Book Description
How to Draw a Dragon: "Cautiously approach the dragon, offer it a piece of candy or a little sister, and draw while it happily munches away."
From the creator of the wildly popular website NeonDragonArt.com, DRAGONART shows you how to create awesome, delightful and frightening beasts, armed only with a pencil and ink pen. You'll begin your quest by conquering a super-easy dragon that even the most foolish of ogres could draw. You'll forge onward to discover simple secrets and spiffy tricks for making creatures friendly or fierce, sorrowful or cynical… drawing them from all different perspectives, in flight or at rest (so vain, those dragons - they love to strike a pose!). You'll also learn how to incorporate various details to make each beast original.
Because dragons enjoy having others around to terrorize, disembowel and occasionally hang out with, this book will also teach you how to create a whole cast of creatures, including mythical griffins, guardian gargoyles and deadly basilisks. All this within the curiously compelling, beautifully beastly and brightly colored pages that you will soon hold in your hands, which by now are no doubt trembling with keen anticipation. So quit dragon your feet! (Ugh, wyrms hate puns!) Kindly buy this dragon favorite and make your wildest, wickedest, fire-breathingest fantasies come true!
Book Description
Devoted to the serious depictions of anthropomorphic characters, Freaks! covers the entire range of animal people and explores all its possibilities. Hundreds of illustrations depict subjects that include basic human and animal anatomies, cat people, dog people, wolf people, feathered freaks, bat people, reptilian creatures, predators of the deep, primates, insect people, elephant man, rhino man, hippo lady, and much more. This drawing guide demonstrates the wide range of this popular genre of illustrative art and the techniques needed to create these fantastic fantasy creatures. Artists will find inspiration for creating such characters as creatures from Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, A. A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh, C. S. Lewis' Narnia Chronicles, or the characters from Planet of the Apes and Creature from the Black Lagoon.
Contributors Include
Brett Booth (Spider-Man, X-Men, and Fantastic Four),
Mitch Byrd (Green Lantern), and
Todd Nauck (Teen Titans and Spider-Man)
The launch of a new series on drawing fantastic characters and creatures
The influx of animal/human characters into popular culture is at an all-time high
From the lead designer of Microsoft's X-Box game Monster Truck Mash
Customer Reviews:
It's an ok book..........2007-02-23
...But NOT for beginner artists:S
The book itself is pretty cool with lots of characters and pretty pictures to look at. That alone, is ALOT of inspiration:)
BUT.... And this is the bad part about the book... I'm not learning much from it:( There are very little hints on HOW to actually draw something. I'm not advanced enough for this book as i need step-by-step guides, wich this book does not contain much of. Sadly:(
It's probably a really great book for the more advanced artists, but i cannot recomend this book for beginner artists like myself... I'm sorry. I also cannot recomend any other books as i haven't bought that many yet. But by all means, if you really WANT this book, the pictures in it makes it worth buying:) Inspiration is also an important part on your way to becoming a master artist:) And besides, the more people who buy it, the bigger the chances gets for a follow-up book:) Wich will probably be better for us non-professionals:p
Freak'n Fantastic.......2006-05-10
What a great book! I do furry art and needed some pointers on how to draw animal people forms. This is the only book I've ever seen that explains how to do it. Easy and precise instructions on all types of animal people, cats, dogs, turtles, bears, etc. You name it, it is in here. It teaches anatomy and really helped me with animal type legs with three joints. I like Steve's art, but Brett Booth is the master! Book was worth it just to stare at his fabulous characters. Please, please, please, do another book just like this one, but with more cartoon furry type art.
Some good ideas poorly executed.......2006-01-20
When I found this book I was overjoyed at its subject matter and I was soon whisked away by the beautiful pencil and colour renderings of the wonderful anthropomorphic folk. However I was soon placed right back down where I had started and I soon realised that this book hadn't in fact taught me anything as a skilled artist.
This book has huge potential, the subject has massive scope, but this book doesn't. Its woeful attempt at what should be the biggest part of this book, the anatomy (human AND animal), left me feeling like the author had missed the point. I was expecting to be shown some detailed examples of how to build up the shapes of animal faces (a tricky subject), I was expecting to learn how to easily construct paws, claws, fur and scales but they too were all given minimal coverage. Maybe I was expecting too much? Although books like "Drawing & Painting Fantasy Figures" by Cowan manages to meet high expectations and is brimming with ideas.
