Glenn Fabry - Anatomy for Fantasy Artists: An Illustrators Guide to Creating Action Figures and Fantastical Forms

BY GLENN FABRY

WITH ADDITIONAL MATERIAL BY
MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM & BEN CORMACK

www.davidandcharles.com

A DAVID AND CHARLES BOOK

David and Charles is an imprint of David and Charles, Ltd, Suite A, Tourism House, Pynes Hill, Exeter, EX2 5WS

The first edition published in the UK and USA in 2005, and the second edition published in 2013. This second edition has now been reissued with a new cover, and published in the UK and USA in 2021.

Copyright 2005, 2013 Quarto Publishing plc

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ISBN-13: 9781446308967 paperback

ISBN-13: 9781446381229 EPUB

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QUAR.AFA2

Quarto would like to thank Al Davison for the original idea that was the starting point for this book.

Project EditorSusie May

Art EditorClaire Van Rhyn, Kate Bramley

Assistant Art DirectorPenny Cobb

DesignerRoss George

EditorHazel Harrison

Assistant EditorMary Groom

Picture ResearcherClaudia Tate

PhotographerPaul Forrester and Martin Norris

ProofreaderAlison Howard

IndexerHelen Snaith

Art DirectorMoira Clinch

PublisherSamantha Warrington

When I was a kid I loved fantasy and science fiction, from superhero comics to Hammer horror, and Star Wars Episode IV to Monty Pythons Flying Circus. I wanted nothing more than to enter these other worlds, and although I felt a million miles away from them in my little bedroom near London, I had one thing that I could do; I could draw.

I went to art school in the late 1970s, where all of the comic book stuff I wanted to do was dismissed as badly-drawn escapism. But I took all I learned about the techniques of classical art and used it to produce better-drawn escapism. And for the last twenty years Ive been a freelance illustrator working mainly in the fantasy genre.

This book is intended to show you how to apply the patina of reality to the depiction of fantasy archetypes, specifically in terms of understanding anatomy and dynamics, and so create informed daydreams. Reference is important, but you cant be confined by this when creating the picture you wantyou need to be able to use your imagination so you can twist and turn your characters to your own ends. This is where the fantasy begins.

The power and effectiveness of your illustrations will be partly dictated by your abilityany picture has the potential to be the best picture youre able to drawand partly by the environmental factors, such as the books and magazines you read, that have influenced you to pick up a pencil in the first place.

There are a few laws in fantasy artit needs to be bold, exaggerated, and larger-than-life, or it just wouldnt be fantasy artbut apart from that, originality and innovation play a big part in producing work that is attention-grabbing and fresh.

Celtic hero

Glenn Fabry

This heros rippling musculature and confident poise, especially in contrast to his sidekicks cowering, confirm his prowess as a warrior. His Celtic adornments and the strange way in which the light plays on the water in which hes standing suggest that he also operates in a dimension beyond the purely physical.

Voluptuous and womanly

Liam Sharp

The heavily muscled, grim-featured creature in the background looks menacing, yet cautious as he looks upon his female opponent, whose bunched back muscles and grotesque clawed arm reveal she is no helpless girl. She is ready to do battle, and the beast looking upon her knows it.

So how do you go about developing a style? Well, the first thing to do is to work out your strengths. The chances are your strengths are similar to the styles youve been inspired to try to emulate anyway. Once youve done this you can experiment with other styles and just add your own personal touches. When you get more competent at drawing you can branch out and broaden your style. The sorts of styles you should try to follow are the ones that especially appeal to you.

Think big when working in this subgenre. Everything should be as exaggerated as possible, from the hero