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Ben Maier

@benmaier.bsky.social
1.7K followers 425 following 256 posts

🦄 Fantasy Illustrator: Book Covers, Magic the Gathering 🦉Concept artist : Characters, Props ✨Teacher: 2D Game Art, Illustration 🌍 www.artstation.com/benmaier ✉️ ben.maier@gmx.eu 🎨 Human Art 🏳️‍⚧️ He/Him 😍 RPGs and traveling

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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Not sure, by the way, if this is really suggestive or not. What is your experience/view on this topic? I often feel like as a German my cultural lens is very different from the US-norm when it comes to nudity.
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
😍 Love the underwater feeling and little details.
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Love the strong pose. Great card!
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Need those pants! :D
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Illustration of a witch's familiar: Elwin, the toad - in his human form #dasschwarzeauge #commissionsopen #privatecommission Commissions open for 2026: DM or e-mail ben.maier@gmx.eu 2/3 slots available.
Digital painting of a shirtless man with shoulder-length blond hair, short beard, standing waist-deep in a lily pond. He is cupping water in his hands. A toad sitting on a rock and a woman with bare legs watching from behind.Illustration with commission info. Portrait 300€, Fullbody 800€, quick sketches: ask for prices. Close-Up of the man's hands with water dripping down. Close-up of the man's face and upper chest. Closed Eyes and soft lighting.
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Glad I've found you here on bluesky through portfolio day. Really like your work and streams, back in the days (when I was watching streams). Cheers!
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Adam Barker @satansmasque.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Hey #PortfolioDay I'm Adam, illustrator & concept artist, and here's some of my art :) If you'd like some of your own you can get in touch at: adamrobertbarker@gmail.com If you'd like to see my portfolio and the other places I frequent: adambarkerartwork.carrd.co Cheers :)
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Esgalor🍊🌿 @esgalor.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Hi #PortfolioDay 🩸 I'm Esther, a Concept Artist and Illustrator from Andalusia, currently working in the videogame industry. Fantasy and colorful characters and creatures are my thing! I'd love to work on TTRPGs some day. esgalorcontact@gmail.com www.artstation.com/esgalor
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Quintin Gleim @quintingleimart.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Hiii #portfolioday! I’m Quintin, I’m a fantasy illustrator, professor, and art director— currently spending most of my time painting for Magic: the Gathering and really neat book projects! 🖤
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
The undead horse! Wow! Love your work!
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M.E. Morgan @morlevart.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
reposting an old portfolio day post for today 🖤
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Thank you for letting me know. I am very inspired by your work, nowadays.
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Nele Klumpe @neleklumpe.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
It's #PortfolioDay again? Here we go! I'm Nele, Fantasy Illustrator and Art Director from Germany. 📨 nele.klumpe@gmx.de ⚔️ artstation.com/neleklumpe
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Spiridon @spiridude.com · 14/04/2026
Happy #portfolioday! My name is Spiridon, and I make books, preferably with lots of art in them 🤘❤️
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Runa I. Rosenberger @larvl.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Hello #PortfolioDay! It feels a little strange to upload these works, since I have a lot of new paintings under NDA which I wish I could show. Thanks to everyone! I'm not good with social media but really appreciate the love my art gets from you every time I stumble in with a new painting ❤️
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Das, bei dem der Mensch das Tor öffnet, finde ich auch mega stark. <3
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Isa Art and Illustration @isaillustration.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Hi #PortfolioDay ! My name is Isa, and I am a German illustrator who works with Magic The Gathering, book publishers, and various other commercial clients. Open for commissions 2026! Isabeau.Backhaus@outlook.de isabeaubackhausillustration.de
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🌿viktor aleksander🌿🩸devil's minion pilled🩸 @nooskadraws.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
good morning #portfolioday! 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈 i'm viktor, a trans gay illustrator, looking for work in books, fantasy book boxes, ttrpgs, and comics. historical fiction, fashion, & fantasy is my cup of tea ✨🌿🌸🍵 ✉️ alex_dingley@hotmail.co.uk 🖼️ www.nooska-art.com 🛒 nooskaart.etsy.com ☕ ko-fi.com/nooska [ #art ]
A digital illustration of a scene from AV Wilkes' 'All the White Spaces'. Jonathan, a trans man and the protagonist, stands in the centre, facing the viewer. He stares ahead in horror, his right hand clutching his throat. From his left eye, strands of bleeding red aurora stretch outwards. These auroras show visions of Jonathan's brothers on the Western Front of the First World War:
- A moustached officer smokes a cigarette in a trench, looking away.