When you get past the comparable pictures in this book you will find the writing poor and uninformative towards the artwork, and its ability to teach you how and why to draw the characters this way, particularly slack. I would suggest that any amateur artist should fill their head first with knowledge from Hogarth's Anatomy books, and to study and learn how to draw animals as well (which this book remarkably neglects to suggest you do!!) Other than the excellent artwork, which I must compliment, this book was very disappointing.
Great idea book.......2006-01-19
I bought this book and refer to it continually when I need ideas or inspiration. It is not a traditional how to draw book in that there isn't step by step instructions on how to draw each "animal head person" in the book, but guidelines. The expectation, I think, is that the reader will practice putting together the basic shapes and learn from the abundance of illustrations. This would be a good book to pair with another drawing book. A lot of the poses are superhero style.
There isn't a huge focus on basic drawing skills; for younger readers, Lee Hammond covers these well in her drawing books. Older readers might want to check out "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain".
What a freak of a book!.......2005-12-23
First of all, these other reviews most be the age of children because this book does not help you what so ever in the art field. This book consist of about a handle full of pages including (one page of anotomy that makes me laugh, as if you can fit everything on anotomy into one page) and tons of "Pictures". I say pictures because the text next to the obvious drawings teaching you how to draw the animals has captions of Steve Miller talking.
As if I care what he thinks of an elephant-man. Tell me how to draw the damn thing. Point out things that are hard to do such as his trunk or tusks. No instead he adds his own two bit commentary.
As far as art goes this book contains little to none. It's mostly full colored pictures by Brett Booth. This book is a picture book or an inspiration book, because it's sure not a drawing book! Sometimes the pictures contain one to two frame figures.
Trust me if you still want this book after this review. Do like I did buy it for less than 10 bucks because honestly its not worth much more than that. The only reason why I gave it a 3 is because of the artwork insteas, otherwise it would've been a 1.
Great for kids under 13.
Book Description
The newest entry in the popular Element Encyclopedia series spans the globe and the ages to present a feast of magical beasts, both familiar and rare. Populating this ultimate reference is a host of marvelous creatures, many of which have stirred our imagination since childhood; they come from fairytales and myths, and from beloved writers such as the Brothers Grimm, Lewis Carroll, J.R.R. Tolkien, and J.K Rowling. Each entry delves into folklore and history to reveal such secrets as why dragons guard the weather, how to make mermen laugh, and how a slow lizard cost humans the gift of eternal life. From Chinese dragons to Norwegian sea monsters, banshees to griffins, cherufes to lampaluguas, every fantastic figure gets its due.
Customer Reviews:
Ok, great............2007-09-06
So here I have (what I thought) to be the perfect reference for magical beings, etc. Also, here I have our second bedroom that I just redecorated into a study/guestroom with a magical theme (it's decorated with vintage magic posters), and I have a seven-year old stepson who will be sleeping in said room. The vintage magic posters are of Carter, Herrman, Blackstone, Houdini, Kellar, etc. Of course, they all have IMPS in them. I thought I'd show my son what imps are with this book so he wouldn't be afraid... Well, I thought I'd just pull out my trusty encyclopedia, but NO. There's every possible being you could ever imagine, except IMPS.
Bollocks I say... Just when you need a good reference book. NOT.
It is what it is..........2007-05-14
a comprehensive research volume. Personally, I have found it extremely valuable in my work, and will even pick it up on occasion for an aimless perusal. It does cry out for a few illustration, though I am sure many of the creatures in the book are loath to have their likenesses set down.
Not for the very young, but a must for the serious cryptozoologist.
The Care And Feeding of Dragons: An Illustrated Guide to Alternative Pet Maintenance, Book One
wheres the pictures??????.......2006-08-02
I bought this book to read and look at with my [...] son who is in love with dragons and creatures one look at the cover and we were excited to get it here however one would think an ENCYCLOPEDIA would have a picture or two not one damn picture in the whole book!!!! Yes it is an indepth read for an older person who still enjoys the magical world and i will be devouring this book by myself it was just disappointing we had great expectations of fantastical artwork and information to go with it.
