Books

How to Paint Landscapes Quickly and Beautifully with Watercolor and Gouache reveals quick and effective painting setups and techniques to depict any landscape. From simplifying complex scenes and making smart choices about portraying light and texture, to establishing an effective color palette to enhance mood, world-renowned entertainment and fine artist Nathan Fowkes shares priceless lessons that he has developed over twenty five years of painting a broad range of places. His detailed tutorials and thoughtful insights will help you create more impactful, gallery-worthy landscapes on location―without an easel―in record time.

Boston, 1926. Francis Thurston goes through documents left behind by his grandfather’s brother, recently deceased under mysterious circumstances. He soon discovers the existence of a cult that worships ancient and unspeakable horrors. Mysterious murders, blood rituals in the depths of the Louisiana swamps, artists who descend into insanity after nightmarish visions, and a Cyclopean city that rises from the sea. Step by step, Thurston realizes that his relative’s research got too close to the truth. In the shadows, there are those who want to wake the sleeping god Cthulhu in order to spread madness and destruction over the entire world. The stars are right. Is the end near?

H.P. Lovecraft’s The Call of Cthulhu, first published in 1928, is one of the greatest classics of American horror literature. Cthulhu himself, dreaming and waiting at the bottom of the sea, became a symbol for the entire mythology that Lovecraft created. François Baranger, an illustrator who has previously worked in film and games, was fascinated early on by Lovecraft’s creatures and visions which populated the darkest recesses of fantasy. In this book, he has taken on the work of illustrating Lovecraft’s most iconic novel.

Cinematics Storyboard Workshop is for any artist who wants to learn how to create professional, production-ready storyboards for film, animation, television, and video game cinematics. Modeled on the Cinematics course by artist and educator Gregg Davidson, this must-have guidebook is a concise, in-depth guide to the fundamentals: from storyboard mechanics and camera angles, to shot progression and staging, as well as current digital storyboarding and previsualization practices. Founder of The Animation Academy, Charles Zembillas, called Cinematics Storyboard Workshop “one of the best books on learning how to storyboard.”

No matter what stage artists are in their careers, “it’s necessary to look toward the future eager to learn and to be better every day,” writes artist and best-selling author Marcos Mateu-Mestre (Framed Ink, Framed Perspective Vol. 1 & 2) in his latest book, Framed Drawing Techniques, which is packed with opportunities to do just that. In exquisite and thoughtful detail, Mateu-Mestre lays out distinct approaches to drawing in the book’s chapters—The Ballpoint Pen, Graphite Pencil, The Digital Way, and The Gray Scale—outlining the benefits and challenges of each, and specific techniques that can be applied to one’s work in all the mediums to achieve the greatest results. Alongside his important technical lessons, on everything from depicting reflected light on a character’s hair to how to add rain to dramatize a scene, is Mateu-Mestre’s awe-inspiring artwork, which serves to educate and motivate artists of all levels to discover what incredible storytelling is possible with a single pen or pencil (or tablet).

Italian artist Alessandro “Talexi” Taini is responsible for designing some of the most memorable and imaginative video-game characters and environments of the last 15 years. While at the acclaimed UK-based game developer Ninja Theory, he was instrumental in creating the overall look and feel of the fantasy adventure games Heavenly Sword, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, Dmc: Devil May Cry, and Hellblade, which together sold millions of copies worldwide. This is the first book to feature his magnificent concept art, which is sure to thrill gamers and appeal to fans of fine art as well, with incredibly lifelike paintings that pay homage to master painters Caravaggio and Rembrandt, with additional inspiration drawn from the mythological work of Bouguereau and Frazetta.

It all began in 2009, when designer Lorin Wood started the Nuthin' But Mech blog to share artwork by him and his colleagues featuring their favorite subject: robots. Three years later Wood launched the eponymous book series, providing three (now four!) opportunities for dozens of talented artists from around the world to showcase their passion projects and personal visions of robots in print.

Wrapping up the undeniably popular series, Nuthin’ But Mech 4 perfectly complements the thrilling volumes that preceded it, and celebrates how far artistry and technology can advance in just a few years. This final installment features artists from all manner of industries (film, animation, video games, theme parks), and their remarkable works illustrate a vast range of tones and themes. You'll also learn about the creators themselves through their accompanying biographies, which add a personal―sometimes comedic―touch.

It's fitting that with the series coming to a close, Nuthin’ But Mech 4 brings together the highest number of creatives yet―fifty-seven in all―each with original and imaginative points of view. More talent, more inspiration, more mech!

Scott Robertson returns with his much anticipated second collection of sketches, clocking in at a whopping 288 drawings that are sure to amaze and inspire. After a brief hiatus from publishing, the acclaimed designer and best-selling author of How to Draw and How to Render is back to remind the industry why he continues to be a force, with a wide, imaginative range of vehicles represented in the book. From futuristic hot rods and otherworldly rovers, to superhero-worthy sports cars and equally incredible headgear, Robertson’s latest sketches were created over the last three years, and are now ready to transport you beyond your own imagination.