Drawing Down the Moon: The Art of Charles Vess [Hardcover]

Charles Vess (Author, Artist)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 16, 2009

Verdant fairy forests. Whispering mountains. The fallen towers of ancient kings. Spirit-filled lakes. The distant strains of elven bards. For over thirty years, the fantasy art of Charles Vess has been acclaimed worldwide, his rich palette, striking compositions, and lavish detail second-to-none in the field. Vess has been the illustrator of choice for countless publishers and writers, and is perhaps best known for his collaborations with bestselling author Neil Gaiman, including the illustrated novel Stardust, whose major motion-picture adaptation from Paramount Pictures launched in Summer 2007.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* One of contemporary comics’ classiest acts, fantasy artist Vess is even more stunning as a book illustrator. It’s altogether fitting, then, that book illustration looms large in this gorgeously produced retrospective album (the heavy, translucent section frontispieces are especially impressive). Vess provides his own very economical notes, which downplay technique in favor of autobiographical and art-appreciative remarks, the latter about his beloved influences, beginning with Arthur Rackham and Aubrey Beardsley, both of whose fluidly slender figures have their ilk in Vess’ creations. He also lauds the premier Victorian painter of fairies, Richard Dadd, whose mastery of crowded compositions Vess thoroughly learned; comics artists Hal Foster and Russ Manning, renowned for the ornate and graceful vigor of their work on Tarzan and Prince Valiant; and all manner of literary fantasists, starting with the Scots and English ballad makers and the Shakespeare of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which Vess has rendered in both comics and an illustrated edition of the full text. No wonder he’s the preferred artist of premier modern literary fantasists Neil Gaiman, Charles de Lint, and Susanna Clarke, the last of whom contributes an aptly breathless yet not giddy introduction. --Ray Olson

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: Dark Horse Comics (December 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593078137
• ISBN-13: 978-1593078133
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #445,052 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magical, January 18, 2010

By 

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

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This review is from: Drawing Down the Moon: The Art of Charles Vess (Hardcover)

Length:: 0:29 Mins

I like Charles Vess' style. The scenes and images are magical, watercolours are beautiful, and there's a classic feel to his art. He's perfect for illustrating fantasy stories. By the way, he was won three Eisner Awards among others.

Drawing Down the Moon is a well constructed hardcover from Dark Horse. There are 200 pages and a couple are translucent with line art that overlays on the finished coloured piece beneath on the next page. Unfortunately, the overlay is just slightly misaligned, for my copy.

Over two hundred pieces of paintings and comic art are featured, from covers, comics, private commissions and personal pieces, along with them notes from Charle Vess. Creating enchanting backgrounds and fairytale characters is his specialty. So much so that it makes you want to find out more about the story after looking at the pictures.

He has created a whole lot of art for countless publications. The most notable ones are probably the paintings he did for Neil Gaiman's Stardust, which was made into a movie (I love that movie!). A few of the 175 pieces created for Stardust are featured here, not the concept art though. He's able to capture Neil Gaiman's imagination perfectly and make them come real.

The book finishes off with an interesting look at his creation process, how he handles a commissioned project, though there are no pictures of how he actually paints.

This is an inspiring retrospective for Charles Vess. Highly recommended to fantasy artists.

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

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous Art!!!, December 29, 2009

By 

J. Rainey (Eastern Oregon) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Drawing Down the Moon: The Art of Charles Vess (Hardcover)

I have been a big fan of Charles Vess for over a decade and have a first edition copy of Stardust that I bought when it was first published, as well as some of his other work. So I was very excited to see this book listed and originally ordered it over 2 years ago when I first saw it on Amazon. It was definitely worth the wait. What incredibly beautiful work! I am so drawn to Charles' unique style, which never ceases to amaze me. It strikes me as an interesting blend between the old-fashioned and classic, but with a fresh twist that sets it apart from anything else. This book is a fascinating look at the progression of his work over many years, with insights into his remarkable career thus far. If you appreciate quality artwork and fantasy art in particular, then treat yourself to this wonderful book; you're bound to fall in love with it, just as I did.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Drawing Down the Moon, March 7, 2010

By 

Julia Smith "book wyrm" (CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Drawing Down the Moon: The Art of Charles Vess (Hardcover)

This is a large (9.25" x 12.25") 200 page hard back book. Every page has beautiful examples of Charles Vess' artwork, often the full size of the page. The artwork includes both his color and ink work. Vess has included some narration of his career history and insights into some of the pieces. Chapters are separated by heavy vellum pages.