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Books published by publisher IMPACT Books

  • How to Draw Fantasy Art and RPG Maps: Step by Step Cartography for Gamers and Fans

    Jared Blando

    Paperback (IMPACT Books, Sept. 1, 2015)
    The power of creation is at your fingertips!Orcs prepare for battle against high Elves, Dwarves retreat to the mountains and men march to the sea to reclaim crumbling fortresses. Fortunes are decided. Kingdoms are lost. Entire worlds are created. This book will teach you to bring your fictional realm to life with simple step-by-step instructions on how to draw authentic fantasy maps. Set the stage for adventure by illustrating domains, castles and battle lines, mountains, forests and sea monsters! Learn to create completely unique and fully functional RPG maps time and time again on which your world can unfold.All the skills necessary to create awe-inspiring maps are covered! • Landscapes. Add depth, balance and plausibility with rocky coastlines, towering mountains, dark forests and rolling plains. • Iconography. Mark important places--towns and cities, fortresses and bridges--with symbolic iconography for easy-to-understand maps. • Typography. Learn how to place readable text and the basics of decorative script. Bonus instruction teaches you to create fonts for Orcs, Elves, Vikings and dragons. • Heraldry and shield design. Depict cultural and political boundaries with shields and colors. • Advanced cartography. Includes how to draw landmarks, country boundaries and political lines. Build roads to connect merchants and troops, troll cairns and dragon lairs. And complete your maps with creative backgrounds, elaborate compasses and thematic legends. 30+ step-by-step demonstrations illustrate how to construct an entire fantasy world map from start to finish--both digitally and by hand!
  • Mastering Manga with Mark Crilley: 30 drawing lessons from the creator of Akiko

    Mark Crilley

    Paperback (IMPACT Books, March 8, 2012)
    It's THE book on manga from YouTube's most popular art instruction Guru!There's more to manga than big, shiny eyes and funky hair. In these action-packed pages, graphic novelist Mark Crilley shows you step-by-step how to achieve an authentic manga style—from drawing faces and figures to laying out awesome, high-drama spreads. You'll learn how a few basic lines will help you place facial features in their proper locations and simple tricks for getting body proportions right. Plus, you'll find inspiration for infusing your work with expression, attitude and action.This is the book fans have been requesting for years, packed with expert tips on everything from hairstyles and clothing to word bubbles and sound effects, delivered in the same friendly, easy-to-follow style that has made Mark Crilley one of the "25 Most Subscribed to Gurus on YouTube." Take this opportunity to turn the characters and stories in your head into professional-quality art on the page!Packed with everything you need to make your first (or your best-ever) manga stories! • 30 step-by-step demonstrations showing how to draw faces and figures for a variety of ages and body types • Inspirational galleries featuring 101 eyes, 50 ways to draw hands, 40 hairstyles, 12 common expressions, 30 classic poses and more! • Tutorials to create a variety of realistic settings • Advanced lessons on backgrounds, inking, sequencing and layout options
  • Fantasy Mapmaker: How to Draw RPG Cities for Gamers and Fans

    Jared Blando

    Paperback (IMPACT Books, Nov. 12, 2019)
    Create authentic-looking maps of fantasy cities, hamlets, fortifications and more in a popular tabletop, RPG style. • 30+ step-by-step demonstrations show you how to create your own unique RPG maps • Learn how to draw fantasy cities, medieval settlements and more from a professional gaming illustrator • Tips and techniques for drawing fences, stone walls, forests, fields, bridges, footpaths, mountains, harbors, shields, coats of arms and other cartography elementsPut your design and drawing skills on the map!
  • How to Draw Fantasy Art and RPG Maps: Step by Step Cartography for Gamers and Fans

    Jared Blando

    eBook (IMPACT Books, Aug. 4, 2015)
    The power of creation is at your fingertips!Orcs prepare for battle against high Elves, Dwarves retreat to the mountains and men march to the sea to reclaim crumbling fortresses. Fortunes are decided. Kingdoms are lost. Entire worlds are created. This book will teach you to bring your fictional realm to life with simple step-by-step instructions on how to draw authentic fantasy maps. Set the stage for adventure by illustrating domains, castles and battle lines, mountains, forests and sea monsters! Learn to create completely unique and fully functional RPG maps time and time again on which your world can unfold.All the skills necessary to create awe-inspiring maps are covered! • Landscapes. Add depth, balance and plausibility with rocky coastlines, towering mountains, dark forests and rolling plains. • Iconography. Mark important places--towns and cities, fortresses and bridges--with symbolic iconography for easy-to-understand maps. • Typography. Learn how to place readable text and the basics of decorative script. Bonus instruction teaches you to create fonts for Orcs, Elves, Vikings and dragons. • Heraldry and shield design. Depict cultural and political boundaries with shields and colors. • Advanced cartography. Includes how to draw landmarks, country boundaries and political lines. Build roads to connect merchants and troops, troll cairns and dragon lairs. And complete your maps with creative backgrounds, elaborate compasses and thematic legends. 30+ step-by-step demonstrations illustrate how to construct an entire fantasy world map from start to finish--both digitally and by hand!
  • Dracopedia Field Guide: Dragons of the World from Amphipteridae through Wyvernae

