Fantasy Art

by Mike Jefferies

This guide aims to make learning to draw fantasy art as simple as possible. All the basics are covered, to provide a sound foundation in drawing techniques, and illustrations and step-by-step drawings show how these are put into practice. The book includes practical information on tools and equipment, drawing beasts, angels and demons, costumes and props, expressions and gestures, backgrounds and scenery, and creating drama and atmosphere.

63 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1999

About the author

Mike Jefferies is a British screenwriter, film producer, and author. Jefferies founded the media and publishing group Mondiale in 1991 which he sold to the Daily Mail in 1999 after winning the HRH Queens Award for Enterprise in 1998.
He was born in Liverpool and now resides in Los Angeles. When he is not working in Hollywood, he is writing fantasy novels.

Reviews

[TK · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book doesn't provide what it states as it's purpose, which purports to provide sound foundations in basic drawing techniques and practical exercises to help you learn to draw fantasy art. The art in the book is nice to view and the main topics give some starting points for ideas but the content is so sparse you would not be able to use this book as a single resource and better 'learn to draw' books are available. By the end of the book I felt this was published to present the authors own works of art rather then to teach others.

My main negatives of the book are:
+ No exercises are given in my opinion (simply 3 step example pictures, which appear to jump in detail quite significantly for someone learning to draw)
+ Concepts are discussed without explanation, or with insufficient explanation/detail, such as foreshortening and basic perspective.
+ In many places concepts and 'tips' are raised and then nothing else is discussed about them. For example on one page there is an excellent picture of what could be called a 'tortured soul' showing sinew and muscle. The title, and only reference to the picture, states that to make such a drawing an excellent knowledge of anatomy is required... Thanks, no recommended references, no basic tips, not tips on texture, not helpful.

[W.G. Saraband · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some nice pictures come with it, but there's not much to the "learning" part of it, since it's really awful at actually teaching anything.