4 comments about Perspective Drawing.

1. The book came in a timely fashion along with its "Creative Drawing" counterpart and has been exactly what I needed for my art class at school.



2. Unfortunately, I would too often come out the other end of a chapter realizing that I had only really learned a small handful of facts that I could universally use. The convoluted drawing descriptions tended to leave me a bit cross-eyed and I found the illustration captions did a better job of explaining what the entire page just did. Still, it does offer enough useful information overall, but despite all the drawing technique, does not really offer many basic solid rules of perspective. Leans a bit more on memorizing techniques in an array of possible circumstances rather than understanding the basics which can then be applied to any circumstance. The book is worth reading however, particularly since it is so short that you will hardly lose anything by doing so, and will likely gain some useful knowledge along the way.



3. I have to differ with the positive review of this book. I have a little experience drawing, and had some specific questions about perspective, such as how to draw a receding row of arches. This book answered none of my questions. The first several chapters focus on conceptual basics, often drifting toward common sense rather than solid technique. (I don't need to be told that tall buildings seem smaller at the top stories; I need to know how to use that realistically in a drawing). Complicated (and practical) applications of perspective, like portraying rooms full of furniture, are given short shrift. There are exceptions - the chapter dealing with cast shadows, especially the detailed treatment of light on complicated surfaces like stairs, is well-done and potentially very useful - it's the only reason I have not thrown this book out. I don't know of a good practical overview of perspective drawing for all levels, but I have gotten a lot more useful instruction out of the amusingly dated (and cheaper) "Perspective for Artists" by Rex Vicat Cole.



4. Perspective drawing is one of the skills many people see as neccessary repertoir for an artist to have. Particularly for subjects such as architecture or some types of still life. The subjects covered in this book include everything from 1,2 and 3 point perspective to circles, ovals, cylinders, squares, rectangles, inclined planes and an entire chapter on cast shadows during different points throughout the day, shadows on overcast days or from artificial light.

   The author explains everything in a clear manner without talking down to the reader. He says this book grew out of his 30+ years teaching perspective to art students at San Jose State University. Each concept is shown with plenty of examples and details and the author assumes the reader will practice each of them. One of the last chapters is on Visualization - basically drawing a picture in perspective using the rules and concepts as test that you truly asorbed all the preceding lessons. While I am sure there are other good books on perspective available, I was quite pleased with this one. A lot of beginning How-To Draw type books never give more than a cursory mention of one or maybe two-point perspective. For the majority of artists this book will be all they'll ever need on the subject. There is enough material here that it will probably take at least 6 months to really get a good feel for everything it covers. The book contains a glossary and index. For the amount of information given it is very affordable.

3 comments about Calligraphy Kit: Learn the Art of Beautiful Writing (Walter Foster Art Kits).

1. I got my 10 year old daughter this for Christmas, and she loves it. She loves art, painting, crafts, and her handwriting was not great. She did not like to write much. Now she really enjoys it as she sees it more as an art rather than a chore. Great product, the book has lots of different styles to work on.



2. This is a duplicate order but we decide to keep and pay for it and it turned out well excelent product



3. Some of the ink cartridges were all dried up. However, the book is good.

1 comments about Painting as a Language: Material, Technique, Form, Content.

1. I have been looking for this type of concise information about oil painting. I have only been painting in oils for a little over a year. This is the missing link, the information that is skipped in oil painting classes (at least the one I took). I guess they think you already know the basics. Glazes, mediums, and much more are explained. This covers more than just the techniques in learning to paint, it teaches you to tap into your creativity. Lots of easy to understand exercises. I wish there were more color examples. I would like to see the entire book printed on better paper.

5 comments about Mastering the Twister: Jiu-jitsu for Mixed Martial Arts Competition.

1. Eddie's system is freaking awesome! I am an accomplished grappler and have always been interested in new techniques, etc. I was already familiar with the twister and a couple of the setups, but Eddie's book blew me away. My top game is so sick right now, that not one of my fellow students, nor my coach, can touch me!
   If you have some grappling experience, this book will revolutionize your top game.
   If you are new, this will help you, but you might get lost in some of the more complex transitions.
   Either way, Eddie Bravo and his system kick butt!



