Mechanika: Creating the Art of Science Fiction with Doug Chiang (Paperback)

by Doug Chiang (Author)
Key Phrases: large ellipse guides, color copier paper, blueline sketch, Cool Grey, Daler-Rowney Pro White, Soft Light (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
From top Academy-Award-winning entertainment industry artist Doug Chiang, who has worked on such film properties as Star Wars, War of the Worlds, Terminator and Back to the Future.

Foreword by film industry heavyweight Robert Zemeckis (Monster House, The Polar Express, Back to the Future, Beowulf).

In this stunning collection of step-by-step lessons, award-winning entertainment artist Doug Chiang gives artists the inside scoop on his processes, techniques, and theories for creating eye-popping science fiction artwork. Readers will learn to draw the creatures, robots, vehicles and drama of distant worlds--perennial favorites in film, television, toys and games. With Chiang's expert advice, 25 step-by-step demonstrations using both traditional and digital techniques, and a stunning gallery showcasing his amazing visual style, artists have no choice but to be inspired to create their own phenomenal works of art..

About the Author
Currently Executive Vice President of ImageMovers Digital, a Walt Disney Company, Doug Chiang has earned an Academy Award, two British Academy Awards and a Clio Award. He joined Industrial Light and Magic in 1989 and Lucasfilm LTD in 1995, becoming creative director and visual effects art director. He has worked on many blockbuster films including Terminator 2, Forrest Gump, Jumanji, The Mask, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace and Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Polar Express, and War of the Worlds. He has written and illustrated several books, including Robota (Chronicle Books 2003), which he created and co-wrote with Orson Scott Card. His artwork has been in major exhibitions around the world.

www.dchiang.com, www.imagemoversdigital.com

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Impact (June 27, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1600610234
• ISBN-13: 978-1600610233
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #19,931 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tutorials from a pro, November 10, 2008

By	Parka (Singapore) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Length:: 0:23 Mins

It's not very often you see a great concept artist come up with a tutorial book. Here, we have a great book by Doug Chiang. He's the concept artist for big movie hits like Star Wars, War of the Worlds and Terminator just to name a few.

In this book are 30 lessons and step-by-step tutorials for creating science fiction art, mainly robots. There are details and tips for using Photoshop.

Through these pages, one can see Doug Chiang's process of creating sci-fi concept art. It's always interesting to find out how other artist work, especially one of such high caliber.

His work has also appeared in other books like Robota, and The Art of Star Wars: The Revenge of the Sith.

There are more pictures of the book 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 Worth The Wait, July 30, 2008

By	colie - See all my reviews

For those of you who've seen the author's art in print or person, the stars are no surprise. If you haven't seen his work, this book not only showcases his talents and skills as a designer/renderer in finished pieces, it gives direct insight and instruction on how he gets there. From pencil sketch to marker render to digital finished product, Doug takes you through his approach to getting an idea onto a medium.

What seperates this book from other "how-to" books in this design field is it's engaging simplicity in execution. Doug's broken the book into easy-to-browse chapters that cover different techniques and design subject matter in each. This is to it's benefit, as each step encompasses not only fundamental techniques of execution, but Doug's insights on the design of the subject matter. There is little, if any, over-explaining. The instructional images do the talking with simple text accompanying each.

Did I mention it's really hard to find a good (if any) book on marker techniques? This one's the best I've seen. So if you've been thinking about trying markers as a new style, this is a must have.

An all-out great purchase and true bargain considering you get a concept design, multiple-technique, step-by-step package by a truly exceptional and highly respected industry artist.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended., June 19, 2008

By	Anonymous (San Rafael, CA) - See all my reviews

I've just finished reading this book, and I can confidently state that it is one of the best books available pertaining to the subject of creating science fiction art.

The author does an excellent job explaining both the technical aspects of the drawings, but also how he goes about the design process. There are dozens of designs explored, each emphasizing either a different approach or a different subject in a step-by-step manner.

There are other books of this nature available, but they are generally not as well thought out or organized as Mechanika. It seems like there was a real effort put into this book towards covering a wide variety of subjects in a detailed manner, and it really shows. The little tips sprinkled throughout the book make it invaluable.

This book should age well with the viewer, and long after all of the tips and techniques have been absorbed I imagine it will still be an excellent source of inspiration to thumb through from time to time.