Some Interesting Information--But Has Research Gaps and Innacuracies.......2006-07-19
"This book is a zoology of the imagination more than it is a natural history. It follows the myths of magical creatures wherever they show themselves, myths that are primal stories encoding understandings that we grasp by means of metaphor rather than with any literal-mindedness. Where will these creatures lead us?"
The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures is a 682-page, flexibound compendium of fantastic beings from myth, magic, and urban legend. (Flexibound is somewhat between a hardcover and a paperback). Arranged alphabetically for easy reference, hundreds of entries are culled from literature, sacred texts, history, legends, cryptozoology, and movies. Mythical stories pertaining to animals, fowl, and insects are also provided. Entertaining and informative, this book sparks both imagination and curiosity. Indeed, it's hard to read "just one" entry in this unique book.
Some of the fantastical beasts, monsters, and demigods listed in this book include:
* Bunyip
* Lorelei
* Puck
* Sasquatch
* Chupacabras
* Thoth
* Quetzalcoatl
* Elves
* Bastet
* Leviathan
* Dryads
* Lilith
* Ouroboros
* Mothman
* Fire Drake
* Golem
* Banshee
* Satyr
* Basilisk
* Thunderbird
* Scapegoat
While many entries are familiar, I found the majority obscure--having never heard of them. I was intrigued to find that Dobby, the house elf from the Harry Potter books, is actually a genus of British house fairies--known mostly in the north of England. Supposedly, the Dobby/Dobie makes ridiculous mistakes or is easily confused. When I read the entry for the Brownie (pronounced "broony"), I was surprised to read that the sure way to get rid of a brownie is to give him a piece of clothing--just like the house elves in the J.K. Rowling series. (Unfortunately, the authors didn't cross-reference Dobby to Brownie for some reason, so I stumbled upon the entry quite by accident. Or, due to obscene curiosity, I suppose).
At times, the authors speak at length about Potter references in relevant entries. However, the entry for the Stag fails to mention Harry Potter's Patronus, which is a luminous white stag that Harry conjures in his times of need.
Some of the research seems sketchy at best and inaccurate at worst. For example, under the Mothman entry, there's a mention of the movie The Mothman Prophecies. The entry states "starring Kevin Costner", but Costner isn't in the film. The star of the movie is actually Richard Gere. I have to wonder: if the authors include a mistake like this--on a fact that is easily researchable--how accurate is the other information in this book?
One of the first entries I looked up was "tulpas", a concept that fascinates me. Unfortunately, there is no mention or entry for this phenomenon. Yet, there was information on the Golem, which is similar--but of Jewish/Kabbalistic origin.
While the authors explained that Fawkes is a pet Phoenix of Dumbledore in the Potter series, they fail to mention a more common mythological connection: the Phoenix is connected to the sign of Scorpio, and is considered a higher expression of this Zodiacal sign. Another "miss" was the entry on Salamanders. There is no mention that this creature is a spirit connected with the fire element in magical Hermeticism and some Pagan traditions. (Not to mention that the Salamander is a somewhat common theme among the fire suits in Tarot, most notably the Wands.) So I looked up Gnome (associated with the earth element), and *did* find a brief mention of salamander, gnome, undine, and sylph in terms of hermetic practice and Paracelsusian philosophy. Thus, the cross references in this book seems to be shoddy.
While some of the information in The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures is downright fascinating, I was a bit disappointed to see what I considered glaring gaps in the research, not to mention inaccuracies. I didn't go looking for these, but discovered them early in my explorations of this book as I followed my interests and curiosity. That, and the fact that many of the entries were entirely unfamiliar to me, makes this a so-so book for me.
Granted, it's an overwhelming undertaking cataloguing hundreds of fantastical creatures from a myriad of sources--so kudos certainly go to the authors for doing a decent job as far as breadth goes. Moreover, I suppose I can't be *too* hard on the book, considering that it's an encyclopedia--not necessarily and exhaustive reference. Perhaps I am spoiled by Judika Illes' breadth *and* depth in The Element Encyclopedia of Witchcraft (not to mention her book on 5,000 spells).
