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ForewordThere is strength through mystery. Apicture produced from the imageswithin the mind can be a more accurateportrayal of human perceptions than onebased entirely on observations. Whenwe look at the work of a fantasy artist wecan respond to the mystery on a numberof levels: the source of the ideas, theconstituent parts, and the subject matterof the picture. The construction of thecomposition, its use of the elements oflight and shade, and its depictions ofimaginary forms are all crucial. Finallycomes our response to the mysteries ofthe artist's technique - his paintingskills.

The creation of fantasy art is achievedby the interplay of the conscious and theunconscious mind. This process wasdescribed in 1540 by Leonardo da Vinci,the Italian Renaissance master, as achallenge to the artist who must resolvea conflict between the observed and theimaginary, the known and the unknown.

Images of the imagination appear inall forms of art, for example: thedecorative and applied arts, sculpture

and, surprisingly, architecture. Thisbook excludes all the forms mentionedabove and concentrates instead onimages, either painted or drawn, on two-dimensional surfaces. It uses examplesby commercial artists, those working oncommissions, or artists exploring theirown visual references and imagination.The vast resource of images made bypeople suffering from mental disorderswho, as a result of illness or congenitaldeficiencies, create images directly fromthe disturbance of their minds is notincluded.

The greatest source of imaginaryimages is literature, both prose andpoetry. The flow of words creates worldswhich we mentally visualize. Storiesfrom legends, mythology, gothic horrorstories, science fiction and fiction itselfcreate images of new worlds in ourminds. The depiction of these'imaginings' makes a direct appeal to usthrough recognition of the element ofcommon experience in life. Sincefantasy art is not totally dependent uponobservable reality, we are likely to be

A Macdonald Orbis BOOK

© Diagram Visual Information Ltd 1988

First published in Great Britain in 1988by Macdonald and Co (Publishers) LtdLondon and Sydney

A Pergamon Press plc company

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may bereproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,in any form or by any means without the priorpermission in writing of the author, nor be otherwisecirculated in any form of binding or cover other thanthat in which it is published and without a similarcondition including this condition being imposed onthe subsequent purchaser.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication DataRobertson, BruceTechniques of fantasy art1. DrawingsI. Title741.2 NC730ISBN 0-356-15324-X

The Diagram GroupEditorial staffBen Barkow, Guy Brain, Annabel Else, Moira Johnston,Patricia RobertsonIndexerDavid HardingArt directorPhilip PatenallArtistsJoe Bonello, Alastair Burnside, Robert Chapman,Richard Hummerstone, Mark Jamill, Lee Lawrence,Paul McCauley, Katherine Mothersdale, David O'Brien,Guy Ryman, Jane Robertson, Michael Robertson,Graham RosewarnePicture researcherPatricia Robertson

Typeset by Dorchester Typesetting Group LtdPrinted and bound by Purnell Book Production Ltd

Macdonald and Co (Publishers) LtdGreater London HouseHampstead RoadLondonNWl 7QX

disturbed by our examination of theworks of fantasy artists. They surprise usby their inventions which, once we haveseen them, live in our minds as ghosts ofthe unreal world.

Today the work of a good fantasy artistis in constant demand by thecommercial world. Examples areeverywhere: video cassette covers,record sleeves, science fiction novels,movie posters, and advertisements. Thecommercial artist produces work whichis often derived from the discoveries of'fine artists.' Nowadays commercial artcan become 'gallery' art and is in turnreinterpreted — the copier is copied.Even the most commonplace image tornfrom a magazine can be the source fromwhich unique pictures are created.Remember when setting out on the pathof producing fantasy images that youmay be more surprised with yourdiscoveries than subsequent viewers ofyour work. However, each new pictureis a new contribution to the vast world ofthe imagination of mankind.

• Section One of the book looks at thesource of ideas. Where do artists gettheir inspiration for imaginary pictures?• Section Two explains the backgroundto eight famous fantasy paintings: theartist's motivation, the origin of theillustrated ideas, and the potentialaudience. This section takes an examplefrom a selection of famous artists' workand, although depicting the examples infull color, concentrates on the ideasbehind the pictures rather than thetechniques used to produce them.• Section Three explores methods ofdeveloping ideas and shows how theymay be distorted or enlarged in scope bythe use of collage or changes incomposition.• Section Four concentrates on thephysical processes required to produce afantasy image in a variety of media, andcontains interviews with eightcontemporary artists. The artists explaintheir techniques and discuss thedevelopment of an idea into a finishedproduct.

