Customer Reviews

Drawing and Painting Fantasy Landscapes and Cityscapes

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I dabble in fantasy art, being much better at looking at it than actually creating the stuff myself. I did enjoy this work. While I will never be as good as the work displayed in this book, I use books such as this for inspiration and motivation. This work is well done. It gives some good, basic tips in developing this particular genre of art. It would be difficult to say if this work is good for beginners or if it is only for the advanced student. We all have our own level. I personally found it helpful, interesting and quite motivating. If nothing else, it is fun to thumb through and just look at the wonderful pictures.

I have an ever expanding library of art books focusing on techniques for drawing and painting. This by far is one of the best I have found. It covers ever medium from oils to computer aided illustration, offering insight into seeking sources for inspiration, planning and design, and final implementation. The author provides examples from well known and well respected artists, helping both the professional and amateur develop their skills. I would recommend this book to anyone who is seeking guidance for their art.

Fantasy enthusiasts and artists who would create their own cities and worlds will learn much from Rob Alexander, a working illustrator who has moved between games and collectible card game markets to magazine art. He's known for his fantasy and science fiction works as well as for landscapes and fine art, and Drawing & Painting Fantasy Landscapes & Cityscapes combines all his talents, packing in color examples throughout to help with fine drawings of fine art works. An outstanding 'how to' guide any aspiring fantasy artist can learn from.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

A lucid and comprehensive guide to the fundamentals of modern fantasy art-making. There are several featured pieces throughout the book which take the reader step-by-step through the artist's creative process, something I found to be enormously instructive. This book won't make anyone a great artist (no book will) but it will certainly help focus and hone one's techniques, as well as introduce some possibilities one may not have considered before.

I'd recommend for anyone from beginner to advanced skill level: beyond that you probably no longer need a book...

I got this book on a whim because it was a 2 for 1 deal with the "Fantasy Illustrator's Technique book" and I didn't have any expectations for it. I found myself refering to this book a great deal, more than the original book I bought. I used it for techniques on getting depth/distance to paintings, lighting, and for inspiration from pictures of different fantasy landscapes. It had mostly oils and digital art in it. I wish it had more on acrylic techniques, such as specifics on glazing or textures, but oh well, it's been a great buy, and I would recommend it for the mid to advanced level amature artist with fantasy interests.

This book gives an overview o designing fantasy backgrounds. I myself have years and years of drawing and painting experience and I cannot even begin to do the quality of drawings explained in this book. This is really difficult work, you have to be taking college art courses (I'm studying at the Academy of Art University) and it will take me years to get to do this kind of work, but when I look at these pictures I know I will NEVER give up! For inspiration, this is ABSOLUTELY THE BEST. It is the most beautiful inspiring delicious book to have on your desk. You will look at the pictures over and over and over! So, good luck to everyone who aspires to be like Rob Alexander (the author)!

I recently got stuck in a huge bookstore during a massive snowstorm. From the art and comics section, I culled a giant stack of these "how to draw fantasy characters and landscapes"-type books, and for about an hour browsed through dozens of them.

This was the most impressive. Totally mind-blowing.

Admittedly, I can't offer much judgment on whether the author lived up to the ostensible purpose of this book -- teaching you how to draw your own fantasy landscapes -- but the illustrations herein cannot be matched by anything currently on the market. They're mesmerizing.

If I thought I could get my money back I would have returned this the same day I got it, however, with the shipping charge I would have broke even.

This book has little to do with fantasy art, in fact 2/3 of the book is BASIC art knowledge that is presented better in other books. The last third of the book does give various fantasy scene examples with brief information on some of the elements in the scene (ie: water reflection, distance colors etc), again all basic art knowledge.

Anyone with a passing knowledge of art and/or digital art should stay away from this book, there is absolutely nothing redeeming about it.

I got burned ...

PS. search online for fantasy art and find the free online comunities, there you will find a wealth of information, unlike this book ...

The book is another helpful guide to see if i'm doing the whole scene right in my drawing.

This book does start with the basics, but it works it's way up and tells you everything you need to know and how to practice/improve. The single low rating this book has gotten is completely unwarranted. Clearly if you know everything about, painting and creating landscapes, then don't by this or any other tutorial book... This book will instill a proper art foundation and gives you the blueprints to take your work to a more professional level.