51 Enigmatic Forest Concept Art That Will Amaze You

But have that time really passed into oblivion or are the mysterious woods really that uninhabited? Or, are they actually doorways to the realm of unimaginable wonders?

Artists have actively sought to capture this enigmatic forest aura in numerous art forms since time immemorial, but not a single depiction seems to have failed to amaze us. The developments of the digital art mediums have redefined the effects depicting the forest environment, opening up an enormous scope for stunning new designs!

And if you’re looking to create just the thing, then your search ends here! Because we have brought you a list of 51 breathtaking ideas for the enigmatic forest concepts for your art!

So sit back and go through what we have to tell you about them all!

Forest Concept Art

The Forest of Tree-dwellers

The concept of houses made in the trees is usually a pretty fun thing to think about, probably connecting us to our childhood memories. However, over here the idea is to create a forest that is entirely consisted of cottages built on trees. The structures look like a bit inspired by the Japanese art style. The digital work lays the foundation of an unusual rural setting beautifully with the world of the rest of the forest inhabitants.

Image via artstation.com

Of the Mythical Beings

The mystical forest of the untamed forces manifests to those who feel their presence with the deepest emotions of love and reverence for their abode. The forest draws you in and makes you a part of itself revealing its wonders to you. The feeling is probably that of fear initially which gives way to an awe-inspiring, yet at the same time, a humbling experience. To depict this takes for one to play with varying depths of colors and incredible layout pattern.

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Forest Lights

To depict the enchanting lights in a darker sylvan environment, a scheme of darker colors should be allowed to unfold naturally on a layout that accentuates the levels of saturation showing the variations for these tones. Once you’ve created the layout, etching out the positioning, the figures are going to be fairly easy. The formation of lights will take a bit of patience and experimentation with positions and proportions.

Image via Pinterest

Tunnel-vision of the green

A forest done in absolute green tones could stand for many things- the good, the beautiful or dangerous elements. A streamlined vision of the path winding through such a place could evoke the most profound sense of mystery if done using just the correctly balanced-out color palette. Complimentary earthy tones will emphasize the natural hues of the forest making an incredible overall visual impact. The order for light-to-dark tones will depend on the symmetrical positioning of the spaces in the scene.

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Snow-toned

A snowy forest with medieval elements could be a tad bit tricky to manage than most natural scapes. The colors to balance out the natural white tones can be tough but with little understanding of the cool and neutral-toned palette is going to help you immensely in creating the snowy forest. Natural depths of gray and blues contrasted with the warmth of the morning colors(since it isn’t night) is just what you need in the right proportions to fill up the many layers of this particular scene.

Image via artstation

The sun-filtered forest

The effects of sunlight filtering through the dense foliage and dropping to the forest-floor in strands of brilliantly green gold can absolutely hypnotize the eye and captivate the heart. The play of stunning greens and gold tones set against a more darker, and somewhat “haunting” setup of ominous looking forest realm will bring about the kind of balance that the world would rarely have witnessed. This balance is the true magic line that divides the spheres of mystique and drab reality.

Image via creativeuncut

Earth and warm-toned primal forest

The earthy colors to paint an old and primitive forest require a well-studied and thought-out approach with the overall design and layout. The fundamental structure of the forest will provide you with an idea of the saturation levels of the colors. This decides the effect that the darker and the lighter tones will create. The setting depends entirely on what order you follow with the varying color intensities. The positioning of the trees will give a decisive touch to the element of mystery in such a setting.

Image via blogspot

Watercolor effects to draw a forest mystical

One of the most attractive creations in the department of enigmatic forest creations is that of the watercolor effect that you could easily achieve using the digital art medium. The effects that the blend of such colors will provide can give you all the scopes of developing further on the theme of enigma and mystery to accentuate the visual impact of the scene. The elements of magic in this image will depend significantly on the proportions of the object depicted. That is what is going to tell the story.