AcknowledgementsA personal thank you to each of the eight artists whosework appears between pages 96 and 126. Without theirhelp in patiently explaining their techniques I could nothave produced those pages. Thanks are also due to myold Professor of Art, Edward Wright, who kindly readthe book and offered very constructive advice about theideas contained in it, many of which I had rememberedfrom his lectures.

Picture sourcesThe author has made all possible efforts to contactthe copyright owners of the illustrations reproduced,but apologises in advance for any errors or omissions thatmay have occurred.Page

9 Photo: Geoffrey Clements, Collection of theWhitney Museum of American Art, New York,USA

26 Photo: Michael Robertson34 The Museum of Modern Art, Kay Sage Tanguy

Fund38 Photo: Goellette, collection of Musee

d'Unterlinden, Colmar, France42 Photo: Ursula Edelmann, Freies Deutsches

Hochstift - Frankfurt am Main

46 Reproduced by courtesy of the Trustees, NationalGallery, London

50 Patriomoine des Musees Royaux des Beaux Arts deBelgique, Brussels, Belgium

54 Photo: PH3 Fotografia e Audiovisuais Lda,collection of Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga,Lisbon, Portugal

62 Patrimoine des Musees Royaux des Beaux Arts deBelgique, Brussels, Belgium

65 Copyright ACL, Patrimoine des Musees Royauxdes Beaux Arts de Belgique, Brussels, Belgium

68 From ALARMS AND DIVERSIONS in VintageThurber Vol II Copyright © 1963 James Thurber bypermission of Hamish Hamilton Ltd.Copyright © 1932, 1960 lames Thurber. From TheSeal in the Bedroom, published by Harper & Row.

90 Kunsthistorisches Museum (Albertina), Vienna,Austria

103 Young Artists, London115 Young Artists, London117 Futura Publications, London127 Young Artists, London128 Gollancz Publications, London129 Young Artists, London

ContentsSection OneGETTING IDEAS

1012141618202224262830

The subject of fantasyPicture sourcesStudying natureUsing realityUsing manufactured objectsThe unseen worldExploiting photographsUsing your own photographsUsing modelsUsing other culturesPast masters

Section TwoSOURCES OF FANTASY

3438424650545862

Fantasy of the ordinaryFantasy of natureFantasy of dreamsFantasy of legendsFantasy of superstitionsFantasy of faithFantasy of popular cultureFantasy of self-indulgence

Section ThreeDEVELOPING IDEAS

68 Elements of surprise70 Creating incongruity72 Using the size74 Combining images76 Using change78 Double deceptions80 Distorting your pictures84 Superimposing pictures86 Human monsters88 Animals as people90 Machines as people92 Your point of view94 Deliberate accidents

Section FourTECHNIQUES AND TIPS

98 Pencils and chalks102 Pencils and watercolors106 Inks and watercolors110 Gouache colors114 Gouache colors and pencils118 Acrylic colors122 Acryclic and oil colors126 Oil colors130 Mastering techniques132 Dry medium techniques134 Wet medium techniques136 Airbrush138 Adding textures and tones140 Combining media

142 Index

Section OneGeneratingideasFantasy art comes from yourimagination, and has its origins in yourimmediate surroundings and the pastexperiences of your life. You shouldbegin with the familiar and develop yourideas to more imaginative levels. Eachnew discovery will increase yourabilities to explore further the sources ofyour imagination. The end result may befar in excess of what you first thoughtyou were capable.

Section One begins by describingsome of the most conventient ways ofstirring your mind so that it yieldsimages for your paintings. Where doideas and images come from? Ourcultural origins greatly influence thesources of inspiration. Can reality beused to transform images into ourfantasy world? Perhaps examining apiece of old wood or cut-up cabbage, oran unfamiliar tool, can begin the chainreaction. Discovering unknown worldsin specialized books and magazines canopen the door to a new fantasy picture.Photographs, either your own, or thosetaken from a variety of other sources, canbe incorporated into your pictures.

