This artist captures J.R.R. Tolkien’s hobbits and elves in a magical new light

Nia Kovalevski is an illustrator based in Germany who focuses on character and story-driven imaginative realism. With an academic background in graphic design, German studies, and psychology, she now works mainly in games and publishing, such as Magic the Gathering, Brotherwise Games and Fantasy Flight Games.

Here are four examples of her craft. She does much of her digital painting in Photoshop (see our guide to the best digital art software).

Digital art with a painterly look — (Image credit: Nia Kovalevski)

This was a piece created for Fantasy Flight Games. “I enjoyed playing with dramatic light, vintage fashion, and a darker mood here. I wanted the character to feel mysterious and rooted in the story,” Nia says.