The Art of Fantasy

Table Of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction to concept design and drawing; The world of fantasy 10; Mastering the human body 11; Concept design 11; Tools 12; Basic knowledge 15; Technical terms 15; Line weight 16; Basic elements of a picture 17; Geometric forms 18; Perspective 19; One-point perspective 19; Two-point perspective 19; Three-point perspective 20; Cavalier perspective 20; Sketching 21
Chapter 2 Structure and dynamics of the human body; The human skeleton 24; Main joints of the body 24; Proportion of the skeleton 28; Characteristics of the skeleton 29; Form of the skeleton 36; The human muscular system 38; Three views of muscles 38; Head 40; Facial features 42; Exercise: Drawing a complete head 51; Muscles of the neck 56; Muscles of the trunk 58; Muscles of the limbs 64; Exercise: Drawing the whole body 76; Character dynamics 79; Stick man 79; Box man 81; Example poses 83; Sketching the human body 91
Chapter 3 Animal structure; Animal anatomy 96; Gorilla 96; Horse 98; Antelope 100; Dog 102; Lion 104; Bat 106; Eagle 108; Fish 110; Dragon 112; Dragon hawk 114; Endosaurus 116; Anatomical details 118; Heads 118; Horns and antlers 118; Limbs 121; Wings 122; Drawing animals 123; Basic forms 123; Drawing complete animals 126; Combining different animals 128; Drawing fantasy creatures 131; Hou – king of the beasts 131; Hydra – multi-headed water beast 133; Bestiary 135
Chapter 4 Exploring concept designs; Genre and design 142; Starting points for character design 147; Exaggeration 147; Symmetry 149; Geometry – combining simple shapes 150; Silhouette 151; Rhythm – line length 153; Accessories – enriching the character 154; Groups – contrasting body shapes 156; Example character designs 157; Exercise: Designing a character 157
Chapter 5 Decoration, detail and accessories; Pattern design 168; Common patterns 168; Designing patterns 170; Armour design 175; Types of armour 175; Chinese‑inspired armour 176; Japanese‑inspired armour 178; European‑inspired armour 179; Other accessories 180; Weapons 180; Mounts and steeds 186; Jewellery and totems 190
Chapter 6 Drawing complete Characters; Human male – Swordsman 192; Human female – Spirit Mage 196; Elf – Night Princess 199; Mecha Warrior – E-34 Destroyer 202; Monster – Hellcaller 205; Merman – Aquatic General 210; Human male – Shaman 214; Undead – Revenant 218; Demon – Black Dragon Legionary 222; Human male – Mercenary 226; More character designs 230
Chapter 7 Reference material and inspiration; Portraits 242; Full body line art 249; Full body tonal designs 268