    • place the main figure small and off to one side
    • put the horizon very high and look down on the scene
    • put the horizon very low so the sky takes over
    • show the moment just after something happened
    • show the moment just before something happens
    • tell it as three small panels in a row
    • tilt the whole scene ten degrees for unease

    Value and colour 16

    • do a grey value sketch before you touch colour
    • fade the far layer paler and bluer to push it back
    • give the magic the only bright colour in the picture
    • keep the background in shadow and the main figure in light
    • keep the main figure in shadow against a bright background
    • keep the whole picture within two neighbouring colours
    • let one colour mean danger and use it only once
    • limit yourself to four colours and mix the rest
    • make the light source the brightest spot in the picture
    • outline the main figure with a thin rim of light
    • paint the shadows in colour and never in black
    • put the darkest dark beside the lightest light at the focus
    • swap the expected colours, so fire is blue and water is gold
    • use one cool colour against a warm picture
    • use one warm colour against a cool picture
    • work in three values only, a light, a mid and a dark

    Format 16

    • draw it as a book cover with room left for a title
    • draw it as a field journal page with handwritten notes
    • draw it as a map illustration tucked into one corner
    • draw it as a postage stamp from a kingdom that never existed
    • draw it as a shield design
    • draw it as a spot illustration with no hard edge
    • draw it as a stained-glass window with thick leading
    • draw it as a storybook spread with space left for text
    • draw it as a study sheet with front, side and detail views
    • draw it as a tall card with a decorated border
    • draw it as a tapestry with flat shapes and no perspective
    • draw it as a tavern sign
    • draw it as a wide banner three times longer than it is tall
    • draw it as a woodcut in black and white
    • draw it in a tall narrow panel like a scroll
    • draw it inside an illuminated capital letter

    How this list was compiled: Original list written for Draw This Next, September 2026. Each task is our own wording of a common illustration exercise. The task about fading the far layer paler and bluer rests on aerial perspective (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_perspective) and the task about a rim of light rests on backlighting (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backlighting_(lighting_design)), both checked 2026-09-18. Licence: own work

    How it works

    This fantasy art prompt generator deals one scene in five parts: a character or creature, what it is doing, where, the light or weather, and a task to solve as you draw. Press New prompt, or lock the parts you like and reroll the rest. Every word comes from five fixed lists written for this page, and all five are printed in full below the tool.

    Read the full guide

    Five parts, each lockable

    A result reads like a small brief: A marsh dragon with reed-coloured scales, keeping a glowing egg warm in a hatchery of warm sand, under two moons. Your task: add one tiny figure to show how big everything is. A locked part survives New prompt. Every list is shuffled and dealt through once before an entry returns, so a long run of fantasy drawing prompts does not circle back on itself.

    Why the light gets a part to itself

    Fantasy pictures depend on light more than most, so here it is a part you can lock. Many entries make the magic the lamp: glowing runes underfoot, a spell in progress, a jar of glow-worms. That does two jobs: the eye goes to the brightest spot, and the strange thing is sitting in it. Entries such as backlit by a low red sun put the light behind the figure, which leaves a bright rim along its edges and lifts it off the background. Lock a light you find difficult and reroll the rest for practice.

    Timed rounds, print and save

    The timer runs from 30 seconds to ten minutes. It can deal a new scene each time the clock runs out. Print 30 prompts makes a numbered list and keeps locked parts, so one locked character can fill a month. A saved prompt waits on the Saved page in this browser.

    • Draw the who as a flat black silhouette first. If the shape cannot be read at postage-stamp size, detail will not rescue it.
    • Build creatures from animals you can look up. A griffin is a lion behind and an eagle in front, so study both and invent only the join.
    • Count the legs early. In British heraldry a wyvern has two and a dragon has four, and the choice changes the whole shoulder.
    • For depth, make each layer further back paler, bluer and lower in contrast. Three layers are enough to turn a flat scene into a valley.
    • As a fantasy drawing prompt generator for a group, lock the place and the light and let everyone reroll the who. The pictures will look like one world.

    Questions and answers

    How many fantasy prompts can it make?

    The lists hold 183 characters and creatures, 118 actions, 101 places, 69 kinds of light or weather and 64 tasks, which multiply to 9,631,269,504 possible prompts. Most of them are odd, which is the point.

    What is the task at the end for?

    It turns an idea into an exercise. The scene tells you what to draw and the task tells you what to solve: a silhouette, a low horizon, one bright colour saved for the magic. The 64 tasks are split evenly between design, composition, value and colour, and format. If one does not suit your materials, lock the rest and press again.

    Does it use characters from games, books or films?

    No. Every figure and place was made up for this page, and nothing comes from a game, book, film or series. Beings from folklore, such as the kelpie, the kappa and the golem, belong to old shared stories. In the printed list 24 of them carry a one-line note, checked against Wikipedia on 18 September 2026. The lists are clean, with no gore.

    How is it different from the art prompt generator?

    The art prompt generator covers every genre in four parts and ends with a general limit. This page stays inside fantasy, adds a part for light and weather, and ends with an illustration task. For one subject with no sentence around it, use the fantasy drawing ideas list.

    Can I use the prompts for a comic or a tabletop campaign?

    Yes. Nothing in the lists belongs to a franchise, and the drawing you make is your own work. A locked place with a rerolled who gives a quick cast for one location. To take a figure further, the character design generator builds one from design decisions, and the monster generator assembles a beast from parts.