Reddit mentions: The best art history by theme books

I am so excited for the gifts I ordered for her! I can hardly wait for 2 week for them to arrive. I never felt this excited about gifting anything to anyone.These are not to win her love or receive gratitude, I just felt like if I were her I'd be happy to get this from someone. I wish I have known more about her til now so that I could get more things. Obviously she won't be very pleased that I spent money for her, but it's not about the money, it's about her happiness. I just hope likes these.

The first thing I got for her is a Beats X. She loves music and deserves something far better than the cheap skullcandy earphone she uses. I got the blue color as it's her second most favorite color after purple. I would've even bought the Bose I use but she tried it she felt the treble was too much for her. I digress but I felt so happy she wanted to try them on, I mean come on a girl interested in gadgets!

Next I got her a Sketch pencil set as she draws on paper too. I am very excited about this.

Then couple of days ago she asked for portrait tutorials and I thought I should give her a book. This seemed the perfect book to me, may be she knows a lot of it already but may be she can learn some new techniques and pro tips.

All these I got from amazon Canada, next I want to buy some things from here as well. I must get a sketchbook to go along with the pencils. Plus I will visit Miniso and grab random things that she might like and be useful to her.

Finally I have this idea to put sticky notes on each of the items writing a thing or two may be even pack them in gift wrap.

I am not sure if I should leave her a secret hand written letter among the presents.

Gregory Paul's Field Guide to Dinosaurs is pretty big and scientifically accurate for the most part. Some of the length is just brief descriptions of dinosaurs, however, and I wish it went into more depth.

I'm a big fan of Mark Witton and hope to order Recreating an Age of Reptiles soon. For some reason Amazon says it isn't out yet, but it was published a while ago. I find that Witton always does very meticulous research and does a great job of acknowledging and explaining disagreements. While not about dinosaurs, his book Pterosaurs is my favorite paleo book of all time. I love the artwork and it's clear that he has a real passion for these animals. He really goes into detail about different groups of pterosaurs, too. I felt like I learned a lot about pterosaurs reading the book and it really made me excited to read anything else he has written. His blog is also fantastic if you are looking for something to read!

As far as up-to-date, The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs was just released and seems really interesting. It's has less of a textbook/encyclopedia feel than the other books I've recommended here and it seems like it might follow more of a narrative compared to the others which jump between types of dinosaurs. I haven't read it but I've heard good things and am excited to read my copy soon.

I have some experience with webcomics. I write and draw Miamaska, which has been going on for 2+years, and I'm about to start my second comic next month.

General advice for web comickers!

(or: How I learned things the hard way and eventually stumbled into a good system)

• Always have a buffer. Always update on time. Be dependable, your readers won't invest in your story if you seem flaky.
  
  
• Don't do video/audio or fullpage ads. New readers will close your tab out of annoyance, and those that stay will be extremely peeved when trying to read a chapter all at once.
  
  
• Set up donation incentives. Wallpapers, progress art for the next update, bonus page when a certain amount is reached, bonus mini-comic, etc!
  
  
• Interact with readers! Put up a comment box, do twitter and tumblr, do request drawings. It's fun, a confidence boost, and a good way to build a fan base.
  
  Regarding dialogue and pacing... what I tend to do is thumbnail an entire scene (3-15 pages for me) first and read through it a few times. I'll leave mini-cliffhangers at the end of each page (like a question, or a realization, or a character entering the scene). During this little review process, I'll also make sure the view for the reader doesn't violate the 180 rule too much, that it's obvious which bubble should be read next, and where the reader is going to look first.
  
  I don't have any experience in the print form of comics yet. So no advice there. Just make sure your comics are in print resolution as well (300+ DPI), or you'll be sorry later.
  
  Resource time
  
  I didn't have many resources starting out, but I'm gonna recommend these for you and anyone else interested:
  
  PaperWings Podcast -- podcast and blog on web comic-making (ongoing, good community, regular but sparse updates, good backlog). Has even more resources on its website.
  
  Art and Story -- podcast on print +web comic-making and the comic industry (ended, but a great backlog).
  
  Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics, and Making Comics by cartoonist Scott McCloud, worth a read for any comicker. A little more geared towards print, but breaks down comic theory really nicely.
  
  Comics and Sequential Art, Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative, Expressive Anatomy for Comics and Narrative, by Will Eisner.
  
  Those books are pretty popular, so you can probably pick them up from the library or find them on the web somewhere.

Awesome! Zendikar is an amazing campaign setting if you ask me. My personal notes are kind of a big mess, mainly because this is my first homebrew. But I can definitely give you some good places to start and I would be more than happy to share with you what I've done and learned in my campaign so far. We are currently 12 sessions in and having a great time. (PM for a discord link if you would like to chat)

• For starters, I would absolutely get the Zendikar art book from MTG. This really functions as a like a campaign setting book and will give you tons of ideas about how the world of Zendikar works.
  
  
• Wizards made a Planeshift for Zendikar. This is great for PC race options and some other tid bits (monster reskin ideas).
  
  
• Maps. Oh boy. Zendikar is a bit of a mess when it comes to maps. The reason? Roil likes to change the landscape constantly and there are only vague locations of things, so there are no proper maps. You can do as you like with this. I probably fret way more than I should about the actual location of each continent relative to the others. After a ton of research, I liked this map the best.
  
  
• If you want to go down the rabbit hole of Zendikar lore, read the archive trap.
  
  That should give you a good starting point. Again, I am happy to chat on Disc if you have questions or would like suggestions.

Obviously, reading the entire series several times isn't a practical idea. And, there's far too much breadth and depth to the world to give you a useful crash course in a reddit comment or two. So, here are a few suggestions:

• Ask your friend about the characters they want to play, when relative to the main story, and what part(s) of the world they're most interested in exploring. This will give you some areas to focus on in more detail.
  
• Consider reading a couple of the books if you can make the time. The natural place to start would be The Eye of the World which is full of detail and world-building. However, the plot is very tightly focused and you might not get enough of the big picture to construct a good campaign experience.
  
  • Another option would be to jump ahead to books 3, 4, and 5 (The Dragon Reborn, Shadow Rising, and The Fires of Heaven). The scope is substantially wider and you'll see a lot more of the world, cultures, and different regions. Crucially, you'll get some time in the White Tower, which is the single most important political institution. These earlier books are more accessible, Jordan does more recapping in the narration, and there are fewer minor POV characters than later in the series. Plus, reading some of these will give you a much more nuanced feel for the world than reading synopses and Wiki entries.
    
  • I would also consider reading the New Spring novella. It's considerably shorter than any of the other works and gives you a unique view on the world outside of the context of the main story line. If any of the players is playing an Aes Sedai or a character connected to the White Tower (a warder, expelled novice, etc.) this book is a must read for you.
    
• The audiobooks are truly EXCELLENT. Getting all 15 (induing New Spring) could be somewhat costly, but if you can find some at local libraries and pick up others on audible, it would be a good way to immerse yourself in the world. If I were in your shoes, I would listen to them frequently as you run the campaign, dipping in and out of different books after you finish the series on the first go.
  
  Some other resources for you to consider:
  
  
• The Wiki is OK. It's somewhat mixed in its detail and seems to be more detailed on the individual characters, which is likely less useful for your needs.
  
• Leigh Butler's ReRead of the series on Tor.com is good. She does a brief chapter-by-chapter synopsis of each book, so you'll get all the main plot and character points, although you'll of course miss out on the details of the world building and texture. Plus, it's written for someone who's read the series. Nonetheless, it might be worth checking out for you.
  