2. This is one of the best jiu jitsu books ever it gives in great detail insight to Eddie Bravo's game.



3. I got this book because I really liked how Mastering the Rubber guard was set up and hoped that Mastering the Twister would be just as useful and enjoyable. I can honestly say that it was and that I was very pleased with the purchase. What I liked about both products was that they both teach a System of techniques that all link together and include "go to" moves for when things don't go according to plan. I also liked the personal stories that Mr. Bravo included; I felt that the combination of these two elements took these books well beyond what most martial arts books provide. The value of these books is that they are useful as reference, good for new ideas as they contain an unorthodox BJJ game, and they are highly entertaining. Definitely well worth the purchase. Keep up the good work!



4. Just like his book on the Rubber Guard, Eddie Bravo's 'Mastering the Twister' is an innovative, effective and insightful system of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu without the gi, that both intermediate and longtime practitioners will benefit in many ways from.
   
   Like 'Mastering the Rubber Guard', this isn't just an encyclopedia of moves and positions, but a complete gameplan and system. There is a flow-chart that details each position as it transitions to the next, and Eddie goes into excellent detail on the intricacies of each technique. Like other Victory Belt published books, this is as good an instructional you will get short of a DVD video release. Highly recommended.
   
   This is advanced BJJ however, so beginners will be adviced not to just jump in without a firm grasp of the basics. It should also be noted that Mastering the Twister is a direct "sequel" if you will to Mastering the Rubber Guard, so it will be good to start with that book first, though not totally necessary. What MTRG did for the bottom game, MTTwister does for the top game.



5. Anyone interested in no gi grappling should buy this book. This book is very clear and well organized. There are some different and new ideas in this book that should expand your game. This book as well as EB first book Mastering the Rubber Guard are two of the best bjj books you can buy.

5 comments about Watercolors by Winslow Homer: The Color of Light (Art Institute of Chicago).

1. This is an invaluable book on Winslow Homer's watercolors with superb color photographs and technical details.
   TEDESCHI, MARTHA; DAHM, KRISTI; WALSH, JUDITH; and HUANG, KAREN.
   
   Watercolors by Winslow Homer: The Color of Light
   
   The Art Institute of Chicago, Yale University Press, New Haven and London2008
   
   978-0-300-11945-9
   
   228 pages, index of technical terms, extensive references and bibliography, copiously illustrated with excellent color plates.
   
   This catalogue accompanied an exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago in spring 2008. Technical information about Winslow Homer's watercolor technique is woven throughout the entire text. Homer's career in watercolors is carefully traced beginning with his self-taught, trial-and-error early watercolors. He began using watercolor as an independent medium in 1873. His method was often to paint quickly in the open air or to develop a watercolor from a careful pencil study. He seems to have informed himself by reading treatises on the medium. Favoring papers of moderate texture, he opted for opaque watercolor at first but sometimes combined transparent washes and opaque passages. He usually began by laying out the central motif with graphite lines. Technical variety was established early and would endure throughout his career. Homer's "Bible" was Chevreul on Colors.
   
   By the early 1870s Homer was an accomplished draftsman. To achieve brightness and opacity he used zinc white watercolor, mixing it with and layering it under transparent watercolor. By 1878 he carried out some works entirely in transparent watercolor. For "Weary" he selected an off-white, medium-thick sheet with a rough, twill texture and used a dry brush method for sunlight hitting the tree trunk. In the fall of 1880 he dedicated himself to painting in transparent watercolor and appropriated a new range of transparent pigments including three blues: Antwerp, indigo, and Prussian. A chart is provided of his pigments from 1878 to 1903.
   