Image deviantart

An unusual forest village

The secret village of mysterious beings in an equally enigmatic forest setting that can be one of the most stunning ideas for cryptic forest concept art. The mystery of the inhabitants further intensifies with the effect of the green, swampy setting that is lighted up with this beautiful colony that looks not of this world. The brilliance of the layout is coded in the color scheme and an idea that follows the division of the realms of the humans from that of those who aren’t.

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The secret forest temple

The legend of the secret temple hidden deep within the recesses of the primitive forest evokes the kind of primal sense of fear mixed with a sublime feeling of absolute awe in the wake of the magnanimity of the structures and the history of the beings that constructed it. The human amidst this is a foreigner, but they will respect his feelings, expecting the same for him. The forest is not his territory and to portray this in art will take more than just the dead-set rules and expected plan of action.

Image via conceptartworld

The Darker Forest Ground

The darker parts of the jungle would no doubt pose a challenge for the artist. The color scheme for these areas should be panned out on the kind of layout that allows you to coordinate them with the natural tone of the jungle. The immediate requirement to create such a design is a technique of comparing the levels of saturation and contrast between the naturally darker tones of the forest. The cohesive element for the structure is contained within the calculated dimensions of the layout itself.

Image via concepartworld

The Futuristic Forest World

Next up we have an image that immediately strikes us being pretty futuristic-almost like a prediction of how our familiar world will change in the upcoming times. This kind of a forest setting almost displays the intrusion of something foreign into the area of something that used to be uninhibited, wild and raw in essence. The proliferating alien colonies in the forest look breathtakingly beautiful and yet at the same time present a viciously fearful setting that might just spell doom for the rest of the human race.

Image via 3dtotal

Blue Horizon

The experimentation with the calmest hue in the color spectrum for creating the mysterious forest concept could give you simply spectacular results. If you’re trying to define a multilevel forest structure that also demarcates a border between the entrance or familiar grounds of the forest and a deeper level that marks the beginning of a more mysterious realm, this kind of a blue color scheme that mixes seamlessly with every tone of gree, could work wonders for your creation.

Image via deviantart

The solitary forest waterfall

The lonely waterfall in the dark recesses of the forest stands to be enigmatic is its sheer origin. It could be the visiting grounds for god knows what kind of creature, but at the same time it looks hauntingly beautiful is whichever way you want to look at it. The structure and the proportions of the overall design are almost set ablaze with the beauty of the tiniest ray of glimmering daylight that is sparked off the water intensifying the mysterious aura of the setting even more.

Image via Tumblr

The mutant forest

The setting for the otherworldly mutant forest setting almost reminds you of something straight out of a Lovecraft or Stephen King book. Trees like no normal forest trees rooting around huge glowing orbs monstrously can draw the unsuspecting wandering in, closing off the exits to this perpetual maze, ending all hopes for the human figure all at once. This eldritch setting could be depicted fantastically well if you laid out a calculated pattern for the overall structure. As long as you get the pattern right, the color scheme is not going to pose much of a problem.

Image via inprnt.com

The Secret of The Snowy Forest

Although we have previously discussed the techniques which you could use to get a snowy forest, this one could be a challenge to the artist, owing to the textural variations. The image is undoubtedly created on a digital platform but the textures achieved are those of acrylics and oil paints. This could be easily achieved with the modulation and manipulation of the textural settings on whatever software you’re using.This balance between the cool and warmer tones accentuating the darker tones and impressionistic touches for the scene is the key factor creating this visual enigma.

Image via blogspot

The Ultimate Gothic Forest Setting

The Gothic forest is probably the most beautiful and stunningly spectacular setting when it comes to enigmatic concept art for forests. If you have the just the perfect play of colors going on with the natural dark forest tones, then this is a concept you can seldom go wrong with. The gigantic figure of the weeping angel that you do see in the image is the focal point on the picture with the ultimate enigma being the presence of the burning lantern in her hand regarding the origin of it.

Who lights it every day in the forest? What does the relic signify? All of the lives of the inhabitants of this forest seem to be going around it, and it almost seems like a protective figure to them for that reason.

