Fantasy Artist's Figure Drawing Bible: Ready-to-Draw Characters and Step-by-Step Rendering Techniques Spiral-bound – August 1, 2008

I'm a fan of Matt Dixon's work! I like the poses he uses, the fact that he leaves some subtle linework in his paintings, the way he paints females, lighting, etc. I got this book because I am working on my painting skills, and Matt explains his own inspirations as well as some basics for getting started--from traditional materials to digital needs, inspiration, etc.One of the most valuable sections to me is where he explains how to work up from a sketch, to painting in values (lighting) and on to the final painting color, and he shows one of his excellent paintings as the stages progress. This sort of breaks things down nicely because just seeing a final piece can be intimidating to the developing painter.The rest of the book is interesting to me as well because it's a collection of character archetypes, covering the gamut from giants to wizard and beasts, etc. I would have preferred to see more technique and brushes and such, but this is a fun guide and seeing all of Matt's paintings makes it worth it. I also like how Matt covered various details like weapons and armor, as well as little mini tutorials covering the rendering of everything from fur to metal.Painters experienced and new will either draw inspiration from this book or learn a lot from it...and it's spiral bound so it folds flat...a huge plus.

Got this as a gift for my nephew who loves drawing and fantasy/warrior/creature figures. It’s got great explanations, step by step drawings and it’s just really cool!

This is one of my favorite books on drawing. I never liked the books whose tutorials consist of "draw this really specific character in this exact pose" and this book avoids that entirely by giving anatomy lessons and typical fantasy character archetypes. They include instructions on how to build a new and original character using their features and accessories as visual storytelling tools with various lessons on how to render different materials and compose backgrounds sprinkled in.This got me out of a bad slump where I was just unsure how to create a decent looking body or face and it has been by my side so long it's become worn. I needed to buy a new copy because the one I had was falling apart from frequent use. I would definitely recommend buying the hardcover version.

Pretty good book, going into detail about proportions, color values, and tones. Great if you already have a basic understanding of digital art, so I wouldn't recommend to absolute beginners. My only other complaint is how the 'tips and tricks are handled'. They shove some of the most useful information into small boxes in the various process sections. I'd rather see fewer process paintings and more of those tips.

This book is a Must Have for anybody that is looking to create fantasy figures and have a quick reference for ideas and direction of characters and what makes them what they are. Not to mention that Matt Dixon is an amazing artist that has a very unique art style and cool techniques that is great to see step by step. It is a beginners type book that I would even recommend to seasoned artists to remember to get back to the basics. The simple additions of how to render specific objects and textures like metal, are a huge help to those who might be struggling with these sort of textures. I have been creating art since I could hold a pencil and I wish this book would have been available to me then. A perfect gift for a young aspiring artist.

Okay, so I was a little skeptical of this book at first. It has great reviews online, but I've purchased books in the past with the same types of reviews that fell flat. This is a how-to book, but not just a smattering of instructions with a bunch of pictures to study or a half dozen characters with a small handful of steps. This is about as complete as you cancel get if you are wanting to draw or paint fantasy characters. Basic how-to at the beginning, followed up by at least two dozen examples afterwards. Face choices, positions, clothing options, and the introduction of more advanced techniques as you read fill this book with a wealth of knowledge for anybody who needs help drawing people better.

First off, the best things for me about this book is that it is spiral-bound, which makes it way easier for me to keep open while I review the material and practice drawing.I found this book to be very informative, extremely detailed, and choke-full of information, from sketching and drawing techniques to traditional creative materials and computer programs. I'm just starting to learn to draw and paint and this book has lots of easy-to-follow instructions.The included line drawings for each particular character that can be scanned and then worked on in the computer are particularly helpful because they allow me to use any kind of coloring techniques using either Corel Painter or ArtRage.

It's not a bad book. But after expecting this to be a more detailed "how to" type book, I was disappointed when it was more about concepts of painting instead of actually painting techniques. I'd have preferred types of brush uses for different techniques, digital vs. traditional techniques. It's not a useless book by any means, just not as deep as I was hoping it would be.