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Out of the Forests: The Art of Paul Bonner
Barely contained within this book is the high octane work of Paul Bonner, an intrepid artist able to vividly recall in paints his visits to Valhalla, the blasted future, and sundry haunted and ravaged stopping off points in between.
Here you will find over 150 of Paul's vibrant and compelling full colour paintings, along with numerous character studies and sketches, produced by the artist over the last t wenty-five years for the biggest names in fantasy role playing, such as Games Workshop, Mutant Chronicles, Fasa, Riot Minds and Rackham.
So, saddle the dragon storm riders, suit up storm troopers, and prepare to have your worlds revealed anew!
Here you will find over 150 of Paul's vibrant and compelling full colour paintings, along with numerous character studies and sketches, produced by the artist over the last t wenty-five years for the biggest names in fantasy role playing, such as Games Workshop, Mutant Chronicles, Fasa, Riot Minds and Rackham.
So, saddle the dragon storm riders, suit up storm troopers, and prepare to have your worlds revealed anew!
176 pages, Hardcover
First published February 5, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 4, 2012
More pictures at parkablogs.com
Paul Bonner is one of the finest fantasy illustrator around. This book is a collection of over 150 paintings he has created for many big name clients, namely Games Workshop, Mutant Chronicles, Fasa, Riot Minds and Rackham.
I love his style of mixing stylized creatures, extreme details and a little quirkiness into all his paintings. Imagine a desperate monster holding a human hostage, or maybe an orc wearing the head of a mammoth as helmet. The details in the design of characters, costumes and background makes everything looks so believable.
Although his paintings capture a frame in fantasy time, I always imagine what would happen in the next frame, to learn more about the story of that world. The composition is wonderful, always framing the scene when the characters are suspended in action.
And all these paintings are done on traditional medium. There are a few photos of his workplace at the back.
Throughout the book, there are writeup from people he has worked with. He also talks about his college days, his travels in Europe and his creative process.
If you're interested in fantasy art with lots of orcs, dragons, warriors, intricate armour design and dinosaurs, this book is for you. Oh, there are no elves, but there are a few human character designs as well.
The book is printed in low gloss high art quality paper.
November 30, 2015
Beautiful pictures from one of gaming’s most prolific artists.
Paul Bonner’s painted for virtually every major producer of fantasy and SF games active over the last two decades, many of whom, sadly, are now defunct. If that means that his artwork has not come to the wider, non-gaming audience, then that’s a shame. But this book should help set that to rights. If you like poring over beautifully painted fantasy and SF artwork, then you should certainly pick up Out of the Forests.
The pictures, which are drawn from across his entire career, are magnificently reproduced, on semi-matte paper that avoids the reflective issues that a higher gloss varnish often brings to other artbooks (like, when light shines on the painting, you can’t see it!), and the book’s large format means they’re shown at a decent size, more often than not on a single page, so you’re not losing any of it to the fold in the middle. Bonner’s accompanying text is a pleasant read, giving a good insight into the works of the man and how he executes his art. If there are any criticisms, it is that the captions on the pictures are somewhat lacking, and that it would have been great to have seen his later Scandinavian folklore inspired landscapes at a larger size. These are what he really loves doing, and it shows. I could quite happily buy a book simply of them.
Paul Bonner’s painted for virtually every major producer of fantasy and SF games active over the last two decades, many of whom, sadly, are now defunct. If that means that his artwork has not come to the wider, non-gaming audience, then that’s a shame. But this book should help set that to rights. If you like poring over beautifully painted fantasy and SF artwork, then you should certainly pick up Out of the Forests.
The pictures, which are drawn from across his entire career, are magnificently reproduced, on semi-matte paper that avoids the reflective issues that a higher gloss varnish often brings to other artbooks (like, when light shines on the painting, you can’t see it!), and the book’s large format means they’re shown at a decent size, more often than not on a single page, so you’re not losing any of it to the fold in the middle. Bonner’s accompanying text is a pleasant read, giving a good insight into the works of the man and how he executes his art. If there are any criticisms, it is that the captions on the pictures are somewhat lacking, and that it would have been great to have seen his later Scandinavian folklore inspired landscapes at a larger size. These are what he really loves doing, and it shows. I could quite happily buy a book simply of them.