Finally the greatest source of ideasmay be the work of other fantasy artists.Never reject plagiarism — it is the soilfrom which flowers grow. The great 17thcentury scientist Isaac Newton, whenasked in his old age how he had made somany wonderful discoveries, replied:"Because I stood on the shoulders ofgiants." By using his enormous library asthe starting point for much research,Newton had benefited from the previouswork of other great scientists.

Henry Koerner's paintingMirror of Life portrays anumber of events in theartist's life.

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The subject of fantasyEvery picture tells a story, and nonemore so than those made by fantasyartists. The origins of these visions maybe buried deep inside our memories buttheir ideas spring from folklore andmythology, dreams and the bizarreaspects of reality. Although almostalways painted with very close attentionto realism, they are unreal, the workingsof imagination overpowering theperceived world, creating a suspendedreality.

Unseen worldsStory-telling by adults is auniversal and ageless way ofconveying ideas. The story-teller {right} uses his arms todescribe a monster's actions,invoking the children'simaginations so they 'see'the demon's threat. Fantasyimages begin in the mindand not in reality.

Old worlds (right)European artists have alwaysbeen inspired by myths andsymbolism. The Greek mythof Hercules fightingAchelous (as a bull) is alsorecorded in Asian cultures,and in sculpture, on vasesand on walls. For a thousandyears animals symbolizedthe evangelists - St Markappeared as a winged lion.

New worldsThe European discovery ofAmerica opened up newsources of myths and imagessuch as this Aztec god(right). Psychologists in the20th century think thatalthough the imagesproduced by differentcultures vary greatly inappearance, the subjectsthey portray are universal.

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Dream worldsThe picture (right) is of anightmare experience of theSpanish painter, Franciscode Goya. In 1810 he wasrecovering from an illnesswhich had left him deaf. Theinner silence heightened hisimagination and this newexperience helped him linkhis visions to his observationsof the human condition.

Productive worldsThe English 19th centuryauthor Charles Dickens(right) created stories forweekly publications. Hisideas often arose fromobservation and the quietcontemplation of the fire orcarpet patterns. He workedwith his memories to forgenew worlds in which hiscreations took on real form.

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Picture sourcesIdeas have legs; they creep up on you, orjump out of the most unexpected places.Do not sit waiting for inspiration. Collectimages all the time, store up discoveries,review other artists' work. When notdirectly working on a finished drawing,experiment with unfamiliar techniques.The successful artist explores allpossible sources and turns them to hisadvantage.

Artists' sourcesA continuous stream ofinspiration is provided bythe work of other artists. Donot be embarrassed to copyideas, techniques, themes,details and mannerisms. Thedrawing (above right) is byIvan Bilibin, a Russianwhose illustration is derivedfrom 19th century popularRussian folk art.

Technical sourcesThe most surprising andvaried sources of imagery aretechnical publications, onengineering or micro-biology, industrialcatalogues or academic textbooks. The unfamiliar can bea starting point for yourdrawing. Many fantasyartists have used bizarrediagrams from surgerymanuals as inspiration forhorrific visions. Thetransparent study of arailway engine (above right)can throw up ideas forfuturistic machines. Themicroscopic creature (right),enlarged a thousand times,could be the start of agalactic monster.

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Photographic sourcesPhotographs are an infinitestorehouse of images.Postcards, magazines, books,posters and movie stills canstir the imagination.Photography is particularlyhelpful in painting realisticdetail. A simple view of abuilding (right) can provideideas for a fantastic palace.

ExplorationThere are two sources ofideas available while you areactually working on yourdrawing: discoveries madeeither while drawing orduring printing. Differenttools, surfaces, media andprocessors can all providemethods of exploringaccidental results. The word'DANZIG' (right) was alteredby first drawing thecharacters in a slow-dryingink and, before it dried,blowing through a drinkingstraw at the wet ink strokeswhile moving the paperaround. Textures often havea graphic quality which isstimulating. The granularsurface (right) is producedby the break up of theprotective coating on metalbefore applying an etchingacid. The distortedmanuscript (right) is theresult of holding part of theoriginal image away from thesurface of the photocopyingmachine. These technicalmethods have producedresults which can inspireyour later designs.

