Customer Reviews

The Digital Biomedical Illustration Handbook (Charles River Media Graphics)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is great! It's a how-to-draw-medical-illustrations-electronically book. I've always wondered just how to get started, and this book explains it all from sketches to saving the final file. And the author does it in a clear step-by-step easy reading style with lots of color pictures and screen shots. Each chapter takes you through color schemes and brush stroke settings. It even provides a CD with some trial programs so you can follow along with the also included tutorials. If you already have artistic drawing skills (not like Da Vinci, but know the basics), have some Photoshop navigational ability, have anatomy knowledge (or can look it up on the web), and have an electronic drawing tablet, then you've got to have this book. It doesn't just show you a bunch of pretty final gallery masterpieces of medical illustrations, it shows you how to go about them--how to achieve the effects that make a biomedical illustration attractive and, most importantly, educational. The author gives you his secrets. The chapters cover not one style, but several. I can honestly say, if you're only going to buy one book on this subject, then get this one. I'm very glad I did, and I am amazing myself at what I can do because I followed the steps in the book.

This is a fantastic book with great info and tutorials. However, be aware that the CD with all the files for the tutorials, plus the demo software, is for Windows only. Unless, I've completely missed it, I don't see this indicated in any of the product information here on Amazon.
I would still highly recommend this, but it's not as useful if you have a Mac.

Mr.de la Flor has written a unique tutorial oriented book on doing medical illustration using Photoshop CS, and 3dMax. (and Anark Studio for the web.) Although the book is for slightly earlier versions of these programs everything covered can by done by PS CS2 and 3dMax 9.
These are two powerhouse programs that are used by professional illustrators. Although there is plenty of literature on the use of these programs, there is very little hands on, detailed literature dealing with medical illustration. This book covers that gap in a very thorough way. I personally believe that the tutorial step by step approach is an excellent way to learn. This book takes the reader through 2d and 3d illustration.
Being a true artist the introductory chapters provide an interesting historical perspective on medical illustration. Being a practical working illustrator Mr. de la Flor provides advice and info on making a living doing medical illustration.
Finally, Mr. de la Flor is a nice man. He very generously corrected some deficiencies in the copy of my book that I received from Amazon.
(I am a forensic pathologist doing illustration primarily for court.)