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Zach Britton | Concept Artist & Illustrator

@zachbrittonart

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🎨 Fantasy Art • Characters • Weapons
📖 Telling Stories • Building Worlds
✍🏻 Human-made • No AI
🗡️ Commissions Open
🏔️ Prints + Portfolio ⬇️

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Happy #portfolioday

If you’ve been following along, I’m sure you’ve realized, I’ve been deep in the trenches of world-building, designing a thieves guild in a world of my own making. The guild is called The Black Scales, operating in the great city of Wellstôn.

This project is about creating legends that could live inside a story-driven fantasy stealth game; where the loot loop pulls from extraction shooters, but the core gameplay is rooted in Splinter Cell-style stealth.

The Grey Elf is the endgame threat. They weaponize knowledge and control space itself, having intentionally mutated with magical radiation to hoard memories and secrets like gold, or unleash them as telekinetic force.

I’m interested in work where game design meets concept art, where characters, creatures, and systems all support how something plays, feels, and functions.

If you’re building a world, shaping a new IP, or need concept support grounded in design thinking, I’d love to connect.
Let’s build worlds together.

Portfolio: https://zachbrittonart.com/

#conceptart #worldbuilding #gamedev #dndart by @zachbrittonart

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6 months ago

Meet Vivian! 🗡️ The quick-witted thief of the Black Scales thieves guild, and the central character of my ongoing fantasy art series. With her legendary Elf Stone—a relic rumored to hold ancient elven power—Vivian thrives in a world of secrets, betrayal, and stolen magic.

This project explores character design, narrative-driven worldbuilding, and concept art storytelling. Through illustration, costume design, prop design, and visual narrative, I’m building out the guild’s hierarchy, relics, and key figures that define this darker corner of my homebrew fantasy universe.

Thank you to all those who have been enjoying my art and this project so far. If you’re new here and interested in fantasy art, character design, RPG worlds, and immersive storytelling, let me know what you think, and follow along as I expand this series with more rogues, relics, and rich visual lore.

🔗 Portfolio link in bio! taken in Denver, Colorado by @zachbrittonart

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a year ago

Meet Pack — Black Scales’ Heavy-Lifter.

Take a look at my concept art process for Pack — from portrait explorations to final character sheets. I wanted him to feel ancient, gentle at heart, but undeniably tough when the job demands it. Scarred stone skin, pouches, and the weight of a rock troll brow.

Swipe through to see how Pack came to life.

Would you trust a rock troll to watch your loot? I know I would. 👑🏆🔑🔱🥷

“Have you ever wondered how a member of the Black Scales thieves’ guild gets all that loot out of a vault with just a handful of rogues? How we manage to hit a high-security mark and vanish without a trace? Well, meet Pack.

While I’m busy picking locks and lifting purses, Pack’s handling the heavy lifting. I whistle, and he phases through the nearest stone wall, giving me instant access to my gear and a safe spot to stash whatever treasure I’ve just liberated. Without him, my job would be a whole lot trickier.

Pack — affectionately named after a trusty pack mule — is a rock troll. And like all his kind, he’s got a knack for stone bridges and craggy mountain passes. Turns out, those trolls don’t just like the rocks; they are the rocks. They’ve got a few ancient tricks that let them melt into stone like water through a sieve. Trust me, it comes in handy when you’re on the job.

Funny thing is, we named them rock trolls because we thought they looked like boulders. Turns out, they’re a lot more intimate with the old stones than we ever guessed.” Designing the Black Scales Thieves’ guild with Pack the troll a companion character to the guild shown here in grayscale taken in Denver, Colorado by @zachbrittonart

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a year ago

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2 months ago

I grew up on fantasy that blurred the line between science fiction and fantasy. Dragon Ball Z, Gundam, and Transformers all blended sci-fi with fantasy, and I’ve always loved that kind of unique worldbuilding. At the same time, for my own world, I don’t want to stray so far that something pulls you out of the more traditional fantasy setting.

This was one of those experiments.

I thought it would be really cool if a dwarf had power armor. If elves can be mutated by magical radiation and there are flying ships, why couldn’t those same magical power sources be harnessed by skilled engineers to create suits of armor that are almost mech-like? To me, a dwarf was the perfect place to weave in that idea.

Being shorter in a fight is not an advantage. In fact, it’s a distinct disadvantage. That’s why the Colt earned the nickname the Great Equalizer. Technology has always been a way to overcome physical disparities. It’s also why longswords are surprisingly light despite what pop culture often suggests. Technology is humanity’s way of bridging the gap.

This concept also gave me the opportunity to lean into what I think is one of the defining motifs of dwarves: they’re little squares. Solid, dependable, stubborn, and built for hard work. Almost like a Ford truck commercial. So I took that idea and pushed it in a more literal direction with the silhouette of this dwarf’s armor.

I’m excited to keep exploring these suits and the engineering behind them. Some questions that remain for me are: How do the arcane crystals slot in? How are they powered? What happens when one fails?

Only time and design will tell.

For now, I’ll leave you with my illustration and short story. I hope you enjoy getting to know our Stubborn little Boulder.

Make sure to vote on what you’d like me to draw next!

That’s all for now. As always, keep drawing and keep creating!

#dwarf #powerarmor #fantasy by @zachbrittonart

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3 months ago

I give you the Black Scales Artifact.

For this illustration, I wanted to create a mask that felt ancient while also carrying the symbolism of three eyes, inspired by the iconic visual language of the Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell games, but reimagined through a fantasy lens.

I love the idea of a thieves guild wielding tools that feel closer to modern espionage or even science fiction technology, just translated into myth and fantasy. Genre blending like that is always exciting to me because of the strange and unexpected directions it can lead.

