Wreaking Havoc: How To Create Fantasy Warriors And Wicked Weapons

by Jim Pavelec

Four top gaming artists share their secrets for creating fantasy battle scenes complete with warriors, a fearsome armory of weaponry and a cast of monstrous creatures that wreak havoc! Read this book and enter a realm where human warriors coexist with giants, monsters and many other mythical creatures both mundane and magical, all battling for survival. Four artists who have dared to venture this way before (and won reputations as masters of fantasy illustration) are here to lead you through this wicked world, sharing their fiercest techniques for creating your vilest imaginings. Take up your pen and brush, and follow through 15 step-by-step character demos as well as 39 mini-demos on rendering fearsome armor, swords and other weaponry. Here's what lies

Genres: Art

128 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2008

Reviews

[Jeff Lanter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has sat on my shelf for months now because I find it difficult to review. There are many positives about this art book and there are also several negatives for me personally. I will try to make this review as fairly as I can while trying to recommend this book to those who would enjoy it most.

First off, this book looks great. It is well-designed and the art inside is all very attractive. Having four different artists show how they draw fantasy art was a really smart idea and gives you a range of styles for inspiration. One of the strengths of this book is that it does make you want to draw some awesome fantasy warriors. I would say that main goal of the book was to show how artists imagine or design fantasy warriors and not specifically how to draw or paint them. If that sounds appealing to you, then this book is most likely for you.

The book has the standard introductory material with a few new ideas like how to texture scales/armor. Then the meat of the book shows how to draw or paint different types of weapons, armor, and warriors. Then in the back there is a few finished environments that are fully drawn and painted. The intro is totally fine and may teach a thing or two to a beginner though this book is not one I recommend to beginners. The environments are very impressive and inspirational.

It is the bulk of the book that I have mixed feelings about. Most sections have a page or two dedicated to how to draw/design weapons and armor. These are interesting and some artists may find them useful. Just drawing a weapon or a piece of armor was not exciting for me and since I work by reference I was more interested in pairing that with a warrior. Then for each character (human, dwarf, troll, and some totally new races) there is either a page or two of how to draw or paint it. The painting looks in depth and helpful, but as someone who draws and uses colored pencils, I can't say either way how good these guides are. Only including information on how to paint some characters was disappointing since I only bought this to improve my drawing. The characters that are shown how to draw are often too small and/or complicated for someone to use through reference. I have only found that one character (a gargoyle) was easy enough to see and draw and it came out great.

So while I think this book is very useful for inspiration and I give it three stars for that and outstanding art alone, it la not recommended for someone who works through reference or that hopes they can easily draw what is in the book. I think more advanced artists will get the most out of this book, especially if you're interested in how to design and/or paint fantasy warriors.