• The two published reference books might also be worth getting your hands on.
  
  • I highly recommend reading The World of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time (aka the White Book or the big book of bad art). It's organized thematically and will cover a lot of background detail of the world: Nations, history, some politics, etc. Unfortunately, it's not comprehensive as it was written part way through the series.
    
  • The Wheel of Time Companion was published after the series was finished. It's organized alphabetically and draws from Jordan's notes as well as the published works. You might well find it a good reference for different places, ideas, and items, but for learning about the world overall, I think you'll be better served by starting with the white book.
    
    Hope this helps!
    

Glad to be of service :-D. I actually had no idea Nemosine was from Pittsburgh - that is seriously cool to learn. It was the pen that Nick had out to try out inks.

I had $50 in my pocket from a swing band concert I played on Thursday up in Butler, and was going to blow it at the store on stuff (first time I'd been able to get down there since I learned about its existence a bunch of months ago). I was looking for a nice brown ink for my Mom, and so was trying stuff from their private label. This particular brown (Shadyside Walnut Street) is gorgeous. So had to get the ink. And I really liked the feel of the pen and the nib, and I've been wanting a demonstrator for a while. Also found a box of Lamy Turquoise/Pacific cartridges there (I loved it as a sample, but didn't want to get a whole bottle.)

There's also a really cool store between the Apple Store and The Coffee Tree Roasters (I forget the name, but it has t-shirts in the window). They have a huge selection of neat notebooks and cool cards. I found Penguin Science Fiction Postcards: 100 Book Covers in One Box, to send to my mom (she loves sci fi) one at a time. The cards are of remarkably good quality. They're quite fountain pen friendly.

It's in Shadyside, real easy walk from the shopping district on Walnut street (walk down Copeland, and it's a small storefront), open Saturday from noon until 5.

INVESTIGATING...

1. With newbies, I make it ultra obvious until they get used to looking around. First I make sure to be clear in my descriptions. I also really push passive perception. I will share that they notice things around them. Whatever makes sense in context that might give an indication they should look around more closely. If that doesn't get them biting them I simply ask "Do you want to look around more carefully?" Then if they say yes I ask them to roll an investigation check. Newbies frequently need to be given more obvious prompts until they get used to operating more independently.
   
2. If they are veteran players I usually don't have to do the above. I let them make their choices but I make sure I am really clearly describing the area.
   
   MAPS...
   
   
3. I do not rely heavily on actual maps unless there is a tactical reason they need one. I use Theater of the Mind. As long as I am describing things well, it can actually enhance play since everyone has a clear picture in their head of a 3 dimensional space instead of a flat map.
   
4. I rarely ever draw a map while in game. It takes too much time. When I do need a map, if the space is complicated enough that I actually feel the players need a map, then I need time to draw it accurately anyway. If the space is something like a 20x20 room with nothing in it but the PCs and the bad guys then I don't usually need a map.
   
5. I also hate spending hours and hours on maps when my players may never even go to the whatever I am mapping. Therefore I use a hybrid of things to provide a map when it is necessary, but almost always prepped ahead of time.I don't always draw the map, though. I sometimes rely on other resources. Examples below:
   
   

• I sometimes use these: https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Tactical-Reincarnated-Accessory/dp/0786966793/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=grids+dnd&qid=1571626033&sr=8-6
  
• and these https://www.amazon.com/DUNGEON-TILES-REINCARNATED-WILDERNESS/dp/0786966319/ref=sr_1_11?keywords=grids+dnd&qid=1571626069&sr=8-11 upon occasion.
  
• I also bought this and use this for larger maps. I create them then save them for reuse/retasking later. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RGYL979/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I only buy it when it is on sale.
  
• I do have erasable battle grids but I ended up rarely using them. If I am putting in the effort to create the map I would like it to be in a format for reuse/retasking later on. And what if the players come back through the area? Having to draw the thing again seems a waste of energy. That's just my preference.
  
• There are also generic maps available for all kinds of settings for very little cost on the Dungeon Master's Guild website. Tons of options. Many look quite professional. Sometimes I use those if they fit with my needs. Example selected at random: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/190205/A-Dozen-Maps
  
• Along with the above, frequently there are really nice looking maps available for specific official modules. I don't believe there are any for Dragon of Ice Spire peak but I know there are many offerings for other modules. Some are really, really good.

First let me say, DO NOT GET DISCOURAGED! We were all beginners and this kind of thing takes a lot of time to master. The best thing you can do (which you already are doing) is post for constructive criticism.

That being said, there are far too many anatomy errors to list them all but fixing the main ones will help the others fall into place. The head shape is off. It looks more alien than anything. The sides of the head should be flat not rounded, and the facial skeletal structure isn't well defined. (The jaw is lacking, the cheekbones as well). The ears look too thick and the lips are too wide for the nose and too thick. The chin also looks more like a male chin which is wider.

The neck doesn't look like anything on a human either and the whole body proportion is off. The hands aren't well defined either and there are no definitive wrist bones. The pose is also awkward.

You will want to improve your human anatomy sculpting and this will take a lot of time. Here is a book that will help you tremendously:

http://www.amazon.com/ZBrush-Digital-Sculpting-Human-Anatomy/dp/0470450266

Can you tell us a bit about your workflow so that we can make some more suggestions? Did you use a base mesh? Spheres? Dynamesh? The more detail you can give about your workflow the better since we can either help you with your current workflow or suggest a new one.

Just please don't get discouraged. I know you put a lot of hard work in to this, and letting us help will only make your next one that much better :)

No problem! Here are a couple of books that might help you along, if you haven't already gotten a hold of them! :)

All Yesterdays, a wonderfully provocative book that challenges common paleoart tropes.

The Paleoart of Julius Csontonyi is awesome. Most of his artwork can be found online, but it's nice to have it there in your hands. I won't go so far as to say Csotonyi is the modern day Charles R. Knight, but he's rapidly gaining that reputation.

Predatory Dinosaurs of the World by Gregory S. Paul. Modern paleoart owes a lot to Paul's work, even if his attention to anatomical detail resulted in dinosaurs that are just a bit too lithe.

Finally, we have William Stout's The New Dinosaurs. Yes, at times Stout makes his dinos look downright emaciated, but his comic-book-y style and portrayal of dinosaur behavior is a bit prescient of "All Yesterdays," and I can't help but associate his work with those wonderfully cheesy 1980s dino documentaries with Gary Owens, and that catchy theme music.

And once again, good luck!

I'll second James Gurney's books, his blog and his "In the Wild" video series.

I really like the Complete Guide to Drawing Animals by Gottfried Bammes. It brought together a lot of concepts about anatomy in art that I hadn't really fully understood until I read it. Similarly, I think Sarah Simblet's Botany for the Artist has beautiful and inspiring art.

I'm a big old paleontology nerd, so I have a lot of books on my shelves with fantastic paleoart: Dinosaur Art, edited by Steve White, is a great showcase of modern paleoartists, and Feathered Dinosaurs is full of gorgeous paintings by Peter Schouten. For drawings of dinosaurs of the non-extinct variety, I'm fond of Katrina van Grouw's The Unfeathered Bird.

And I just got a copy of Shaun Tan's The Bird King and, oh man, I really love it. His imagination is incredible. Highly recommended for when you're in a creative rut.

