The Sci-Fi & Fantasy Art of Patrick J. Jones

by Patrick J. Jones (Illustrator), Donato Giancola (Foreword)

Featuring 150 amazingly realistic paintings, both digital and traditional, this sumptuous volume is overflowing with the voluptuous women, glistening warriors, fantastic beasts and monsters, enchanted lands and extraordinary creatures that have emerged from Patrick’s incredibly fertile imagination. An anecdote-peppered commentary by the artist runs alongside the artwork, along with exclusive contributions from fellow fantasy art luminaries. This is a must-have for the serious artist, the novice artist and the fantasy art fanatic alike.

Genres: Art

173 pages, Hardcover

Published January 15, 2017

About the author

Patrick J. Jones is an award-winning sci-fi and fantasy artist and teacher. His work is collected and published worldwide and his client list includes companies such as Disney, Lucasfilm and Roc books. Patrick grew up in Belfast, Ireland, during the worst of the "troubles". Influenced by artists Boris Vallejo and Frank Frazetta, he spent long days in the sanctuary of rooftops, drawing and dreaming of becoming a fantasy artist, to the din of street riots below. After two years in the merchant navy, he moved to London and spent 15 years as an illustrator before travelling the world once more.Today Patrick lives in Australia with his loving wife, Cathy, and their two dogs.

Reviews

[Michael Reilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

An illuminating retrospective that highlights the many artistic strengths of Patrick J. Jones, this collection exhibits his ability to capture mood and stunning anatomy, conjuring believable scenes of fantastic imagination.

Jones provides brief commentary throughout about his art, his various professions, and his love for Frank Frazetta, together with short stories regarding clients and patrons, tales from art shows, and other amusing insights. Additionally, most of the featured art is also supported by a sketch or a colour rough: I love to see these origins, and to then compare such early concepts to the finished composition to understand the artist’s thinking and problem solving.

The only true disappointment I would note is that although the printed reproductions of his oil paintings are very good, the restricted colours seen on the original canvasses aren’t accurately captured, resulting in flat, somewhat muddy art lacking the intriguing depth oil possesses in such skilled hands. The images produced digitally do not suffer in the same way due to their greater colour range, values and contrast, so this frustration is limited but still unfavourable to the quality of each piece affected.

If you’re a fan of modern or traditional art in the sci-fi/fantasy genre, you’re more than likely to find something of interest here – Jones certainly has plenty to offer in this attractive book.