If you're curious about the likes of mermen and griffins, sirens and orcs, The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures will probably delight you. I can see this book being especially good reference for sci-fi and fantasy writers. However, if you want comprehensive information on several creatures, you may be better off getting a book that is devoted specifically to such a subject. (Note: after only an hour or so of reading this book, the pages began to pull away from the glue binding. Unfortunately, the flexibound cover/binding isn't as sturdy as the two previous hardback installments of the Element Encyclopedia series. Thus, it's not a good idea to read the book flat--but this hefty volume makes it almost impossible to read any other way without experiencing discomfort.)
Average customer rating:
- Mediocre Illustration
- Depends on your purpose
- well, it's a start
- one of a kind, but not very special.........................
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Treasury of Fantastic and Mythological Creatures: 1,087 Renderings from Historic Sources (Dover Pictorial Archive Series)
Richard Huber
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
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Binding: Paperback
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1300 Real and Fanciful Animals: From Seventeenth-Century Engravings (Dover Pictorial Archive Series)
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Picture Book of Devils, Demons and Witchcraft
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Giants, Monsters, and Dragons: An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend, and Myth
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Big Book of Dragons, Monsters, and Other Mythical Creatures (Dover Pictorial Archive Series)
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Fantastic Creatures: 122 Bizarre Beings (Dover Pictorial Archive Series)
ASIN: 0486241742 |
Book Description
Vast compilation of copyright-free images from many cultures and eras — from prehistoric rock paintings to Max Ernst, from the masks of black Africa to the gargoyles of Notre Dame.
Customer Reviews:
Mediocre Illustration.......2006-11-06
These illustration are mediocre at best and I wish I had realized that they were an artists interpretation of monsters from historical sources, not direct images. Darn.
Depends on your purpose.......2005-11-18
Satisfaction with this purchase will very much depend on your purpose. It certainly does not have much text in the book to accompany the illustrations. Personally, I wasn't expecting any having purchased other Dover publications for artists and craftspeople. Which then left the illustrations. There is a diverse range here across different parts of the world. I was expecting different 'ages' rather than different 'locations'; only because some pictorial archives (especially costume ones) start with the oldest period and work forwards.
As someone looking for different animals and creatures for use in collage art, altered books and card making, this is a good book to add to my collection. There are certainly all manner of creatures contained within.
If you are looking for an informative archive through text, then this is certainly not the book for you. If like me, you are looking for a range of creatures; then this book has something to offer.
well, it's a start.......2002-12-28
On the one hand, the book does offer wide-ranging coverage. There isn't a region of the world that isn't covered to some extent.
On the other hand, the textual information provided is sparse and occasionally *wrong*, and some of the inclusions are questionable.
Each illustration has a one-sentence caption, varying considerably in detail provided. Some give you all the information you would need to find the source of the original illustration, some are a single word identifying the type of creature, others are somewhere in-between. It's unclear how much of this dearth of information is because of the reliance on secondary rather than original sources, and how much of it is because the author and/or his editor over-did the cutting.
Also, some of the captions are mis-assigned. Going through the book, I easily spotted several occasions where two of the illustrations on the same page were clearly given each other's captions. I only spotted this a few times but it begs the question, how many other such errors are there in the book that I didn't spot?
Finally, some of the illustrations included really don't belong. Details from Bosch paintings make sense, they're demons ("fantastical and mythological creatures") from hundreds of years ago ("from historic sources"). But there are some figures from modern art included that don't seem to belong, particularly a Picasso that's just an abstract rendering of a normal human.
It may well be more useful for its bibliography than for its content.
one of a kind, but not very special................................2000-04-04
at first, i was terribly dissapointed at the simple black and white renderings and 1 sentance descriptions. however, i learned to appreciate it as a one of a kind book. it is not very insightful, special, creative, or informative, and i want to let let it be known that this book is not going to be good for a little kid who just likes little baby fairy tales or other things like that. this is especially for the advanced fan of mythological and fantastic creatures. i know that i tresure my copy though! love ya'!
