The portal opens, Adventurer — and today we’re stepping straight into the blazing imagination of Spectrum 3. This art book hits like a bolt of pure ‘90s fantasy energy: winged faeries crackling with light, hulking demons roaring from the rocks, book-hoarding wyrms curled among ancient tomes, and elegant inked horrors carved from shadow.
In this week’s journey, I’m pulling out 20 of my favorite illustrations from this landmark volume. Some are iconic, some are odd, some are quietly enchanting — but all of them remind me why Spectrum became the showcase for the best fantastical art of its era.
Grab your torch, flip the page, and come wander with me through the visions that shaped a generation of fantasy dreamers.
Hey, thanks for reading Rediscovered Realms! Join 3,000+ other adventurers for FREE (butConsider a PAID Subscription for a ton of epic perks) to receive weekly fun fantasy posts and Keep the Adventure Going Strong!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link.
This Week’s Rediscovered Realms Theme Song:
Thunderous riffs, fierce vocals, and battle-forged energy. A storm-born anthem honoring warrior-women whose beauty strikes as hard as their blades.
Where Monsters Roar, Beauty Shimmers, and Imagination Reigns!
Spectrum has long been the gold standard for imaginative art — a yearly celebration of the best fantasy, sci-fi, and surreal illustration from around the world. First launched in the early ’90s, the series set out to honor artists who worked in genres often overlooked by “serious” art institutions. Instead of gatekeeping, Spectrum threw the gates wide open: book covers, concept art, comics, sculpture, dark fantasy, whimsical faerie-worlds — all given equal footing. By the time Spectrum 3 arrived, the series had already become a showcase of pure creative ambition, capturing the bold, experimental spirit that defined the decade.
Spectrum 3 was originally published in 1996 but had a 2007 reprint with a minor refresh.
Flip through these refreshed pages with me — twenty illustrations from Spectrum 3 that made me pause, smile, stare, or just say “oh wow” out loud. They’re a mix of classics, oddities, beauties, brutes, and everything in between. A true treasure chest for anyone who lives and breathes fantasy art.
“Character Creation” by Brian Durfee for TSR
“Wings of Reflection” by Luis Royo for Heavy Metal
“Yrsthgrathe” by Joel Biske for FASA Corporation
“Arcady” by Romas for Penguin U.S.A.
by Mark Covell
Like Fantasy Art sketches? Check out this newsletter from the vault:
“Exile’s Children” by Stephen Youll for Bantam Books
“Exile’s Children” or should it be titled, “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter”?
“Phantom of Eternity” by Doug Beekman for D.C. Comics
“Tales of Enchantment” by Glen Orbik for TSR, Inc.
“Rumplestilskin” by Scott Gustafson for The Greenwich Workshop
Your next piece of fantasy fun is calling.
Remember to check out the Rediscovered Realms Amazon Storefront for the most epic gift-giving ideas for those important adventurers in your life (including yourself 🗡)
(As an Amazon2Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)
by Ian Miller for Wizards of the Coast
“The Spring Born” by Frank Frazetta for Everway/Wizards of the Coast
“Hell Friezes 1: Cerberus” by Todd Lockwood
“Standpoint” by Wes Benscoter
“White Bear King Valemon” by William Stout for Terra Nova Press
Here’s another Fantasy Art Sketchbook Rediscovered Realms newsletter from the vault you’ll probably like:
“Cleric” by Don Maitz for FPG. (Art Director: Keith Parkinson, Designer: Mike Ploog)
“Gargoyles” by Joseph Vargo for Monolith Graphics
“The Dreaming Sea” by Richard Hescox
“Bookwyrm” by Doug Beekman for SFBC/Doubleday
“Heart of Thunder” by David Martin
May the sparks from these pages ignite a passionate fire within you, Adventurer — reminders of how wildly imaginative, seductive, moody, and mythic fantasy art can be when unleashed. Until next time, keep your eyes aflame and your wonder even brighter.
Keep the Adventure Going Strong!
Which piece featured from Spectrum 3 stirred your imagination the most?
Spread Adventure Awesomeness! Don’t just Stare - SHARE! If you know other Adventurers who would enjoy this newsletter, please share it with them directly or on social media.
Beauty and the Blade [Verse 1] On the edge of the dying frontier, Where cold winds carve the bone, They rise from ruins like thunder, Warriors, their skills well-honed Beauty and scars lit by embers, Eyes like storm-forged flame— The monsters roar their challenge, But already fear their names. [Pre-Chorus] Steel sings in their hands, And shadows bow in fear— For their lover is the iron Keeping it ever near. [Chorus] These are the women who won’t be broken, Fire in their veins, their ancient token. Beautiful, brutal, unafraid to feel— Grace like lightning, hearts of steel. When the beasts come crawling from the night— They rise. They fight. They shine. In steel. [Verse 2] Blood on the stones of the wasteland, Ash on the wind like doom— But their stride is a vow unspoken, A promise cutting swift through the gloom. They’ve buried kings and nightmares, Laid legends in the dust— Their beauty is not a weakness— It is power that will not rust. [Pre-Chorus] Steel sings in their hands, And darkness reels away— For the metal in their heartbeat Is the dawn that ends the fray. [Chorus] These are the women who won’t be broken, Fire in their veins, their ancient token. Beautiful, brutal, unafraid to feel— Grace like lightning, hearts of steel. When the beasts come crawling from the night— They rise. They fight. They shine. In steel. [Bridge] No ring but the blade, No hearth but the field— They conquer by courage, By strength that won’t yield. Let the heavens remember How the boastful were laid— In the forge of the fallen, Where ironmaidens are made. [Final Chorus] (bigger, darker) These are the women forged unshaken, Every wound a vow unbroken. Beautiful, deadly, they never kneel— Storm-born warriors of unyielding steel. When the darkness screams for blood tonight— They rise. They fight. They shine. In steel. They rise! They fight! They Shine! IN STEEL!!!
That’s the Frazetta illustration that I had commissioned for my Everway RPG back in 1995, and it’s nice to see it popping up here and there