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The Hermit’s Cottage

The solitary cottage in the dark depths of the forest is one of the widely popular themes for the enigmatic forest setting. The literal sense of fear that it might evoke on the mind is the feeling that this image seems to stand for. The color scheme is evidently all dark for this one, the real deal with this is the kind of layout you have to decide on for the environment surrounding the structure. If it is placed towards the mouth of the forest, it’s not gonna be that impactful. To signify the dark recesses of the forest to signify the location will require a more controlled way of depicting the colors, for instance, the forest mists and the green glow of the creek.

Image via deviantart

The fun treehouse in the woods

We have already discussed one of the enigmatic concepts regarding treehouses earlier. This is a more relaxed and a more traditional depiction of our familiar treehouse. This one actually carries a fun tone and is not that serious in the kind of visual impact it creates. This is why it gives you a certain degree of freedom when it comes to playing with the colors than the rigidity found in traditional layouts and schemes. The residence of the unknown inhabitant of this forest is surrounded by an almost “fairy-tale”-ish aura that makes a wonderful overall visage.

Image via jeromino

The Forest Nymph

The Nymph of the sylvan world is an incredibly beautiful figure that holds her reign over numerous legends, stories, and lores. The forest of this spirit-figure is as her beautiful as she is. Although there can be a wide range of interpretation regarding the nature of the figure, this kind of an image creates a mystery that further deepens with an equally enigmatic silhouette of the “seeker” going towards the nymph. The color is kept in a surreal texture that easily mesmerizes the eye, and the entire scope is warped a bit inwards to accentuate the “zen”-like feeling evoked by the setting.

Image via Tumblr

The mystical fireflies

The depiction of the fireflies in the forest is the traditional depiction of a mysterious setting that is depicted in an endless number of fanarts. The play of colors can be kept to just the very basic that won’t require much experimentation on your part if you want to keep it simple. However, placing the dots to create the fireflies could be something that you have to be aware of, especially at places you want to throw in a bit of sun-rays for that matter. The saturation of the dot colors should stand out boldly against your forest setting, accentuating the enigmatic leading pathways inside the forest.

Image via conceptartworld

Depicting forest animals

The animals of the forest could be a challenge as it requires for you to portray both the essential beauty and spirit of the forest as well as the vital energy of the life forms that inhabit this beautiful realm. The proportions and dimensions of such a forest scape should no doubt be a sprawling one that sustains the life forms and majestically displays them in their natural situations to the human eye. The structural cohesion and integrity will require for you to invest the major part of your focus to details of the overall form and design.

Image via conceptartworld

The grandeur of the forest temple

The image of the lost temple in the forest that could be viewed from atop a hill or a plateau is a famous concept for enigmatic forest art. This structure that seems to belong to the Mayans or the Incas is depicted as being situated near a huge waterfall deep into the jungle. The tribal designs and patterns for the jungle are of the utmost importance when etching out such a design. The epic design and the grandeur of the whole scene will depend on how well you position the different structures and the pathways to the temple through the forest as well as the overall view of it.

Image via blogspot

The cabin in the snowy woods

The image of the lonely cabin in a clearing surrounded by deep, lush forest areas in a winter setting evokes an incredibly serene and calm feeling. The mountain range coupled with the snowy white visage on a lonely knight stirs up a deep sense of romantic mysticism in the heart. But, the only element of utter shock in the entire picture is the splintering of the ice grounds on which it stands without no visible boundary separating it from the waterbody.

The uncomplicated color pattern for this could be brought about beautifully, especially using digital software which can give you any sort of texture for portraying the beauty of the setting.

Image via behance

Surrealistic magnificence

The utter beauty of the surrealistic forest setting captivates the eye in a way that no other art form can. The vivid colors contrasting the glowing effects can pan out stunningly, given that you grasp the requirements of the overall layout which may be tricky to understand, especially because of the mystical, otherworldly figures you’re supposed to represent. This mysterious forest is unlike any other and has an unstoppable brilliance that pervades into the sensual realm of whoever beholds the scene.

Image via tumblr

The Glowing Forest Waterworks!

