How to Draw and Paint Fairies: From Finding Inspiration to Capturing Diaphanous Detail, a Step-By-Step Guide to Fairy Art [Paperback]

Linda Ravenscroft (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2005

How do you draw a fairy? It’s not like you can convince one to do life modeling in your studio. How to Draw and Paint Fairies confronts the fairy labor shortage directly, explaining all the techniques needed to bring fairy art to life. For beginners, explanations of basic techniques and easy-to-follow constructional drawings, plus information on materials, sketching, forms, and color make starting out easy and pleasant. As artists progress, the book offers detailed descriptions and beautiful illustrations of little people—from flower, water, and moon fairies, to nymphs and sprites, to sirens. Basic to advanced techniques on watercolor and mixed media are covered step-by-step, and finished images from leading fairy artists provide inspiration. This beautiful book will make every artist believe in fairies.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Hazel Harrison, a professional artist
who studied painting at the Guildford School of Art and the Royal Academy of Painting, is the author of more than thirty highly regarded art instruction books.


Linda Ravenscroft is an internationally renowned fantasy artist.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Watson-Guptill (October 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823023834
• ISBN-13: 978-0823023837
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 0.4 x 8.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #240,983 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

125 of 136 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent, yet disappointing..., September 24, 2005

By 

m.a.r.i.l.y.n (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How to Draw and Paint Fairies: From Finding Inspiration to Capturing Diaphanous Detail, a Step-By-Step Guide to Fairy Art (Paperback)

Linda Ravencroft is one of the most famous fantasy artists alive, and I eagerly awaited this book expecting her to share insights and observations that are unique to her vision and style. I thought her voice would be prevalent in the writing, and that we the readers would see the process by which she creates her fairies.

To my disappointment, the first 27 pages of the book (roughly one-fifth of it) are devoted to generic supply information and basic color theory. The pictures were even stock photos I recognize from other Watson-Guptill publications. Had the writing been from the artist's viewpoint, the section may have been infused with some life. Instead, it was a generic third person laundry list of papers, pencils, and other art items. Clearly Watson-Guptill considers this information mandatory in each and every one of its books - read just two of their watercolor publications and you'll see what I mean - but I'm saddened that the artist didn't feel the need to personalize it. It is of great interest to learners what the "teacher's" work area and preferred tools are; how the teacher goes about using them. The opportunity was squandered here, and as a result comes across as filler, especially to those who've read it in other watercolor books.

The second part of the book, "Basic Shapes and Forms" is a slight improvement over the beginning. Linda's original drawings are used to show the steps to construct the fairy face and figure, and she offers up Swap Files which isolate elements (eyes, lips, wings, clothes, etc.) and encourage the reader to piece them together for their own creations. The illustrations are unquestionably beautiful, but for a how-to book the instruction is far too condensed. There are no step-by-steps for constructing any of the swap elements, and even the figure drawings themselves seem to jump from incomplete to finished.

Chapter three, "Techniques," was a bit like chapters one and two. More beautiful work by Linda and detached writing to accompany it. We do finally get to see four of her paintings (Project One, Project Two, etc.) from start to finish, but the instruction is perfunctory.

A more dismaying find was the caption that accompanied the last step of Project One. It read, "The polka dots on the jacket were an afterthought, as the artist felt the fairy looked too rather plain." I had an inkling before and this confirmed it, the book is merely illustrated by Linda, not written by her. As someone really looking forward to hearing the artist's inner vision as she paints, this felt a bit like betrayal. Here they've dangled Linda's name and promoted the idea that it's a book written by her, but her personal expression is nowhere to be found. Take the pictures away and there is nothing of her personality left. The book could easily have been illustrated by another artist with little change to the current text. Add to this the weird decision to add a fourth chapter - really nothing more than a gallery of current fairy artists - and I'm left shaking my head. Such a disappointment, such a missed opportunity. Regardless of my awe for Linda's works, I'm not impressed by the finished product.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great fairy painting guide book., March 26, 2006

By 

SunnyCarvalho - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Draw and Paint Fairies: From Finding Inspiration to Capturing Diaphanous Detail, a Step-By-Step Guide to Fairy Art (Paperback)

I bought this book without really knowing what was in it and I have been so happy with it! I am an artist always looking to improve and I love to try new mediums. Ms. Ravenscroft covers all, from what papers to use, through acrylics, watercolors, all the way to pen and ink and colored pencil. She begins with basic anatomy and builds up to composition. There are many, many examples of artwork from a great variety of different artists so you can explore different styles while learning and working toward improving your own personal style. She even includes chapters on wings and clothing, giving examples of various styles of each. I do think you need some basic drawing skills but if you haven't yet developed those yet, she does include items that she welcomes you to copy. All in all, a great fairy resource.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful insight into how the artist thinks, December 9, 2005

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Draw and Paint Fairies: From Finding Inspiration to Capturing Diaphanous Detail, a Step-By-Step Guide to Fairy Art (Paperback)

An absolutely delightful book. I'm almost convinced that fairies really exist.

Linds Ravenscroft seems to define just what fairies look like. As she says in the introduction, painting fairies offer a unique challenge, how do you draw and paint something you can't see. You have to paint what is in your mind.

But then you have to train your mind to see things that others don't. In her couple of pages on hands and feet she shows things I couldn't see. You're not going to paint like this without a very, very good sense of anatomy, drawing, the human form.

Here is a foot, pointed like that of a ballerina. Then her caption says: 'This foot is not bearing the fairy's weight - perhaps it is airborne.' A world of vision in a simple drawing, a few words.

Or the hand with long thin fingers and long nails - 'Elongated fingers with long nails suit an otherworldly fairy who performs no daily chores.'

And for the beginner to draw, here is a foot, wearing a sock so you can get a good result without worrying too much about the details of the toenails.

For a youngster, especially a girl (but maybe that's being sexist) who is interested in art I can't imagine a better gift.