My Favourite Baldur’s Gate Fan Artists and Fan-Artworks
“You dare to attack me here?!”
One of many memorable lines, from an iconic Baldur’s Gate II cutscene. Further brought to life - through the illustration’s of an artist, who’s artworks are a wonderful tribute to the Baldur’s Gate games.
The feeling of the initial escape from Jon Irenicus’s dungeon and Imoen being taken away, are captured in a beautiful and even nostalgic fashion.
This is not a list of, ‘The best Baldur’s Gate artworks’. But rather, a collection of my personal favourite Baldur’s Gate fan artists and fan-artworks — which I wish to share with readers who love the story, world and characters of Baldur’s Gate.
Tina, also known as Artleysart and Bloodrawen, is a talented artist. She created the fantastic interactive comic of the Shadows of Amn in-game cutscene, where Imoen and Irenicus, are arrested by the Cowled Wizards.
Every moment and every line from the in-game cutscene is illustrated in her comic. Alongside her drawings, the original audio from the cutscene is played. The combination of the original voice lines and sound effects, with her vivid art style, creates a truly unique work of art.
Inspired by Baldur’s Gate II, Tina’s comic gifts viewers a front row seat, an up-close experience and view, of the magical events. A unique portrayal of the Cowled Wizards, various well designed panels of Jon Irenicus, in addition to a lovely view of Waukeen’s Promenade in the distance, are just a handful of spectacular illustrations in the comic.
You can visit the professional artist’s website here: https://artleysart.mystrikingly.com/
Interested in viewing the original comic? It’s on DeviantArt. Unfortunately the original comic, was created with Flash animation, and no longer works or is supported by DeviantArt’s website. There is an alternative way to view the comic, and I have linked and embedded a YouTube video of it here, and below.
For more information on how to watch the original flash animation, you can read how to view or download it, on DeviantArt’s official update regarding Flash animations on their website.
A portfolio of her other Baldur’s Gate artworks, such as of popular companions from the games, like Valygar, Edwin or Jaheira can be viewed on her DeviantArt profile.
Hansel Eldor
Dorn Il Khan, the half-orc blackguard, is featured in a ten page fanzine titled: Fire and Steam. Hunched over him, is the Bhaalspawn Heidrek. Both are pictured in the above image, and in many more comic pages filled with amazing visuals, great colours and phenomenal designs…
Hansel Eldor is the creator of this comic. As an artist he has an interesting background. Having previously studied and achieved a Bachelor and a Master’s degree in Fine Art, in Wales. He has since relocated over to his native Sweden, where he currently attends a Comic School. The fruits of his talent, education and hard-work, can be seen in his recent fanzine created in October of 2021.
Hansel Eldor is a talented artist, with a bright future.
Notably, Dorn Il Khan and Heidrek, their version of the Bhaalspawn, appear in many artworks together. Their relationship through-out the Baldur’s Gate series is captured and portrayed in beautiful paintings.
From Baldur’s Gate, all the way to Heidrek’s ascension as a god of murder - they are a fun pair to keep up with.
There’s a large variety of artworks of them, such as of romance talks from the games, and you can tell the artist has a lot of fun with Heidrek and Dorn. One particular example of this is when a segment of the artist’s caption for the image below, reads:
“Very invested in this train-wreck of a relationship. Not that there was much of it at this point since I completely failed Dorn’s romance in Siege of Dragonspear.”
Who is Heidrek?
Heidrek is a Drow draconic sorcerer, and one of Hansel Eldor’s original characters. I like his design and his personality which is expressed through great poses, detailed facial expressions, cool outfits and even through his hair!
I likewise love the Swedish illustrator’s creativity.
For instance, when he made a portrait of his own original character. In an online Tumblr caption, he stated:
“Wanted to create a custom portrait of Heidrek that I could use in Baldur’s Gate, without it clashing terribly with the existing ones. The result is … good enough for now. Especially since this is so far out of my comfort zone. It’s a big mix of watercolour, gouache, ink and digital media.”
That big mix of watercolour, gouache and ink… looks fabulous. Not just normally, but also inside the Baldur’s Gate games. I couldn’t help but try out one day, and see what it looked like in-game and I thought it looked superb.
Of course, this written section wouldn’t be complete without a single mention of the various depictions of Heidrek as the Lord of Murder. Bhaal’s empty Throne, and his children’s role in his potential resurrection are a key part of the Baldur’s Gate saga’s plot. Hansel Eldor clearly embraces this, through his art.
As part of his large Baldur’s Gate fan-art thread on Twitter, the comic artist wrote: “Baldur’s Gate doodles I made over new years. Heidrek after ascending to godhood, and his champion/lover: Dorn Il-Khan.”
One particular image in the thread stands out to me. Heidrek cloaked in flames, with a magisterial look about him.
Warning: Be mindful of the presence of potentially NSFW (not safe for work) images, in the linked Twitter thread.
Hansel Eldor is a fantastic artist. You can find him on Twitter. And on his Tumblr: called Dork Age Doodles. I’d love to see him gain a bigger following, and receive some more love.
Relevant links.
Read the full Fanzine on his website. https://www.hanseldor.com/comics
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HanselEldor
Tumblr: https://dorkagedoodles.tumblr.com/
What better way to sign off, than a nice picture of the two love birds together?