The depiction of lively, cheerful, brooks and creeks cascading through the upturns and features of the forest and merging into great fall, can make anyone give up on the drab human existence in the city and become a prisoner of its beauty for the rest of their lives. The depiction of this setting of marvelous beauty, complemented by jutting, imposing features, going up to the sky, showcase a unique balance between the elements of nature. The only thing about this one is the positioning of these features and the control that you have to exercise to depict the waterways.

Image via deviantart

The Silhouettes of The Forest

This image is one of the simplest one to recreate or develop upon. Unlike the intricate layers of textures that generally go on to create an elaborate forest setting, this kind of a layout is going to give all the scope etching out a brilliant image for an enigmatic forest image. The simple dark layers forming the silhouettes are accentuated by the vivid red veins that mark the tree branches pooling out into a glaring forest pathway that guides the curious wanderer deeper into its realm. The entire thing is set against a beautiful tone of green background that intensifies the riddle for us.

Image via Tumblr

28.The forest of the Titans

This is a unique concept of the forest that can evoke raw feelings of fear and awe in equal measures when transcribed in visual art. The titanic, earthbound, frighteningly humanoid relic structure with their palms outstretched and glimmering in a single strand of sun ray and set against a colossal cascade is something that creates a haunting the atmosphere for every human eye.

You may only think that the only beings that can fearlessly tread this ground are the mysteriously glowing figures of the mystical beings, but there might be so much more for the mind to explore. The challenge lies in sketching the intricate pathways that connect the almost tipping boulders that form this realm.

Image via kotaku

The Impressionistic Touch

The great thing about digital art media is the numerous kinds of textures that one could create when it comes to depicting natural scapes. The variations in the colors and tone that you could achieve from the default slots as well as customize upon is literally endless in this. What we have over here is an impressionist rendition of a beautiful forest area depicting spring colors in full bloom. The touches for creating the texture specifically create an intense, romantic feeling that tugs at your imagination and makes you want to be the lonely wandering figure inching towards their idealistic quest.

Image via instagram

The Forest of the Wendigo

Well, whether the Wendigo is just an urban legend that keeps campers from sleeping, we cannot tell, neither can we say that the lonely traveler has ever had the ill-fate of coming across one. But what we can say is that the awesome concept of this monster figure can create a spectacularly haunting forest atmosphere. The key factor to set the scene is the subtle depiction of the monster figure-only the silhouette-coming out of the dark forest at night to meet the lonely camper. It is taller than the trees.

The only popping visual in this entire setting is the vividly colored tent and the silhouette of the camper inside, ignorant of his fate. This play of silhouettes is what sets the story for the sequence and the setting.

Image via vk

Down the Forest River

The forest river is a fantastic concept for depicting the real mysterious realm of the forest. The green aura of the atmosphere reveals a rare tone of the color when it hits the light, reflecting back off the surface of the water. And this is exactly what you have to reveal when you go for the concept. The character that is sailing down the river is the cohesive element for all of the elements of the scene to come together in unison, irking the curiosity of the viewer. The statistics for the layout is extremely essential to create this kind of an image.

Image via blogspot

Arthur's Eden

King Arthur’s destiny was set in the stone from which he had pulled out the Excalibur. But the concept of the riddling circumstances amidst which he became the ultimate Knight figure has been repeatedly projected in art since the birth of the legend itself, portrayed in a million different styles, toggling between traditional and digital art forms. The enigmatic forest setting with the Sword in the Stone, waiting silently for its claimant is an exceptionally charged emotional visage for an enchanting forest concept.

Image via visualart

Classic digital forest lights

There are numerous stunning ways to depict forest lights and mystical forest realms using the digital art media. The layouts for creating such spectacular designs are fairly uncomplicated. The only thing that is required is a deft hand at layering up and controlling the saturation levels of the colors.

The scene can be given a surrealistic touch by changing the dimensions and proportions of the setting, which could include warping, manipulating the structure and modulating the tonal variations. The silhouettes of characters provide a depth to the scene, intensifying the mystery of the setting.