    William O'Connor

    Hardcover (IMPACT Books, May 14, 2019)
    Identify dragons in the wild with the Dracopedia Field Guide! Have you ever stumbled upon a dragon egg and thought to yourself, "I wonder which type of scaly beast will burst forth from this delicate and dappled shell?" Well, wonder no more. This fantasy field guide is required reading--and required packing--for both budding and expert dragon enthusiasts. Don’t leave home without it. This comprehensive and elucidating manual identifies the dragons of the world from Amphipteridae through Wyvernae. Each genus of dragon is meticulously chronicled--from winged Coatyls and Sea Orcs to itty, bitty Feydragons to fire-breathing Great Dragons--then broken down into additional subsets to help you discover what sets these magnificent creatures apart. Uncover the biology, history, behavior and habitat of each stunning and primeval beast through written and illustrated descriptions. Each dragon specimen entry includes the following important information for fast and easy identification: • Size • Weight • Visual descriptors, including color, distinguishing marks, wings, horns, beaks, etc. • Habitat • Diet • Conservation status • Common namesDracopedia: The gold standard for dragon enthusiasts everywhere!
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  • Dragonart: How to Draw Fantastic Dragons and Fantasy Creatures

    Jessica Neon Dragon Peffer

    Paperback (IMPACT Books, Sept. 25, 2005)
    How to Draw a Dragon: "Cautiously approach the dragon, offer it a piece of candy or a little sister, and draw while it happily munches away."From the artist behind the wildly popular NeonDragonArt.com, DragonArt will help you create mythical beasts that awe, delight, and disturb the sweet dreams of little ones. Armed only with your trusty pencil and ink pen, you will begin your artistic quest by conquering a super-easy dragon that even the densest of wyvern could draw. With pace quickened by this cool achievement, you shall forge bravely onward to discover simple secrets and spiffy tricks for making your creature friendly or fierce, sorrowful or cynical—drawing them from all different perspectives, in flight or at rest (so vain, those dragons—they love to strike a pose!) and incorporating various styles of heads, limbs, wings, horns, frills, scales, tails and other details to make your particular beast original, believable and so darn groovy.Because dragons enjoy having others around to terrorize, disembowel and occasionally hang out with, this book will also teach you how you to populate your alternate universe with a whole cast of fantastic creatures, including mythical griffins, guardian gargoyles and deadly basilisks.All this within the curiously compelling, beautifully beastly, and brightly colored pages you hold in your hands, which by now are no doubt trembling with keen anticipation. So quit dragon your feet! (Ugh, wyrms hate puns!) Buy this book now and make your wildest, wickedest, fire-breathingest fantasies come true!
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  • The Explorer's Guide to Drawing Fantasy Creatures

    Emily Fiegenschuh

    Hardcover (IMPACT Books, Aug. 10, 2011)
    If you're looking for an escape from ordinary life, the adventure starts here. The Explorer's Guide to Drawing Fantasy Creatures brings to light a fantastic realm of creatures so elusive and remote, they can be found only in myths, nightmares, and the work of artists like you. With years of perilous creature-drawing adventures behind her, Emily Fiegenschuh leads you step by step through the entire process, from expressive gesture drawings to beautifully detailed artwork, right down to all the gruesome details--like how to draw the leathery wings of dragons, the Minotaur's impressive physique, and the brilliant plumage of the Hook-Legged Bodeo. 25 step-by-step demonstrations for creating a bevy of beasts that roam air, land and seaImportant basics of drawing, proportion and perspective to help you bring believability to your creaturesInstruction for adding living, breathing color to finished sketchesExpert tips on finding inspiration, developing personalities, designing costumes, and more. Grab your sketchbook, and venture forth, if you dare. Bring to life the creatures within these pages, as well as those lurking in the shadows of your own imagination.
  • Dreamscapes Fantasy Worlds: Create Engaging Scenes and Landscapes in Watercolor

    Stephanie Pui-Mun Law

    Paperback (IMPACT Books, Dec. 23, 2014)
    Breathe Life Into Your Fantasy Worlds!Heroes and heroines seek their fortunes in mysterious forests. Towering castles are built into the sides of mountains. Dragons and fairies soar through the sky and among the stars. And bestselling author Stephanie Pui-Mun Law is here to lead you, step-by-step, through the process of creating the forests, mountains, skies, stars and vistas in which these grand fantasy adventures occur. • Follow along with tips, techniques and 20 step-by-step demonstrations to create the dark shadows of an enchanted forest, the twisting branches of an Elven home, the glowing light of a magic portal and more! • From basic watercolor techniques to beautiful finished pieces, learn how to pick the right paper and tools, how to paint many different watercolor effects and how to put it all together to bring your fantasy settings to life. • Get inspired by Stephanie's signature style and beautiful images. Imagine the stories behind each piece, then create your own!
  • Mechanika, Revised and Updated: Creating the Art of Space, Aliens, Robots and Sci-Fi