First thing you will want to do is use Z-remesher under the geometry tab ( this will re-mesh your face with some helpful edge flow.


after that it is basically your preference ,



some people like working on on very low polygon models and then subdividing and refining what they roughed out.

if you have used a program like mudbox prior to zbrush this would probably be the way to go because mudbox has a Lovely Lovely layering system that helps prevent destroying volumes you have already established with the smooth brush.

as far as brushes go I think everyone has their favorite, way of approaching things.

clay tubes is a really nice one, as is the clay brush, each can give you a specific look as you sculpt. Personally I am fond of the clay tubes brush with a square alpha. but the standard and clay brush are just as good.

in addition to the build up brushes I also tend to use the dam standard brush to score or dig in and then smooth out the transition. the Face has a Ton of plane transitions So I tend to use it to keep things as crisp as possible when I start smoothing. ( note: having control over your brush strength is important, just because the tools are torqued up to 11 does not mean you have to use them that way.)

also one thing to make note of, you may not see the Dam_standard brush as an option when you press B there are more brushes that you can add to the pop up menue though the lightbox. ( click on the lightbox button top left and then from the drop down browser there should be a brushes tab in the standard folder)


once you have the topology at a density that you like and found a brush you can work with, masking and Poly grouping specific parts of the mesh can help separate things that would normally be almost too close to work on separately. I use this mainly on the Mouth. I follow the method in Scott Spencer's book ZBrush Digital Sculpting Human Anatomy

he basically has you dig in a hole where the mouth is to be and drag a mask selection on everything from the middle of the hole down . then he has you polygroup that mask so you just have to CTRL +SHIFT Click on it and it will auto isolate select the polygroup. its quite handy for adjusting and moving the upper/bottom lip independently of each other.



Hopefully this helped, have fun messing with all the brushes.

If you have a lot a lot of money, figure out a way to import the trilogy edition of the Dark Souls remaster from Japan. I think it may only be for PS4 but it comes with all the games and a lot of great goodies. Otherwise if money is tighter there are some amazing Art Books (design works) you can buy online. Dark Souls 1 to 3 (3 comes out in August) with some absolutely stunning artwork from the game.

• https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Souls-Design-Works-Software/dp/1926778898/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1521814296&sr=8-1&keywords=Dark+Souls+Art
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Souls-II-Design-Works/dp/1927925568/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1521814305&sr=1-1&keywords=Dark+Souls+2+Art
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Souls-III-Design-Works/dp/177294064X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1521814383&sr=1-1&keywords=Dark+Souls+3+Art
  
  Some other neat ideas if he does not already have them would be the Dark Souls 2 & 3 Collectors Edition. Now these do break the bank at around $200-300 a piece (I think you can buy both for $400 USD combined) but the statues they come with are absolutely beautiful.
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Souls-II-Collectors-PlayStation-3/dp/B00F6YD2FK/ref=sr_1_2?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1521814448&sr=1-2&keywords=dark%2Bsouls%2B3%2Bcollectors%2Bedition&th=1
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Souls-III-Collectors-PlayStation-4/dp/B0191J0SE8/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1521814448&sr=1-1&keywords=dark%2Bsouls%2B3%2Bcollectors%2Bedition&th=1

Sister Wendy's Story of Painting by Wendy Beckett is a nice one. I've had it for years and enjoy looking through it every once in a while.

A nice quote for no reason at all: "The story of painting is one that is immensely rich in meaning, yet its value is all too often hidden from us by the complexities of historians. We must forget the densities of 'history' and simply surrender to the wonder of the story." -Sister Wendy Beckett

The Illustrated History of Art by David Piper is another that was gifted to me that I enjoy immensely.

Here are a few more that I've picked up at yard sales and thrift shops: A Treasury of Art Masterpieces: From the Renaissance to Present Day by Thomas Craven and Art of Ancient Greece by Claude Laisne.

And more for fun than for art history, though it does qualify, I suppose, is Masters of Deception: Escher, Dali, and the Artists of Optical Illusion by Al Seckel. It's a lot of fun to look through and a great conversation starter with its full page artworks.

Hey! I get what you mean!
I have this quite big book titled "Dinosaur Art: The World's Greatest Paleoart. It includes all of the most respected artists in the industry and some of their finest work. If you really want to enjoy some amazing dinosaur art (and yes, actual art) then I suggest you to get this book.

Also thank you for mentioning Tuomas Koivurinne. Always great to see fellow finns mentioned around the world.

• Mastering Composition
  
• Composition
  
• Picture This
  
  I didn't see any sites that particularly stood out to me, but a lot had good info. Some are simple and some have complex geometric breakdowns. Find what you like and works for you. I personally don't like the complex geometry approach, I have a short attention span and I would never spend the time planning a piece to that point, especially when I can get the same look with a simpler approach. Rule of thirds is the rule I fall back on the most, it never steers me wrong. Based on the two images you posted you have good instincts, don't get overwhelmed by all the rules and theories about composition. In the end, do what you think looks best. The more pieces you create the more you will develop your eye. Also, it is great that you are open to constructive criticism, some artists get so butt hurt that they cannot learn anything.

Great work. It's a really wonderful, beautiful map.

Can I use this to vent for a moment and maybe I am looking in the wrong spots and maybe a fine person in this subreddit can help but the biggest trouble I find is finding generic ass battle maps for use in roll20. I google for maps and, just google battlemaps yourself and they are all pretty bad. But then I find one I like... and it costs like $5. I can't shell out $5 every time I need a map for roll20. That's going to add up. I've used tools to build my own maps but it can take upwards of 2-3 hours for me to build out a pretty shitty looking map. I mean, you know how long it takes I am sure since you built this quality map that I will never use.

These maps are great for people who have the time to build an encounter around the map but I do the opposite since I run modules. I can find nice digital versions of the maps used in the modules but they never provide, for example, "A forest map." for combat in a forest. Or "Bridge Map." Or "mountain pass map." I am basically looking for the digital equivalent to something like these.

Spending a little money on a nice collection of digital maps is perfectly reasonable to me but all the maps I see on this subreddit or online are way, way, way to specific and I just want a nice collection of nice looking generic battle mats.

I'm gonna disagree with a lot of people and tell you to not buy Understanding Comics. I mean, you can, I don't disagree with most of what he teaches, but I disagree with his results. Perhaps it's one of those 'good in theory, terrible in practice' things. The Sculptor, his latest (?) book uses his UC technique 100% and while it makes for an easy read, it's visually boring and the story is just one unbelievable trope after another, complete garbage.

I'm also not going to tell you to copy other comic artists, that's a very common mistake in comics. When you copy other comic artists you learn their mistakes, or shortcuts, or cheats. I still find after I've drawn a page I'll go back and see where I unintentionally swiped a pose or technique from John Buscema (How to make Comics the Marvel Way had a big influence on me as a teenager, which is who it was made for).

For figure drawing you want George Bridgeman. His figure drawing techniques are the foundation for pretty much every other great illustrator in the last 100 years.

Another good source is Burne Hogarth (Dynamic Anatomy, Dynamic Figure Drawing) his stuff is more action and hero based, but his lessons are sound. He founded what became the School of Visual Arts. These were my first art books when I was a teenager, and they still hold up.

For storytelling, I go for Will Eisner's Graphic Storytelling and the Visual Narrative, Sequential Art Principles and throw in Expressive Anatomy, because, why not?

David Chelsea's Perspective for Comic Artists is great, because it teaches you exactly how to do correct perspective, then in the last chapter he tells you how to cheat at all of it.

For classes, take a look at the horribly designed website for http://comicsworkbook.com/ it's run by a guy, Frank Santoro, who's actually not one of my favorite artists, but he knows his shit, for sure, and he's a helluva nice guy who loves comics 100%. I think his full online class is $500 and he runs it twice a year, I think. Also look in your area for a college or art store that might have figure drawing classes, they are invaluable.