Image via instagram

Forest Joojoos

As had been discussed earlier, the depiction of mythical characters and figures require an understanding of the kind of aura that you are aiming to create in relation to the nature of the beings you want to create. Rather than looking like vicious creatures emerging from the dark, “joojoos” can look pretty adorable and in all possibilities, can turn out to be the “good guys” if you obeyed the rules of their forest realm.

Image via blogspot

Acrylic strokes on digital media

Acrylic strokes or oil-paints effects are one of the coolest effects to work with when you want to etch out nature sketch in the digital medium. This provides a free play of all kinds of brush strokes available by default in the software, or you can customize your own strokes for that matter. It also provides an excellent scope for experimentation with natural colors bends for trees or foliage in general. The mix of color attained by this medium is truly remarkable.

Image via deviantart

The kingdom of the forest spirits

To portray an entire kingdom and civilization of the unnamed beings of the forests takes for one to decode the complexity of the structural layout. The grandeur achieved in the style, form and the overall structure of each of the elements in the scene can only be replicated when the artist can exercise complete control over the handling of the cohesive factors while depicting such an epic concept in color. The only simple factor in the entire concept is probably the color scheme, but that too needs to be manipulated according to the requirements of the tone and atmosphere of the setting.

Image via artstation

The Enchanted Forest!

The mystical environment of the enchanted forest lit up with the floating, glowing orbs and specks creates an absolutely hypnotic environment for the human eye and soul. The mystery of the entire setting deepens when the question regarding the nature of the tiny “winged-beings” who can be glimpsed through the dark foliage is questioned. The magnificence of this setting is expressed with carved monoliths with beautiful haunting designs and the presence of the unaware human forms on the horizon of the boundaries.

The depiction of the entire setting runs on an extremely intricate layout devised on meticulous calculations of the tiniest details. This could the most spectacular challenge for any artist.

Image deviantart

Where the elemental force abounds

To etch out the true spirit of a realm that is controlled entirely by the raw, elemental forces staying in mutual harmony with the mortal beasts of the place is the highest form of art. One has to understand the fact that it isn’t just the depiction of the animals, trees, rocks or the immediately comprehensible facets of the setting that holds the central place. What essentially matters in such a setting is the vital balance of the auras belonging to both the worldly and the otherworldly elements residing in the forest, that is reflected in the astonishing, powerful visual impact created by the image.

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The Revolt of the Monstrous Roots

The theme of the evil or monstrous trees is an incredibly popular theme that is depicted in literature and art of all forms alike that include both textual and visual representations found in books, movies, and stills. The mysterious forest path going through the glowing, slimy green trunks of gigantic trees creates an aura of suspense and doom. The portrayal of the human figures has been made to look tiny, being drawn in by sheer curiosity to this vicious form, which seals the fate for them and sets the tone of story for us.

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The heart of the forest

The fascinating thing about portraying the structure of trees in any kind of art medium (be it traditional or digital) is that you could give it your own interpretations expressed through all kinds of forms and designs. What we have here is an epic structure of trees in the forest that looks like a gateway to a different world against an electrifying shade of neon light blue. This natural portal beckons the protagonist of the story deep into the mystical world of heavens know what residing on the other side to it.

Image via designm

The Forest Cove

Following the unusual fairy lights through the deep recesses of the mystical woods, the solitary wanderer finds a gigantic cove exuding a shocking blue glow that is reflected off the turquoise waterway in the forest. The setting is eerily beautiful even with the ominous sense of foreboding in the human mind regarding the nature of whatever lies in the cove. This perfect balance of dynamically powerful feelings that are evoked upon witnessing such a scene spells the level of grandeur of the concept itself.

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Lively Greens!

A forest done in resplendent, radiant shades of green provide the artist with two main benefits- first, the scope to experiment enormously with the natural colors and textures of the wood; and second, the ease to confidently set the aura of the atmosphere as they work on it. To accentuate the mysticism of such a structure, the artist can play with proportions by adding the element of mysterious creatures and the draw out a layout of immense dimensional difference between the figures and the forest.