    Doug Chiang

    Paperback (IMPACT Books, Oct. 7, 2015)
    You can design the future!In a post-apocalyptic alien landscape, starfighters crash land in desert terrain, dino riders rear up, rusted crab walkers litter the horizon and men work with--or fight against--giant iron robots. You control it all and Academy Award-winning sci-fi film production designer Doug Chiang tells you how. In this revised and updated version of his best-selling book, Mechanika, Chiang uses his 25 years in the film industry working on such films as the Star Wars franchise, Terminator 2: Judgment Day and War of the Worlds to teach you the techniques, tools and tips to draw and think like a master sci-fi artist.Inside you'll find: • The six keys to good design and how to build an expert toolkit. • Basic sketching techniques and the rules of perspective--even in imaginary worlds. • 25+ step-by-step demonstrations, including updated text and 6 brand new demonstrations, showing how to draw everything from monopods and labor beasts to aliens and steam-powered robots by mixing traditional drawing and marker techniques with digital painting technology. • How to create compelling science fiction scenes inspired by movies, books, comics and games from conceptualization to completion. • Tips and details on how to use Adobe Photoshop to design, draw and enhance your creations--including author secrets!Learn design secrets from one of the sci-fi artists behind Star Wars, War of the Worlds and Terminator 2: Judgment Day!
  • Dracopedia Field Guide: Dragons of the World from Amphipteridae through Wyvernae

    William O'Connor

    eBook (IMPACT Books, May 7, 2019)
    Identify dragons in the wild with the Dracopedia Field Guide! Have you ever stumbled upon a dragon egg and thought to yourself, "I wonder which type of scaly beast will burst forth from this delicate and dappled shell?" Well, wonder no more. This fantasy field guide is required reading--and required packing--for both budding and expert dragon enthusiasts. Don’t leave home without it. This comprehensive and elucidating manual identifies the dragons of the world from Amphipteridae through Wyvernae. Each genus of dragon is meticulously chronicled--from winged Coatyls and Sea Orcs to itty, bitty Feydragons to fire-breathing Great Dragons--then broken down into additional subsets to help you discover what sets these magnificent creatures apart. Uncover the biology, history, behavior and habitat of each stunning and primeval beast through written and illustrated descriptions. Each dragon specimen entry includes the following important information for fast and easy identification: • Size • Weight • Visual descriptors, including color, distinguishing marks, wings, horns, beaks, etc. • Habitat • Diet • Conservation status • Common namesDracopedia: The gold standard for dragon enthusiasts everywhere!
  • Mechanika, Revised and Updated: Creating the Art of Space, Aliens, Robots and Sci-Fi

    Doug Chiang

    eBook (IMPACT Books, Sept. 9, 2015)
    You can design the future!In a post-apocalyptic alien landscape, starfighters crash land in desert terrain, dino riders rear up, rusted crab walkers litter the horizon and men work with--or fight against--giant iron robots. You control it all and Academy Award-winning sci-fi film production designer Doug Chiang tells you how. In this revised and updated version of his best-selling book, Mechanika, Chiang uses his 25 years in the film industry working on such films as the Star Wars franchise, Terminator 2: Judgment Day and War of the Worlds to teach you the techniques, tools and tips to draw and think like a master sci-fi artist.Inside you'll find: • The six keys to good design and how to build an expert toolkit. • Basic sketching techniques and the rules of perspective--even in imaginary worlds. • 25+ step-by-step demonstrations, including updated text and 6 brand new demonstrations, showing how to draw everything from monopods and labor beasts to aliens and steam-powered robots by mixing traditional drawing and marker techniques with digital painting technology. • How to create compelling science fiction scenes inspired by movies, books, comics and games from conceptualization to completion. • Tips and details on how to use Adobe Photoshop to design, draw and enhance your creations--including author secrets!Learn design secrets from one of the sci-fi artists behind Star Wars, War of the Worlds and Terminator 2: Judgment Day!
  • Crazy Clay Creatures

    Maureen Carlson

    Paperback (IMPACT Books, June 7, 2013)
    Make all kinds of crazy creatures with lightweight, air dry clay!With Crazy Clay Creatures, you'll never say "I'm bored" again! Using super lightweight, air dry clay that's easy to find in any craft store, you will create lots of projects that will give you and your friends hours of fun activities. You'll learn how to make an army of characters with crazy shaped heads and bodies, and you'll love how easy it is. You'll be making trolls, goblins, mummies and werewolves before you know it! And just wait until you get to the dragons and dinosaurs.Hey Parents! This book:Includes 20 step-by-step clay projects for children, including dinosaurs, dragons, monsters, frogs, orangutans and more.Uses inexpensive air dry clay that is widely available in a variety of colors and that won't require special tools or tons of clean up.Will give kids ages 4-12 (or the kid in you!) hours of activities.
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