Though their selection of characters is pretty limited, I'm a big fan of World Works' stuff: http://www.worldworksgames.com/store/index.php?view=catalog&cat_id=2

Their terrain is just fantastic though.

In addition, Wizards has a pretty nice selection of tiles and tokens that tend to be cheaper and more reusable than maps and miniatures. Here's a few of my favorite sets:

-Dungeon tiles

-Forest tiles

-Massive set of monster and character tokens

-The Red Box contains a decent mix of everything for a pretty affordable price

Hope this helps.

It really depends. Here is a ten minute map. Charcoal and conte crayon on graph paper. Thrown together last minute because due to absences, we couldn't play the current campaign.

I don't have a picture of it, but one of my other last minute maps was just a trail with some squares to symbolize buildings, forests, landmarks, on a piece of notebook paper. For actual gameplay, I set up game tiles.

For Ravenloft, I spent weeks working on maps that had a decent amount of detail. Admittedly, the color pencil work was not what took so long, it was figuring out the floor plan based on the 3/4 view of the castle that came with the PDF.

I find that the players really spaz out (in a good way) when I make really nice maps. Also, it leads to less questions about their environment, because they can see it on the paper.

Think out the essentials. If a town only has a population of 45, it's probably not on the map, but might have a sign walking into town. A large populous is definitely going to be on the map, especially if it's old. Mountain ranges, forests, bodies of water all need to go on your map. They can be really simple or very elaborate. It's all up to you.

As for gameplay maps, same thing: think of essentials. If there is rough terrain, make sure you put those objects or terrain on the ground! Doors should be clearly marked. Secret doors and traps should be on your reference map, not the players map.

Right now I'm working on a really detailed map of our world, but that's because I like drawing and I'll probably hang it up in my art room when we're done.

[Offer / Exchange]

Duration: Ongoing/depends on my stamp supply tbh (I'll edit this or let you know)

From Canada to Canada (always have stamps), US (pretty regularly have stamps), Worldwide (less often have stamps, see Postage Paid cards for WW).

For non-Canada users, comment if you're interested in something and I'll let you know if I can fulfill it right now, if not I will keep you on a list for when I get US/WW stamps (Sorry, I don't always have the $$ for them).

What I can send:

Postage paid (i.e. Worldwide! Would love to save these for non-Canada/US ppl especially, bc I don't buy int'l stamps often, so if you want one let me know!):

• 2 Superman postcards
  
  
• 6 Canadian photography postcards
  
  Postcards:
  
  
• Penguin Science Fiction set
  
  
• Postcards from Puffin set (Penguin's publisher for children's books)
  
  
• Urban Sketching set
  
  
• "Live The Life You Love" set (each card has a random saying/text)
  
  
• Adrian Tomine illustrations of New York
  
  
• Frida Kahlo postcards (from a booklet, perforated on one edge)
  
  
• The Art of Classic Comics: 100 Postcards from the Fabulous 1950s set
  
  Other:
  
  
• Blank note cards with various different covers (flowers, art, Monet paintings, a bicycle, some with "Hello" or "Thank You")
  
  
• Nice blank paper/envelopes if you just want a letter
  
  
• These Korean Molang stickers (cute fat rabbit)
  
  
• Hello Kitty small lenticular printed Valentine's, I can throw one of these in an envelope or with a card/letter if you want
  
  What I like sending:
  
  
• Any of the above you want to request
  
  
• I can write as little or as much as you want
  
  
• For any occasion, if you're sick, need cheering up, birthday, etc or just want some mail
  
  
• One-time thing or ongoing/surprise/random mail
  
  You're under no obligation, but if you want to make it an exchange I'm happy with any random card/mail, just ask for my address if you don't have it.

These are fantastic as always. If you liked Vertumnus, check out Masters of Deception, a great collection of Arcimboldo's work, plus a bunch of Dali's, Escher's and other amazing pieces. Its where I first saw that piece, have had it on my shelf for years and have taken a lot of inspiration from it.

http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Deception-Artists-Optical-Illusion/dp/140275101X

Sup LazyJ507. It looks like nobody's really given you any tips yet, so I'll try, and see if this helps at all.

Work on drawing.
By that I mean draw from life. Often. Get a sketchbook and go out and draw a whole lot. Draw your family, your friends, your classmates, etc. Studying anatomy helps a lot! The real meat for drawing figures is in learning what things are SUPPOSED to look like. Try to find some life drawing classes.

Read a lot.
And by this I mean reading lots of comics. Read lots of comics and read lots of books about comics. See what you like and try to emulate--NOT COPY-- things that you think are awesome. I recommend checking out Scott McCloud's Making Comics and Understanding Comics. Also, check out Will Eisner's books: Comics And Sequential Art, Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative and Expressive Anatomy have helped me tons. It's awesome seeing professionals in the comics world give you tips and visuals that help you learn. Also, read novels, watch cartoons, watch movies, play video games. Find the aspects that you like about each and see how you can connect that to making comics. Comics are a pretty limitless medium.

As for this comic specifically, work on size, spacing, lettering, panel layouts, and black-and-white balance. And maybe comedic timing, but that's more in the writing area.

I can't really think of any more tips, but if you're wondering about anything else, go ahead and ask.

(i'm a sequential arts student a bluh bluh bluh)

The Strike at Shayol Ghul details Lews Therins attempt to shut the bore.

Speaking of the Strike at Shayol Ghul, there is The World of Robert Jordan's a Wheel of Time also known affectionetly as the Big White Book (BWB) or Big Book of Bad Art (BBBA). It delves into a lot about cultures, features write ups of each forsaken, pokes fun at the covers and includes the entire text of Strike.

There was a short story called New Spring included in Robert Silverberg's Legends, this was later expanded into the novella New Spring

The short story about Bao is not considered connanical and is included in the short story collection Unfettered

Eye of the world was re-released for a YA market in two parts with a new prologue Ravens

The Interview Database, just click a topic that looks intresting and prepare to lose a day or two

The Wheel of Time FAQ back in the mists of time (late 90's early aughts) this was the best resource for all things WoT related. It hasn't been significantly updated since about book 10 (i mean, yes there were updates, but nothing on the scale and detail that it used to get). Gives great insight into what the fandom was pulling its hair out about during the two years+ between books. Also, some of the info is evergreen like historical references etc.

There was a terrible video game that has almost zero to do with the series.

There was a d20 based D&D rule set released and a adventure that explained how Taim got to Rand in time to rescue himat Dumai's Wells. RJ later came out and said that this was completely made up by the authors of the module and had nothing to do with the series, which was a BIG clue about Taim's allegiance.

I feel like im missing something, but I can't put my finger on it, so I will leave you with a random fact that you should know

Tar Valon is a vagina

Something like this that they did for LoZ BotW would be sweet to have along the way, more like you were saying with concert art, interviews with the creators, storyboards, side stories, behind the scenes, world building, lore, history, mythology, and the like. Then after the show is done, a thick compilation of those books together would be amazing! Kinda like the Goddess Collection for LoZ, lore and history and plot and making of, art and artifacts, everything else you could’ve ever dreamed of

Not a subreddit, but this 'speculative paleoart' is pretty much defined by All Yesterdays: Unique and Speculative Views of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals (which your article actually references at the bottom).

There's also an awesome 99% Invisible podcast about All Yesterdays that you should definitely check out!

