Warrior women

Powerful heroines Tanya Combrinck meets four artists who revel in creating strong female characters with depth and complexity

- Tanya Combrinck

There is a strong focus in fantasy art on female beauty, but some artists thrive on the exploration of powerful, confrontational female characters whose attitude will be the first thing you notice.

Astri Lohne, lead 2D character artist at Vela Games, says she naturally gravitates towards painting female warriors.

"While I don't think there's anything wrong with painting beautiful women for the sake of it, this is a genre of art that doesn't resonate strongly with me personally," she explains. "As a woman, I don't find women who are simply beautiful aspirational, and I struggle to relate to that type of character - I love seeing determined, fierce women, who can of course also be beautiful!"

Astri's life experience is a big influence on her creative expression, and her work is a source of personal power. "So many of the women in my life are fighters, and I've had my fair share of struggles myself, so painting female characters who look determined feels right to me."

INDUSTRY INSIGHT

KIND AND KICKING BUTT

Luisa Preissler reveals the thinking behind her illustrations of female fantasy warriors

What led you to create these images of confrontational female action heroes?

It all came from my passion for reading urban fantasy novels with strong female heroines. These women are independent, and they do what’s necessary to take care of the bad guys. I appreciate female beauty, but what makes it really interesting for me is always a balance of strength and softness.