Archives: Walter Foster Books

Dark fairy tales and legends have been passed down orally from generation to generation for centuries. Today, these tales have penetrated every aspect of pop culture and media – from cinema and TV shows to books and theatre. While fairy tales have often been sanitized and tweaked for children, their true origins are dark, edgy, grisly, and often full of malevolence. How to Draw Grimm's Dark Tales, Fables & Folklore guides artists through the process of drawing, painting, and digitally illustrating the dark and mysterious characters of legend and lore – good and bad. Beginning with information on the necessary tools and materials, artists will learn basic drawing concepts and techniques for achieving proper proportion and perspective, shading, creating volume, and rendering such textures as skin, hair, fur, and fabric. A variety of step-by-step projects provide clear, easy-to-understand instructions for drawing well-recognized characters, including the Big Bad Wolf, Rumpelstiltskin, Snow White, the sinister witch, and many more. The tips and techniques within this book provide insight and inspiration to enhance the learning process, whilst informative sidebars and introductions reveal the history of each character, as well as the origin of their grim tales, symbolism, and variations in their stories. Howto Draw Grimm's Dark Tales, Fables & Folklore is full of creative resources and encouragement for beginning and intermediate artists alike. With its varied cast of characters, comprehensive instruction, and fascinating peek into the tales themselves, this book is sure to kindle artistic imagination.

In this comprehensive and inspiring instruction book, professional artist Lesley Harrison shares her artistic insights and techniques for creating breathtakingly realistic equine artwork in pastel. The book opens with essential information on tools, materials, color theory, and fundamental pastel techniques, introducing beginners to everything they need to get started right away. Then Lesley guides readers through eight easy-to-follow lessons, with helpful tips each step of the way.

The mystery and awe inspired by wizards and sorcery have captivated audiences for centuries. Now anyone can learn to bring these mythical characters to life through drawing and painting. How to Draw Wizards covers everything from rendering cauldrons and skulls to dungeons and forests. The book also contains several step by step projects featuring a mix of pencil, paint, and digital image editing instruction, allowing artists to replicate each scene in detail. An enchantress, a medicine man, a druid, and a necromancer merely scratch the surface of subjects in this enchanting title.

Discover the secrets to drawing, painting, and illustrating immortals of the night in How to Draw Vampires.

Over the years, vampires have earned a permanent place in pop culture. Numerous movies, TV shows, and book series have only upped the demand for these mythological beings. And now anyone can learn to draw and paint vampires with this in-depth handbook.

How to Draw Vampires covers everything from rendering sharp fangs and glowing eyes to creating stylish immortal fashion. The book also contains 15 step-by-step projects featuring a mix of pencil, paint, and digital image-editing instruction, allowing artists to replicate each scene in graphic detail. Discover how to capture the vampire in a variety of illustration styles, from realistic to anime. Evil vampires, handsome vampires, gothic lairs, and the forbidden love between human and vampire merely scratch the surface of subjects in this must-have title.

With this 32-page, step-by-step instruction book, aspiring artists will discover the secrets to creating cutting-edge manga art. From an exploration of shading and coloring techniques to tips on figure drawing and character development, readers will learn everything they need to know to become masters of manga. Each featured project serves as both lesson and inspirational guide for preparing artists to craft their own world and characters in an authentic manga style!

In Wild Animals, William F. Powell invites you into his artistic world as he shows you how to re-create a variety of inspiring wildlife drawings.

In this book, he explains his own personal approach to depicting animals, exploring basic drawing techniques as well as more complex concepts, such as capturing movement and developing dimension. With clear, easy-to-follow, step-by-step lessons and a wealth of beautiful animal drawings—from a cuddly panda to a regal giraffe—this book is sure to be a welcome addition to any artist’s library of references!

With Tangled Up, now young adults and tweens can discover this innovative art form in a colorful, inspiring, and guided exploration through the world of tangling. After reviewing a few basic tools and materials, along with basic techniques and embellishments helpful for getting started, tweens will embark on a creative journey through a variety of prompts, patterns, and projects guided by talented artist and teacher Penny Raile. Featured subject matter includes tangling on and working unique patterns into flowers, fish, butterflies, peacocks and other animals. Aspiring artists will learn to create expressive, personalized art pieces relevant to their daily life, including illuminated letters, tangly tattoo art, and even tangled origami.

Every night, the sky is filled with stars that tell a thousand tales. Brave warriors, regal queens, fierce beasts—they all parade across the starry skies each night. In Starry Skies, you’ll discover some of the most famous constellations and learn how to find them in the night sky.

With brilliant illustrations by Nila Aye, you will see the shapes of each constellation, and imagine what they might look like when you look up into the dark sky above. This introduction to astronomy is all you need to start learning about stars, so get ready, star hunters, and look to the skies!