Studying natureThe natural world is one of the mostcommonly-used inspirational sourcesfor the fantasy artist. The greatRenaissance painter Leonardo da Vinciinstructed pupils to observe: "Youshould look at certain walls stained withdamp or at stones of an uneven color. Ifyou have to invent some setting you willbe able to see in these the likeness ofdivine landscapes." He suggested "you

should look at the embers of fire, orclouds, or mud, or other similar objectsfrom which you will find ideas . . .because from a confusion of shapes thespirit is quickened to new inventions."Natural shapes are everywhere - plants,animals, rocks, water. To absorb ideasfrom them you must pay close attentionto the surface detail and record what yousee with great accuracy.

Plant sourcesThe plant kingdom producesthousands of wonderfulshapes, textures and colors.The minute seed pods [left],the diseased acorn [below],the roots of an orchid(bottom) or the spiky limbsof a cactus (below right) areexciting beginnings for afantasy image.

Surface sources (opposite)By drawing carefully thedetails of the surface of a leafand an old piece of wood(above and far right), Lee,aged 18, has produced adrawing which can laterbecome a landscape. Jane'spencil study (below) of a cutcabbage already looks like amagic tree.

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Using realityLeonardo da Vinci's advice to students(page 14) was echoed 300 years later bythe English poet William Blake.

To see a World in a Grain of SandAnd a Heaven in a Wild Flower,Hold Infinity in the palm of your handAnd Eternity in an hour.

This poem is about the details of life, thetiny surface qualities of reality; whileexamining them consider the worldsbeyond reality, in our imaginations.

Using everyday objects (right)The close inspection of threeobjects - a corkscrew, a fishhead and a loaf of bread —reveals that each hasdifferent qualities that canbe built up to create a newworld of fantasy (as you cansee on page 72).

Your own inspiration bankBy collecting objects, youwill have a library of imageswhich can spark off ideas.When out walking, or whilecleaning out tool boxes -whenever your attention iscaught by the uniquequalities of small objects -try to collect them. Bydisplaying them in a wall-case (opposite), you willcreate your own personalbank of shapes and textureswhich it would be otherwisedifficult to imagine.

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Using manufactured objectsObjects made by machines, particularlywith 20th century materials, have anartificial, unnatural form and texture —plastics, rubbers, artificial fibers, metals- all have a 'man-made' quality.Advancing technology means that theirforms need not comply with natural

laws of structure and growth. Materialswhich are molded, extruded, printed,cast, burnished, glazed, galvanized,polished, coated, fused together, allpossess interesting shapes and surfaceswhich are easily available for study andwhich can stimulate ideas for pictures.

Materials (right)1 The rubber drive-belt froma vehicle is formed in onepiece. Its springy resiliencewhen put on a flat surfacecreates new shapes andideas for spatial patterns.2 The metal sugar bowl (thedrawing was copied from aphotograph in a mail ordercatalog) has a highlyreflective surface which canbe used in the creation ofspace stations.3 The commercial scrubbingbrush, from a trade catalog,offers ideas for unnaturalplant textures.4 The simple study of aspiral telephone cable willhelp in the drawing of morerealistic bodies of monstersor parts of futuristicmachines.

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FormsIndustrial tools makewonderful models forinventing space-ageweapons. The drawing(above) was made by Davidfrom a collection ofexamples of craftsmen'stools (right), published in atrade catalog.

ScaleThe minute scale of printedelectronic circuits (below)can be enlarged to stimulatevisions of city plans of thefuture, or the inner workingsof a new robotic creature.

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The unseen worldThere are new frontiers in the productionof images that provide wonderfulopportunities and inspiration for fantasyworlds. Realms unseen by previousgenerations appear in specializedtextbooks. Microphotography enlarged,computer pictures, instructionaldiagrams, or images of long-lostexistence may all startle and surprisewith their freshness and revelations ofworlds previously hidden from us.

1 Evolving worldsThis fluffy chick is seenthrough a hole in its egg. Itsbeak and claws arc large incomparison to the rest of itsbody. With imagination, thiscould be turned into amonster asleep in its lair.

2 Past worldsA technical reconstructionof a marine creaturefrom the Devonian period,about 400 million years ago,could inspire the design of afuturistic fighter space-ship.

