Customer Reviews

More Fantasy Art Masters: The Best Fantasy and Science Fiction Artists Show How They Work

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More Fantasy Art Masters isn't just another collection of fantasy work by great artists...it is, but it's much more. Rarely in fantasy art collections do you get a chance to get a glimpse behind the creation of the art. That is exactly what More Fantasy Art Masters does. The book spotlights ten very talented, yet very diversified artists and lets them provide commentary on their own work. Fans now can get inside their heads to know their motivations behind a piece. What perhaps those novices among us may have viewed as random placements of items in a painting, of color and light is actually very carefully planned from the beginning. In addition the artists provide interesting insights into their own careers.

We'll see how colors are chosen to present interesting contrasts between foreground and background and to set the proper mood of the piece. For example a Keith Parkinson painting, (one of my favorites) shows a couple of Orcs riding on horseback through a snow covered forest. The trees devoid of leaves and nearly of life provides an austere, grim setting as the pair seem hellbent on some type of evil quest. Most interesting and previously something I never fully realized is how color is used to very subtly convey moods and emotions, almost on a subliminal level. To hear the artists tell it in their own words sets off a bell in your head as you truly grasp what they hoped to convey in the painting. It's quite fascinating. The artists also go into great detail on the tools and materials they used for the works on display. Some work soley in one type of medium whether it's oil, acrylic, water color, digital, etc, while others are quite comfortable in combining several different types of paint.

The artists included in the book are Keith Parkinson, Anne Sudworth, Judith Clute, Phil Hale, Ian Miller, J.K. Potter, Greg Spalenka, Dave Seeley, Darrel Anderson, and John Harris. The book really does a great job of spotlighting an eclectic array of talent.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

If your looking for an art book with more art similar to the cover, Keith Parkinson, look elsewhere. There is very little sword and magic fantasy contained inside. This book was a major let down. Parkinson's art is maybe the first four to five pages, after that the pages would best be used right before a flush.