November 2, 2025
I prefer black and white art, not really drawings as such and only, but as a medium. I enjoy the contrast and gray areas, shadow and tension. For me colors were always ..... sort of a fix-it-up to cover any possible faults.
That was my opinion on coloring until I came across this book. Paul Bonner seems to be the very opposite of what I usually go for. His black and whites, although done in a way Games Workshop did its black and whites at the time, seem more like sketches, everything that is a mark of this artist (characters, background, level of details) is in there but you can sense author is not comfortable with it.
But with color? Oh my ....... I was left speechless. Don't get me wrong, his sketches, preparations are all exquisite (although author does say he hates drawing in general, which had me giggle for a while :)) but the final piece is something that could have just jumped out of the TV into the real world. I have not seen a single painting that did not show some activity, be it in representation of W40K Orc band slowly but relentlessly moving forward, image of a dwarf captive brought before the Orc warchief, for no pleasant reason, still shot of people and fairies near the lakes and rivers, seemingly caught by surprise by the viewer in a way you have a feeling if you blink they will be gone, stand off between trolls and wandering boat on a river deep inside a cave, where you are just waiting for kerfuffle to start, to epic battle scenes like dwarves fighting the troll in an uphill battle deep inside the mountain or Ragnarok piece or the stand against the Wulfen pack. Level of details of the scene is astounding - in case of battles you see everything, fighters frozen in their charge, but also dead thrown all over the place (or to be thrown by their enemies) and wounded or just physically exhausted trying to get on their feet to continue the battle. Every face, every brow ..... you can almost experience what they are going through. And background, it is always there to give that touch of the overall atmosphere, dark skies ripped by lightnings, or dim lights in the depth of the mountain revealing the sheer claustrophobic feeling and angst of what happens when that last torch goes out........
And that minotaur. That look, sort of a tired look of a seasoned brawler, that seems to say, again, and prepares to trample the viewer in its savage charge.
I will never say anything ever again about use of color - when used by artists like Paul Bonner, effect is so vivid, so effective ...... I have no words for it. Its joy for the eyes.
Additional plus for this book is that for big pieces that cannot be put inside the book due to the size issues, there are exquisite details shots of parts of the piece provided together with the original piece. Truly wonderful.
Highly recommended to fans of fine art, cannot recommend it enough.
That was my opinion on coloring until I came across this book. Paul Bonner seems to be the very opposite of what I usually go for. His black and whites, although done in a way Games Workshop did its black and whites at the time, seem more like sketches, everything that is a mark of this artist (characters, background, level of details) is in there but you can sense author is not comfortable with it.
But with color? Oh my ....... I was left speechless. Don't get me wrong, his sketches, preparations are all exquisite (although author does say he hates drawing in general, which had me giggle for a while :)) but the final piece is something that could have just jumped out of the TV into the real world. I have not seen a single painting that did not show some activity, be it in representation of W40K Orc band slowly but relentlessly moving forward, image of a dwarf captive brought before the Orc warchief, for no pleasant reason, still shot of people and fairies near the lakes and rivers, seemingly caught by surprise by the viewer in a way you have a feeling if you blink they will be gone, stand off between trolls and wandering boat on a river deep inside a cave, where you are just waiting for kerfuffle to start, to epic battle scenes like dwarves fighting the troll in an uphill battle deep inside the mountain or Ragnarok piece or the stand against the Wulfen pack. Level of details of the scene is astounding - in case of battles you see everything, fighters frozen in their charge, but also dead thrown all over the place (or to be thrown by their enemies) and wounded or just physically exhausted trying to get on their feet to continue the battle. Every face, every brow ..... you can almost experience what they are going through. And background, it is always there to give that touch of the overall atmosphere, dark skies ripped by lightnings, or dim lights in the depth of the mountain revealing the sheer claustrophobic feeling and angst of what happens when that last torch goes out........
And that minotaur. That look, sort of a tired look of a seasoned brawler, that seems to say, again, and prepares to trample the viewer in its savage charge.
I will never say anything ever again about use of color - when used by artists like Paul Bonner, effect is so vivid, so effective ...... I have no words for it. Its joy for the eyes.
Additional plus for this book is that for big pieces that cannot be put inside the book due to the size issues, there are exquisite details shots of parts of the piece provided together with the original piece. Truly wonderful.
Highly recommended to fans of fine art, cannot recommend it enough.