3 Microscopic worldsThe leg of a water beetle,enlarged byphotomicroscopy to a size 20times larger than reality,suggests the beginnings of anew monster.

4 Mathematical worldsA series of plastic templateswhich hold a pen point canproduce an infinitelychanging pattern whichresembles a vortex of worldsbeyond our galaxy.

5 Invisible worldsThe drawing of a new toywas taken from anapplication to the PatentOffice and could be used inan image of a bionic man.

6 Abstract worldsA spinning neutron staremits irregular radio waveswhich can be plotted as asequence of overlappinggraphic lines, an imagewhich resembles a new formof landscape.

Exploiting photographsVisual ideas and details can often befound in photographs which, withoutclear visual references, might provedifficult to invent. Most artists haveextensive collections of photographedmaterial which they have built up of thesubjects that particularly appeal to them.Reality, too, can be used as a source, soalways try to photograph places andlighting effects you find interesting.

Photographic sources (above)Newspapers, magazines, oldbooks, specializedpublications, postcards, allyield telling images. Arrangeyour collection in sectionsso that you can find aparticular subject later:landscapes, buildings,figures, objects, or generaltopics like compositions,lighting effects or thebizarre.

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The real into the unrealThe photograph (left) wastaken while I was on holidayin northern Greece; such astartling cliff needed to berecorded for later use. The19th century Scottish castle(above) is a fairytalebuilding come true. Thesepictures were combined inthe creation of an illustrationfor a comic book series(right).

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Using your own photographsThe camera can be a tool, just like abrush or pen. You can use its ability torecord detail as a means of sorting outthe visual qualities of your ideas. Beginby first sketching your intentions, thenwhen you feel confident with an idea,use the camera on location or in fixedlighting to build up your knowledge ofthe subject.

Creating effectsThe picture (above right)looks ghoulish; it appears tobe of a child's frightenedresponse to somethingterrible. His hair is standingon end, his hands aregrasping out and the light

comes from below. The totaleffect is one of horror andmystery. In fact, thephotograph was taken of thechild while he hung upsidedown on a park swing{above left).

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Building tensionsThe photograph [left] is of astationary car with a smallchild standing in front of it.It could be used for thecreation of two sequentialdrawings involving a caraccident (above).

Sand writingMost artists would find itdifficult to record accuratelyletters written in sand. Away of providing yourselfwith a visual reference is towrite the letters in a tray ofsand, then photograph itwith a strong side light (left).

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Using modelsArtists have often built models of partsof objects they want to draw in theirsearch for interesting views. Present-dayconstruction kits provide replicas ofdetails which would be time-consumingto build. A model can be modified and

views of it explored either with a cameraor with sketches. This technique is oftenused for studies of figure drawings. Instrip cartoons, constructing modelshelps you to memorize special features.

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Comic artworkThe action-packed smalldrawings (right) are theresult of building on thephotographic impressions ofthe models and fantasizingon the static compositions ofthe objects.

World War II battlesThe model of the tankPzkpfw II from a purchasedconstruction kit was madeby Michael, aged 15. Fromthis and other models he wasable to take photographs(opposite) from differentviewpoints, and also toarrange the objects in avariety of ways so as toarrive at interestingcompositions (below).

Using other culturesThe art of cultures we rudely considerinferior to our own, so-called primitiveart, is a wonderful source of ideas. Theenergy and invention of the forms farexceed the sterile realism of Westernportrayals of fantasy. The 19th centuryexplosion of discoveries of the art ofother cultures, as displayed in galleriesor published as illustrations, had aprofound effect on the imaginations ofWestern fantasy artists.

The human headThe face has a strongemotional appeal. It hascharacter, and it expressesits nature through its shapes.Every culture has used thisaspect to depict spirits andabstractions; the unseeableportrayed as a distortion ofthe knowable.1 African tribal dance mask2 Northern AustralianAborigine face painting3 Ancient Greek theatermask4 Medieval mystery playdevil mask5 Central American IndianmonsterThe human formEither as costumes orstatues, ancient andprimitive societies used thehuman form as a startingpoint for the depiction of theunimaginable. Their Godsare transformed intovariations of the humanfigure.6 African initiation costume7 Chinese carving of afemale deity8 Classical Greek fertilitygoddess9 Ancient Egyptian statue10 African fetish sculpture

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Past mastersIn the mind of a master artist imagesfloat to the surface of his consciousnessand are captured for eternity in his art.You should never be embarrassed aboutcopying their discoveries for your ownuse. They, too, have used previouscreative artists as inspiration. But whencopying the work of others, you shoulddevelop your own ideas beyond theoriginal source, using it as a startingpoint.