- A soldier is twisted in the remains of barbed wire.
- Three soldiers wear gas masks, emerging from clouds of mustard gas.
- No Man's Land exploded to all hell. A tank is submerged in a shell hole in the distance.
- A skull pressed into the earth.
- A soldier holds a rifle and makes his way across the strait of No Man's Land.Two portrait aligned digital illustrations of book covers.
Left: An illustration of Afaeran and King Galdor from the webcomic Wundor. They stand in the centre, facing each other. They are bordered by Ancient Greek inspired white columns and an arch above them. The columns are covered with grapevines, vine leaves, and hanging purple grapes. Afaerun is an oche skinned elf with flowing light pink-white hair, and wears a curved silver and ruby tiara, he smiles as he looks at King Galdor. King Galdor is a purple skinned monarch with a single white horn growing from his head. He has flowing dark purple hair, and wears a red leaf laurel. He holds Afaerun's cheek in a romantic embrace.  
Right: The cover for the book The Need for Dandelions by Alex Larkspur. 
Two men stand back to back surrounded by depictions of dandelions. The man angled to the front is Galen. He has tan skin, red hair, and hazel eyes. A large portion of his face is covered by a burn scar. He wears a yellow tunic and brown pants, along with a pink flower pendant. He lifts up one hand, and looks concerned. The other man, facing towards the back but looks over his shoulder, is Sasha. He has light brown hair, dark brown eyes, and stubble. He is wearing leather armor and green shirt and pants. He is holding a sword. 2 different portrait illustrations side by side.
Left: Alder is a green skinned eladrin elf paladin. He stands nude in a forest. He wears a gold crown of laurels on his head. He looks down at the ground. He holds a sword in one hand, and a sprig of alder branch in the other, he has a shield attached to one arm. He is surrounded by green trees and yellow flowers. 
Right: A digital illustration inspired by the pairing Hansry (Hans Capon and Henry of Skalitz from the game series Kingdom Come Deliverance). The illustration is influenced by a scene in the 2005 film Pride and Prejudice. It is separated into 3 panels. 
Panel 1: Hans Capon looks behind him in quiet shock at his bodyguard Henry.
Panel 2: Henry has touched Hans' ungloved hand with his gauntleted one in a gentle hold. The panel is surrounded by blooming flowers: herbs and plants that Henry can forage on his journey. Marigold, St John's Wort, Valerian, Sage, Chamomile, and Dandelion.
Panel 3: Henry meets Hans' eyes with an unreadable expression. He quietly yearns beneath it. A digital illustration of a purple, green, and grey-blue themed bookshelf.  The book shelf is filled with old tomes, Victorian inspired knick-knacks such as keys, teacups, candles, and a flask of a potion. On one of the shelves there is a framed picture of an anatomical human heart, along with a skull resting on a stack of books. On another shelf, there is a bust of Diana the Greek goddess.
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Kristina Gehrmann @kristinagehrmann.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Hi #PortfolioDay! I’m an illustrator with a focus on fantasy, history & narrative illustration. I want to illustrate more book covers with beautiful badass characters 🙏 🌎 www.kristinagehrmann.com 📩 info@kristinagehrmann.com
A young woman in 15th century inspired black plate armor, looking wistfully and holding a longsword that has a magical golden light emanating from it. Behind her is a rich colorful tapestry with late Medieval motifs that's interwoven with gold thread.Achilles and Patroclos, standing next to each other in front of a raging fire. Achilles is outfitted for battle and looks wistfully into the distance, while Patroclos ties some laces of his armor, also looking sad. Behind them and above there's the mosaic of a warrior in his chariot.Illustration of a knight or paladin or swordfighter in chainmail and cloak, drawing her sword, stepping over a water surface towards the viewer. Behind her, a flock of swans rises up into the sky.