   Many of his watercolors were on Whatman paper, handmade from linen fibers and infused with gelatin size. This size sometimes attracted mold which appeared in scattered spots of foxing. The Whatman paper was bound in a solid block with a gumlike adhesive and gauze on four sides. His brown laid papers, containing red and blue fibers were made by the French manufacturer "Saint Mars." Among the remains of Homer's studio materials are two Winsor and Newton "Japanned tin boxes" containing moist watercolor cakes. They contained glycerin, a wetting agent that retains moisture and causes the immediate release of color when touched with a rough brush. Two of his watercolor brushes are pictured; they are made from sable bristles set into a swan quill that was stripped of its feathers.
   
   Homer sometimes transferred designs using carbon paper. Examination under ultraviolet light reveals the artist's use of madder lake; in "Two Boys Watching Schooners" of 1880, the madder lake was used over the figures and rocks to convey the sun's warmth. He sometimes used blotting to create atmospheric textures or would wet, blot, and scrape areas. Scraped passages are recognized when viewed at an angle; the broken and disrupted paper fibers in these areas have a softer look than the uninterrupted surface. Homer sometimes used sandpaper to abrade both pigment and paper to reveal the white substrate below; this method created a speckled texture, taking away pigment only from the highest points of the rough paper while leaving it in the surrounding interstices. Occasionally, Homer abandoned his brushes and tools and manipulated watercolors directly with his fingers. Other techniques discussed include applying broad flat washes for sky and water, painting wet-on-wet to create atmospheric effects, spattering to produce the effect of salt and humidity hanging in the air, tamping the brush to construct thin wispy tops of pine trees, using a knife to create white highlights, and using a resist, possibly of white lead, a drying oil, and a resin, to block off areas. Alterations were sometimes made by scraping. Infrared images of the graphite underdrawings may reveal significant changes in composition. Homer sometimes cropped the works; the trimmed edges appear slightly uneven and lack the adhesive residue from the watercolor drawing block.
   
   Homer would sometimes place tracing paper over a watercolor, outline the main elements with a soft graphite pencil, and place the tracing face down onto a copper plate to transfer the image for an etching. Some of the red lake pigments in Homer watercolors have faded. The original color may be preserved where it was covered by a window mat or frame rabbet edge.



2. Winslow Homer - The Color of Light is a work of amazingly penetrating scholarship on many levels that examines the techniques and the pigments and papers used by this foremost of native American watercolorists, as well as much else. Every time a book on Winslow homer comes out, one assumes it will be the last, then yet another emerges that is nevertheless of immense value in understanding this painter. Winslow Homer - The Color of Light is such a book.



3. For those of use who revere Homer as a great American artist and who particularly love his watercolors, this book is what we've waited for. I only wish some of the details and close-ups (which are stunning!) were larger.
   One reviewer said that her watercolor teacher is considering a course with this book as a basis. Great idea. I've taught watercolor at Fullerton College for sixteen semesters and I would love to do the same. For years my students and I have conjectured on how Homer worked. This book answers almost every question that can be answered. And the reproductions are excellent. And the work is breathtaking.



4. Apart from featuring paintings from the exhibit at the Chicago Art Institute, it provided a lot of information about the watercolor techniques. A great reference book.



5. After seeing someone else's copy I immediately bought my own. Not only is it interesting for anyone who appreciates Homer's watercolors, but it shares methods, techniques and helpful hints used by him for many types of effects and in some cases to cover mistakes. A must have for watercolorists. My instructor is considering giving a class using this book as a basis.

1 comments about Action/Abstraction: Pollock, De Kooning, and American Art, 1940-1976 (Jewish Museum).

1. This is a magnificent artbook enriched by breakthrough studies on the most important movement in post-war American art, namely Abstract Expressionism (and its offshoots like color-field painting). Based on the intellectual rivalry between the two most famous critics of the period, Clement Greenberg (the advocate of abstraction, who insisted on the importance of the work of art versus the creative process, abstract art being the only valid modern form of art) and Harold Rosenberg (who coined the expression "action painting" in a 1952 article in Artnews and to whom what counted was the act of creating, more than the end product) it enables the reader to discover some of the most canonical works of the movement, by De Kooning, Pollock, Newman and many others, lavishly illustrated.
   
   The book accompanies an exhibition held at the Jewish Museum in NYC and is a trove of information and documents on the roots, the influences, the governing ideas, the artists' personalities and their reactions to the various opinions stated by Greenberg and Rosenberg on their art but also on the state of contemporary culture.
   
   The reproductions of facsimile of letters are especially interesting, such as the ones Clyfford Still sent to Harold Rosenberg, first urging him to get into art criticism and then condemning him for doing so ("I am deeply disappointed" he ends up writing).
   
   A landmark exhibition enlightened by this rich catalogue (a highlight is Irving Sandler's article on the convergences and divergences between Greenberg and Rosenberg)which I strongly recommend.

5 comments about Mastering the Rubber Guard: Jiu-jitsu for Mixed Martial Arts Competition.

1. The common misconception about the 10th Planet Jiujitsu system is that it is too advance for beginners to start with. If anything, it might actually be better for someone to skip traditional BJJ training and jump into the 10th Planet so he or she doesn't pick up any bad habits by learning a gi-based style with techniques that are low percentage in no-gi grappling, which is sadly an all too common sight in the grappling world. Even in most no-gi classes, they are just teaching modified gi jiu-jitsu where they try to compensate the lack of sleeves and collars with head and elbow control, head and wrist control or double wrist control. Not to say that techniques don't work, they work quite well against beginners, but they become lower and lower percentage as you face more experienced and tougher opponents. Head and arm grips, regardless of how well develeped your grip strength is, doesn't offer as much control over your opponent as a tight clinch with the rubber guard does and leaves you vulnerable to strikes if you're competing in mma. Rubber guard was designed for mma and no-gi grappling so you can go for submissions while preventing your opponent from posturing up, striking you, and possibly going for leglocks from inside your guard. The rubber guard, like the 10th Planet Jiujitsu system in general, is very easy to learn and follow because unlike most jiujitsu instructors, Eddie Bravo has his entire system mapped out with a clear pathway from one move to the next with every move having its own quirky nickname. This book is very easy to follow and learn from because unlike most technique books, Eddie Bravo teaches an entires system of techniques and transitions between techniques as oppose to teaching a set of isolated techniques.
   
   There is nothing fancy or advanced about the rubber guard, that is not to say that there aren't advanced rubber guard techniques. The only thing that is stopping the average person from learning the rubber guard is flexibility, which can be easily attained with 2 or 3 months of just doing knee and hip stretches everyday. Don't listen to the health club "experts" who will have you believe that you have no chance of becoming your flexible if you haven't taken yoga for 10 years or been doing gymnastics since the age of 4. You would have to become flexible to be a good jiujitsu player anyways, even if you choose not to make rubber guard a part of your game(which would be insane). People will have an easy time passing your guard if you lack flexibility and range of motion in your legs. There are many jiujitsu practioners who have the flexibility for rubber guard but don't use it because they only know the traditional bjj guard and they keep trying to go for triangle chokes and armbars against postured up opponents only to get constantly stuffed.
   
   Even if you don't have the flexibility at the moment, there are still many useful half-guard and butterfly guard sweeps, submissions, and transitions in this book that will do a lot to help your game. Not to mention the spider web, which is a control position where you're going for the armbar from mount and hooking your opponent's near side leg to prevent him from scrambling. Eddie shows a couple techniques for breaking the arm free from the spider web that will higher your armbar percentages.
   
   Buy this book along with Mastering the Twister(where Eddie covers his side control, mount, and back game in addition to transitions to the infamous "twister" submission hold) and study both of these books deeply, find a partner, and drill these techniques religiously because it will bring your game to a much higher level than taking an overpriced class with some Brazilian guy who forces his students to wear the gi and only teaches them extremely basic jiujitsu. Do the math, these books require an only one time payment of only $20 to $30 each along with a mat which cost about $100 something as oppose to paying the $175 to $200 a month tuition to the Gracie or Machado Academy. You're spending less money to not only learn a different style of jiujitsu, but a much more effective style of juijitsu which should be standard for mixed martial arts and no-gi grappling in my opinion.



