If you are a fan of science fiction in any form you will surely have noticed how the artwork on film posters, book covers or even console games bring the imagined world to life. This book looks at how to bring your own - or anybody else's - futuristic vision to life. No book on the art of science fiction would be quite right if it only dealt with making your mark using traditional methods such as drawing and painting. Much art today is done using a computer, and what could be more apt for anything futuristic! Much of this book is devoted however to traditional methods, but still more is designed to get your creative juices flowing. It starts with an overview of the book and how to use it, showing how each section works and giving typical page layouts. This is the sort of thing that sells a how-to book to me in a store as I can instantly see what I am getting, so bravo Search Press. It moves on to define the genre, show how you can be inspired by what is already in existence, and this section has a nice touch in the shape of a timeline running from 1860 onwards at the bottom of several pages, showing significant titles. There is much too on gathering reference material from both the natural and man-made world, and still more on various methods of making your mark from paints to digital programs, color wheel, perspective, composition etc. Section 3 features several helpful projects to get you started. These demonstrate how to use reference materials to create landscapes, flora, fauna and machines and show how to progress from inspiration to finished work in a few stages. All this is more to read through than to work through however, and how much you get out of this book depends how advanced an artist you already are in your chosen medium. This is not a book aimed at the beginner but it does not profess to be; instead of a hands-on approach this opts for making you think about how to apply what you already know to depicting unfamiliar subject matter. Handsomely illustrated and helpful to the more experienced artist.-Myshelf.com This particular branch of fantasy art is highly specialised and there's more to it than can really be covered in a single volume. However, this introductory guide makes a very good job of introducing landscapes, buildings, characters and visions. There's a good variety of subjects from the technical (machines and robots) to figures, animals and aliens. Techniques used include traditional pen & pencil as well as digital work, but it's probably best that you have a basic grounding in your tools as this is more about working with them than learning to work with them. Geoff Taylor has worked for Disney Interactive Studios and has also done work for Microsoft and his experience and expertise really show. This is an excellent production and to be recommended on that basis alone.-Artbookreview.net Ever wanted to create your own science fiction landscapes, cityscapes and characters? Then this is the book for you. Both inspirational and practical, it is good hands on tool providing lots of ideas, tips and techniques. Five very different types of sci-fi worlds are discussed, along with popular science fiction themes and there are plenty of inspirational works of art by top artists to provide ideas. Step by step instructions help create characters such as robots and battle suited soldiers. Other options include stunning landscapes, desert animals and birds more suited to a rainforest environment. If you like drawing and painting science fiction, this is the ideal book. Detailed, well written and plenty of visual examples, it is a perfect gift.-Monstersandcritics.com