Sarevok by Martin Sobr
I love everything about Sarevok. He’s a terrific villain, and his ambition to become the Lord of Murder, alongside his personal story and significant involvement in the Baldur’s Gate series, makes him a really interesting character. Kevin Michael Richardson’s voice-acting is also incredible.
I’ve always liked Sarevok’s design as well. His intimidating armour decorated with jagged spikes, horns and skulls, and of course, his glowing eyes. This painting of Sarevok by Martin Sobr, accurately portrays Sarevok’s character and his aura.
The colours are wonderful, the mound of skulls Sarevok stands upon, a clear indicator of his dark motives, and Bhaal’s symbol, present in the background is a nice touch. The classical style used for this depiction of Sarevok, is majestic.
Martin Sobr’s original artwork can be viewed on ArtStation, and you can view more of Martin Sobr’s artworks on his website.
Shaydh
Imagine… A high quality comic, with a fantastic art style and good writing which followed the events of the Baldur’s Gate games. Now, throw in a dark yet amusing atmosphere, and add an immersing storyline.
Allow the artist and creator of the comic, complete creative freedom on what gets featured, what companions are used and how the story is told. Would you love to read that kind of thing? Wish there was something out there which followed the events of the Baldur’s Gate games? Allow me to introduce: Shaydh’s Baldur’s Gate comic.
Shaydh is an artist who I really like. I like the quality of her art, the great facial expressions, and the excellent art style. One of the main reasons why I like Shaydh’s work is because of her short fan-art comic series. It’s an original mini comic exploring their Drow Bhaalspawn Valdir’s adventures! It’s one of a kind and a joy to read!
I only have good things to say about Shaydh’s comic, and I would highly recommend anyone who likes Baldur’s Gate, to read it. But not just read it, enjoy it.
My only gripe, is it didn’t go on for a little longer. Exploring Athkatla’s numerous city districts, Watchers Keep’s freakish dungeon areas and visiting Suldanessellar alongside other fantastic locations would have been amazing. A minor complaint, which testifies to the quality of the comic, and just how good it is.
Shaydh regularly posts creative content, sketches, funny tweets and general art on her Twitter account. She’s a really entertaining person and is definitely someone to follow and keep up with!
The best place to view Shaydh’s artworks is on Twitter. But you can also view her art on the Beamdog Forums for all things Baldur’s Gate or Pillowfort for a more well-rounded portfolio of artworks.
“LIKE OMG SLUMBER PARTY”
What makes this artwork great, is the humour and silliness behind it. Usually, Bodhi and Irenicus are portrayed in a darker, more sinister style. While this artist has gone for a comical sillier design.
It grabs your attention and is amusing. The dialogue included is also hilarious. Irenicus, dressed in pink pyjamas, acts completely out of character, as does Bodhi.
Perhaps this is just another side to the exiles, which we rarely see?
Full credit goes to Sammi-The-FF-Freak for her artwork: “LIKE OMG SLUMBER PARTY”.
lilcutieAP
Would you like to know part of my original inspiration behind writing this? Meet lilcutieAP.
She’s a super talented artist and one of my absolute favourite Baldur’s Gate fan artists. What you might want to know is why. Why did she inspire me to write this?
I love her art, and really think it deserves a lot more love. Her artworks and her art style is beautiful. Yet, she is extremely underrated.
Her love for Baldur’s Gate II has inspired fan artworks, many of which are depictions of the game’s story and it’s events. Her very own Bhaalspawn original character, Veirilia, a Chaotic Neutral Necromancer, is drawn in a number of different locations and major parts of Shadows of Amn’s plot. Such as in Spellhold, where Veirilia has her divine soul drained by Irenicus.
Drawn in a dream-like scene, both Imoen and her sister are depicted in near death like states. Irenicus, Imoen, and Bodhi with her wavy hair, all look brilliant. Likewise, the lighting and colours in this artwork look amazing.
The ghostly, feverish expression on Veirilia’s face as she touches her hand against the glass in a symbol of helplessness, fits perfectly with the dark gritty appearance of the asylum.
Another artwork I love, is lilcutieAP’s artwork appropriately titled: Gather your party. The range of expressions are lovely, in addition to the beautiful colours.
LilcutieAP’s original character has a cool design and a great personality on display. In her portrait of Veirilia, pictured below, Bhaal’s symbol hangs from the necromancer’s neck in a ominous yet fashionable way. The way this artwork jumps off the page amazes me.
LilcutieAP is a tremendous artist. Tragically, at the time of writing she is inactive. I’d love for people to view her art, and show it some love.
Shadows of Amn Enhanced Edition map
The amount of detail in this artist’s version of the Shadows of Amn map, is incredible. Each location is drawn in a beautiful simplistic style and is best viewed zoomed on. From the tiny yet still recognisable buildings of Athkatla, to the sinister temple ruins, the de’Arnise keep infested with trolls or the pirate isle of Byrnnlaw, this map is a brilliant Baldur’s Gate 2 tribute.
Key events, and locations such as Spellhold, memorable companions, epic villans and monsters such as the fire-breathing dragon Firkraag in the Windspear Hills, are all present in an artwork which draws attention to some of the best parts of Baldur’s Gate II.
This map is filled with impressive detail and design, and was created by Andantilus. The full version of this artwork, was submitted to the Beamdog Forums, as part of a fan-art contest.
I hope you have enjoyed this piece. It’s lovely to see what the love and value for the Baldur’s Gate games has inspired.
