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How to Draw and Paint Vampires
The huge popularity of vampires as subjects of novels, graphic novels, films, and other entertainment media has created a steady demand for convincing illustrations of vampires in gothic settings. This book shows both beginners and experienced commercial artists how to compose impressive, spine-chilling, professionally-finished vampire illustrations that also include renditions of the vampires' victims and companions. Author Ian Daniels offers inspiration by presenting spooky gothic illustrations in a wide range of styles, which he supplements with tips and tricks for adding those extra details that give each picture a powerful emotional impact. He also presents a directory of character types from the preternatural world that will inspire students and serve as starting points for their own original creations. The book is filled with atmospheric full-color illustrations and enlightening instructional sketches.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
3 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
About the author
Ian Daniels
13 books6 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
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July 12, 2013There are a lot of art books out there without information about what's actually in them and with them readily available online (which makes it difficult to actually see what is in them), I'm going to try and give an idea of what each art book I get has in it and who it might be useful for.
How to Draw and Paint Vampires is definitely a beautiful and well-produced book. The author has great talent and this book is just fun to flip through. As the cover shows, the vampires here are of a realistic and Gothic style. With that said, How Draw and Paint Vampires is an advanced book for artists with strong ability. The book has a lot of the usual sections like what supplies/styles you can use, perspective, foreshortening, and lighting. All of these are approached more for accomplished artists than for beginners. The same is true of the drawing and coloring section. Not only is the drawing section short, but it is best for people who already know how to draw realistic anatomy and faces. The colors section could be useful for any painter, but the more talent you have, the more you will get out of it.
The last two sections are the most interesting and inspirational. They show completed paintings (with rich backgrounds) of different kinds of vampires and also some of the concept drawings. These are not step-by-step pages of how to create each painting, they show how an advanced artist's mind works. I was able to draw a ghostly vampire in this section, but it was challenging for my intermediate abilities. The last section is vampires that can be traced and used for paintings. Some of these vampires didn't appeal to me as much, but this will be very helpful for someone more focused on painting.
While I would love to learn how to paint, I know my drawing ability needs to get better first. So for me, this book was really inspirational, but didn't actually lead me to draw much. It would not be fair or accurate for me to try and rate this book at this point and time. I will say that if you know how to paint and are interested in learning how to paint vampires, this book could be great for you. This is especially true if you're already good at painting people and want to learn how to go for a more Gothic style.
How to Draw and Paint Vampires is definitely a beautiful and well-produced book. The author has great talent and this book is just fun to flip through. As the cover shows, the vampires here are of a realistic and Gothic style. With that said, How Draw and Paint Vampires is an advanced book for artists with strong ability. The book has a lot of the usual sections like what supplies/styles you can use, perspective, foreshortening, and lighting. All of these are approached more for accomplished artists than for beginners. The same is true of the drawing and coloring section. Not only is the drawing section short, but it is best for people who already know how to draw realistic anatomy and faces. The colors section could be useful for any painter, but the more talent you have, the more you will get out of it.
The last two sections are the most interesting and inspirational. They show completed paintings (with rich backgrounds) of different kinds of vampires and also some of the concept drawings. These are not step-by-step pages of how to create each painting, they show how an advanced artist's mind works. I was able to draw a ghostly vampire in this section, but it was challenging for my intermediate abilities. The last section is vampires that can be traced and used for paintings. Some of these vampires didn't appeal to me as much, but this will be very helpful for someone more focused on painting.
While I would love to learn how to paint, I know my drawing ability needs to get better first. So for me, this book was really inspirational, but didn't actually lead me to draw much. It would not be fair or accurate for me to try and rate this book at this point and time. I will say that if you know how to paint and are interested in learning how to paint vampires, this book could be great for you. This is especially true if you're already good at painting people and want to learn how to go for a more Gothic style.
June 27, 2021
It's not terrible. I like vampires and horror and do art. This seemed interesting and I do like it. It’s also would make very nice gift for anyone who loves vampires as it works very nicely as an art book also. It has brief ideas about what materials to try and use as well as quick basics of perspective, color theories, composition and anatomy. Someone who might have never drawn before might be lost with this book’s tips however and I recommend not to check materials yet but grab pencil that you have and some paper and check out what kind of tones and textures you’ll get from your pencil. Then check out figures section and sketch out heads and bodies and poses. Unlike what book’s author is saying. HB pencil is very good super versatile. Also, when you’re beginner, you might think that you have the get most expensive stuff…you don’t need it just yet. Neither someone who hasn’t yet ever painted before, might get lost with this book overall. From a beginner it does require a lot of patience to git gub so to speak.
Also, main focus is on painting.