June 25, 2023
Typically overloaded with intriguing characters and menacing monsters placed within rich settings, Paul Bonner’s highly detailed and often powerfully active illustrations possess incredible technical and artistic qualities. The expressions and attitudes given to his protagonists are both fierce and fun, instantly engaging the viewer while creating a broader storyline beyond the moment presented. The depicted atmosphere and tension is tangible; the struggle is real; the consequences of failure or defeat painfully obvious.
Bonner and his employers/clients provide limited commentary regarding his approach, technique, and the requirements of his illustrative tasks, but the focus of the book is correctly given to the fabulous artwork, which regularly requires as much page space as possible. The additional character sketches and preliminary drawings are a bonus, as they are equally interesting and illuminating, revealing his true depth of talent (despite the artist’s suggestion that he lacks ability). His non-fantasy dinosaur images are also a treat. A fine book of great imaginative art.
Bonner and his employers/clients provide limited commentary regarding his approach, technique, and the requirements of his illustrative tasks, but the focus of the book is correctly given to the fabulous artwork, which regularly requires as much page space as possible. The additional character sketches and preliminary drawings are a bonus, as they are equally interesting and illuminating, revealing his true depth of talent (despite the artist’s suggestion that he lacks ability). His non-fantasy dinosaur images are also a treat. A fine book of great imaginative art.
June 27, 2020
A selection of the author's art from around 20 years of his career. I was surprised to discover that Bonner is the artist behind more of art that I really enjoyed in the past that I was aware of - including most key art for Warzone/Mutant Chronicles.
I'm happy to add this to my small collection of art books, even though a few pieces are inexplicably presented is a smaller format than a part of them that receives a full page. I bought this for Bonner's work on Trudvang and other nordic-inspired works and there's plenty of that, with just a few pieces here and there that I thought were space fillers. The art contained herein is great, though, and the longer you look at most of these pieces, the more details you find.
I'm happy to add this to my small collection of art books, even though a few pieces are inexplicably presented is a smaller format than a part of them that receives a full page. I bought this for Bonner's work on Trudvang and other nordic-inspired works and there's plenty of that, with just a few pieces here and there that I thought were space fillers. The art contained herein is great, though, and the longer you look at most of these pieces, the more details you find.
April 14, 2021
I've always love Bonner's work so it was really cool to get a peek "behind the scenes" into his history as an artist, his thoughts on art, and his process. The book had so much great stuff in it that I had never seen before. Definitely proud to have this one on my shelf. And just when you thought it couldn't get any better, the guy is humble about his skills and really seems like someone who would be fun to hang around.
August 10, 2021
The book shows a broad range of Paul Bonner's work. I really like his highly imaginative pieces. The book covers mainly fantasy but you'll find some sci-fi as well. Must have if you like fantasy / sci-fi art of the '80s and '90s.
July 18, 2023
This collection disappointed, though I remain a fan of Mr. Bonner's work. OUT OF THE FORESTS lacked many of the paintings I'd hoped to see inside. In addition, the text in the book - often superimposed over illustrations and difficult to read - was rife with typos and mispellings.
April 9, 2021
Shows most of the fantastic work of Paul Bonner. He creates such depth and realism in his fantastical subject matter that it feels like you can go IN to these worlds he creates
August 21, 2021
As far as art books go I can't see how this could be better. I loved seeing the works of a favorite artist while getting some background and context around the art. Great book!
April 23, 2023
Lovely and thought provoking artwork that shares some of the highlights of Paul Bonner’s fantastic artwork.
July 8, 2024
I mean, it is an artbook by Bonner and it is amazing. Not too much of a text, lets the art stand out. Lovely stuff.
August 20, 2019
To say this book is beautifully illustrated doesn't work--'explosively illustrated' is the better phrase. Bonner's massively muscled, gaping-mawed and evil-eyed creatures explode off many pages, although the frenetic pace is broken by more contemplative works of incredible depth and background detail. The text is limited but valuable--the images are often awe-inspiring. I fail to see how any lover of fantasy/sci-fi art could be disappointed by this one.
October 5, 2008
incredible work if it wasn't watercolor. but it IS watercolor so it's ridiculously incredible. his mastery of the medium is astounding.
i love how solid bonner's characters feel.
i like hearing what he has to say about his creative process.
i love how solid bonner's characters feel.
i like hearing what he has to say about his creative process.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews