I have bought quite a few of these "how to" guides and I have to say none of the others have thus far been as pretty as this book. The hardback gives it more of a collectors feel but it is much more than that. The introduction goes through basic principles like shapes, shading and 3d effects, penciling and inking, all the way to basic body design and a quick look at features such as hair and feet which is easy to follow. You also have a guide through this process in the form of Dolosus the helpful dragon which is a nice feature for the younger generation using this book.
You are then taken through various character designs in a step by step guide which is well thought out, with additions such as pages on butterfly wings and ruffles and ribbons, giving the reader more handy hints. As a fantasy artist resource it's very good for beginners and has great hints for budding amateurs with regard to features such as Orc tusks or dwarven beards. Also the section on fantasy"fashion" was quite enlightening and certainly pointed me in the right direction for some of my own sketches. After these sections we get to the meat of this tome which is the dragons. To say this is extensive would be an understatement. J. Peffer takes us through a variety of dragon designs,starting with the excellent basics of anatomy, showing a dragon skeleton and going into details such as the variety of feet design and how different geometric shapes give different looks of dragons. The step by step guides are very easy to follow and give great results even if you're just drawing a dragon in profile. The hints and tips are excellent and I produced exactly the designs illustrated in the book and then expanded on them as I experimented with various head features and looks.
The only downside of this book is that the author doesn't talk about digital art or exactly how to achieve certain results. Therefore I'd recommend this book to anyone with a grounding in digital art or already comfortable in a medium such as acrylics or pen and ink. As a book for an aspiring fantasy artist I'd say it is an essential part of anyone's collection which will keep on giving as a reference far beyond its initial read.
Available from Amazon
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