Is it complete course around this world of darkness? Not really. There isn’t more about digital coling more than mentioned on page 28-29 and of course, promoting Photoshop… what else. Note that it’s not only graphic program. Never has been and never will be. Though majority of them work pretty much the same. Also, the coloring methor and cleaning up lineart are very basicsa of coloring. Nothing about blendings and shading. -You know, you can do all that and much more. Basic of adding flat color and adding generated shadow on it is that of late 90s. What I like to say is that no way does that two pages cover up digital art or be enough information about the subject. ( quick check on when was this printed 2010…. and I could have sworn material is from dawn of late 90s when digital art is new. ) It also outcludes such techonogical innovations as tablet computers which took drawing and painting to the next level. Neither are digital drawing tools introduced. They’re not mentioned. It is possible to paint and color with mouse but in 2010… i don’t think newer generations have that level of patience… nor mice in their laptops and tablets to try that sadisticly patient method. Drawing tablets aka tablet mice are still a thing. Also 3D artworks and 3D render art became and are thing of today. Both have excisted since late 90s as well as 3D modelling. If you gonna label something to cover things, at least do some homework on the subjects.
As focus is to cover as much as as possible, it still focuses too much onto painting alone. Things that would have made the book more beginner friendly had been tips and trics and step by step on how to paint hair, fur and feathers. How to paint metal and gemstones. How to paint textures and how to paint blood and pale vampire skin. On color palettes there seems to be peculiar color palette that seems like so randomly pulled and forced onto subject. It had worked better in different subject. In two other paintins I’m bothered by the fact how once you have sewn and designed clothes for profession… you just gonna know that certain dresses are impossible. Also the moon in that same painting is added there late. Maybe they forgot… but moon hardly ever is transparent and in front of trees.
Then there is page 98 is good example why to use references so that if you have to draw something that you haven’t never ever drawn before…. you’ll gonna have all the building blocks how it loosk and result won’t be this wonky looking hybrid which’s anatomy cannot decide where it’s going… so it’s trying to go in every possible direction at once. I kinda hope that it’s jut me and cursed eyes which sees it.
I would still want this book into my collection as most of the artworks weren’t terrible.
Also, main focus is on painting.
Is it complete course around this world of darkness? Not really. There isn’t more about digital coling more than mentioned on page 28-29 and of course, promoting Photoshop… what else. Note that it’s not only graphic program. Never has been and never will be. Though majority of them work pretty much the same. Also, the coloring methor and cleaning up lineart are very basicsa of coloring. Nothing about blendings and shading. -You know, you can do all that and much more. Basic of adding flat color and adding generated shadow on it is that of late 90s. What I like to say is that no way does that two pages cover up digital art or be enough information about the subject. ( quick check on when was this printed 2010…. and I could have sworn material is from dawn of late 90s when digital art is new. ) It also outcludes such techonogical innovations as tablet computers which took drawing and painting to the next level. Neither are digital drawing tools introduced. They’re not mentioned. It is possible to paint and color with mouse but in 2010… i don’t think newer generations have that level of patience… nor mice in their laptops and tablets to try that sadisticly patient method. Drawing tablets aka tablet mice are still a thing. Also 3D artworks and 3D render art became and are thing of today. Both have excisted since late 90s as well as 3D modelling. If you gonna label something to cover things, at least do some homework on the subjects.
As focus is to cover as much as as possible, it still focuses too much onto painting alone. Things that would have made the book more beginner friendly had been tips and trics and step by step on how to paint hair, fur and feathers. How to paint metal and gemstones. How to paint textures and how to paint blood and pale vampire skin. On color palettes there seems to be peculiar color palette that seems like so randomly pulled and forced onto subject. It had worked better in different subject. In two other paintins I’m bothered by the fact how once you have sewn and designed clothes for profession… you just gonna know that certain dresses are impossible. Also the moon in that same painting is added there late. Maybe they forgot… but moon hardly ever is transparent and in front of trees.
Then there is page 98 is good example why to use references so that if you have to draw something that you haven’t never ever drawn before…. you’ll gonna have all the building blocks how it loosk and result won’t be this wonky looking hybrid which’s anatomy cannot decide where it’s going… so it’s trying to go in every possible direction at once. I kinda hope that it’s jut me and cursed eyes which sees it.
I would still want this book into my collection as most of the artworks weren’t terrible.
April 6, 2013
The book contains a lot of beautiful images. The techniques described can be applied to non-vampiric art, and are varying from different types of media. Very useful book to have around. I'm going to try and get my own copy!
March 1, 2016
I found this and thought it would help me learn how to draw these figures, but I guess you got to be a better artist to take something away from it. I guess you got to be more than a beginner!!!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews