Esad Ribic style reference and prompts

Painterly concept illustration sets a solidly modeled focal form against pale, partially dissolved surroundings. Blue-gray and cyan planes combine with chalk white, weathered tan, and small brown accents. Foreground structure feels expressive and weighty, with rough edges and selective sharpness, while the surrounding space becomes layered translucent blocks, dry-brush patches, and faint underdrawing. Broad cool light produces soft shadow shapes that retain volume. A long diagonal gives direction to the otherwise restrained composition. The result is tactile and atmospheric, with unfinished painterly transitions and controlled warm-cool contrast.

A square painterly fantasy illustration shows a muscular blue-skinned warrior crouching on pale stone steps in an old city. He dominates the center-left, bent forward with one knee raised, shoulders broad, and a stern downward gaze. Short horn-like projections curve from his temples. His clothing is practical and worn: a brown-gray draped tunic, wide belt, shoulder covering, wrist bracers, trousers, and heavy boots. One hand grips a long sword near the hilt, with the blade slanting from left center down toward the lower right and extending near the frame edge. The other arm steadies his compact pose. Behind him, closely stacked cream and pale blue buildings rise in soft, incomplete planes: arches, balconies, walls, and windows are suggested through translucent rectangles and broken brush marks rather than fully drafted. The palette is muted, centered on chalk white, blue-gray, cyan skin, weathered tan, and small warm brown accents. Light is broad and cool, brightening the stone and the top planes of his head and arms; shadows under the tunic and between walls remain soft rather than pitch black. The figure is solidly modeled with expressive anatomy and rough edges, while the background dissolves into layered architectural atmosphere. Dry brush, scraped patches, and partially visible underdrawing keep the painting tactile. There is no blood, combat opponent, lettering, or emblem. The image feels like a quiet pause in an epic narrative, holding power in the compressed crouch and the long blade across an airy, pale urban space.