The Encyclopedia of Fantasy and Science Fiction Art Techniques

Rating:
Summary: worth to read if you are a beginner in fantasy art
Review: an informative book to introduce what fantasy art is and the elements of fantasy art, for beginner only !

Rating:
Summary: Books won't do it all
Review: Every book has some points or knowledge that will help us do better, but to expect a book by Vallejo or Michael Whelan to turn us into an artist of their caliber is asking a bit much. The most one can expect is to pick up some techniques or helpful hints. This isn't a bad book, it just can't be the book. The Artist's Manual, The Illustrator's Bible, and a variety of good artistic anatomy books are well worth the penny for even people who want to draw or paint in the Science Fiction or Fantasy mode. Keep in mind that good art is just that, good art, regardless of pigeonholing things into categories. A lot of us would like to just get the shortcut to no sweat greatness, but that usually is more of fantasy than anything else. Look at non-specialized technique books as well as ones with Science Fiction or Fantasy on the covers.

Rating:
Summary: Realistic advice, legitimately useful tips, marvelous art
Review: Grant and Tiner have managed to put together a pretty darned useful piece of work here (while, admittedly, not passing up an opportunity to showcase as much of their own work as they could fit). Newsflash: There are NO shortcuts to being an effective fantasy illustrator; you must make a serious study of classical art, human (and animal) anatomy, color theory, and all that other stuff you groaned about in your mandatory 9th grade art class. Especially helpful section at the end dealing with portfolio preparation and effective marketing tactics. Mention is made of Vallejo, Royo, Whelan, Frazetta, Miller, all the pros. If you're serious about your illustration career, pick this one up!

Rating:
Summary: Realistic advice, legitimately useful tips, marvelous art
Review: Grant and Tiner have managed to put together a pretty darned useful piece of work here (while, admittedly, not passing up an opportunity to showcase as much of their own work as they could fit). Newsflash: There are NO shortcuts to being an effective fantasy illustrator; you must make a serious study of classical art, human (and animal) anatomy, color theory, and all that other stuff you groaned about in your mandatory 9th grade art class. Especially helpful section at the end dealing with portfolio preparation and effective marketing tactics. Mention is made of Vallejo, Royo, Whelan, Frazetta, Miller, all the pros. If you're serious about your illustration career, pick this one up!

Rating:
Summary: Terrible
Review: I bought this book, hoping that it could help me with my drawing techniques. But when i got it, i was sorely disapointed about the content of this book. All it showed were many poor pictures, much of which were sci-fi NOT fantasy. I didnt learn a single thing from this book, other that not to trust a book by its cover.

Rating:
Summary: False Title.
Review: I got this book because it said "Techniques" on it and I was hoping for techniques and how to draw Fantasy and Science Fiction. When I got the book in I opened it. All it was was words and thumnails. It was more like a guid book to Illustrators! No actual techniques just some artists saying stuf here and there. Reason why I give it 3 stars and not one is because it does have some cool pictures, without them this book would be nothing.

Rating:
Summary: Encyclopedia is a bit misleading a title.
Review: I would more call this book an overview of fantasy and science fiction art techniques, for it does not have the scope or detail included to merit the title "Encyclopedia". Art tools and materials are covered so superficially as to not really merit inclusion at all. Certain basic drawing techniques such as characterization and perspective are covered briefly in 2-4 pages, but are only really useful to those with some basic drawing skills already.

What this book is perhaps best used for is as a source for inspiration, giving some nice examples of work by many masters of the field such as Jael, Jim Burns, David A. Hardy, and Boris Vallejo. Different subgenres of fantasy art are covered from space art to horror, and it is nice that the images are all reproduced in color (unlike some art books which try to save money and reproduce most images in black and white.)

This volume alone will not turn someone into a master fantasy artist overnight, nor is it one of the better overviews of the field that I have seen. Still, for someone just looking to explore the field of science-fiction/fantasy art in more detail and curious about some of the techniques and styles used, this is not a bad volume to add to your collection.

Rating:
Summary: Talented Beginner
Review: It is true that this book is for the beginner. It is very informative without making you feel like you are studying. It gives you an idea of how an Illustrator thinks...it includes tips and exercizes that challenge and some that seem to help you rebel and do your own thing. It has great pictures that inspire and also a section on "Getting Published". I would recommend this to any aspiring Illustrator.

Rating:
Summary: Worth the wait
Review: Saw this book. Wanted it. Lost track of it. Forgot about it. Found it seven years later in my local bookstore just a few months ago. Was well worth the wait.
Hallelujah.

Rating:
Summary: Too comics-heavy
Review: The authors (artists) give you interesting lesson plans for drawing Fantasy Art in diferent techniques. Unfortunately, a lot of their examples come from comic book art. While I feel that comic books are an art form (probably one of the most difficult ones to master) I wanted more traditional fare, like Frazetta, Boris, pen-and-ink pulp, and like that.
It's still fun to follow the lesson plan. Give it a try.