100 Ways to Create Fantasy Figures [Paperback]

Francis Tsai (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 10, 2008

Presents 100 exciting and ingenious ways to design and draw better fantasy figures--from developing characters to adding costumes, props and backdrops. Hollywood concept designer Francis Tsai shares tips and tricks for creating imaginative figures, giving readers a unique opportunity to gain guidance from a real pro. Highly accessible and featuring a wealth of ideas, this sourcebook includes an inspirational mix of styles and approaches, with influences ranging from Celtic, Greek, Roman, Oriental and Medieval to 19th Century Gothic--something for every fantasy artist!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Francis Tsai is a renowned conceptual designer who has just completed work on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie for Warner. He was the principal artist for Darkwatch and has worked on many other fantasy gaming assignments, as well as pen and paper role playing games, manuals and trading cards. He is a regular contributor to ImagineFX magazine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Impact; Original edition (October 10, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1600611192
• ISBN-13: 978-1600611193
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #51,603 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #49 in Books > Arts & Photography > Drawing > Figure Drawing
  • #58 in Books > Arts & Photography > Drawing > Cartooning

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is an idea book, not a technique book, April 9, 2009

By 

Parka (Singapore) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: 100 Ways to Create Fantasy Figures (Paperback)

Length:: 0:18 Mins

First of all, let me say that this book brings back memories of me playing Magic The Gathering cards. A lot of the illustrations in the book are from Wizards of the Coast. Francis Tsai is a concept artist and you can find his work on [...].

This book is not really on art techniques, there are no step-by-step tutorials to follow along. It's one that gives ideas to think about when trying to come up with a character.

That being said, the writeup for the book is pretty good. It gives a lot of ideas on things that can be changed or added to enhance the characters. It can be on costume design, colour combination, using silhouettes, thinking like the character itself, etc. All come with nice illustrated paintings as examples.

This book is more of a resource book that's great when brainstorming for ideas.

If you're looking for techniques, check out ImagineFX's book called Fantasy Workshop: Mastering Digital Painting Techniques.

(More pictures are available on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)

32 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well written and worth it, October 19, 2008

By 

B. B. Bridenbaugh "KingNot" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 100 Ways to Create Fantasy Figures (Paperback)

First off, there's two pieces of advice to any aspiring artist/illustrator:

1. "Wanna be a good artist!? Draw! Wishing won't make it happen!" - paraphrasing R. Crumb

-and-

2. Practice, practice, practice...

There, that's it. Anything else from art school to books like this are optional.

So why, especially during a tight financial time, did I eagerly plunk down US$20 for this?

Because it is well written, full of good illustrations by some artists I really like - and - full of good and creative and inspiring advice. I'm a hobby illustrator, although some of my political cartoons have been published (and I mean for $) but am always striving to improve my skills and my favorite subjects are of course in the fantasy/scifi areas.

I've skipped a lot of the recent books, considering them too juvenile, such as the MangaMania series, though those are nice. My other favs are the "Drawing and Painting Fantasy Figures", "Drawing and Painting Fantasy Worlds" and the classic "Encyclopedia of Fantasy and Sci-Fi art techniques".

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Taking Your Art to the Next Level, March 9, 2009

By 

Marice Parchen (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 100 Ways to Create Fantasy Figures (Paperback)

If you're interested in improving your artistic abilities from someone who really knows what they're doing, get this book.

The author does a fantastic job of explaining how drawing is not just a creative process, but also a thoughtful and deliberate one. He gives great expert tips and hints on how to convey the feeling and mood of the character you're developing. Some of the tricks include how to focus attention through detail or lighting; how to leverage other elements in the artwork such as secondary characters or scenes to build the story around the main character; how powerful something as simple as eye contact can be. They are all tricks that make intuitive sense once you're aware of them, but probably wouldn't have occurred to you before.

In sum, Tsai's book and tips can have a transformative effect on your artwork. Your art can go from being just a picture on a page to something that creates the maximum visual and emotional impact on the viewer that you intended. It's worth it!