Average customer rating:
- Story Time
- Buy It For The Fantasy
- ...!!!!!.....
- Great introduction to mythology
- encyclopedia of things that never were:creatures, places and people
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Encyclopedia of Things That Never Were: Creatures, Places, and People
Robert Ingpen , and
Michael Page
Manufacturer: Studio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0140100083 |
Book Description
Hardcover sales of more than 70,000 copies have made the Encyclopedia of Things That Never Were a classic illustrated reference to myths and legends from all corners of the world. Here--culled from mythology, literature, and folk tales--is the mystical realm that has populated humanity's imagination for centuries. Over 400 entries, engagingly written and organized by type of entity, make this a complete source of information and a visual feast. Among the entries are: from "The Cosmos," Quetzalcoatl and Scorpio; from "The Ground and Underground," centaurs, elves, and unicorns; from "Wonderland," Atlantis and El Dorado; from "Magic, Science, and Invention," flying carpets and the Trojan horse; from "Water, Sky, and Air," Pegasus and Moby-Dick; and from "The Night," a host of shuddersome creatures from vampires to the golem. This is a wild and wondrous gift for any visionary.
Customer Reviews:
Story Time.......2007-07-19
I absolutely love this book. After a hard day s work, you need a little fantasy to help you relax and share with family. It simply great.
Buy It For The Fantasy.......2007-01-27
This book, although I only have the paperback edition, is one of my most treasured books. The illustrations are fantastic. It is easy to see how Robert Ingpen became the illustrator of more than 100 books. There is a definite transcendental quality to each and every picture. Often, I will flip through the book at night before going to sleep and allow the pictures to create stories in my mind--a peaceful way to fall asleep.
Like several other reviewers, I too have found some of the information in the book to be debatable if not totally inaccurate. It is well written from an entertainment perspective and does not read at all like an encyclopedia. However, the misinformation found in several entries leads one to question ALL of the information. I find that to be rather distracting. The title of the book also distracts one from delving too deeply and getting too lost in the fantasy by suggesting that all contained here are, "Things That Never Were."
...!!!!!............2007-01-01
I've loved this book for most of my life. It has great pictures, and regardless of its accuracy, it is a fascinating read.
Great introduction to mythology.......2006-10-04
I accidentally stole this book from my college library, when I put it in my bag and forgot it was there until I got home (how I got it through the electronic sensors is an unsolved mystery). Once I realized the mistake though, I couldn't bring myself to return it. It is true that, as other reviewers have pointed out, this book is anything but comprehensive, and is certainly not an academic or reference work. However, it is the most beautiful, entertaining book on mythology I've yet seen, and will probably inspire many who read it to track down some of those more scholarly references. Apart from the fanciful illustrations, I found the democratic scope of the work particularly commendable- the authors pull many of their entries from the usual sources, such as the folklore of the British Isles and Egyptian mythology, but they also look to more unusual inspiration such as contemporary American hobo mythology. I also like how the conceit of the book- to discuss these "things that never were" as if they really existed- is applied not only to subjects culled from ancient mythology, which presumably were at some point viewed more or less as factual, but also to those created whole-cloth for relatively recent works of literature. Given that the focus of the book is so free-ranging, it is inevitable that there are some weird omissions and emphases- no separate entries for the bulk of the Greek pantheon, but page after page of detailed notes on locations featured only in Gulliver's Travels, for example- but this same quality means that even the most seasoned mythology afficionado is likely to find something new or surprising here. A truly entertaining work.
encyclopedia of things that never were:creatures, places and people.......2006-07-22
I purchased this book when I was about 17 years old(21 years ago!)and loved every minute that I spent reading and looking at the fantastic illustrations of this wonderful book.I shared it with my children and they were hooked as well. I recommend it to any body who loves fantasy and mythology,you will not be disappointed.
