Steve Miller Watson Guptill Nonfiction, YA? Art Themes: Anthropomorphism *****
Description
Furries - anthropomorphic (humanlike) animals and fantastic hybrids - have been around for a long time, but lately their popularity has
exploded. From comic books to cartoons and sports mascots to product logos, these creatures are everywhere. This book, compiled by many top
illustrators in the comic book and cartoon industry, discusses how to create and draw convincing human/animal hybrids, from the "usual"
humanized dog or cat to bizarre fusings such as elephant and centaur or lion and bat.
Review
As the blurb on the back cover claims, this is the first art book dedicated solely to anthropomorphic creatures. At least, it's the first
one I've seen. Considering how long they've been popular, it's long past due. The writing may be pitched at the teen/preteen audience, but
anyone of any age with an interest in the subject should learn something from this book. I liked that it didn't just stick with mammals; anthro
bugs, reptiles, birds, and insects get their due. There's even an anthro octopus! The book features a variety of moods and styles, including
notes on where the artists found their ideas and how to integrate multiple animal influences. A very minor nitpick is that he insists on calling
the backwards-pointing joint in the rear leg of many animals a second knee, when it is actually the equivalent of the human ankle joint. Many
animals walk on their toes, their true knee being higher up and closer to the body - a fact that a simple glance at skeletons should reveal. It
seemed a cop-out to just call it a weird "second knee" instead of encouraging the reader to observe comparative anatomy. Learning the anatomical
reasons for such things should be encouraged, because strong anatomy skills lead to more lifelike drawings, even in fantasy art... but, I digress.
On the whole, I found it very inspirational, even if I don't do too much "furry" or "anthro" art myself. That is, right now I don't. Books like this
might convince me to try more human/animal hybrids in my art. The author certainly makes it look like fun.
Steve Miller Watson Guptill Nonfiction, YA? Art Themes: Dinosaurs ****
Description
There are many books about dinosaur facts, and many books on how to draw them, but the material in the latter often fails to live up to the
former. Until now, no dinosaur drawing book has looked at comparative anatomy or other essentials of producing a convincing picture of a
prehistoric creature. The author and the many contributing artists set out to right this wrong, demonstrating that only by understanding how a
creature is put together will an artist be able to draw a good dinosaur or other extinct creature. This book covers several dinosaurs and
dinosaur families as well as Archaeopteryx, the infamous feathered bird/dinosaur (now not nearly so unique as more and more fossil finds
have feather imprints around them), and pterosaurs, who technically weren't dinosaurs but lived at the same time.
Review
As the Description says, this is, as the cover and preface state, the first drawing book I've read that approaches dinosaurs as a serious
subject matter like animals or humans. Naturally, Miller does this in a manner that will appeal to younger artists, but there is plenty here for
those who have moved beyond step-by-step drawings. This gives the book an extended lifespan of usefulness as the artist grows in interest and skill
level. More than one finished picture of most of the dinosaurs are included, to show how different artists interpret the same basic material; one
of the frustrations of drawing dinosaurs is that there are no living specimens to study, but that also gives the artist a certain freedom. I only
wish he had chosen a few other dinosaurs and pterosaurs to highlight, and a section on the bizarre marine reptiles of the dinosaur age would've been
fun. He also misidentifies one skeleton illustration (page 118) as being a Triceratops, when the dinosaur pictured clearly has the wrong
frill and horn configuration (judging from my other dinosaur books, and this book itself when it specifically covers Triceratops later on) and must
be one of the other ceratopians. A minor nitpick, but it goes to credibility.
Overall, this is a fun and inspirational book on drawing dinosaurs. Much like Miller's Freaks! anthro-drawing book, it strongly tempts me
to explore this subject, though a lack of space and time to draw again stymies me.
