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Get inspired and create better characters and creature art!
Brian Froud Frank Frazetta John Kearney Henning Ludvigsen Rodney Matthews Luis Royo H.R Giger Dan Scott Jason Rainville Svetlin Velinov Boris Vallejo & Julie Bell
Workshops & Interviews Learn to paint like the fantasy art masters
Welcome to
Whether you’re an admirer of fantasy art, or you want to get to grips with its techniques in your own work, this ultimate guide is for you. Featuring galleries of inspirational imagery and classic interviews with undisputed luminaries of the fantasy art world like Rodney Matthews, Boris Vallejo, Brian Froud and many more, it’s packed with incredible artwork that shows off the talents of some of the world’s most famous fantasy artists. And that’s not all; each interview is backed by a guide to the styles and techniques in question. There are even artists who’ll show you some of the secrets of the late and much-lamented Frank Frazetta, or the magic of faerie illustration. Plus, there’s a Core Skills section at the back that’s packed with the essentials you need to learn to create beautiful, evocative fantasy art. You’ll learn how to manage skin and hair, costume details, environments, materials and more, with expert advice from professional artists. And don’t forget to head over to FileSilo to download tons of creative brushes made by some of the best in the business.
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Part of the
bookazine series
Contents
Contents
Learn to paint like the fantasy art masters Art legends 26 Frank Frazetta Interview: Fantasy art’s finest painter Workshop: How to paint like the legend
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36 Brian Froud Interview: Faerie secrets and advice Workshop: Marc Potts’s faerie guide 48 Rodney Matthews Interview: Alien vistas and creatures Workshop: How to tell stories in your art 52 The History of Dungeons & Dragons Art Interviews: Legendary artists, including Larry Elmore, Todd Lockwood and Ralph Horsley share their highs and lows
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16 pages of gallery images
Art masters
Core skills
64 Mélanie Delon Interview: From internet sensation to pro Workshop: Feathers and angel wings
116 Combat poses Workshop: Learn how to draw characters battling it out
72 Jason Rainville Interview: Build up a pattern Workshop: Memorable character design
120 Magical poses Workshop: How to draw strong and dynamic characters in magical poses
88 Dan Scott Interview: Fantasy art and career insights Workshop: Tips on painting an Elf ranger
124 Quest fantasy Workshop: Discover the skills you need for characters on an unexpected journey
96 John Kearney Interview: Self-taught and successful Workshop: Paint a realistic cyclops
128 Custom brushes Workshop: Marta Dahlig demonstrates how to create and use custom brushes
104 Svetlin Velinov Interview: The Russian’s rise to fame Workshop: Paint a classic fantasy scene
138 Painting materials Workshop: The tricks to rendering a variety of materials, from denim to leather and silk
Fantasy Art Essentials
Contents
Fantasy Art Essentials
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Gallery
Gallery Be inspired by the legendary artists behind some of fantasy’s most iconic images
Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell T
he Peruvian prodigy Boris Vallejo, a professional artist since the age of 16, was amongst the core number of artists that defined the ‘classic’ fantasy art of the 1960s, making his name with his illustrations of Tarzan, Conan The Barbarian and Doc Savage. In the 1990s bodybuilder, model and painter Julie Bell married Boris, and since then they’ve produced a
prolific body of hyperrealist fantasy art, that celebrates the fantastical body beautiful with dynamic heroines and mythical creatures galore. With a slew of art books and calendars to their names, the couple continue to push each other on, working together for a variety of commissions, from ad campaigns to Meat Loaf’s Bat Out of Hell 3 cover. www.imaginistix.com
We very much inspire each other, our minds work similarly in all kinds of ways. We spend 24 hours a day together and not only do we do it with ease, but we love it that way
Wise words Perfect the body
“By drawing, you’re keeping your own little file in your head, of the human body and every time you draw from life you’re just adding to it and reinforcing it.”
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Fantasy Art Essentials
Core skills
Art masters
Art legends
Gallery
Boris Vallejo & Julie Bell
Fantasy Art Essentials
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Gallery
Wise words
Forget Perfection
Learn from the master and shun the idea of achieving a distinct style: “In France, the artist wants to be known and recognised. They’re not interested in perfection or examination; they look for style. I search for truth.”
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Fantasy Art Essentials
Jean ‘Moebius’ Giraud
metaphysical. He then went on to help epitomise the face of modern sci-fi. Making his name with the 1960s comic strip Blueberry (initially using the pseudonym Gri), Jean then formed the United Humanoids in the 1970s, a group responsible for the original
Heavy Metal magazine. With Arzach, Moebius popularised a text-free, nonlinear comic style. He was then hired as a concept artist for the films Alien and TRON. Moebius died in 2012, but his distinctive art legacy is assured. www.moebius.fr
Art masters
When I started, I set myself a direction – a trajectory like a rocket in the sky. At the end I will blow up, but I don’t know where
Core skills
I
t’s easy to forget the influence the man behind fantasy’s most famous alias has had on comics and sci-fi art. Having plucked the name Moebius out of the air at 22, Jean took comics into a new world touched by the surreal and led by the
© Moebius Productions. All rights reserved 2011
© Moebius Productions. All rights reserved 2011
Art legends
© Moebius Productions. All rights reserved 2011.
Gallery
Moebius
Fantasy Art Essentials
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Gallery
HR Giger W
hether you love or loathe his darkly stylised art, if you’ve the slightest interest in digital art, the chances are you’ll recognise at least some, of HR Giger’s work. From the 1970s onwards he transformed himself from an obscure Swiss surrealist to mainstream Academy Award-winning artist for his iconic work on Alien. Commonly combining themes of elemental eroticism with an aesthetic that involves biomechanical mixtures of machine and alien flesh, his unique style has inspired countless artists. 1998 saw the creation of the Giger museum, at Château St. Germain in the ancient walled city of Gruyères, south-west Switzerland. With this venture Giger signalled a change in his attention towards sculpture and architectural design, which he studied at university. Giger retired in 2008, and put painting to one side in favour of overseeing his bar and museum. The artist and sculptor died at his Zurich home in 2014, but his extraordinary artistic visions live on. www.hrgiger.com
In the beginning I had no idea what I was doing. I just did some clouds, then I would add an eye…
Wise words Making movies
9000
“When I worked on Alien I was in the studio for seven months. If you want to do something really good, you have to travel and work with the film makers.”
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Fantasy Art Essentials