Depending on his interests, here are a few options:

• Model dinosaurs: There are several companies that sell accurate scale models of dinosaurs and other prehistoric life; Safari LTD and Collecta are two of my favorites. Beasts of the Mesozoic are some slightly higher-end poseable raptor models.
  
• If you think he'd be interested in a print of professionally-made dinosaur art, a couple of paleoartists whose sites I could find are Emily Willoughby and Mark Witton.
  
• If he might be into stickers, shirts, or other assorted dinosaur-themed merchandise such as mugs or phone cases: Permia sells shirts, stickers, and cards. Some paleoartists have Redbubble pages or similar. A few I recommend looking at: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]
  
• If you think he'd be interested in scientifically accurate plushies, Palaeoplushies might be worth looking at.
  
• Books: There are a wide variety of paleontology-related books. Depending on what he's read, and what he's interested in, here are a few possibilities:
  
  • Books about prehistoric life (mostly dinosaurs) in general:
    
    • Pterosaurs by Mark Witton
      
    • A Field Guide to Mesozoic Birds and Other Winged Dinosaurs by Matt Martyniuk
      
    • The Rise and Fall of Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte
      
    • The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs by Gregory Paul
      
    • Dinosaurs: How they Lived and Evolved by Darren Naish and Paul Barrett
      
  • Books about paleoart:
    
    • Extreme Dinosaurs 2: The Projects by Luis Rey
      
    • The Palaeoartist's Handbook by Mark Witton
      
    • Recreating an Age of Reptiles by Mark Witton
      
    • All Yesterdays by John Conway, C. M. Kosemen, and Darren Naish

Does he enjoy Zelda? Then I highly recommend these two books (unless he already bought them):

https://www.amazon.com/Legend-Zelda-Art-Artifacts/dp/1506703356/

https://www.amazon.com/Legend-Zelda-Hyrule-Historia/dp/1616550414/

Both hardcovers, one gives a detailed history/timeline of most of the Zelda games. The other covers rare artwork of the Zelda series. Any Nintendo or Zelda fan would love these!! The ultimate gift!

• Planeswalker's Guide to Kaladesh
  
• The Art of Magic: the Gathering - Zendikar
  
• The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Kaladesh (Releases January 3, 2017)
  
  There are other nuggets of worldbuilding in the Kaladesh block stories (KLD, AER) and Battle for Zendikar block stories (BFZ, OGW), as well as flavor texts from the blocks and small stuff like the Consulate ARG account but not exactly necessary for D&D if you want to have more creative freedom. Enjoy!

Art books! My parents got me Masters of Deception as a stocking stuffer one year for Christmas and I've been waiting to have my own coffee table to put it on.

I also just bought Sorted Books a couple weekends ago (and got it signed by the artist), which I think would make an awesome one.

One year for Christmas I bought my best friend all the PostSecret books that had been made up until then and she still keeps them on her coffee table. We still like thumbing through them every now and then.

conceptart.org has some good stuff, they make DVDs too. You could probably pirate them, were you a person of low moral fiber.

There are some good books out there too, which you can probably get from the local library. You might need to use interlibrary loan though, my local libraries have a poor selection of art books, but there isn't anything they haven't been able to find at another library.

Color in Contemporary Painting

The Art of Color

Mastering Composition

Abstraction in Art and Nature

The Art Spirit

Some people don't care about theory, but personally I find it inspiring. Art in Theory 1900-1990 is a good collection of writings by artists, critics, and the like. If you're weak on art history you might want to study some of that first, History of Modern Art is pretty good.

I missed the whole two souls thing on my first read through as well. Slayer was a very confusing character.

As for a “history” there is the Wheel of Time Companion book which has a loooot of really cool info. It’s basically an encyclopedia but it has stuff like all the old tongue words translated and it mentions the power levels of every Aes Sedai.

There’s also the World of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time which might be closer to what you’re looking for. It doesn’t include as much info, and it came out before the series was finished I think. But it gives a really good overview of Randland and the past. It breaks down the different nations, factions, age of legends, etc. i highly recommend both if you love WoT (though the artwork in the latter book is... questionable. I do like some of it, but some is horrendous imo).

Edit: I have both btw so feel free to ask any questions or if you want a little sneak peak I can pm you some pics of them.

After the free book of covers, they announced a Vol. 1 hardcover that comes out in October. Pretty sure there will be a Vol. 2 hardcover as well, but I'm not counting on a second free book of covers since Marvel is now doing all they can to squeeze every dime they can out of hip-hop fans.

I think you should get The Art of Nature Coloring Book because it looks like it would have some really interesting illustrations, that even if you didn't want to colour, would be good to browse and could serve as inspiration since you seem to be interested in drawing.

OH! I absolutely adore art books ( specially fantasy/concept art ). That does seem like the perfect place to start!
Link for the curious - http://www.amazon.com/Art-Magic-Gathering-Zendikar/dp/142158249X

I like my Chessex wet erase, but I am old school that way.

This set provides a nice set of printed maps you can use in a variety of situations https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Tactical-Reincarnated-Accessory/dp/0786966793/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2K4MRCP2E6OJX&keywords=tactical+maps+reincarnated&qid=1562638140&s=gateway&sprefix=tactical+maps+re%2Cprime-instant-video%2C149&sr=8-1

For cheap mini's, there are several companies making flat printable mini's you can stick in bases. The other option would be to head to a LFGS that sells pre-painted singles or buy them online. The more common ones can be pretty cheap. Just be sure that you get some with large (2') bases. Many of the baddies are large sized.

/r/TheMakingOfGames specializes in behind the scenes features for games, and often lists books like these. There's an alphabetical listing of all submissions that you can press CTRL-F on and search for your favorite game.

Dark Souls: Design Works is an art book about From Software's action RPG that also features interviews with the developers. The interviews can be read online, which is convenient since the book is out of print.

Super Mario Bros 3 - A Japanese children's book on how video games are made, with a focus on this 1988 Famicom/NES classic and including many pictures of old development hardware and Nintendo employees (includes original Japanese scans and English translations).

Street Fighter 2 - Polygon article giving an oral history from some of the original Capcom developers.

Crash Bandicoot - Making of article written by Andy Gavin, founder and former lead programmer of Naughty Dog.

Warcraft: Orcs and Humans - Stories about the development of the first Warcraft RTS game by Patrick Wyatt, former lead programmer at Blizzard.

StarCraft - Various making of articles by Patrick Wyatt.

GoldenEye 007 - Four members of the development team recount the making of.

BioShock Infinite - Wired magazine article published in 2012 about Irrational Games' ambition, a description of their offices and Ken Levine's demanding nature as the director of the project.

BioShock Infinite - Polygon article on the final years of Irrational Games, according to those who were there.

Defense Grid 2 - Polygon multiple-part article series on developer Hidden Path's journey to making the game and insight into the business deals that happen during a game's development.

Gamasutra Dirty Coding Tips article about nine real-world examples of dirty programming hacks and shortcuts to fix baffling bugs.

Gamasutra Dirty Coding Tips article #2 with nine more real-world examples of dirty programming hacks and shortcuts to fix baffling bugs.

The Art of Atari: From Pixels to Paintbrush - This book hasn't been released yet, but I'm keeping an eye on it. It's about the evocative box covers of Atari games.

38 Studios - Article and ex-employee post on the demise of this Rhode Island-based studio started by former baseball player Curt Schilling and that was developing an MMO codenamed Project Copernicus inspired by Curt's love of EverQuest.



Atari [NSFW] - Playboy article titled "Sex, Drugs, & Video Games: The Rise and Fall of Atari" profiling Atari founder Nolan Bushnell and written by author David Kushner, who wrote Masters of Doom.