The spread of imagesArtists have been creatingfantasy images for thousandsof years. However, it is onlyduring the last five hundredyears (with the advent ofprinting) that the imageshave been spread among awider audience.

Graphic ArtFive examples of the work ofgreat graphic artists in theworld of fantasy:1 The 16th century artistPeter Brueghel the Elder. Adetail from an engravingentitled 'The temptation ofSt Anthony'. Compare thiswith examples on pages 38-39, 40, 54-55 and 62-63.2 The 18th century artist

William Blake's drawing of avision he had whileconsidering quotations fromthe bible.3 A detail from the work ofthe 19th century artistGustave Dore, whoseimagination was stretchedby illustrating works ofliterary fantasy.4 A detail from a drawing bythe 19th century Japanese

artist Katsushika Hokusai.His hundreds of drawings ofeveryday life in Japan greatlyhelped his drawing ofimaginary subjects.5 Unidentified artists' coversfor popular magazines,showing a variety of 20thcentury illustrations ofpopular comics andmagazines.

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Section TwoSources offantasyI once overheard a beautifulconversation between two children, oneaged six and the other ten years old. Theeldest was explaining that comics havewords in them for people who cannotread the pictures!

Fantasy pictures have a meaning.Understanding the pictures is a majorpart of enjoying such works ofimagination. Very often when wediscover new forms of fantasy art wehave difficulty in 'reading the picture.'The roots of the ideas and forms digdeep into many levels of humanexperience, and this section of the bookexamines a selection of these sources.They may come from events in our dailylives, the forms of nature, or from thesubconscious world of our dreams. Theymay have their origins in the collective,subconscious, world of mythology,superstition, folklore and religioussymbolism. Or they may simply be theplayful self-indulgence of the artistexploring his own imagination.

The picture (opposite) by theBelgian painter James Ensoruses our knowledge ofmedieval and 19th centurycomic pictures to portrayevil. We know that thefigures surrounding his self-portrait are threats to hissanity, and that somehow(we don't fully understandhis private code) the centralcockerel is an inspirationand guiding light.

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The figure [above) revealsour ignorance of the imagelanguages of other cultures.Is it a man or a woman? Is it athreat or a comfort? To theMalayan audience, whounderstand the shadowpuppet figure, it is simply amatter of their collectiveunderstanding ofrepresentations of good andevil, heroes and villains andservants and kings. Thisfigure is Hanuman, a hero.

Fantasy of the ordinaryNormality is an excellent source offantasy art because it is everywhere,always available, and because of itsfamiliarity. The effects are usuallyachieved by juxtapositions ofincongruous objects and ideas ofinverted normality. The elements in apicture are often arranged as if asking

you to make up your own story of thepreceding events. This form of art canhave a very successful impact, as thoughcasting a spell over the observer. Weknow reality is around us, and we arealways disturbed by abnormalitybecause it forces us to re-adjust ouraccepted impressions.

Preceding pages:The menaced assassinMagritte, 1926

This picture draws its ideasfrom the silent movies andpopular detective fiction ofthe 1920s. One series offilms, L'epoque deFantomas, was a particularfavourite of Magritte. Thefilms portray the exploits ofa master criminal whoappeared and disappearedwith unreal ability, an effect

engineered bycinematographic techniques.Episodes were invented bytwo authors, taking it inturns to write alternatechapters. During the1920s Magritte exploredmany ideas of reality andillusion, producingpaintings at the rate of one aday. Every one was like anew hallucinatory vision,irrational and absurd, apurveyor of the paradoxical.

Horror sourcesA great source of fantasy artis the depiction of horrificevents. This 19th centuryillustration (below) is of aparticularly gruesome childmurder. The retreating backof the man, the child'ssmiling head on the table,the trail of blood from thebody under the bed, all set ina normal interior, producean impression of involuntaryand perverse action, thework of a madman.

