This was a two month project I undertook during a self-study period at my school. I intended to build a fantasy universe based on African culture, mythology and folklore as an attempt to test my world-building and concept art skills. I spent two weeks on research and thumbnailing, and the rest on painting and drawing. The end result is a mixed bag of environment pieces, creature and character designs and a lot of written lore.
I feel I should note that all names have been taken from real African sources and reworked for my own means. I was not inventive enough to come up with hundreds of fake African names, but I tried to use them appropriately.
I feel I should note that all names have been taken from real African sources and reworked for my own means. I was not inventive enough to come up with hundreds of fake African names, but I tried to use them appropriately.
I started with several environment paintings intended to show the various environments of the continent of Jahai.
![fantasy africa World Building digital painting](https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/max_1200/436c2f15040885.5628c536c8bd0.png)
This depicts a Zulu rider upon a mount.
![fantasy africa World Building digital painting](https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/max_1200/e680ed15040885.5628c481e8277.png)
Here is a Xhosa village. Xhosa are expert craftsmen who have taken to a life of living on the water.
![fantasy africa World Building digital painting](https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/max_1200/5abd2015040885.5628c53738819.png)
Here we see some Masaai travellers heading through the desert to a nearby city.
![fantasy africa World Building digital painting](https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/max_1200/a96a7315040885.5628c48237e3b.png)
Here a Zulu warrior overlooks a massive crater teeming with life, similar to the Ngorongoro crater.
![fantasy africa World Building digital painting](https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/max_1200/cb68b715040885.5628c4823a951.png)
Eventually I felt it was necessary to create a map to orient myself when painting pieces and to give some sense to the lore I was writing. There are two maps, the second showing the influence of the four major human factions I had created.
![fantasy africa World Building digital painting](https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/max_1200/47481c15040885.5628c4ee7383f.png)
![fantasy africa World Building digital painting](https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/max_1200/5a542515040885.5628c421c8369.png)
I then moved on to creature designs. African folklore is full of imaginative examples of creatures, and many I simply expanded upon. I also threw in some dinosaurs for good measure.
![fantasy africa World Building digital painting](https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/max_1200/8e2e3615040885.5628c369672dc.png)
![fantasy africa World Building digital painting](https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/max_1200/05ec3715040885.5628c420550cd.png)
![fantasy africa World Building digital painting](https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/max_1200/9142e415040885.5628c5368a17c.png)
![fantasy africa World Building digital painting](https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/max_1200/d52d8115040885.5628c480e7fee.png)
![fantasy africa World Building digital painting](https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/max_1200/a640aa15040885.5628c3697086e.png)
![fantasy africa World Building digital painting](https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/max_1200/a9228715040885.5628c4812ce2b.png)
![fantasy africa World Building digital painting](https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/max_1200/eb2e7e15040885.5628c42136c69.png)
![fantasy africa World Building digital painting](https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/max_1200/ee0b4015040885.5628c4eda0199.png)
![fantasy africa World Building digital painting](https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/max_1200/5c94a715040885.5628c4ee3e419.png)
![fantasy africa World Building digital painting](https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/max_1200/f9f23f15040885.5628c4218ce76.png)
In the future I will be adding character and prop designs, as well as finishing some environment paintings. In the end I hope to have a solid base of material which could be handed over to someone else in a fashion similar to a Dungeons and Dragons rulebook - the entire world prepared for future storytelling.