A couple behind the scenes ebooks by Geoff Keighley (HL2 and MGS2 are free, the rest cost a few dollars):

• Half-Life 2
  
  
• Metal Gear Solid 2
  
  
• Mass Effect 3
  
  
• Portal 2
  
  
• Titanfall

Sweet action, thanks OP!

For anyone interested, here's my usual Nintendo Book recommendations ;).

• Zelda BOTW Collectors
  
  
• Zelda BOTW Regular
  
  
• Art & Artifacts
  
  
• Hyrule Historia
  
  
• Art of Splatoon
  
  
• Art of Fire Emblem Awakening
  
  
• Playing with Power
  
  
• Super Mario Adventures
  
  
• The World of Professor Layton
  
  Would be REAL nice if the Deluxe BOTW guide or the Mario Bros. Encyclopedia would go up right about now as well ;)

I haven't had a chance to look at it myself, but The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time was released a number of years ago. It sounds like it might be the sort of thing you are looking for.

I agree though that it would be nice to have more books to build on the lore.

The art book has a lot of information that you might find useful.

The Planeswalker's Guide to Innistrad also has a bunch of information. Be sure to also check out the Uncharted Realms / Magic Story. Innistrad is my favorite plane but I am no lore master. I would be happy to help answer questions you might have (or at least try to).

If you get interested at some point, this is the book I got! Works great with a basic watercolor palette and an audiobook in the background :)

Look at this one. Has some customer images in the comments as a first impression.

Huge MtG art fan and thought about getting my fingers on one of these as well. :)

A great book that actually illustrates (hah!) this point is All Yesterdays. It shows how much of our prehistoric artwork is speculative, and how we have a tendency to "shrink wrap" animals. The end of it shows some amazing work on how we'd reconstruct live animals from fossils today to underscore the point.

I like Lettering & Type: Creating Letters and Designing Typefaces and In Progress: See Inside a Lettering Artist's Sketchbook and Process, from Pencil to Vector. But really the biggest help for me was just daily practice, with someone who can give you quality feedback on your work

Although not Dark Souls 2 specific, a true Dark Souls fan would love to get the Design Works book: http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Souls-M-Kirie-Hayashi/dp/1926778898/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407172279&sr=8-1&keywords=dark+souls+design+works

The image is from a book called All Yesterdays. Some of the authors' associates have posted it on their blog, so hopefully it's ok for me to post it here. The artist himself is C.M. Kosemen, more of his work can be seen here and here. The other 2 authors are Darren Naish, author of the fabulous Tetrapod Zoology blog and John Conway, his paleoart is pretty good.

There is a lot of lore and worldbuilding in The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Zendikar. There is also a corresponding book coming out for kaladesh soon, as shown by this thread. If you are looking for something Pre-Eldrazi, there is also A Planeswalker's Guide to Zendikar.

I hope this helps and good luck!

Books or video on composition? I can recommend two books:

I got this from the library and so far I’m enjoying it

Mastering Composition: Techniques and Principles to Dramatically Improve Your Painting (Mastering (North Light Books)) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1581809247/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_39W8Ab8K4X8ZF

This was my textbook for my color and composition class

The Elements of Color: A Treatise on the Color System of Johannes Itten Based on His Book the Art of Color https://www.amazon.com/dp/0442240384/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_teX8AbVYTBXVT

The book is called Masters of Deception and I adore it. If you want to see another amazing artist from that book look up John Pugh the muralist.

Congratulations! Check out The Wheel of Time Companion, The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time, and the canonical (and non-canonical) short stories! And if you haven't already, peruse http://www.encyclopaedia-wot.org/ - it has good chapter synopses and links between parts of the story.

if youre doing a setting you might also enjoy the innistrad art book. i picked one up a few years ago and its great
https://www.amazon.com/Art-Magic-Gathering-Innistrad/dp/1421587807

>Help a girl out, trying to get laid for father's day

Uhhhhhhhh.......

>and my husband loves Dark Souls

Oh, whew.

Perhaps one of the Design Works books? I don't own one myself, but I've heard/read very good things about them. There's one for each of the Dark Souls games.

This coffee table book is awesome. Tons of great artists, different mediums. One of my favorites.

The fat pack is fine, just be careful not to overpay for them (the recent ones should be around 35 to 40 us dollars). If you like the art consider the Zendikar art book.

There is a FAQ for New/Returning Players in the sidebar of this reddit which is a good starting point for info on the game.

If you like the art, consider the official [Kaladesh Art Book] (https://www.amazon.com/Art-Magic-Gathering-Kaladesh/dp/1421590506). Also encourages Wizards to continue making them if they sell well.

If you're into the art of magic, another thing you might want to get is the art books, such as this one. These feature full page spreads of art art as well as great descriptions of the lore of the world.

If you're interested these are the books on my wish list:

Art of Pixar: The complete colour scripts

The art of How to Train Your Dragon

Beginner's guide to digital painting in Photoshop: Characters

Drawing on the right side of the brain

You don't always get more fun out of illustrations. Sometimes you wish the illustrations never existed at all.

I completely agree.

Also, the BOTW concept art from the upcoming Art & Artifacts book looks like it was based on WW. With those eyes, Link almost looks almost like a grown up WW Link…

The Wilderness Dungeon Tile Set is a great product to use for improvising a battle location. You can pretty much throw the tiles down at random and it will make a good enough wilderness scene for a combat encounter. https://www.amazon.com/Dungeon-Tiles-Master-Set-Wilderness/dp/0786956127

I... Amazon says 20 bucks.
https://www.amazon.com/Marvel-Hip-Hop-Covers-Vol-1/dp/1302902334

I should have checked, had it at my store a while but keep forgetting to check the price. Anyway, it's really neat if you're into the covers!

If you're into hand lettering, look up the queen, Jessica Hische. Watch all of the YouTube videos where she does interviews, and read her book "In Progress" cover to cover.

https://www.amazon.com/Progress-Lettering-Artists-Sketchbook-Process/dp/145213622X

You really need to buy this for yourself because it's a Dr. Who journal, which is awesome in and of itself, and also because you need something to write things down in (memories). Mom brain sucks big time, and sometimes you need to look back on things and remember what you've forgotten. Plus this because it's such a great stress relief, and who doesn't love to color?!

well what i really want would be these joycons for my nintendo switch since my other ones broke and i have had to keep the poor thing in docked mode permanently :(

xD those are expensive though so i will be more realistic, i would really like this design works book for my favourite video game dark souls, i love game design and interviews and have always wanted to own this

The first two are from an AWESOME book called "All Yesterdays" that deserves more press.

They ripped off the images from Darren Naish's All Yesterdays: Unique and Speculative Views of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals. I've heard him interviewed more than once on podcasts, and think he seems like a good source.

these are pretty cool. https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Tactical-Reincarnated-Accessory/dp/0786966793/ref=pd_sim_14_3/133-6169401-0140663?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0786966793&pd_rd_r=613aa1fe-6124-11e9-bd66-f3c4fc150285&pd_rd_w=De8gs&pd_rd_wg=iVqXd&pf_rd_p=90485860-83e9-4fd9-b838-b28a9b7fda30&pf_rd_r=H6TDT5RM9X9Q37TT87HA&psc=1&refRID=H6TDT5RM9X9Q37TT87HA

also Paizo has a lot of flip maps. and chessex battle mats are good.

Dope post! This made me interested in picking up the Marvel Hip Hop Covers, Vol. 1 book, too.

Here's the Amazon link for it.