2. Eddie Bravo is one of the most outstanding and controversial figures in Jiu-Jitsu today, having received his Black Blet under the equally distinguished Jean-Jacques Machado. In addition, he holds the distinction of being the only American to submit a member of the legendary Gracie family in Jiu-Jitsu competition, a feat he accomplished against Royler Gracie at the 2003 Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling Championships.
   
   Anyone who's trained Jiu-Jitsu knows that in the beginning, you spend a great deal of time on your back, and that it can be one of the most frustrating experiences in Martial Arts training. Exasperated White Belts find their Guards passed almost effortlessly, and end up floundering helplessly in Half-Guard or Side control, waiting for the inevitable submission. Even more advanced students often feel apprehension when fighting off their back, worried that a failed submission attempt would cause them to lose position. Frustrated Jiu-Jitsu students of the world: Eddie Bravo has heard your cries, and written a book that will turn your Guard and Half-Guard into one of the most dangerous places your opponent could be!
   
   Mastering the Rubber detail breaks down, in incredible detail, Eddie Bravo's entire bottom game and is a great tool for anyone interested in Jiu Jitsu.



3. Eddie Bravo has spent years developing his Rubber-Guard system. He's even used it to beat Royler Gracie in competition. Now he presents the bulk of the system in one text. Good stuff.
   
   I could have done without the intro. "Pot's great! It should be legalized! The Tobacco Mafia's holding down hemp!" Alright, Eddie. Whatever you say. He at least tried to relate this to BJJ by saying that smoking pot will give you a new way of seeing things. And taking 'roids will make you stronger and have a faster recovery time, but they're illegal too. It's actually somewhat convincing as a pro-pot argument, but completely out of place in a martial arts book, in my oppinion. Even his gi-versus-no-gi hypothetical question at the beggining of the book has the worst of racial steriotypes in it.
   
   Anyway, once we get going, Eddie gives us some good stuff. He talks about the importance of flexibility, and provides the reader with some stretches. Next, it's on to the half-guard bottom game, a game that has sorely been ignored by too many people. Just working the various sweeps from this possition will improve your game. Next we get a butterfly guard game, always one of my favorites. This section's a bit bare, mostly covering sweeps and transitions to half- or rubber guard possitions. Then we finally hit the Rubber Guard itself, of which about 100 pages is devoted. We get control possitions (very important) and submissions. Good stuff. Following that is a short chapter on how to finish what Bravo calls the "Spider Web", which is a possition that sets you up for an armbar after one of his Rubber Guard sweeps. Mostly it's how to finish from here. Eddie finishes up with escapes into guard and half-guard possition from just about every possition you can think of. This is a valuable section, for nothing else than to get you from a defensive game to thinking offense again.
   
   Now when it comes to Jiujitsu, Eddie shines. The Rubber Guard system is in my oppinion the best bottom game going, and we're seeing more and more of it in grappling and MMA competitions. Like almost all Victory Belt products, we're given clear color photos, multiple camera angles, and color-coded sections. Bravo even includes a "rubber guard flow chart" at the beggining of the book. I found most of the instruction easy to understand and apply.
   
   The down side? As I've said, the intro on pot was unnecessary. I also found some of Eddie's technique labels to be very obscure. Basically anytime he was allowed to talk about anything other than how to perform a technique, the book took a downturn. Also, while one of Bravo's big selling points is that the Rubber Guard is good for MMA, he doesn't actually do any MMA himself, which seems a bit funny. However, given its excellent format and highly-applicable techniques, I'm going to go ahead and give the book five stars.



4. Most people in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu know who Eddie Bravo is. There's a pretty obvious "love him or hate him" feel around. I'm happy to note, though that I'm one of the less boisterous people who fall into neither category. I just like anyone who can explain a concept to me so that I pick it up. And Eddie does that for me in this book.
   
