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Dreamscapes
Dreamscapes: Creating Magical Angel, Faery & Mermaid Worlds In Watercolor
Bring a Fantasy World of Enchanting Beings to Life!
Angels, faeries and mermaids have engaged the imaginations and enchanted the brushes of artists for centuries. Now you can evoke the spirit of these mythical creatures and create fantastic works of ethereal art in watercolor. Step by inspired step, Stephanie Pui-Mun Law shows you how to paint the otherworlds' most marvelous creatures and exquisite settings. Twenty step-by-step projects show you how to create fantastic scenes that are elegantly styled, brilliantly colored, and alive with a sense of wonder.
Fabulous Realms! Create strange and lovely backgrounds, such as the meandering oak branches of faery folk, the celestial surrounding of angels, and the seascapes where mermaids dwell.
Delightful Details! From angel wings to mermaid tails, from flowing robes to faery gowns, learn to paint an imaginative variety of features, clothing and other details that ensure one-of-a-kind results.
Mystical Effects! Discover special watercolor techniques for adding magic and mystery to your paintings.
You'll begin by learning about essential materials, including brushes, paints, paper, then will move on to important techniques such as planning and sketching; figure proportions; specific characteristics of angels, faeries and mermaids (including clothing); developing backgrounds; and finishing techniques that add an air of magic.
Angels, faeries and mermaids have engaged the imaginations and enchanted the brushes of artists for centuries. Now you can evoke the spirit of these mythical creatures and create fantastic works of ethereal art in watercolor. Step by inspired step, Stephanie Pui-Mun Law shows you how to paint the otherworlds' most marvelous creatures and exquisite settings. Twenty step-by-step projects show you how to create fantastic scenes that are elegantly styled, brilliantly colored, and alive with a sense of wonder.
Fabulous Realms! Create strange and lovely backgrounds, such as the meandering oak branches of faery folk, the celestial surrounding of angels, and the seascapes where mermaids dwell.
Delightful Details! From angel wings to mermaid tails, from flowing robes to faery gowns, learn to paint an imaginative variety of features, clothing and other details that ensure one-of-a-kind results.
Mystical Effects! Discover special watercolor techniques for adding magic and mystery to your paintings.
You'll begin by learning about essential materials, including brushes, paints, paper, then will move on to important techniques such as planning and sketching; figure proportions; specific characteristics of angels, faeries and mermaids (including clothing); developing backgrounds; and finishing techniques that add an air of magic.
176 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2008
21 people are currently reading
443 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie Pui-Mun Law
48 books54 followersStephanie Pui-Mun Law has been painting fantastic otherworlds from early childhood, though her art career did not begin until 1998 when she graduated from a program of Computer Science. After three years of programming for a software company by day and rushing home to paint into the midnight hours, she left the world of typed logic and numbers, for painted worlds of dreams and the fae.
Her illustrations have been for various game and publishing clients, including Wizards of the Coast, HarperCollins, LUNA Books, Tachyon Books, Alderac Entertainment, and Green Ronin. In addition to the commissioned projects, she has spent a great deal of time working up a personal body of work whose inspiration stems from mythology, legend, and folklore. She has also been greatly influenced by the art of the Impressionists, Pre-Raphaelites, Surrealists, and the master hand of Nature. Swirling echoes of sinuous oak branches, watermarked leaf stains, the endless palette of the skies are her signature. Her background of over a decade as a flamenco dancer is also evident in the movement and composition of her paintings. Every aspect of her paintings moves in a choreographed flow, and the dancers are not only those with human limbs. What Stephanie tries to convey with her art is not simply fantasy, but the fantastic, the sense of wonder, that which is sacred.
While most of Stephanie's work is done with watercolors, she experiments with pen & ink, intaglio printing, acrylic, and digital painting as well.
