Michelle Tolo Artwork

[michelletolo]

Winter Dragon. When the world is on fire, it's good to take a little break from it all and hug a gentle dragon in winter wonderland :)

Photoshop, 2026. And as always, no AI!

[michelletolo]

"While journeying across the treacherous mountains of Icewind Dale, Drizzt and his companions came upon the sad remains of an unfortunate traveller. The culprit, a huge yeti, was not happy to have its meal interrupted."

I'm a big fan of the Legend of Drizzt books by R. A. Salvatore, and have wanted to illustrate a proper battle scene with Drizzt and his friends for over a year. I finally got the time to do just that!

It was very challenging to work out the composition of the scene with so many characters, trying to keep it dynamic without being too cluttered, and I ended up using a circular pattern around the big Yeti to frame the chaos.

It's all painted in Photoshop from scratch, and as always, no AI has been used.

[michelletolo]

Lestat, Louis and Claudia – our favourite dysfunctional vampire family.

The Interview With The Vampire TV show by AMC has become one of my all-time favourite shows, especially since the phenomenal second season aired a few months ago. I keep recommending the show to everyone (though it’s currently not easy to access outside of the US, which is such a shame).

The writing is fantastic, and all the changes made from the book somehow improve upon the story and characters. The acting is top notch from all the cast, and all the costumes and set designs are beautiful! I just had to draw some fan art to show my appreciation.

Go watch the show if you get the chance!

[michelletolo]

I'm doing the Junicorn art challenge this month, based on a list of prompts I made. Here's a little collection of the first 6 drawings :) I post them daily on my Instagram and on Cara. Any artists who haven't joined Cara yet should check it out, it's a great place completely free from AI! And if anyone else would like to try out the challenge, here's the prompt list I'm using:

[michelletolo]

Here's a painting I made for the ImagineFX art challenge "Mystical Meets Machines".

The theme was too intriguing to pass by - especially after I got the idea of some unicorns grazing by the remnants of an ancient, mechanical dragon. Someone in the past were keen on acquiring the great powers of a dragon for themselves, leading to a bitter end. Now it has rested peacefully for centuries, becoming part of the landscape.

Lots of fun painting this one, especially all that moss!

Photoshop, April 2024. And as always, no AI used.

[michelletolo]

What if Shadowheart had a horse? I've been obsessed with Baldur's Gate 3 lately, and was inspired to design some horses for the wonderful companions. Shadowheart would definitely have an emo princess horse. Not sure what she would name it though, suggestions are welcome! Now I just gotta decide who to do next...

[michelletolo]

I was inspired to paint a heroine for my 10-year old self, so here's a fierce Elven warrior lady. Armor is always so much fun to paint!

[michelletolo]

I have been playing Dungeons & Dragons lately, and it's so much fun! So here's a painting inspired by the game, featuring a heroic party battling a legendary red dragon.

Photoshop, April 2023.

[michelletolo]

“Knight’s Odyssey”

Sometimes you just feel like painting some glorious knights in a colourful, magical setting. That's how this came to be at least :)

[michelletolo]

Angel of Darkness, for the CDChallenge 🙂

[michelletolo]

I've been reading the first few books in Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles series, and ended up being very inspired to paint a vampire transitioning from starving to revitalised by blood. They're not far from zombies when starving, which I find very intriguing (I just love zombies!), whereas they tend to possess a haunting beauty after having fed enough. Then there's all the frenzied hunger stages in between, which I thought was very fun to depict! My main inspiration for this vampire was Lestat, naturally. I can definitely recommend the books to anyone interested in dark fantasy/horror themes written in a beautiful way!

[michelletolo]

Here’s a knight I made for the Character Design Challenge, accompanied by a griffin :)

[michelletolo]

Elven Warrior, personal painting done for fun :) Photoshop, September 2021.

[michelletolo]

“Memories”, personal painting :) Photoshop, August 2021

[michelletolo]

Pride 2021

A little painting I made for Pride this year. No matter how different or alike people are, love is love :)

Painted in Procreate, with some touch-ups in Photoshop. June 2021.

[michelletolo]

Mermay 2021

Time for Mermay 2021! Painted in Procreate, process video on my Instagram @michelletoloart

[michelletolo]

Sephiroth, made for the Character Design Challenge :)

Photoshop, May 2020.