Image via pgntree

Setting the position of the view

Positioning the view for the onlooker's eye is unquestionably the most significant aspect of any art piece, especially for a visual still in both traditional and digital forms. The present image of a lotus fall cascading through a forest opens up the view from a lower angle in the foreground that focuses on the effect of the texture of water and the elements in it, rather than the epic fall in the background itself, that is placed in relation to what we immediately see when we see the image.

Image via Pinterest

Playing with single colors and monochromatic textures

The experimentations with single colors for a natural scape fundamentally requires for the artist to be extremely well-read and skilled in playing with textures as well as the saturation and opacity of the chosen color. The portion done in a brilliantly or shockingly bright color looks twice a much beautiful against a black and white setting than a piece that consists of several things going on with bright lights.

To add a sense of awe, over here the gold color has been used to depict the human and the supernatural figure going at it. The visual drama is created with proficient handling of controlling the levels of saturation of the colors.

Image via twitter

The theme of the relic in the forest

A popular style of depicting a riddling setting of a forest or solitary mountain range is adding the element of a seemingly strange structure-a relic that apparently hints at the presence of a similarly unknown civilization that had lived in the past or may still be dwelling in the recesses of this realm. The requirement for portraying this well lies in the positioning of the relic in the forest and the positioning of the view that will emphasize the aura of this enigma for the viewer.

Image via Pinterest

The roof of the hut in the forest

This present image somewhat adds a contemporary touch to it, in the sense that it is almost photographic and interprets the significant portion of the theme through just a slice of personal space, like that of a small part of the interior of a forest-dweller’s home. The immediate effect and question created are about the origin and ownership of this place. Who lives here? The atmosphere of suspense intensifies with the depiction of a lush, untamed growth of forest foliage on the bamboo roof of this makeshift place.

Image via Pinterest

Guardian of the Forest

The figure of the ultimate guardian spirit of the forest is one that demands the portrayal of all other elements of the image to be in a perfectly cohesive structure around it. It’s almost like a build-up where each of the elements of the forest is created in a way that anticipates a final mega and ultimate expression in the figure of the guardian spirit. This can be a breathtaking forest visage concept that works entirely and solely on the factor of extreme control exercised while creating the overall setting.

Image via heartit

Miyazaki’s Forest!

For those acquainted with the brilliance Hayao Miyazaki’s and Studio Ghibli’s creations have probably tried to depict Princess Mononoke’s realm and put Totoro and No-Face from “Spirited Away” in it! But nevertheless, this is one concept that stands to be one of the greatest forms of inspiration for creating the forest realm of riddles since its creation. But the icing on the cake for this one? Of course, the adorable figures of the forest spirit beckoning you towards their home!

Image via Pinterest

The Ethereal Glow of the Sublime Forest Realm

Portraying the true forest atmosphere is indeed one of the daunting tasks when it comes to the enigmatic forest concept art factor. Apart from the importance of moderating the textures of the scene in the appropriate levels, the tonal changes and variations of the colors should be in accordance with the emotions that you’re trying to depict. The solitary human figure stands for the myriad emotions that anyone would feel on witnessing the utter magnificence of such a place.

Image via Pinterest

The doorway in the forest

The portal to a world beyond that which you know reveals itself to those who can feel the power of the forest entirely with their own power of true emotions. The lonely wanderer or the forest dweller might catch a glimpse of the residents of that other world and the sparkling glory of their visage from a distance, but they know that that is sacred ground and obeys the rules of the forest. The depiction seems to express the harmonious existence of these two worlds and the mutual respect that their residents have for each other.

Image via Pinterest

In unconventional colors

An enigmatic forest setting can be depicted in a spectacular way using unique colors and textures. The variations of the colors and the balance that is achieved between the play of colors and textural cohesion owing to the manipulation of the saturation of hues in the different layers is the fundamental aspect of the image that the artist should focus on. The mythical feature of the centaur glimpsed poised on in the setting evokes a haunting sense of mystery and the yearning towards getting acquainted with that sort of preternatural beauty.

Image via Tumblr

Conclusion

So that was what we think are some of the most stunning ideas for a mysterious forest art concept. We did try to decode the techniques for you to learn up on them more. We hope you liked our efforts.

Till next time!

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