Bente Schlick starts a fantasy illustration with ideas, references and a small sketch—not a fixed plan for the finished image. In a Creative Bloq interview published October 2, 2026, the fantasy illustrator and book cover artist explains how she lets colour, character interaction and detail shape the work as she paints.
What does “no plan” mean in Schlick’s process?
It does not mean beginning with nothing in mind. Schlick says, “I don’t have a plan in my head for what I want to create. I have ideas.” She looks at references, makes a small sketch and begins with colour, without deciding every element of the final composition in advance.
That distinction matters: the starting point has direction, but the image is allowed to change as it develops. Schlick says overthinking can prevent her from working: “If I’m thinking too much, then I can’t work.” For her, beginning is a way to move into the painting rather than resolve every visual decision beforehand. She may finish an image if she likes where it goes, or set it aside if she does not; she also says she rarely likes her work once it is finished.
How does she build the example illustration?
1. Choose a compact palette
Schlick begins with a reduced set of colours: two main colours for the characters and animals, and two for the background. She mixes nearby shades from those starting colours. The warm-and-cool contrast helps the combination feel lively without requiring a large initial palette.
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2. Find the characters’ poses and relationships
With colour underway, she works out how the characters pose, where they look and what their expressions convey. She considers how they interact and begins to form an idea of the environment around them. The setting and composition emerge alongside the figures rather than being fully specified before painting starts.
3. Add line art when the image calls for it
In this example, Schlick adds line art after establishing the colours and the broad idea. She notes that some artists start with line art, but she sometimes waits because the full image develops during the process. The order is a workflow choice, not a rule that colour must always come first.
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4. Layer detail and let the painting show through
As the image approaches completion, she adds detail and gradually reduces the line art so the painting can emerge over it. For this digital work, she also uses a scanned watercolour-paper overlay to give the surface a more traditional feel.
What tools and influences does she mention?
Schlick names Photoshop and a Wacom tablet as tools in her process. The interview does not specify a tablet model, size or software version, so those details should not be inferred. Nor does her approach depend on that particular hardware: the defining choice is allowing the image to develop through successive decisions.
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She cites William Turner, John William Waterhouse and Rembrandt as influences, and also names Alfonso Mucha for combining graphic style with realism. These are the artists Schlick identifies as influences in the interview.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When might a colour-first, open-ended approach help?
Schlick’s example offers a practical alternative to locking down a composition before starting. An illustrator who feels stalled by trying to solve every detail mentally can begin with a few ideas, gather references, sketch lightly and make an initial colour decision. Poses, expressions, setting and line work can then be refined in response to what is already on the canvas.
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That does not make planning unnecessary for every image or artist. It shows one way to keep early decisions provisional: establish enough to begin, then let the work itself reveal what needs to come next.
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