With this piece, I also wanted to push toward a more painterly look by blending ink work, black-and-white rendering, and looser painted textures. It was a really fun experiment and a process I’m excited to explore further. by @zachbrittonart

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5 months ago

I give you the Void Elf.

This one was a blast to work on. I really wanted to push the foreshortening more, something I’ve been exploring lately and falling in love with. The inking of this piece feels like a bit of a throwback to my days studying comic book art and illustration, so I pulled out some classic techniques to bring this character to life.

I’ll always have a soft spot for this kind of art. It’s what got me into drawing in the first place, alongside shows like Batman Beyond and Batman: The Animated Series.

It was also really fun to be more expressive with the mark making on this piece.

#inking #comicbookillustration #foreshortening

The void elves glimpse the void. Which gives them these black starry eyes! I love mixing in traditional media for details like the close-up on the eye. There’s something about paper and pencil that just feels kinetic to me. #sketch #drawings #paperandpencil

The Void Part 1, original short story by me!

The Void Part 2, original short story by me!

The Void Part 3, original short story by me!

Alright now, What should I draw next? by @zachbrittonart

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5 months ago

I had this thought a little while ago after designing a helmet that felt a little more futuristic than a typical knight’s helmet.

So I decided to run with it.

I love how this piece turned out, and I love that it gives me a way to make the dwarves in my world feel a little more unique.

I’ll leave you with a little tidbit of lore. If you want to know more about the world behind the character, you can find it on my Instagram page. More to come on the why, what, and how of our stout friends.

—— His angular armor, a power suit designed to compensate for a dwarf’s shorter stature, hummed. Its joints hissed as he rolled his shoulders back. His beady, glowing eyes darted around within the darkness of his mask, scanning the environment. He huffed out a shallow breath. Steam drifted through the cold air. ——

#illustration #dwarvesrule #worldbuilding by @zachbrittonart

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2 months ago

Fantasy species generally all have roots in mythology. I think that gives them cultural weight, an inherited mythological memory that persists through generations of storytelling. It’s why we still tell stories about dragons, dwarves, elves, and gnomes.

Which brings me to my hot take: I think halflings in D&D are boring.

Not because the archetype is bad, but because they’re rarely given that same mythological and cultural foundation. Elves, dwarves, and gnomes all carry echoes of stories humanity has been telling for centuries. Halflings, by comparison, often feel like “little short dudes” without a deeper cultural identity anchoring them.

So I wanted to explore a different direction.

While designing this piece, I started asking myself: what if halflings drew inspiration from trickster myths like the Monkey King? Clever, agile, mischievous, unpredictable. Not just small folk, but a people shaped by myth and cultural identity.

So here is my concept design for halflings.

This piece is part of my ongoing worldbuilding project surrounding the Black Scales, and I’m excited to keep pushing these ideas further.

What fantasy species do you think deserves a redesign or deeper cultural identity? @lizzbianne 😊

#worldbuilding #halflings #characterdesign #narativedesign by @zachbrittonart

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5 months ago

Dwarven Praetorian. Who isn’t consistently fascinated by the Roman Empire? One of the more interesting historical discussions in recent years is the argument that the Roman Empire didn’t truly end until the fall of Constantinople in 1453. What we often call the Byzantine Empire, or Eastern Roman Empire, was, by many historians’ accounts, simply the continuation of the Roman Empire itself.

So, what does that have to do with dwarves?

While listening to a podcast with Anthony Kaldellis on the Roman Empire and its enduring legacy through the Byzantine Empire, I started wondering what a Dwarven Praetorian Guard might look like. The result was this quick sketch.

These imperial guards stand watch over the leaders of the Dwarven Empire, clad in imposing power armor that makes them feel less like soldiers and more like living brick walls. Good luck getting past one of these stout guardians.

It’s just a small sketch, but I wanted to keep exploring this idea of dwarves as master engineers, building and wearing these almost mech-like suits of armor. I think there’s a lot of interesting concept design space to explore there.

That’s all for now. As always, keep drawing and keep creating! by @zachbrittonart

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3 months ago

⚔️ Vault Keeper…the first week of Swordtember is complete.

Seven blades, each with a history, a legend, and a thief bold enough to steal it for the Black Scales vault.

🌊 From the abyssal terror of Krackensväng,
🔥 to the smoldering fury of Cinderbrand,
❄️ the frozen veins of Frostvein,
⛰ the stone-shattering cleave of Stônbæker,
🌊 the tide-commanding Samudra-Āhvānī (Tidecaller),
🌿 the ancient roots of Rootcarver,
and finally, the stinging strike of Grēnetōþ(lore video to come)

This is just the beginning of Swordtember 2025; look out for more legendary blades throughout the month, each stolen and bound to the ancient and legendary history of my fantasy setting and the Black Scales Thieves Guild, who liberated these swords.

Thanks again to @michael._.stanford for contributing incredible music this week. Can’t wait to hear what else you come up with. 😁🎶🤘

#swordtember #fantasyart #conceptart #digitalart #fantasyweapons #worldbuilding #arttimelapse #fantasyartist #sworddesign #thievesguild taken in Denver, Colorado by @zachbrittonart

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a year ago

Votes were cast, and a choice was made. Whether it was the right one… only time will tell.

While working on this piece, I found it ironic how difficult it was to pull from the aether. Much like the price this character paid for the power of portents, I struggled to fully see the piece while fighting through the ugly phase.

I think there’s something cruelly poetic about art in that way. The very thing that propels you forward is often the same thing that tortures you during the process. Taste is what drives us to improve, but it also makes us painfully aware of the gap between vision and execution.

So, from that familiar pit of despair, I give you: The Cursed Noble and his lore, The Price. by @zachbrittonart

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5 months ago