Drawing & Painting Fantasy Beasts
Kevin Walker
Barron's
Nonfiction, Art
****
DESCRIPTION: Contributions from several artists describe the process of creating original fantasy beasts, from sphinxes and minotaurs to bizarre predators and elementals.
REVIEW: Not a book for beginners by any means, it doesn't bother with anatomy lessons or shading or other issues. It assumes the reader/artist knows a thing or two about creating basic art, despite starting with the near-obligatory sections on setting up a studio and choosing a medium. The bulk of the book is just what the title says, a series of fantasy beasts from a variety of environments. Only a few bear any resemblance to well-known creatures, and even they take the basic ideas in wild directions. Some of the final images bugged me; the anatomy seemed iffy on one or two, even given the stylization, and once again they messed up on converting bat wings to dragons (this time, they got the wrist properly identified, but they forgot that there are joints in the fingers, as well as an elbow joint.) Overall, an inspiring read, and even the drawings I wasn't too fond of are well beyond my current skill level anyway.
You might also enjoy:
Drawing & Painting Fantasy Landscapes & Cityscapes (Rob Alexander, Art - Drawing unreal yet believable scenery)
Drawing & Painting Fantasy Figures and Drawing & Painting Fantasy Worlds (Finlay Cowan, Art - Creating fantasy people and a world for them to live in)
Anatomy for Fantasy Artists (Glenn Fabry, Art - How to stretch human anatomy to fit fantasy archetypes)
The Encyclopedia of Fantasy and Science Fiction Art Techniques (John Grant and Ron Tiner, Art - Ways to develop fantasy and sci-fi images)
Imaginative Realism (James Gurney, Art - Making the imaginary and impossible look real)
Fantasy Art Workshop (John Howe, Art - The process of creating fantasty images)
Forging Dragons (John Howe, Art - Designing and drawing dragons)
How to Draw and Paint Dragons (Tom Kidd, Art - A course in creating dragons, from starting gesture to finishing touches)
The Fantasy Illustrator's Technique Book (Gary A. Lippincott, Art - Creating fantasy people, animals, and scenes)
The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures (John & Caitlin Matthews, Nonfiction - An extensive listing of imaginary beasts and beings)
Creating Creatures of Fantasy and Imagination (Claudia Nice, Art - Using pen & ink and watercolors to create fantastic beasts and beings)
DragonArt (J. "NeonDragon" Peffer, YA? Art - How to draw dragons and several other fantastic animals)
The Book of Fabulous Beasts (Joseph Nigg, Nonfiction - Classical origins and evolution of fabulous animals)
Dracopedia: A Guide to Drawing the Dragons of the World (William O'Connor, Art - A guide to developing concepts and drawing dragons)
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (J.K. Rowling, YA Fiction - A quick bestiary of fantastic animals, some tradition and some invented for the Harry Potter universe)
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