Devotes some attention to designing and making benevolent movie creatures; also a lot of attention paid to designing movie monsters (scary creatures with ugly faces).

The world's best creature designers and concept artists provide a groundbreaking and unique insight into their creative processes and practices.

All You Need Is a Pencil, Paper and Your Imagination! Ever wondered how you could become a character designer for video games, film or animation? Veteran art director and concept artist Marc Taro Holmes shares proven methods for honing the skills and building the portfolio necessary to become a pro gaming artist. This is the first and only work-at-your-own pace home study program that teaches the crucial insider knowledge needed to break into the entertainment-design industry and develop your own style--all you need are a pencil, paper and your imagination. The projects within this straightforward guide are constructed to help you apply your existing drawing and digital art skills to character design. Or, if you're still working on your skills, it will help you improve while at the same time turning your mind into an idea-generating machine. Unlock the Secrets to Character and Creature Design • Follow the creature design process from start to finish: 35 projects are divided into 4 challenge levels, ranging from brainstorming and drawing character blueprints to completing market-ready illustrations. As the levels advance, the projects become more complex. • Learn to solve design problems: Every project introduces you to an open-ended fictional assignment inspired by industry experience. Each project has a list of minimum deliverables--the basics to get to the next stage--plus bonus goals. You receive virtual merit badges for each achievement you complete. • Think like a pro: Over the 155 possible artistic achievements, you'll be asked to find a solution to every type of conceptual problem you might encounter as a professional creature or character designer. • Build your portfolio: Work toward creating an outstanding portfolio. Improve your skills and push yourself to create a fine-tuned presentation that could get you your eventual dream job. "This is a workout for the imagination, a boot camp for creativity." --Marc Taro Holmes

All stories have characters, and whether its a film, game, book, or comic, all characters need to be designed. Character design has become a distinct discipline in the entertainment industry, and character designers are employed by film and game companies across the globe to bring life to scripts and ideas. In this book, illustrator and character designer Kevin Crossley provides a complete overview of character design. Starting with the basics of materials, equipment, and sofware, Kevin will explain the processes professional character designers follow to develop characters for publishing, games, and film. From ideas and thumbnails, anatomy and reference, through effective drawing, 3D mock-ups and full turnarounds, Kev explains how a character designer works to achieve professional results.

Mac Gimbensky is an eight hundred pound intelligent gorilla and expert fighter mechanic on the flagship Fist of Earth, where, with the help of his cadet assistant Robin Plotnik, he maintains the ships of the all-female Barbarian Squadron.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Chronicles: Art & Design is a sumptuous celebration of the creative vision of Academy Award-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The book is packed with more than 1,000 images of concept artwork, photographs and development paintings by the artists working behind the scenes to bring Middle-earth to life, who each provide detailed and entertaining commentary that reveals the story behind the vision. As a bonus feature unique to this book, there is a special fold-out map printed in glow-in-the-dark ink and a giant four-page fold-out of Bilbo's contract. Complied by Weta Workshop senior concept designer Daniel Falconer, this is the first in a series of lavish hardcover books written and designed by the award-winning team at Weta, who are working closely with the production team to guarantee that these books will be bursting with insider information and stunning visual imagery.