Learn to paint incredible fantasy book illustrations with issue 256 of ImagineFX
Discover new skills for creating epic book covers and more in the new issue – on sale now!

In this month's ImagineFX we focus on the art of the fantasy book cover, where magical creatures, swords and sorcery, heroic warriors and more take centre stage. Our wraparound cover comes from Fernanda Suarez, originally created for Laura E. Weymouth's magical novel Steel & Spellfire.
Not only that, there's a behind-the-scenes look at Netflix anime series Sakamoto Days, a deep dive into the world of creating picture books, plus all the usual in-depth tutorials, inspiring galleries and plenty more in another bumper issue!
Read on below to see all the major articles waiting for you this month.
Get yours now!
To bag your copy head over to Magazines Direct, where you can pick up a single issue, save some money on a subscription, and fill in the blanks in your collection with the latest back issues.
And don't forget, if you buy a print subscription you get access to over 150 issues of our digital back catalogue too!
Inside the latest ImagineFX
Cover artist Fernanda Suarez gives a step-by-step guide on how she created her enchanting cover for Steel & Spellfire. Follow along to get to grips with her workflow and try out Fernanda's free custom Photoshop brushes included in our resources download!
Ever wondered how picture books are made? Our panel of illustrators share their stories, including some sage advice to help you start and succeed in the genre.
Daily design news, reviews, how-tos and more, as picked by the editors.
Netflix has adapted a growing number of manga into full on anime, with one of the latest being assassin series Sakamoto Days. We spoke to character designer Yo Moriyama to find out how he managed the transition and introduce you to the show's kooky cast.
Guerrilla Games artist Choro Choi shares her skeletal-inspired sketchbook, filled to the brim with fascinating faces and quirky characters based on Korean culture.
Illustrator Jo Rioux opens the doors to her beautiful victorian home studio, revealing how she developed her workspace and why she's a reformed clutterbug.
Carlos Cabrera takes you through the process of combining different media – in this case beatiful watercolour and markers – to create rich and vibrant character art.
That's not all, with plenty of artwork to get you inspired, more training interviews and expert reviews to be had.
We hope you enjoy the issue!
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Rob Redman is the editor of ImagineFX magazines and former editor of 3D World magazine. Rob has a background in animation, visual effects, and photography.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.