Book Description
Fantasy continues to be hot, and it's not just for kids interested in comics. Many fine artists love mythological creatures like mermaids, centaurs, and dragons. And with Creating Creatures of Fantasy and Imagination, they'll learn how to make realistic-looking fantasy artwork. With her characteristic friendly instruction, Claudia Nice shows ways to:
-Transform everyday images into imaginary creatures, such as a horse into a unicorn or a girl into a pixie, by using exaggeration and expression
-Enhance drawings and paintings with accessories, homes, pets, and vibrant backgrounds
-Create these images with a wide variety of mediums, including pen and ink, watercolor, and acrylic
In addition, readers receive the legend behind each creature, designed to help jumpstart their imaginations!
Customer Reviews:
Disappointed.......2006-09-25
I was very disappointed in this book. I was expecting to get a book about how to "create creatures of fantasy and imagination" Instead I received a book with really bad drawings of people with butterfly wings on them, and animals put together with other animals, such as a housecat with bird wings(?) Just my personal opinion, but not at all what I was looking for.
Pretty good, somewhat inspiring.......2006-02-18
I like most of Nice's work (pen & ink with watercolor, mostly), and I love fantasy, so I bought this book. She does a fairly good job, focusing mostly on details and how to turn real-life inspirations into faeries, ogres, dragons, sea monsters, etc. Personally, I thought she focused too much on the little details. At least half of the book is devoted to humanoid creatures (faeries, elves, etc.), which seemed excessive. Some of her other creatures looked a little off - her centaurs had some proportion problems, and a few of her dragons looked iffy to my admittedly-overpicky eye. On the whole, it's a fun book to page through, and it provided some small inspiration, but I've seen others that inspired me more. If you like Claudia Nice (or just good pen & ink with watercolor, acrylic, or colored pencil), and you like creating fantasy art, you might want to give it a try.
Book Description
With Fantastic Realms!, readers will discover how to sketch, draw, and color their own fantasy worlds--one of the hottest trends in popular culture today. This instructive guide:
-Shares more than thirty step-by-step demonstrations of characters, creatures, and settings, so readers can create every aspect of a fantasy world
-Provides texture detail keys and coloring keys so readers can replicate the different effects easily and exactly
-Includes templates of drawings so readers can practice inking or coloring on their own
Complete with an appendix to help readers invent their own characters and scene characteristics, Fantastic Realms! is sure to appeal to fans of comics, collectible cards, and role-playing games everywhere.
Customer Reviews:
Create a new world filled with fantastic creatures........2007-06-26
.
"Just like adventurers getting ready to go on a quest, artists must prepare themselves before setting out to create fantasy worlds and creatures." (V.Shane, pp15).
How odd it seems that the very first lesson in this book is to `Begin with Seeing,' yet without awareness of the world around you, how can you create a world within or without, the one in which you live?
This truly is an amazing creative book. For example, get a spray bottle out of the kitchen and study it until you see a creature emerge from the contours of the bottle. If you have trouble seeing something different, squint, or turn your head to the side, because you will be able to see a wild animal that is dangerous or a creature that is gentle, or battle raiment for your hero or villain. Something is there waiting for you to find it, much like stereographs.
This is the power of fantasy art.
The book will take you through the basics of fantasy drawing, the tools you will need and additional supplies that come in handy. You will see sketching & shading techniques known as hatching, crosshairs, contour lines, and others. Darker lines make deeper the shadows. If you want a sword gleam, keep it light while all around it is muted and darker.
By following the exercises in this book, you will create heroes and villains, dragons of many shapes and spirit, motion and stillness. There is a new world in this book and it is here for you.
It is so exciting to know that you can combine the knowledge you gain from all of the books on drawing to create cover art or coming books.
Offers everything .......2007-01-07
If you like to draw and enjoy fantasy, then V. Shane's FANTASTIC REALMS: DRAW FANTASY CHARACTERS, CREATURES AND SETTINGS is for you. Packed with both step-by-step inlay illustrations of close-ups for drawing hands, inking approaches, and capturing action and color drawings of full finished products, FANTASTIC REALMS offers everything from coloring keys and notes on texturing and shading to using variety and bar sweeps to give an atmosphere to movement.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
An excellent source for drawing tips.......2006-04-19
This book is an excellent resource for learning how to draw all kinds of different things that would appear in a fantasy setting. It's got fantastic tips about shading, texture, and coloring. I just wish there had been a bit more information about some basics, like proportion for people like me who haven't had any formal training in how to draw.