[source: http://www.etsy.com/people/shadowscapes#]
Her illustrations have been for various game and publishing clients, including Wizards of the Coast, HarperCollins, LUNA Books, Tachyon Books, Alderac Entertainment, and Green Ronin. In addition to the commissioned projects, she has spent a great deal of time working up a personal body of work whose inspiration stems from mythology, legend, and folklore. She has also been greatly influenced by the art of the Impressionists, Pre-Raphaelites, Surrealists, and the master hand of Nature. Swirling echoes of sinuous oak branches, watermarked leaf stains, the endless palette of the skies are her signature. Her background of over a decade as a flamenco dancer is also evident in the movement and composition of her paintings. Every aspect of her paintings moves in a choreographed flow, and the dancers are not only those with human limbs. What Stephanie tries to convey with her art is not simply fantasy, but the fantastic, the sense of wonder, that which is sacred.
While most of Stephanie's work is done with watercolors, she experiments with pen & ink, intaglio printing, acrylic, and digital painting as well.
[source: http://www.etsy.com/people/shadowscapes#]
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
April 6, 2018
Stephanie's art is incredible! I have her tarot deck and each card is a literal work of art. I'm not an artist but I couldn't resist her book. It goes through how she does each layer of her work, from the background to the shadows to landscapes and finer details, and more. It focuses largely on watercolor and I'll be damned if I wasn't feeling inspired to pick up a paintbrush myself after reading this. I highly recommend checking this out along with her Shadowscapes tarot deck!
February 28, 2008
This book is by an excellent artist. She explains step by step how she acheives the effects in her artwork. Some gorgeous paintings in it as well. Read it, you won't be sorry.
December 1, 2015
It's simply breathtaking! Pui-Mun is one of my favourite artists. There are lots to learn and admire from her works, so I'm glad she published her own artbook.
January 5, 2012
The section on jewelry really helped me make my gold in drawings and paintings look more realistic. wonderful book.
July 20, 2020
This book is so inspiring. I've long wanted to learn watercolor painting, but this pushes me over the edge from want to need. It explains a lot of concepts that I can carry over into three dimensional painting as well, from color to glazes to composition, and I will be referring to it again and again.
September 7, 2023
I love her artwork. I bought this so very long ago for her artwork and mostly for inspiration. I wasn't aware that I'd finally start using it for watercolor as I started down my watercolor path in 2020. I really just love the colors and her technique. I wish I could own all her books including her tarot cards. This would make my life.
September 17, 2017
This book on fairies and other magical creatures was very helpful on how to do backgrounds and detail-in the wings, hair, and tails. Very good reference book.
January 28, 2019
I loved this book, and I believe it really helped me become more confident with watercolor. It is now my favorite medium and I can now shade without using colored pencils.
September 26, 2019
I think I have every art instruction book published by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law. I love her approach to technique, the movement in her work, her use of color. While her style is nothing like mine--or maybe I should say my style is nothing like hers--I've learned so much from her books. Plus, they're just beautiful to look at. Her art inspires me.
May 18, 2021
Easy to follow illustration steps. She is a very generous artist who shared her technique in full on patreon. I learned so much from her and in love with her magical and dreamy work.
June 11, 2021
A beautiful, instructional book. Stephanie Pui-Mun Law does more than show you how to paint with watercolor, she shows you how to use the medium to paint dreams and fairylands.
January 4, 2024
Absolutly love this art book
November 29, 2024
Another beautifully illustrated and informative guide to painting exquisite magical watercolor worlds and the creators that inhabit them.
March 17, 2008
This is an excellent book for watercolorists, especially for those who love fantasy. It shows Pui-mun's techniques for her own amazing watercolor, and advice on faerie wings, angel wings, and distorting the human figure believably.
May 30, 2015
Stephanie Pui-Mun Law does an excellent job providing and introduction to watercolor painting. She walks readers through a number of paintings, using each to teach the fundamentals of art and practice new techniques.
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February 17, 2009I was flipping through this book and it makes me want to pick up watercolors again.
October 26, 2011
I picked up this book to help guide me with learning watercolors and it did no disappoint. Lovely imagery, great tips and instructions.
July 9, 2012
The art work is gorgeous and the tips and instruction are actually helpful. Pui-mun Law's work is lovely and she is one of my favorite artists, so this book is a wonderful insight into her art.
August 21, 2012
beautiful art; the way faes and mers are supposed to look... beautiful and creepy at the same time.
May 15, 2012
Loved this book.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews