Pushing Boundaries within Fantasy Art
Posted by Emily Roach on 27th Feb 2025
To some, he is the modern erotic master, bringing their risqué fantasies to life with the effortless stroke of his tablet pen. To others, he is the modern erotic master they simply haven’t met yet. Brazilian artist Sabu takes adult illustration to new heights with his unmatched draughtsmanship, but make no mistake — life drawing this is not. The kinkier among you will be well satisfied with scenes that would make the Marquis de Sade proud. Or, in his own words, ‘erotic art, usually with a focus on taboo or unusual themes’. Couldn’t have put it better myself.
It goes without saying that we’re thrilled to present The Goblin Den, a portfolio of illustrations with exclusive bonuses available through Korero Press. These high-quality prints (complete with a certificate of authenticity) tell the tale of an expedition gone awry, as four adventurers come face to face with the titular, fearsome goblin hoard. Sabu’s fantastical visual language is as rich and sumptuous as Arthur Rackham’s — but far less innocent — with cavernous lairs and wicked creatures on the hunt for flesh. You may want to keep the cover closed when you have guests around— this portfolio is strictly for adult eyes only.
I spoke to Sabu as he makes his first foray into print, to talk about artistic inspiration, keeping his audience happy, and how to survive an encounter with those oh-so-pesky goblins.
Q+A
Can you introduce yourself for the uninitiated?
Hello, my name is Sabu, and I'm an erotic artist trying to paint out all the strange little stories that I have bouncing in my head. I like painting many different things, but I'm best known for my works with the themes of bondage, noncon, domination and maledom.
You’re working with us on two titles, The Goblin Den and a secret project we’ll announce at a later date. Why did you feel now was the right time to take your work into the physical realm?
To be totally honest, I never expected any publisher to be interested in my work, given its… peculiar nature. Having my art printed never really crossed my mind as a possibility, so when I got a message from the Korero team,I realised that the books were really happening. I thought "better do it now before they change their mind" [laughs].
What was the inspiration for The Goblin Den? Is fantasy a genre you're often drawn to?
Medieval fantasy is a theme I love. I could spend years drawing things like goblins, trolls and barbarians, and I have taken inspiration from many different works of art, from manga like Berserk or Goblin Slayer to the paintings of Frank Frazetta and the drawings of Norman Lindsay. But if I had to pick the source of my fascination for this theme, it would be an RPG book I used to play with my brother and my father when I was a kid; it was called Deathtrap Dungeon, and it had some amazing drawings from Iain McCaig, those drawings really sparked my love for this setting.
You can absolutely see those influences in your art; it very much feels grounded in classic fantasy illustration of yore more than contemporary digital art. Do you feel these influences set you apart from other NSFW artists working today?
Hmm... yeah, I think it does a little bit. The flexibility of digital tools is invaluable for sure, and I myself work 99% digitally, but the restrictions imposed by traditional styles give the art some "grounding" I think - a place in time and a vague sense of nostalgia. In my opinion, for certain projects, emulating this traditional look can make the art style in itself contribute to the narrative of the piece, and I feel like this is the case with The Goblin Den.
What was your favourite part of working on The Goblin Den when you first created it?
This gonna sound a bit weird, but my favourite part of the process was drawing all the little rocks, plants and tree roots [laughs]. I just love drawing these little things: dried tree branches, weird little mushrooms, piles of rock, cracked pots, etc. There's just something immersive about it. You can almost feel their forms during the hatching process.
The devil really is in the details! Did you consciously hone your ability to draw environments, or was it something that developed organically? You seem to take as much care with your backgrounds as you do the figures themselves.
It was actually a bit of both [laughs]. I've always liked to use my backgrounds to expand the story and characters in my drawings, but I was never very good at it. To make interesting backgrounds you need a good grasp of perspective and a clear sense of space, otherwise the process gets too laborious, so around 2020 I decided to only make scenes with wide angles and large spaces. This forced me to learn perspective, and today drawing the backgrounds is one of my favourite parts of the process.
Your worldbuilding, even for a short comic like The Goblin Den, is always strong. Do you think your audiences have come to expect art with a narrative? How do you keep NSFW art fresh when you're so prolific?
Yes, today I say they do expect it, but it wasn't always like this. There are many ways to create amazing art that focuses mostly on the "erotic" part of erotic art, but humans are naturally attracted to stories and emotions, and these are tools that give us artists a small leg up in this niche, especially now with the whole Generative AI debacle. Creating interesting and engaging stories is still something only we humans can do, so I think we should lean on it.
As for keeping it fresh, I think that focusing on my own fantasies and interests ensures that my subjects will always resonate with someone else out there. Humans are unique in many ways but not so much in others, so I feel like successfully aiming to please yourself is a surefire way to truly reach others.
Why should people buy The Goblin Den? Let’s hear your pitch!
Ok, remember that I'm an artist, so my marketing skills are lacking at best [laughs], but I will try. The Goblin Den is the culmination of many years of love for adult art and passion for the craft of drawing, so if you have an interest in any of these two things, you should definitely buy The Goblin Den. How did I do?
Pretty good, I’d say. And finally, what should one do if they encounter a goblin hoard? Run? Fight? A secret third option?
Running, hiding or fighting probably wouldn’t work if you're alone, but goblins can be pretty dumb sometimes. So if you start shouting, "Help! help! Goblins over here, guys!" you might just convince them that your group of very badass friends is just around those trees behind you [laughs].
Excellent advice. I hope you’re all taking notes. Thank you to Sabu for taking the time to speak to us!
The Goblin Den is available for preorder now and will be released later this year.
Biography
Sabu is a digital artist from São Paulo, Brazil, who has been creating erotic artwork since 2009. He turned professional in 2014. His work mainly revolves around two themes: graphic fantasy and sci-fi power-play narratives and affectionate femboy illustrations. The combination of his technical skill, artistic vision, and no-holes barred explicit content has earned him a devoted social media following and cult status among the NSFW art community.
Follow Sabu on social media:
https://linktr.ee/thesabu