Exellcent Book!!!.......2006-03-25
well Shane, you kinda already know what i think about your book, but im here to tell everybody out there about how great and super helpful this book is!!!
the night i got this book, i spend 2hrs reading and studying everything cover to cover. the way its writen is easy to understand and the little tips are very handy to use. the next day, i made a few little sketches of many different creatures and humans. then i tried clading knights in a wide range armors and giving creatures much needed textures. i finally drew a small pic of a dragon and show it to my mom to ask what she thought of it. she could tell a great improvement in my art, with lines, postitions, textures, structure, etc.
i used to always draw the same thing, little cartoon characters, mostly using the same format. im starting to learn to draw different things now, letting my imagination wander further and try new things. i never use to draw multiple sketches to decide on were things should be or the position of the character. now i do and i have a better understanding of how things should look, im more organized. backgrounds werent my favorite thing to do, most of my drawings and sketches dont have them at all. slowly, more of my pictures are starting to have enviroments for the characters to be in.
this book has helped me in so many ways, im still improving on things. i use it for refernce all the time and have it next to my sketch book. its just an excellent book to have, i really really like it alot!!!
-Erin Carter "LinkinParkRocker21"
Excellent book.......2006-03-23
I used to draw animals and buildings years ago and decided I wanted to go back to that. And add fantasy creatures to my ability.
This books covers drawing people, creatures and buildings. If you already having some drawing skill, this book is a great help.
Customer Reviews:
Some Interesting Information--But Has Research Gaps and Innacuracies.......2006-09-21
"This book is a zoology of the imagination more than it is a natural history. It follows the myths of magical creatures wherever they show themselves, myths that are primal stories encoding understandings that we grasp by means of metaphor rather than with any literal-mindedness. Where will these creatures lead us?"
The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures is a 682-page, flexibound compendium of fantastic beings from myth, magic, and urban legend. (Flexibound is somewhat between a hardcover and a paperback). Arranged alphabetically for easy reference, hundreds of entries are culled from literature, sacred texts, history, legends, cryptozoology, and movies. Mythical stories pertaining to animals, fowl, and insects are also provided. Entertaining and informative, this book sparks both imagination and curiosity. Indeed, it's hard to read "just one" entry in this unique book.
Some of the fantastical beasts, monsters, and demigods listed in this book include:
* Bunyip
* Lorelei
* Puck
* Sasquatch
* Chupacabras
* Thoth
* Quetzalcoatl
* Elves
* Bastet
* Leviathan
* Dryads
* Lilith
* Ouroboros
* Mothman
* Fire Drake
* Golem
* Banshee
* Satyr
* Basilisk
* Thunderbird
* Scapegoat
While many entries are familiar, I found the majority obscure--having never heard of them. I was intrigued to find that Dobby, the house elf from the Harry Potter books, is actually a genus of British house fairies--known mostly in the north of England. Supposedly, the Dobby/Dobie makes ridiculous mistakes or is easily confused. When I read the entry for the Brownie (pronounced "broony"), I was surprised to read that the sure way to get rid of a brownie is to give him a piece of clothing--just like the house elves in the J.K. Rowling series. (Unfortunately, the authors didn't cross-reference Dobby to Brownie for some reason, so I stumbled upon the entry quite by accident. Or, due to obscene curiosity, I suppose).
At times, the authors speak at length about Potter references in relevant entries. However, the entry for the Stag fails to mention Harry Potter's Patronus, which is a luminous white stag that Harry conjures in his times of need.
Some of the research seems sketchy at best and inaccurate at worst. For example, under the Mothman entry, there's a mention of the movie The Mothman Prophecies. The entry states "starring Kevin Costner", but Costner isn't in the film. The star of the movie is actually Richard Gere. I have to wonder: if the authors include a mistake like this--on a fact that is easily researchable--how accurate is the other information in this book?
One of the first entries I looked up was "tulpas", a concept that fascinates me. Unfortunately, there is no mention or entry for this phenomenon. Yet, there was information on the Golem, which is similar--but of Jewish/Kabbalistic origin.
