World Building Rules That Actually Work for Artists

I went to Lightbox Expo and learned World Building rules from industry professionals who’ve worked for big names like Dreamworks and Sony. Here are 9 fundamental practices they ALL kept repeating. Perfect for hobby artists, concept artists, and anyone building fantasy worlds or designing original characters. Whether you're creating one massive fantasy world or multiple character-driven projects, these key takeaways will help you build cohesive, memorable work.

TIME STAMPS:
00:00 What I Learned from 3 Days at Lightbox Expo
01:37 RULE 1: Tell a Good Story
02:16 Story Frameworks: Hero’s Journey + Story Spine
03:58 RULE 2: Do Your Research
05:48 RULE 3: Build a Personal Reference Library
06:07 RULE 4: Details Matter
09:09 RULE 5: Design with Clarity
12:09 RULE 6: Be Consistent
12:37 RULE 7: Show Scale
13:06 RULE 8: Get Trusted, Targeted Feedback
13:51 RULE 9: Just Make It & Share It
14:52 Final Recap of All 9 Worldbuilding Rules

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS:
What world are you building? Tell me about your original characters. Drop a comment below.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:
The Hero’s Journey - https://www.jcf.org/learn/joseph-camp...
The Simple Story Framework -    • The Simple Story Framework That Built Pixa...  
Lightbox Expo ‪@LightBoxExpo‬https://lightboxexpo.com
Proko Drawing Basics Course - https://www.proko.com/course/drawing-...

ARTISTS REFERENCED:
Philippe Gaulier - https://www.philippegaulierart.com/
Victor Martinez - https://www.victor-martinez.com/
Jared Marantz - https://www.artstation.com/jsmarantz
Constantine Sekeris - http://artofconstantine.com/
Ed Natividad - https://www.artstation.com/veh6
Sandra Schw -   / sandraschw_art  
Joe Travis - https://joetravisart.com/
Maggie Kang -   / nutmags  
Helen Chen -   / mingjuechen  
Josh Beveridge -   / joshuabeveridge  

FIND ME ON SOCIAL:
Personal Instagram -   / theshavdesign  
Linework & Lore Instagram -   / lineworkandlore  

TAGS:
#worldbuilding #characterdesign #fantasyart #conceptart #lightboxexpo #artisttips #howtobuildaworld #fantasyillustration #worldbuildingtips #charactercreation #digitalart #artistjourney #creativeprocess #artcommunity #beginnerfriendly #lightboxexpo2025 #kpopdemonhunters #behindthescenes