   A quick word, firstly, on Eddie's first book - 'Jiu-Jitsu Unleashed'. I was going to give it a separate review until I received 'Mastering the Rubber Guard'. 'Jiu Jitsu Unleashed' was a reasonable book until the new one came along. 'Jiu Jitsu Unleashed' is a collection of techniques that Bravo uses in his game. It's got a good collection of anecdotes and shows Eddie's game and how it has come to be quite well. That said, the overlap with 'Mastering the Rubber Guard' is too much to warrant buying both - if you were wondering about that.
   
   In fact, I felt quite disappointed in myself when 'Mastering' turned up. Why? Because I'd paid good money for 'Unleashed' just a couple of months before and this was so much better. Ultimately, though, I got a book that was twice as good, anyway. The exception is tht 'Unleashed' takes a bigger look at the Twister and Eddie's top game. Hold on, though. Victory Belt (the publishers) have 'Mastering the Twister' on the horizon.
   
   Like 'Unleashed', 'Mastering' covers the main areas of Bravo's game. There are sections on the half guard and, obviously, the rubber guard. This time, however,we get sections on the butterfly guard, recovering the guard, Bravo's "Spider Web" control and a section on stretching.
   
   Kudos to Bravo for realising not everyone has his flexibility and that they need to develop that attribute to make all the techniques work. Putting my S&C coach hat on (especially with my knees), I shake my head in disapproval of some of the stretches. Still, it's what Bravo does and they are all applicable to his game and the book. Just exercise some critical thinking. If you're in the group the stretches are likely to injure - don't do them.
   
   I'm not going to get into details of the moves. What I am going to say is that they work for Bravo and his guys. They work for a lot of others, too. They might even work for you. The technique names have always been a bone of contention for some, too. Bravo is quick to explain that the names are devloped for coaching in competitions, so the opponent doesn't understand advice being given. I do the same thing with my guys to a large extent.
   
   The book flows well, with a strategy for each position and a series of ideas to help achieve the techniques. For example, the "Whip Up" has been a bit of a boon for my half guard, depite it not being a technique, per se.
   
   The book also contains a flow chart to help guide you through the Rubber Guard game. I've beeen flow charting for a couple of years now and can attest to the improvement and insights it gives you. Eddie gives you his own, personal flowchart.
   
   I'm never going to use Eddie's whole game. I'm 6'7" and weigh the best part of 300 inflexible pounds. I bought the book to help my students and training partners. I've been pleasantly surprised to take some techniques and insights away, along with a better understanding of the 10th Planet system.
   
   Insofar as production, it's good. It's colourful with good quality stock. Photographs are clear and plentiful. Since I'm a bit anal, I picked up some spelling and grammar errors and I hope they'll be picked up with better editing in future Victory Belt productions. But, ultimately, it's content I care about and this book has plenty of it.
   
   Victory Belt's 'Mastering the Rubber Guard' Page
   
   After giving this review to a couple of friends to look over for me, one pointed out the obvious philosophical differences between Eddie and myself and expressed surprise I'd give such a flattering review. Especially due to the drug references.
   
   Let me say this..... Some of the language in the anecdotes is foreign to me and I find some analogies a little trite. I have never taken any illicit drug, including marijuana and am strictly anti-drug.
   
   If you can't put these things behind you and they stand in the way of you buying the book, then too bad. You'll miss out on some quality instruction.



5. This book is a must for any Jiu Jitsu practioner wanting to take his or her ground game to the next level.

5 comments about Becoming an Art Teacher.

1. I found this book to be helpful during my methods course in secondary art education. I used it during the class as a supliment but choose to keep it as a tool for my classroom.



2. How creativity can be so lacking in a book instructing art teachers to go forward in their profession is baffling. This is a rudimentary, pretencious way to teach art. It lacks more than ingeniuty, it really lacks the most basic human connection.



