Visual Inspiration for Writers

How many times have you been writing a scene and desperately wanted to look at a photograph or drawing of what you were imagining? If you're like me, that number is too high to comprehend.

Most of us do not have the luxury of world travel, and let's face it, many times the objects we dream up do not even exist in the real world, so we have to rely on artistic interpretation to fuel our creative fires.

For this specific purpose, I have a few websites that I frequent when I'm in need of visual inspiration.

First, and probably widely known, is Flickr. Type in a few keywords and you can browse for hours. That's how I found Mattjin's majestic artwork, which blends real life with the fantastical. He takes photos of himself (and his cat) and inserts them into fantasy worlds, just like this:







If you're ever at a loss for a fantasy or sci-fi story idea, Mattjin's photostream is a good place to look.

I've also found a trove of castle photography, which helps place me in the right frame of mind for my book:



Flickr is also where I found most of the images for my Here In Spirit blog post.

Another website I adore is DeviantArt.com. Here I can find paintings, digital renderings, sketches, and more of all the fantastical things in my mind. I usually look for medieval and adventure imagery, but you can find other things like dragons and elves and faeries, witches, ghouls, just to name a few. Look there for steampunk inspiration, too.

Here are some favorites I've found over the years:

   

   


I've also used it to find ideas for certain places in my book, such as Little Leah, the little white cottage that my main characters call home. Obviously I can't find exact examples of what I see in my mind, but it's nice to see something close:





I imagine more colors and flowers around Little Leah, moss growing on the chimney, vines creeping up the walls, round windows...you get the idea. There's just something about seeing these images that make my book all the more real.

So kick back, sip a hot beverage of choice, and browse these two sites for your own inspiration. Post links to some of the great images you find in my comments section or on your own blogs. I want to see them!