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𝕵𝖎𝖒𝖒𝖞 𝕸𝖆𝖐𝖊𝖕𝖊𝖆𝖈𝖊 @jimmymakepeace.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Hello #portfolioday My name is Jimmy Makepeace, I'm an illustrator and sometimes animator based in Bristol UK, I'm looking for more work this year so if you'd like to work together get in touch at: Jimmymakepeaceillustration@gmail.com
A dragon swoops over a blasted landscape, its rider prepares to shoot an arrow from the dragons back.Two women stand ready to fight in a mysterious combined landscape of ruins and alien flora, lit in a violet light.A knight stands holding a mace, they are wearing a filthy cape and have a lantern filled with worms, their hounskull is crowned with a pair of antlers.A barbarian stands atop a staircase wielding a large sword, he is surrounded by skeletons who seem to wish him harm. All are bathed in a scarlet light.
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Amazing work 😍
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ToiVarg @toivarg.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
#PortfolioDay
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Madeleine Fjäll @madeleinefjall.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Hey #PortfolioDay! I'm Madeleine, an illustrator and concept artist from Sweden. I love to paint anything historical and fantasy with pretty light. Would love to make more book covers!✨ 🌐 madeleinefjall.com ✉️ madeleinefjallart@gmail.com
La belle dame sans merci by Frank Bernard Dicksee version of Hans and Henry from Kingdom Come DeliveranceTwo images next to each other. To the left is an image of my VTM character Ellair, holding himself in anguish with glowing yellow eyes, as his sire's hands try to grasp him from above. To the right is an image of Lucia, with candles in her hair and in her hands, her eyes glowing.A pale changeling sitting in water in the deep dark green forestImage of my characters Ulvar (left) and Niketas (right) looking into each other's eyes in a swedish lake in the early morning. There are reeds, water lilies, a rock and two dragon flies in the foreground.
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Beautiful work! I love the unicorns in front of the orange tree. And the couple - they're very sweet!
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
#Moin #PortfolioDay, I'm a fantasy illustrator and concept artist based in Hamburg. I specialize in characters, book cover, and trading card art. You might know my work from Magic: The Gathering or Das Schwarze Auge. ✨ Open for new projects. 🎨 🌍 www.artstation.com/benmaier ✉️ ben.maier@gmx.eu
Magic the Gathering Artwork 'Eccentric Arachnologist' Batcave influenced Strixhaven Professor with south asian feature and green violett pink dark fantasy clothes weaving a magic spell in green VFX to enlarge a spider on his hand. The students look shocked.Book Cover Illustration in the world of Das Schwarze Auge. An Achmad'Sunni is looking to the viewer with a torch in her hand. Behind her is a heavy armoured byzantine looking dwarf and lizard folk mage, looking at ancient ruins of a long forgotten temple. Deep in the swamps behind a huge ancient temple complex with a serpent lurking in the shadows.A digital painting in the style of old master. A still life painting with textured, heavy paintstrokes of a human skull in yellow tinted light. The image is called Vanitas.Portrait painting of a fantasy medicus or doctor. Brown, short hair, beard, expensive and elegant clothes. He is looking at a glass sphere with ice crystals and cubes inside. It is night time, a window shows blue light. Candles in warm colors. A table with notes. A signet ring on his left pinky.
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Amazing work! I love the knights <3
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Elif Siebenpfeiffer @elif7.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Hey hey #PortfolioDay! I'm Elif, I'm a freelance illustrator from Germany working on games and books in the fantasy realm and teaching students. I love everything dark and try to always include some interesting storytelling in my work! 🌎 elifsiebenpfeiffer.de ✉️ info@elifsiebenpfeiffer.de
A dancing couple framed by red flowing fabric in blue and red light dressed in a formal way with hinted dancers all around them. The woman holds a claw over the man's head while the man holds a stake to her back. Illustration of an armored priest and a large armored lioness walking down stairs in front of a large cathedral and fantasy city in sunrise with large yellow cloudsa fantasy illustration of a healer working golden glowing magic on a wounded fighter on a misty battlefield surrounded by fallen warriors.An illustration of smoke forming a glowing skull emerging from a book in which a hand is writing magical glowing symbols
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Thanks for pointing this out. I did join the list and followed, now. All the best for the last few hours <3
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Nerding out for those who play #DasSchwarzeAuge: which kind of character would you play in such a setting? Last time, I played an half-elf from Festum who called himself a "professional problem solver", very found of himself.
