Guweiz: The Art of Gu Zheng Wei

by Gu Zheng Wei, 3dTotal Publishing (Editor)

Digital artist Zheng Wei Gu (AKA Guweiz) shares his anime-inspired world in this beautifully produced and insightful book, leading you through his fantasy world with a portfolio packed with gritty detail and a surreal vibe. Guweiz began drawing when he was 17, inspired by an anime art tutorial on YouTube. Discovering a natural talent, he carried on drawing and quickly amassed a fan-base for his edgy illustration style. Throughout this book, readers will discover his artistic journey from the very beginning, with behind-the-scenes details about how some of his most popular pieces were created. He reveals his secrets for turning influences into truly original digital art, including that all-important narrative that takes drawing and painting beyond the purely visual. Step-by-step tutorials share techniques and tips to help you create these sorts of effects in your art, resulting in images with the depth of detail and intrigue that Guweiz has made his trademark. The artist's unique urban take on the popular manga/anime style is gripping right from the first page, from the surreal take on Japanese lifestyle to the urban fantasy he creates.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Graphic Novels

152 pages, Hardcover

Published September 15, 2020

Reviews

[Thomas Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just amazing art. The use of that small bit of light in an earring, necklace, etc. and how that reflects on the surrounding area is beautiful. My favorites by far are Witch 3 (page 111) and Inspector (page 93). Both show the characters in light rain. The glint of a smile on Witch 3 reveals so much about her. And the Inspector, to me, is worthy of a story - what or who is she after? A+ work.

[Marco Yan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book describing Zheng Wei's artistic journey from a beginner "drawing anime pictures" to the master of low light extreme angle pieces he is known for today. An absolute inspiration when it comes to the power of consistency and dream chasing.

[Filu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no idea Guweiz has no „official“ artistic education, but is entirely self-taught - or rather, as he states, „self-learned“. That just goes to show that you can, in fact, be a successful artist, no matter what background. You don‘t need art school when you have the will and grit to sit down and practice. Guweiz states repeatedly that the internet is full of free resources to develop your skills. I recognized myself in some of the things he writes about. Like the tendency to let yourself get distracted if you don’t find the piece you are working on terribly exciting or that working on commission pieces or for clients can be anxiety inducing.

As always, artists explaining their process is eye opening and manages to make me at least think about picking up a pen again.

[Cheyanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Guweiz’s artwork! This book definitely helped motivate and push some ideas into my own work! There was a such a positive tone throughout everything that just pushes everyone.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not what I was expecting, but in a good way. I thought it was going to be a fairly standard art book presenting many of the artist’s sketches and final works. While it does have those, it is also an artistic “autobiography” of sorts on how Gu Zheng Wei started drawing, their development as an artist, and their processes and techniques. In addition, there’s plenty of encouragement for the reader to pursue their own creative passions — whether in fine art or otherwise. How very refreshing!

While some of the technical aspects of the book were of less interest to me, the art itself was stunning. Kudos also to 3dtotal Publishing on the layout, design, and production on this book. Overall, it is a fantastic presentation.

[Nikolis Asimakis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really interesting book where artist Guweiz showcases his breathtaking art, provides info on his career up until that point (around 2019) and lifts the curtain on his creative process, which he explains step by step and with several examples. An informative piece in what would be 5 stars just by having his art and nothing else.

[Jesse Crepeau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guweiz, a man who was initially intensely inspired by Ilya Kuvshinov's art, created his own genre. The storytelling of every single piece is gorgeous. Explaining his progress, the way in which he takes on new projects and even some little fun facts here and there about his set up, his work-life balance.

An excellent read should anyone be interested in Art and the back-end of production.

[Ashleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guweiz's art is stunning! I love his work. Getting insights on his journey as an artist and breakdowns of some of his pieces was inspiring - will definitely be applying his tips into my own work.

[Tiger Chau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice, awesome

[June · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very insightful and inspirational.

[nizza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I NEED THIS BOOK! The art is just stunning and the book is very inspirational. I loved it!

[Václav Jasanský · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautiful book

[Cristal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ebook is horrible. Artwork is stunning

[? · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were some editing issues in the book, but overall it was a helpful and informative experience.

[Alice T · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING! INSPIRING! I'M SO GLAD I GOT THIS BOOK FOR MY B-DAY :))

[Crystalnotenshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me ha sorprendido todos los consejos que nos ofrece en el libro. Lo cogí por probar a ver qué tal con los libros de este tipo “el arte de..” y me ha gustado encontrarme todo tipo de consejos, aparte de que las ilustraciones son impresionantes