Customer Reviews

Bold Visions: A Digital Painting Bible: The Digital Painting Bible

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have been scribbling and colouring ever since I can remember, and have worked as a graphic artist in many different capacities throughout my adult life, and as such I fully understand that you never will, or can, know it all when it comes to an ever shifting and growing subject matter such as art. So when a resource you feel would be beneficial to your craft comes along you should grab it with both hands and absorb it wholesale and this, people, is one such resource. This is a book of tips and hints that will benefit the digital painting initiate hoping to add more depth to their work: starting with primers on perspective and lighting and working on from there. However there is much to be gained for the more seasoned artist as a glimpse into another artists technique can help to bring new perspective to already inspired and accomplished work. Also as an indispensible wealth of tips and hints there is bound to be a good few things that help you streamline your workload in here (or even something you may have a more effective method of achieving which will make you feel good about your work!).

Now I have read one or two (and I do mean one or two) middling to bad user reviews of this gem on a few other sites and they all boil down to one glaringly obvious point: this book cannot teach you how to draw and will not inject you with a talent that you may not have the capacity for. Some people will always expect too much but if you take note of the cover which states 'for fantasy and science fiction artists' you can't go far wrong. If you want to try and boost your basic drawing skills a beginners guide to such things is going to be more up your street, this book assumes you have some skill with a pen, paper,certain programs and a graphics tab/mouse: and if you possess these things you will at one point of another make great use of this excellent guide (and impressive gallery of work).

Length:: 0:24 Mins

Bold Visions is more of a starter guide to digital painting than a bible.

It goes through the core art techniques such as colour, lighting, composition, research, materials and stuff like that. The good thing is all these concepts are explained clearly with great illustrations as examples.

The techniques and tips are presented in a pointer style as well as in the form of several step-by-step workflow screenshots. These step-by-step processes take a look at how Gary Tonge creates his digital sci-fi illustrations, as well as explain the considerations he takes to achieve certain effects -- sometimes dictated by clients. These are not tutorials that go into technical software details like changing opacity jitter and settings.

This book is recommended to beginners to digital paintings, especially fantasy and science-fiction artists.

If you're looking for step-by-step tutorials into digital painting, you might also want to check out ImagineFX's Fantasy Workshop. The tutorials there are slightly more in depth.

There are more pictures of the book on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.

I bought this book a few week's ago, it's an excellent book for those who already know a little about painting/ drawing.

It doesn't go into depth about photoshop, but this book really isn't a guide to photoshop, it's an overview of how a profressional illustrator put's his visions onto the canvas. It's inspiritational and it's also a very good way to pick up neat ideas, hints and tips.

5 stars from me.

When I first looked at this book on amazon, I was unsure. After all, what would a manga artist want which graphically produced backgrounds. However, I was interested, I brought it.
I was not disappointed
The work is beautiful, but ulnlike some books, it is not simply a chance for the artist to "show off" their works in the guise of teaching you. The pictures are talked through and stage by stage pictures are included in bright, clear colours. There is also a chance to see what the room of a graphic artist looks like, just to know you're on the right track.
I would heavily recommend this to grpahic artists, manga artists and anyone who wants to create beautiful backgrounds. It's good for beginners, and a good source of information and inspiration for those farther along the course of mastering art. What's even nicer about this book is that it can help those who are unsure where they fit between beginner and advanced.

A great buy!

This is a fabulous showcase for what can be achieved digitally- some really incredible images; but if you're hoping for some instruction or tutorials- forget it. The author uses terms like 'paint a wash' but does not indicate which brushes to use and how to effect a 'wash'.
If you're looking for tutorials/instructions (as I do) I don't think you can beat Don Seegmiller.

If you're advanced in Photoshop but need more proffessional knowledge and tips - this book is for you.
If you are PS begginner you can still buy it for great art and tips.

Gary Tonge has an insane amount of talent, years in the profession. However this book both inspires and frustrates. As an artist passionate about digital media I thought this book would be more detailed in techniques. Sadly it is not and is merely walkthroughs.

But the book is still a must buy for anyone with an interest in digital painting.

I was hoping to be introduced to the world of digital art, having been a traditional artist for more than twenty years, but that's not what you get. There's nothing useful about the tools that you couldn't glean from their names, there's no explanantion of things like "Gamma", or how colour curves work, or what different brushes are used for, or anything of real use to the newcomer. All you do get is example after example of work flow, and chapters on things like colour and light - useful if you've never lifted a paintbrush before, but nothing unique to digital art.

Gary Tonge is an excellent artist, no doubt there, but a teacher he isn't. I suggest trying another book.

I'm slowly getting into my digital art work, as I use to enjoy doing allot of art back in my school and college days. But the ideas and potential for what you can do in the digital art world now is just amazing. If you want inspiration or any possible ideas for good concept pieces, then you need to buy this book. It's a massive book and full of fantastic designs from various artists, and this includes examples as well as tutorials. Buy it, you'll love it.

Gary Tonge is amazing! He is being a digital artist since 1987,way before Photoshop 'came out'.The book appeared to be extremly helpful for someone like me who was looking forward to learn some new tricks and techniques in Photoshop.The language is clear and easy to follow with even a basic knowledge of Photoshop.I would highly recommend it for my fellow Photoshop users who want to improve their skills. Gary Tonge is the guy to learn from!