Digital Art Masters: Volume 2 [Paperback]

3DTotal.com (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0240520858 | ISBN-13: 978-0240520858 | Publication Date: August 22, 2007 | Edition: 1

Meet some of the finest digital 2D and 3D artists working in the industry today, from Patrick Beaulieu, Philip Straub, Benita Winckler, Alessandro Baldasseroni to Khalid Al Muharraqi, Marcel Baumann and Marek Denko and see how they work. More than just a gallery book - in Digital Arts Masters each artist has written a breakdown overview, with supporting imagery of how they made their piece of work.

With Digital Arts Masters you'll understand the artists' thought process and discover the tips, tricks and techniques which really work.

Key Features:
* 50+ artists and 900 stunning color images show the best in today's digital art
* More than just a gallery - each artist offers insight into how their image was created
* From the team at 3Dtotal.com - cutting edge imagery and techniqes

Editorial Reviews

Review

'A fascinating glimpse into the working practices of the pros.'
3D World magazine - (Volume 1) Nov 06

'Perfect for anyone seeking inspiration and technique ideas, and full of practical tips' 9/10
3D World magazine - (volume 2) Sept 07

'It's a showcase, it's a 'behind the scenes', it's two great tastes in one! Kudos to 3DTotal for jumping in with style.'
Dan Wheaton - concept artist / matte painter. www.carbonmatter.com

'This book not only exhibits the artists at the cutting edge of the digital art industry but also delivers valuable tips and advice that will usher in the next generation of Digital Art Masters. It is books like these that continually challenge and inspire me in my own artistic journey.'
Tim Warnock - matte painter / concept artist
www.thenextside.com

'For those who are not satisfied with only a 'final picture' book and also want to know the techniques behind the images. A nice start for a new book series'
Rafal Wojtunik - 'Fallen Art' BAFTA winning movie & Platige Image concept artist. www.platige.com

'With truly the best collection of digital artists, this book stands out from the masses with its elegant lay-out and explanatory content fit for any artists of any genre or level. This beautiful art book jump-started my inspiration and muse, and I found myself doodling along after reading through it.'
-Henning Ludvigsen www.henningludvigsen.com

'3D Total's second instalment of "Digital Art Masters" gives you once again the opportunity to take a look over today's most popular digital artists' shoulders. You are not only getting a beautifully treated and presented art book but also interesting insights on how the artists create their stunning visions. You wouldn't want to miss that opportunity!'
- Natascha Roeoesli www.tascha.ch

"Definitely one of my favourite art books of the year. It contains an incredible source of inspiration from amazing digital artists all around the world. The high quality of this book is outstanding to say the least; it will become a part of my personal collection for sure.'
- Frederic St-Arnaud www.starno.net

'When inspiration meets technique... Inside these pages, the best digital artists reveal and share their techniques through detailed step by step tutorials of their most beautiful pieces. DAM Vol. 2 offers a unique chance to discover all the "secrets" from the pros in both 2D and 3D, but also stunning digital masterpieces from worldwide renowned artists.'
-Mélanie Delon www.eskarina-circus.com

'Page after page of this book made me as an artist feel inspired and challenged by the work of my fellow imageers. If for no other reason than to add this book to your library of Artbooks you won't go wrong ... Highly Recommended. Buy it, it's well worth the price.'
-Mario Georgiou www.creativeimagingnews.com/

About the Author

3DTotal has grown from a student college project in 1999 to one of the largest online digital art communities on the Internet. With continual daily updates of CG news, tutorials, galleries, articles and resources, the site now attracts over 100,000 daily visitors. Based in the UK.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Focal Press; 1 edition (August 22, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0240520858
• ISBN-13: 978-0240520858
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #289,797 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tasteful, August 15, 2007

By 

Alex Bluesummers (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Digital Art Masters: Volume 2 (Paperback)

I also bought this book at Siggraph 2007, and am very impressed with my purchase. This is a tasteful and extensive collection at a very reasonable price. Section titles include Fantasy, Characters, Scenes, Cartoon, and Sci-Fi images. Each of these broad categories contains about 15 sub-sections that each focus in on one specific art piece, with several pages of in-progress work and discussion by the artist. Sections vary in length from 4 to 6 pages. Some are even longer. There are a few more 3d works than 2d, but this distinction is hardly noticeable.

The supporting 3d images include clay renders, wireframes, scene screengrabs (with lights, alpha planes, and other techniques displayed), and sometimes UI screengrabs. Supporting 2d images include reference images used by the artist, pencil sketches, and sometimes idea development before actual production began.

Unlike many other books, the binding of the Digital Arts Masters is surprisingly hardy. It has heft. I feel comfortable reading it without worrying about pages detaching from the spine.

I would recommend this purchase to those looking for some inspiration and technique ideas. After feeling a little frustrated with Ballistic publishing, I'm glad I bought this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Immense wealth of experience from over 50 artists, February 26, 2009

By 

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

This review is from: Digital Art Masters: Volume 2 (Paperback)

Length:: 0:29 Mins

The illustrations in this book shouldn't be unfamiliar if you're a frequent visitor of 3D Total. The artwork can be found in the art galleries over there.

This book has compiled the working processes of more than 50 artists. It is not a step-by-step tutorial book and it doesn't focus on any specific software. But the frequently used software are 3D Max, Maya and Photoshop. The art techniques used by the artists can be easily achieved using similar software.

One illustration from each artist is chosen. The workflow of creating the illustration is then explained in first person by the artists. They talk about the challenges, tips, techniques and inspiration they have. For example, on the subject of creating realism in scenes, different artists will take different approaches. All these are discussed non technically that every reader should have no problem following.

The book focuses heavily on 3D art. However, there's a small section with several artists featured on 2D digital painting as well. For 3D, you'll read about things like how textures are applied, how lighting is handled, the different approaches to modeling etc. For digital painting, it's basically on the process and how they achieve the look they planned out in the concept stage.

This book is highly recommended to 3D and digital painting artists.

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

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, February 5, 2008

By 

Andrew Grant Foster "ctnfoster" (Fort Meade, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Digital Art Masters: Volume 2 (Paperback)

This is a great book, lots of artwork. Granted, about half of the artwork you could find with a quick google, but its nice to have something real that you can hold. Its also great for the upcoming digital arts apprentice like myself who wants to see how other people's art came to life.