While the authors explained that Fawkes is a pet Phoenix of Dumbledore in the Potter series, they fail to mention a more common mythological connection: the Phoenix is connected to the sign of Scorpio, and is considered a higher expression of this Zodiacal sign. Another "miss" was the entry on Salamanders. There is no mention that this creature is a spirit connected with the fire element in magical Hermeticism and some Pagan traditions. (Not to mention that the Salamander is a somewhat common theme among the fire suits in Tarot, most notably the Wands.) So I looked up Gnome (associated with the earth element), and *did* find a brief mention of salamander, gnome, undine, and sylph in terms of hermetic practice and Paracelsusian philosophy. Thus, the cross references in this book seems to be shoddy.
While some of the information in The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures is downright fascinating, I was a bit disappointed to see what I considered glaring gaps in the research, not to mention inaccuracies. I didn't go looking for these, but discovered them early in my explorations of this book as I followed my interests and curiosity. That, and the fact that many of the entries were entirely unfamiliar to me, makes this a so-so book for me.
Granted, it's an overwhelming undertaking cataloguing hundreds of fantastical creatures from a myriad of sources--so kudos certainly go to the authors for doing a decent job as far as breadth goes. Moreover, I suppose I can't be *too* hard on the book, considering that it's an encyclopedia--not necessarily and exhaustive reference. Perhaps I am spoiled by Judika Illes' breadth *and* depth in The Element Encyclopedia of Witchcraft (not to mention her book on 5,000 spells).
If you're curious about the likes of mermen and griffins, sirens and orcs, The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures will probably delight you. I can see this book being especially good reference for sci-fi and fantasy writers. However, if you want comprehensive information on several creatures, you may be better off getting a book that is devoted specifically to such a subject. (Note: after only an hour or so of reading this book, the pages began to pull away from the glue binding. Unfortunately, the flexibound cover/binding isn't as sturdy as the two previous hardback installments of the Element Encyclopedia series. Thus, it's not a good idea to read the book flat--but this hefty volume makes it almost impossible to read any other way without experiencing discomfort.)
Book Description
*Features clear instruction for drawing, shading and painting dragons
*Includes acrylic paints, paintbrushes, and a drawing pad and pencil and more
Nothing makes a fantasy fan's imagination catch fire like the dragon, one of the most enduringly popular beasts of legend. Now beginning artists can learn simple secrets and tricks for creating their own dragon artworks. Based on the bestselling title, DragonArt, this kit offers an instructional book along with pencils, paper, brushes and paints-everything the aspiring fantasy artist needs to create their own mythical works of art.
Customer Reviews:
5 star, but hoping for a bigger book.......2007-08-11
I give this five stars because it is extremely helpful in instructing you how to form your own dragon, but I was hoping for a bigger book to go along with the brushes, pencils, and paints. It's worth the purchase if you'll use everything in the kit, but the $19.99 book is the better purchase.
awsome.......2007-03-19
comes with everything a beginner needs. I just wish I had more free time to draw...
Great !.......2007-02-08
It was simple and complicated enough for my 9 year old. The illustrations are great and the details are easy enough to understand. The paint brush was actually a pretty nice one and not plastic stiff brissles.
Book Description
Monsters, demons, mythical creatures, and other supernatural beings abound in this unique and useful CD-ROM and book collection. 418 black-and-white illustrations range from prehistoric pictographs and medieval gargoyles to nightmarish visions — fish with human legs, birds with human faces, haunting masks from Africa, and a host of other fantastic fictional fauna.
Books:
- Dragons: A Pop-Up Book of Fantastic Adventures
- Eldest (Inheritance, Book 2)
- Eldest (Inheritance, Book 2)
- Event Planning : The Ultimate Guide to Successful Meetings, Corporate Events, Fundraising Galas, Conferences, Conventions, Incentives and Other Special Events
- Fire Ice: A Novel from the NUMA Files
- Ghost of A Chance: A Marjorie McClelland Mystery (A Marjorie Mcclelland Mystery)
- Growing Up Digital: The Rise of the Net Generation
- Hard Rock Lovers
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7)
- Harry Potter Hardcover Box Set (Books 1-6)
Books Index
Books Home
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