Fantasy Style From Your Child's Drawing — How It Works (2026)
Turn your child's drawing into Fantasy-style art (magical and epic). Best for imagined worlds, magical creatures, epic landscapes — the kid's "what if" drawings. Free for the first five transformations.
Fantasy style on Sketchra turns your child's drawing into a finished piece in the aesthetic of high-fantasy book covers and Studio Ghibli landscapes — magical and epic, imagined worlds, magical creatures, epic landscapes — the kid's "what if" drawings. It's one of eight styles available on every Sketchra account, including the free tier.
This guide explains what Fantasy style is, which kinds of children's drawings work best in it, why parents pick it, and how to set up your first transformation. The full workflow takes about three minutes once your kid has the drawing.
The five-second version
- Fantasy style is best for: Imagined worlds, magical creatures, epic landscapes — the kid's "what if" drawings.
- Visually similar to: high-fantasy book covers, Studio Ghibli landscapes, illustrated mythologies.
- The aesthetic preserves the child's authorship while elevating the result to something framable.
- Available on Sketchra's free tier — first five transformations are free, no card required.
What Fantasy style actually looks like
Fantasy is the style that takes a drawing seriously in the way the kid wishes the world would. When a six-year-old draws a kingdom on a cliff, a unicorn made of stars, or a forest where the trees have faces, they are not drawing a picture of something they have seen. They are drawing a place they have invented, and they want it taken seriously as a place. Fantasy style does that. The aesthetic borrows from high-fantasy book covers and animated film backgrounds — atmospheric lighting, deep colour palettes, a sense of scale, often a hero figure in the middle distance — and it tends to elevate the kid's invention into something that feels canonised.
Fantasy is the style that takes the kid's imagination as seriously as they do.
Many of the most-loved drawings in our gallery are Fantasy transformations of drawings that, in their original form, were genuinely incoherent: a unicorn next to a robot next to a flying pig. Fantasy gives that combination a mood, a weather, and a setting, and the result is a coherent imaginary world rather than a list of disconnected things. Parents tell us Fantasy is the style their kids most often request for second and third transformations — they see what it does to their first drawing and immediately want to draw a sequel. From a memory-keeping perspective, Fantasy also captures something about a specific year: there is always a year when your kid is obsessed with dragons, or castles, or wolves. Fantasy preserves that obsession in a frame.
Drawings that work disproportionately well in Fantasy style
Not every children's drawing is equally suited to Fantasy style. The subjects below are the ones we see produce consistently strong results in this aesthetic.
- A kingdom on a cliff with banners
- A unicorn or magical creature
- A wizard, knight, or hero figure
- A forest with a strange weather
- A dragon in flight
- An invented map of an invented place
Why parents pick Fantasy style
Fantasy works for parents who want imagined worlds, magical creatures, epic landscapes — the kid's "what if" drawings. It's also a strong default when you're not sure which style to pick — the aesthetic carries weight without overpowering the child's original intent.
How Fantasy style compares to Sketchra's other styles
Sketchra has eight styles in total. Fantasy sits in a specific slot among them; depending on your child's drawing and what you're trying to do with it, another style might be a better fit.
| Style | Vibe | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Storybook | classic children's-book illustration | Drawings of characters, scenes, and stories — especially … |
| Watercolour | soft, dreamy, frame-worthy | Quiet, reflective drawings — landscapes, single character… |
| Cartoon | bright, bold, full of energy | High-energy drawings — superheroes, dragons, action scene… |
| ★ Fantasy | magical and epic | Imagined worlds, magical creatures, epic landscapes — the… |
| Pixel Art | retro game character | Single characters, action poses, kids who already love ga… |
| 3D Render | textured and alive | Single characters or scenes the kid wants to see "for real". |
| Comic | bold lines, action-ready | Action scenes, multi-character drawings, kids who already… |
| Original | enhanced, but unmistakably theirs | Parents who want to celebrate the drawing without changin… |
How to make your first transformation in this style
(1) Sit down with your child and draw something specific — a kingdom on a cliff with banners, a unicorn or magical creature, or any subject that fits imagined worlds, magical creatures, epic landscapes — the kid's "what if" drawings. (2) Photograph it in good light against a contrasting surface. (3) Upload to Sketchra and pick Fantasy. (4) Wait roughly 30–60 seconds. The transformation will land in your gallery, ready to download in high-resolution.
For first-time users, we recommend trying two or three different drawings in Fantasy style before committing — the aesthetic is consistent across drawings, but how it interacts with each specific drawing is worth seeing for yourself. The free tier covers this.
Free to start · No credit card · All 8 styles included
What to do with the result
- Print at home — the high-resolution file works at frame-ready sizes from 5x7 up to 16x20.
- Order a framed print or canvas through your preferred local or online print shop.
- Set as a phone wallpaper or lock-screen — works particularly well for the styles that lean digital-native.
- Send the file digitally to a grandparent, aunt, or partner who can't be in the room.
- Save to your gallery and let it sit a few days — sometimes the transformation lands differently after you've seen it twice.
Frequently asked questions
What is Fantasy style on Sketchra, and what makes it different?
Fantasy is one of Sketchra's eight art styles for transforming children's drawings. The aesthetic is magical and epic — visually it sits closest to high-fantasy book covers and Studio Ghibli landscapes. Fantasy is the style that takes the kid's imagination as seriously as they do.
Which kinds of children's drawings work best in Fantasy style?
Imagined worlds, magical creatures, epic landscapes — the kid's "what if" drawings. Common subjects parents transform in this style include: A kingdom on a cliff with banners; A unicorn or magical creature; A wizard, knight, or hero figure. The transformation preserves the child's specific drawing while giving it a finished aesthetic that prints and frames well.
Can I use Fantasy style for free?
Yes. Sketchra's free tier includes all eight styles, including Fantasy, on the first five transformations from any new account. No credit card is required to try it. Beyond five, the Family subscription ($14.99/month) or one-off token packs unlock additional generations.
Will my child's drawing still look like theirs in Fantasy style?
Yes — that's the entire editorial decision behind every Sketchra style. Fantasy elevates the drawing into a finished aesthetic without erasing the child's authorship. The wobbly lines, the specific way they drew the eyes, the proportions they chose — those stay. The style change is a layer on top, not a replacement.
The best memories aren't made on holidays. They're made on the ordinary Tuesday you sat down and drew dragons together.
Free to start · No credit card · Takes 30 seconds