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
#Coverillustration for #DSA5 Mysterien der Echsensümpfe, UlissesSpiele 2024 Three adventurers exploring ancient ruins in the swamps of #Selem. An #Achmad'sunni, an #Achaz mage, and a #dwarf. A typical adventurer party in such a place. Mist, silence, and something dark lurking in the past.
An adventurer party of an Achmad'sunni, a dwarf in ancient armor and an Achaz mage are discovering an old lizardmen temple in the midst of a a misty swamp. There is a huge temple structure in the back of the image with, maybe, something that might be a hundreds meters long living serpent. The Achaz mage and the dwarf in ancient armor are looking at a lizardmen shrine and trying to understand the meaning. The Achaz is casting a light spell. A close up of the Achmad'sunni woman with turban and serpent eyes. She is holding a torch and is ready to protect her fellow adventurers.
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Such a beautiful piece of art. I love the guitar!
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Zara Alfonso Illustration @zaraalfonso.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
My newest card Dualcaster Mage for The Magic: The Gathering Secrets of Strixhaven Special Guests! 🖤 AD: Jameela Wahlgren & Sarah Wassell The original oil painting has been sold to a generous private offer. Prints are available & the sketch will be looking for a home soon 😊 #art #mtgsos #oilpainting
Zara Alfonso's oil painting of the official card illustration for “Dualcaster Mage” for Magic: The Gathering Secrets of Strixhaven Special Guests.
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
What a beautiful project! I would have loved to contribute: just saw the post about it. Write me a message if in the future you plan more projects with trans* (and of course in general) visibility and representation. 🏳️‍⚧️
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
What a beautiful project! Only 20h to go.
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
I kinda reactivated my Insta. www.instagram.com/benmaierart/ I'll post some of that stuff here, too.
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
Thank you! Some of it is a bit invented, to be transparent. And some parts have a lot less texture than in reality.
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
Love them! The faces tell a story about each of them.
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
Wow! She is damn cool. I love how you handle textures 😍
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
#workflow
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
#stilllife on Desk Yesterday I showed my students how to plan and paint a #digital still life. #Painting from life is probably the best way to understand light and materials.
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 19/10/2025
Hm.. I love scottish Wiskey and if it burns, it usually just needs a drop of clear water put in the glas. I love the smokey taste and taste intensity of Talisker, e.g. - and I don't mind if it burns a bit. I drink rarely alcohol. For me it's really just about the taste and how it smells.
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 19/10/2025
What a cute guy! Such a cozy illustration and autumn vibes.
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
🍂 It's that time of year again... autumn, spooky themes and dressing up! This started as a class demo - me as a #LastofUs character. Main inspiration: www.artstation.com/richard_lyons Do you have spooky self-portraits too? Feel free to share them 🦇 #DigitalArt #SpookySeason #ArtDemo #SelfPortrait
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 08/06/2025
Some studies from this week end. With the still lives I focussed on work flow: they were done rather quickly. The drawings are from my visit of the MARKK museum in Hamburg. My youngest wanted me to draw all sorts of weapons when he found out that I sketched.
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 18/10/2025
I love everything about this artwork 🥰
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 18/10/2025
What a lovely character! I'd love to interact with him in a RPG. I think his perspective will be quite unique and the dialogues super interesting. Such a cute guy!
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
Is it just me or is the preview here on bluesky looking super blurry? Has anyone experienced that too with their art?
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
What a great personality! Love her face and sharp features and the hair that emphasize it.
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
🍂 It's that time of year again... autumn, spooky themes and dressing up! This started as a class demo - me as a #LastofUs character. Main inspiration: www.artstation.com/richard_lyons Do you have spooky self-portraits too? Feel free to share them 🦇 #DigitalArt #SpookySeason #ArtDemo #SelfPortrait
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Ben Maier @benmaier.bsky.social · 28/09/2025
Alternative design sketch of my Voodoo Siren Fan Concept. Inspired by Himba/Hamar culture, but clearly fantasy. Set in the world of Borderlands. #borderlands #borderlandsfanart #fanart #sirendesign #voodoosiren #conceptart #characterdesign #digitalart #gearbox #queerart #originalcharacter
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