Those are really cool. Hadn't heard of any of them, but looked them up. From left to right it looks like they're:

• The World of the Witcher: Video Game Compendium
  
• Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo
  
• Unfortunately I can't tell what this artwork is from and there's no title to look up for it. Maybe OP can chime in with the title of that one?
  Edit: Took me a bit to recognize it but it's Bioshock Infinite. So I bet the the hardcover of this book has the colored sleeve with the embossed version we see in the pic on the book cover itself: The Art of Bioshock Infinite
  
• This one's odd because it looks like the title is Dark Souls: Design Works but the color of the book looks like Dark Souls II: Design Works. Perhaps it's just the blue wall behind it that makes the book more blue than black.

If you are looking for D&D books, I think that "Volo's Guide to Monsters" is your next best bet. It has alot of additional creatures not in the MM, and more indepth art on specific races. But it's not as thick as the MM though.

If however, you are purely just looking for artwork, I would probably suggest you check out the "Art of Magic the Gathering". Unlike the D&D books, this seems to be specifically for art. And while it isn't D&D, Magic is of similar fantasy-vein, and it is done by the same company (WotC), and I have heard that they "share" artists (most artists are freelancers, and some have been known to work on both properties iirc).

You could purchase the art book they produced for some inspiration as well. Amazon Link

All Yesterdays is pretty darn cool.

Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!

Here are your smile-ified links:

Zendikar art book from MTG.

---

^^i'm ^^a ^^friendly bot

If you don't mind the recommendation https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/145213622X/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

Also, try Will Paterson on YouTube; he does tutorials of graphic design, typography and logo design as well as how to handle the business aspect of things. From there, you should be able to see the other related videos on the right hand navigation bar.

I love my inner child


this

Your best bet would be to pick up The Art of Magic: Zendikar book when it's released next month: http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/arcana/announcing-art-magic-gathering-zendikar-2015-08-31 and http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Magic-Gathering-Zendikar/dp/142158249X

I used to spend hours looking at Masters of Deception - it's a collection of optical-illusion art/artists, and a great coffee table book.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Power-Center-Composition-Visual/dp/0520261267

and http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Composition-Techniques-Principles-Dramatically/dp/1581809247

While the latter is explicitly a painting instructional book IME that actually improves photography students' ability to see the forest and not just the trees.

To be fair, Twixt is correct on Hawkwing. The information about Hawkwing's history, the Consolidation (capital C because it is an event in WoT history), his treatment of commoners, and his interaction with Aes Sedai exists in The Big White Book.

In this case, the speculation is fueled by facts and it is not that difficult to extrapolate what Hawkwing might have said to Tuon. The Seanchan have run the empire near the direct opposite direction a younger Hawkwing and also the bound Hero did/would. Some if not all of the harshness with which the older Hawkwing ran the empire and thus the empire that would have sent the colonizers who would become Seanchan, like the hatred of Aes Sedai, is attributed too Ishamael/Ba'alzamon's manipulation posing as Jalwin Moerad. An action Ishamael takes credit for the first time Rand is summoned to Tel'aran'rhiod.

Here's a link to the Amazon page if you want to pre-order it :)

http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Souls-Design-From-Software/dp/1926778898/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1370329576&sr=8-2&keywords=dark+souls+design+works

nice collection! I've been hunting the demon's souls and dark souls collector editions for a bit now without much luck. Anyway demon's souls and dark souls are my favorite also. Have you pre-ordered the limited edition dark souls art book yet? http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Souls-Design-Works-Software/dp/1926778898/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1375359522&sr=1-1&keywords=dark+souls+art+book

Nice! I went with this book to get into Zelda prior to playing the new game...

https://www.amazon.com/Legend-Zelda-Art-Artifacts/dp/1506703356

I hope you picked up the art book! (Available in physical or digital on Amazon, ComiXology and iBooks.)

...then may I suggest a wonderful book called Masters of Deception?

OP: Have a read of the book "All Yesterdays". A fascinating read on this topic IMO.

I remember getting a book several years ago that was full of optical illusions and had several of these paintings in them. Good stuff!

Edit: This was the book!

Don't limit yourself to photography, there are many amazing painters. Thinking about it, maybe you should x-post to /r/art and similar subreddits.

In terms of books I've done a lot of research but found very little. A common recommendation for photographers is The Photographer's Eye by Michael Freeman which goes through all kind of lines, contrast, balance, etc. Other books I'm eyeing are Mastering Composition by Ian Roberts and Framed Ink by Marcos Mateu-Mestre. Unfortunately I haven't read any of them yet so I can't comment on the quality.

If you are really serious about it, consider getting a list of most recommended art / photography universities. Then use their websites to find courses and contact teachers personally, asking for (book) recommendations. Begin with one person at each university if they happen to forward your message since you don't want to come across as spam. Some universities even publish course literature on their website. I'd love to hear the responses if you go through with it.

John Conway's Leaellynasaura art is one of my favorites. Honestly, it's worth checking out the whole book it's from, All Yesterdays, which isn't necessarily full of completely out-there interpretations of dinosaurs, but refreshing ones.

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Amazon Smile Link: Masters of Deception


|Country|Link|
|:-----------|:------------|
|UK|amazon.co.uk|
|Spain|amazon.es|
|France|amazon.fr|
|Germany|amazon.de|
|Japan|amazon.co.jp|
|Canada|amazon.ca|
|Italy|amazon.it|
|China|amazon.cn|




This bot is currently in testing so let me know what you think by voting (or commenting). The thread for feature requests can be found here.

Good news, you don't even need to wait

Magic art books looks nice, im temped to buy this one.
https://www.amazon.com/Art-Magic-Gathering-Innistrad/dp/1421587807

As far as I can tell, the art is from the Dark Souls: Design Works book, illustrated by Udon and published by From Entertainment.

http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Souls-Design-From-Software/dp/1926778898/

Here are a couple of my favorites, I found them in the book, Masters of Deception.

Amazon. It's where I got my hat, among other LoZ items.

I guess you can say I'm a bit of a fan. If I had more money, I would buy from Gametee as well.

There are also new art books that might be something you're interested in too: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Magic-Gathering-Innistrad/dp/1421587807/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1466891518&sr=8-2&keywords=art+of+magic+the+gathering

If you still wanna support your shop you can pick up a copy of this when it drops. That's what I'm gonna do.

If you're interested in lettering or logo design, Louise Fili's Elegantissima and Jessica Hische's In Progress.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NAxmmgG5S94/UMtKcA4OYNI/AAAAAAAACEM/9twpzSOuJp0/s1600/kosemen%2Bstego.jpg

That's from a really cool book about the limitations of paleo-reconstructive art called All Yesterdays.

If you like this, I highly recommend this book.

Masters of Deception, my bro bought it for me on a trip to New York, lot of badass artists in it.

I think it’s All Yesterdays: Unique and Speculative Views of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals. Looked really interesting to me but I was never able to find a paper copy.

amazon link

Adult coloring books. There enough themes out there you can find one somewhat tailored to their interests. https://www.amazon.com/Art-Nature-Coloring-Book-Illustrations/dp/1440570604?ie=UTF8&keywords=adult%20coloring%20books&qid=1441993188&ref_=sr_1_85&s=books&sr=1-85

There is another one (about artworks and illustrations) coming in February

https://www.amazon.com/Legend-Zelda-Art-Artifacts/dp/1506703356/

And a third one has been announced for Japan

http://nintendoeverything.com/hyrule-encyclopedia-revealed-as-second-zelda-30th-anniversary-book/

In case you needed ideas for next Christmas ;-)

Pre order the book here. Will probably worth it.

https://www.amazon.com/Art-Magic-Gathering-Kaladesh/dp/1421590506/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473867877&sr=8-1&keywords=art+of+kaladesh

Keep in mind that the regular hardcover is currently $25 on Amazon US.

