“Beneath the Desert Moon”: The Dark, Surreal and Fantasy Artworks of Xavier Ortiz

Xavier Ortiz (aka BUILTFROMSKETCH) is a Sacramento-based watercolor illustrator and stay-at-home father who specializes in dark fantasy themes, drawing from his background in animation and storyboarding at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco to craft intricate, atmospheric scenes.

His portfolio features haunting motifs like witches, vampires, demons, and occult rituals, often rendered in watercolor and pastel to evoke a sense of eerie introspection and supernatural tension, as seen in pieces like “VVARLOCK (Devourer of Villages)” and “HALLOWS”. Ortiz’s style blends traditional media with subtle digital touches, inspired by music from artists like Chelsea Wolfe and personal reflections on internal demons, resulting in works that explore the blurred lines between reality and nightmare.

More: Instagram, Shop