3. I like this book because it steers teachers toward teaching creativity instead of making their students create multiples of the same painting or form. It teaches different components of teaching art as well; such as art history, aesthetics, etc. I would recommend this book to any art teacher.



4. I bought this book for my daughter, who is studying to be an Art teacher, and she really likes it.
   It was mandatory for school, but the professor recommended it highly, and so I can see it becoming a permanent part of her library.



5. This book is great for the beginning art teacher. It has a lot of information in one little book. I will be keeping this as a reference book forever...
   Happy reading to you.

5 comments about Big Book of Cartooning.

1. The book was better than I expected, and arrived before I expected it to.
   Great buy. Thanks. :D



2. This book is so much fun. I'm a digital artist and use Illustrator as my tool. I learned so many techniques from this book. The pictures are big and bold and the author teaches without making you feel like a novice.



3. I bought this book for my husband and he loves it. He is constantly drawing little pictures for me. It will certainly bring out the inner artist in you. This book is easy to follow along with.



4. A casual glance through this book originally made me think it looked too cutesy and not what I wanted. I'll still say that too many of his characters and examples are cutesy, and rather stilted. But there's a lot of excellent material here. I found several tips that I (so far) haven't seen in several other books. I've had several nagging questions: Exactly how do I get things done? How is a finished cartoon created? On what size and kind of paper, using what tools? Blitz walks you through all of that stuff. The section on drawing backgrounds and perspective was also really handy.
   
   I'd say this is the single best book I've seen to get started on cartooning. Even if you want to draw some other, very different style (like, some kind of dark Batman comic or something), if you have little or no cartooning experience, this book will be helpful.



5. I don't consider my self to possess any artistic abilities when it comes to drawing. I wanted to enter a contest on YouTube where I had to draw pictures of things. I got this book. Followed the easy to use instructions, drew my pictures, entered the contest and won the $5,000 grand prize. I would definitely say I got my money's worth from this book and much much more. Highly recommended.

5 comments about DragonArt Fantasy Characters: How to Draw Fantastic Beings and Incredible Creatures.

1. This is an excellent resource for artists of fantastical races. It has info for everything and fun little comments throughout the entire book. Wonderfully drawn, coloured, and simple to use, I highly recommend this book to other artists, as a guide on how to make their own wonderful creations.



2. We bought this book for our 14 year old and found it had nudity/partial nudity in many of the drawings. The work is beautifully done.



3. Jessica Peffer has come out with the most useful art books that i know of that relate to fantasy. I am a VErY big fan of her work and i recommend this book to every and anybody who is interested in drawing fantasy stuff. GO JESS!!!!



4. This book is divided into five sections: a preface and four parts. The preface contains a tutorial about how to draw people. It briefly covers all the basics: shapes and shading, penciling and inking, coloring, human body, face, facial expressions, hair, hands and feet.
   
   There are step-by-step tutorials on how to draw fantasy beings in part 1, 2, and 3. Part 1 contains classic fantasy creatures: a fairy, a sprite, an elf, a goblin, a dwarf, and an orc. Part 2 contains mythological creatures: a mermaid, a centaur, a faun, an angel, and a kitsune. And part 3 contains night creatures: a banshee, vampire, a werewolf, and a demon.
   
   Part 4 is about fashion. It shows a limited collection of clothes, accessories and weapons for male and female characters of various professions: warrior, ranger, rogue, mage, cleric, samurai, noble, and peasant.
   
   The step-by-step tutorials are very useful, but this book works the best for me as a source of inspiration. J. Peffer's artistic style is refreshing and extremely contagious.
   
   The bad thing about this book is that it's only 128 pages long. Overall, I think this is great book.



5. I bought the first neondragon book just because I liked the artwork on her website, and while I loved all the monsters, I have always struggled with drawing people. I'm so glad that she came out with this book, it has helped a lot, and even despite that, the graphics are awesome just to look at! I HIGHLY recommend this and everything else she has come out with. Keep up the good work Jess!