The Legend of Zelda: Art & Artifacts https://www.amazon.com/dp/1506703356/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fpuIyb7S947NK

To anyone who can't justify the price, there's the regular edition for Pre-Order too. (link for Amazon US)

Amazon has them.

http://www.amazon.com/Art-Magic-Gathering-Zendikar/dp/142158249X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453452403&sr=8-1&keywords=art+of+zendikar

I heard about this one in a podcast and want it!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00A2VS55O?ref=aw_sitb_digital-text

Yea they're on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Legend-Zelda-Art-Artifacts/dp/1506703356/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485030292&sr=8-1&keywords=arts+and+artifacts

That's the Art Book which is the first. The second book will be an encyclopedia of sorts and isn't up for preorder yet. And we don't know what the third book will be, but should be out this year.

Ravnica has a number of novels, starting with "Ravnica: City of Guilds," then Guildpact, then Dissension, and then "The Secretist" ebook.

Innistrad has an art book that's full of lore.

The first volume is coming out in book form https://www.amazon.com/Marvel-Hip-Hop-Covers-Vol-1/dp/1302902334/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Zendikar https://www.amazon.com/dp/142158249X/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_-ssKxb3VABSP3

You can actually buy it separate.
http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Souls-M-Kirie-Hayashi/dp/1926778898

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DARK-SOULS-DESIGN-WORKS-Art-Book-Japan-Anime-Illustrations-/261374277019

And here it is on Amazong.co.uk for UK and Ireland.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dark-Souls-Design-From-Software/dp/1926778898/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1370376008&sr=8-2&keywords=dark+souls+design+works

This one? http://www.amazon.ca/Dinosaur-Art-Worlds-Greatest-Paleoart/dp/0857685848

> The continent we refer to as Randland is called "Westland" by RJ

"The Westlands," actually. It says so explicitly in the encyclopedia.

The second book has been released and is called The Legend of Zelda: Art & Artifacts.

Marvel: The Hip-Hop Covers Vol. 1

is there a gallery of ALL of these? i remember seeing galleries of these through the first initial batch, then through the subsequent few months. is there a trade collecting them all? i'd buy that.


asked and answered.

https://www.amazon.com/Marvel-Hip-Hop-Covers-Vol-1/dp/1302902334

cheaper here: https://www.dcbservice.com/product/mar160927/marvel-hip-hop-covers-hc-vol-01

though there have been still more since.

Release date of July 5 according to Amazon.

You may find this relevant

The book it comes from which is all about highlighting the fact that common artistic portrayals of dinosaurs aren't necessarily how they must have looked.

Didn't Nintendo just release that book?...

The Magic Art books seem to have lore interspersed but I think my wife would hit me if I brought them home. If only they were available via PDF.

The one that came with the release with Oath and part of the new series of lore/art books they're doing.

Seems to be available on Amazon.ca and Canadian distributors.

http://www.amazon.com/All-Yesterdays-Speculative-Dinosaurs-Prehistoric-ebook/dp/B00A2VS55O

Those are from the book All Yesterdays

https://www.amazon.com/Marvel-Hip-Hop-Covers-Vol-1/dp/1302902334

Might it be http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Deception-Artists-Optical-Illusion/dp/140275101X ?

Non-mobile:

• Mastering Composition
  
• Composition
  
• Picture This
  
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Found them.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1302902334/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_ZuG9AbHQMBWSN

https://www.amazon.com/dp/130290843X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_xvG9Ab0C13HN9

Here is the mobile version of your link

There's a book that came out recently called All Yesterdays that takes alternative but scientifically valid perspectives on dinosaur appearances and behavior. The idea comes from how today's animals have a diverse range of features that probably wouldn't fossilize well- could dinosaurs have done similar? The second half of the book takes today's animals and draws them from the perspective of paleontologists in the future, if they only had skeletons to work with- what kind of interpretations would they make?

They stopped doing the novels awhile ago I believe. Now they post a story of the newest set every week which can be found on the official website (and will be posted here and on the frontpage generally). Though there's still the booklet in the fatpacks and they've brought out and starting with something new, a sort of Art-book/Lore-book for the new sets :

• (Info) http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/arcana/announcing-art-magic-gathering-zendikar-2015-08-31
  
  
• (Amazon) http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Magic-Gathering-Zendikar/dp/142158249X

> The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time

Sorry, should have linked it for you. The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time . Published in 1997, has a lot of nice background material on the age of legends, Seanchan, etc. Also known as The Big White Book of Bad Art.

I think they're publishing the book here in the US starting sometime this year. I'll see if I can dig up the amazon link.


Fake edit: Yerp: http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Souls-Design-Works-Software/dp/1926778898/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1371445625&sr=1-1&keywords=dark+souls

Hmm. It was never in a Magic Story chapter, and we've got nothing on the MTG Wiki. Unless there's a mention in the Innistrad art book, I doubt there's anything at all.

https://mtg.gamepedia.com/The_Art_of_Magic:_The_Gathering_-_Innistrad

https://www.amazon.com/Art-Magic-Gathering-Innistrad/dp/1421587807

You are missing This and This

I don't think that exact product exists, but there are some Magic art books available, as well as this book by Rob Alexander (who painted some of the most iconic land cards in the game) that features a bunch of art from Magic lands among other pieces.

Might be dumb but... is this what you all are on about? https://www.amazon.com/Legend-Zelda-Art-Artifacts/dp/1506703356/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1506703356&pd_rd_r=FAN8888WT0D1TJBHZ8CD&pd_rd_w=WFiMG&pd_rd_wg=Lzi8Q&psc=1&refRID=FAN8888WT0D1TJBHZ8CD

Miniatures, PHB (Playershandbook), DMG (Dungeon Masters Guide), MM (Monster Manual), and VGM (Volo's Guide to Monsters). SCA if you want Forgotten Realms setting things.

You want to print out character sheets and there should be 'cheat sheets' in the subreddit here for character information meanings so the new players aren't left behind.

As far as mats/grids go (you may want this to help the new players picture combat and to explain how areas/sets interact) there are tile sets like this in Wilderness, City, and Dungeon settings.

https://www.amazon.com/World-Robert-Jordans-Wheel-Time/dp/0312869363

Dubbed the "Big White Book of Bad Art" because, well, it's a big white book with a lot of bad art in it.

so...start with this to build the lore and the feel

and combine with this to sell the visual

Wizards came out with several of these for the different worlds. nothing super crazy but a hell of a starting point for you

3 Main Sources.

1. There's a weekly column called "Magic Story" (Formerly known as Uncharted Realms). It comes out on Wednesdays.
   
   
2. The cards themselves often tell the story. There are cards known as Pivotal Events which represent particularly important story moments.
   
   
3. Since Battle for Zendikar, each new block has had an Art/Worldbuilding Book come out that summarizes the storyline in the last section.
   
   Also, just to clarify, Chandra did not kill Emrakul. She did use Zendikar's life force to kill Ulamog and Kozilek. Emrakul was trapped in Innistrad's silver moon by Nissa and Tamiyo. Nahiri was in the Helvault in the past, but she was released by Liliana when Liliana destroyed the Helvault as part of her plans to kill Griselbrand in Avacyn Restored. After being released, Nahiri worked to lure Emrakul to Innistrad to take revenge on Sorin.