designing imaginative environments: creating locations and landscapes for concept art and illustrati

Author: Nathan Fowkes
Format: Hardcover
Publication date: 2 June 2026
376 pages

This book offers a deep dive into designing imaginative environment art for the entertainment industry: using light, colour, composition, and perspective to create impactful landscapes and locations that immerse the viewer. With a mix of theory, tutorials, and insightful, often funny, anecdotes from his career across many high-profile studios, author-artist Nathan Fowkes makes this challenging subject accessible for artists of every skill level.

The discerning chapters inside include those on the environment-development process, the emotional language created by shapes and colours, and the design of landscapes, interior spaces, props, architecture, atmosphere, and weather. Nathan also takes readers step-by-step through his own successful process and demonstrates how to achieve the 'wow' factor that will make your work stand out. Most of the featured art has been created digitally by Nathan himself, with some examples sketched in pencil and paint. With a luxurious hardback finish and hundreds of inspiring full-colour artworks, Designing Imaginative Environments is an essential resource for any environment artist's shelf.

Nathan is a veteran industry-entertainment artist who made his break into the industry painting the backgrounds for animated DreamWorks classics such as The Prince of Egypt and The Road to El Dorado. He has since been key to the visual development of many major animations, including How to Train Your Dragon and the Shrek franchise. On top of his feature-film work, he gives regular guest lectures, teaches multiple popular Schoolism courses, exhibits his paintings in gallery shows, and is a sought-after consultant for numerous game studios, including Riot Games, Ubisoft, and Blizzard Entertainment.