The Explorer's Guide to Drawing Fantasy Creatures [Hardcover]

Emily Fiegenschuh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 10, 2011

A Field Guide to Some of Legend's Most Fearsome Beasts

Looking for an escape from ordinary life? The adventure starts here! The Explorer's Guide to Drawing Fantasy Creatures brings to light a fantastic realm of creatures so elusive and remote, they can be found only in myths, nightmares, and the words of artists like you. With years of perilous creature-drawing adventures behind her, Emily Fiegenschuh leads you step by step through the entire process, from expressive gesture drawings to beautifully detailed artwork, right down to all the gruesome details — like how to draw the leathery wings of dragons, the Minotaur's impressive physique, and the brilliant plumage of the Hook-legged Bodeo.

• 25 step-by-step demonstrations for creating a bevy of beasts that roam air, land and sea



• Important basics of drawing, proportion and perspective to help you bring believability to your creatures



• Instruction for adding living, breating color to finished sketches



• Expert tips on finding inspiration, developing personalities, designing costumes and more

Grab your sketchbook and venture forth, if you dare. Bring to life the creatures within these pages, as well as those lurking in the shadows of your own imagination.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Emily Fiegenschuh holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in illustration from Ringling College of Art and Design. She has illustrated numerous Dungeons and Dragons rulebooks for Wizards of the Coast, has contributed cover and interior illustrations to the Mirrorstone Young Adult novel series Knights of the Silver Dragon, and has appeared in Spectrum 9: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art and Cricket Magazine. Her art has also appeared in the New York Times best sellers A Practical Guide to Dragons and A Practical Guide to Monsters. Recently, Emily has been working on paintings for the Inuit Mythology Initiative, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving Inuit myths and legends. Fiegenschuh lives in Washington state, and has a website at e-figart.com.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Impact (August 10, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1440308357
• ISBN-13: 978-1440308352
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #316,293 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Emily Fiegenschuh holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in illustration from Ringling College of Art and Design. She has illustrated numerous Dungeons and Dragons rulebooks for Wizards of the Coast, has contributed cover and interior illustrations to the Mirrorstone Young Adult novel series Knights of the Silver Dragon, and her work has appeared in Spectrum 9: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art and Cricket Magazine. Her art has also appeared in the New York Times best sellers A Practical Guide to Dragons and A Practical Guide to Monsters. Recently, Emily has been working on paintings for the Inuit Mythology Initiative, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving Inuit myths and legends. Fiegenschuh lives in Washington state and has a website at www.e-figart.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, November 9, 2011

By 

Michael - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Explorer's Guide to Drawing Fantasy Creatures (Hardcover)

I purchased this book for my daughter and she absolutely loves it. The illustrations are beautiful and the lessons are great for aspiring artists of all ages.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A quality illustration book, January 13, 2012

By 

rylee - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Explorer's Guide to Drawing Fantasy Creatures (Hardcover)

I already have bookshelves full of art and illustration how-to books, but just had to have a copy of this book too - Emily has created a very focused 'Explorer's Guide', full of inspirational characters and creatures, and demonstrated instruction on how to create the same yourself. Her pencil sketches are neat and tight, yet full of character, personality and careful skill. Building from gesture sketches and then on to basic building blocks, the emphasis here is on understanding your shapes and posture before creating a finished sketch and then a final illustration. Although her lovely watercolor illustrations are only discussed in a limited way, the joy in witnessing the effort and planning that creates the final artwork is easily worth the investment. This is a really well produced book from Impact - quality content, paper, printing and binding - and deserves to find much success. If you're interested in drawing fantasy illustrations and enjoy creative creature design, then this book should offer you plenty to enjoy.

5.0 out of 5 stars Cute and informative, January 11, 2012

By 

Wendy Greer (New Orleans, LA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Explorer's Guide to Drawing Fantasy Creatures (Hardcover)

This is just what I was hoping for. It is written in a way that keeps the reader interested and gives necessary information. The characters are cute and there are many examples to go with the text. It gives the new artist a fresh way to look at the world and its inhabitants, encouraging an open-mindedness needed to create a new fantasy creature of our own.