(Preceding page) Collection, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Kay Sage Tanguy Fund.

JuxtapositionsIn the 19th century, popularpostcards used arrangementsof figures and objects tosuggest unusual meanings, akind of sexual hint byassociation. The drawing(right) by the 19th centuryBelgian artist Felicien Ropssuggests a sexualrelationship between thefireman's hosepipe and thenude figure.

Heightened normalityThe drawing (right), entitledThe death chamber, by theNorwegian artist EdvardMunch, shows the interior ofa bedroom in 1892.Although we cannot see theperson in the bed, weassume from the positionsand expressions of the otherpeople in the room that theyare considering the finalityof death.

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Fantasy of nature"Such tricks hath strong imaginationThat if it would but apprehend some joy.Or in the night, imagining some fear,How easy is a bush supposed a bear?"from Shakespeare's great fantasy play onnature, Midsummer Night's Dream.Nature has always been a source offantasy for artists. The complex forms ofplants and animals can be used todescribe imaginary worlds. Trees can bespirits, animals can behave like humans,heaven or hell can be landscapesderived from earthly places.

Preceding pages:The temptation of StAnthonyMatthias Grunewald, 1510

The painting and details(over) are on an altar panel.The trees, plants andcreatures are from the darkforests of Germany, thehome of wolves, demons andevil spirits. The monsters area strange mixture of animals,some slimy, some feathery,some scaly and some withhuman flesh. They behavelike freaks; they hiss, fight,bellow at St Anthony and ateach other; they torment andare tormented; they aredisfigured and diseased. Themonster (lower left) hasleprous or syphilitic skinblisters. Grunewald'spainting, like the BoschTemptation on pages 54-55,was directed at sufferers. Butits message is that self-inflicted suffering, broughton by evil acts, especiallythose directed at StAnthony's religious order,cannot expect intercessionfrom a patron saint.

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Zoomorphic monstersThe wood-engraving (below)is by a contemporary ofGrunewald, Albrecht Durer,and shows anotherTemptation of St Anthony.The tangled web of livingforms is culled fromobservations of insects,crustaceans, birds, reptilesand mammals.

Plant spiritsBook illustrators have oftenused fairy tales, with theirsense of magic, to createfantasy from small details innature. A tangled bramblebush can be transformed tocontain hidden forest spirits(right). Cabbage-like leaves(below right) can grow fromthe limbs of a recliningnude.

Animal spiritsThe North American WestCoast Indians attribute toanimals a spirit form whichis then painted on theirhouses, objects and garmentsto create an imaginary worldof spirit animals. The two(below) show a killer whaleand a beaver.

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Fantasy of dreamsDreams can be the gateway toimagination. Their inner world can be awell of ideas for fantasy artists. Thecreation in literature of the monsterFrankenstein was the result of a dreamby its author, Mary Shelley. Many artistsand authors have kept a pencil andpaper by their beds so that, on waking,they could write down the new ideasand images which appeared in their

dreams. In the 20th century manypsychologists have interpreted ourdreams and fantasies as unfulfilledsecret ambitions and fears. For whateverreason we dream, the images aredazzling in their nonconformity toreality. Space, form and time are allsuspended in the mirror of our sleepingminds.

Preceding pages:The nightmareHenry Fuseli, 1781

Shortly after completing thispicture, Fuseli wrote to afriend that he had dreamedof how he had made love tohis unrequited sweetheart,the lady believed to be thesubject of this picture. Hepainted a series of thesesubjects, each illustrating ayoung girl's dream, but mostlikely depicting his ownfears and anxieties. The girlin Fuseli's painting isbelieved to be experiencingan imaginary sexual assault.Fuseli's other versions ofthis subject were thought tobe commissions for privatebedrooms. Copies of thissubject were sold as popularengravings, and its sense ofintimate privacy was turnedinto a jesting, joking, cruderidicule of a young girl'sfantasies.

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Dream landsChildren's fiction aboundswith dream worlds. PeterPan, Little Nemo and Alicewere all set in the dreams ofchildren. The illustration(above) is from the 19thcentury story At the Back ofthe North Wind, in which aboy's harsh life is madebearable by his adventurestravelling with the fictitiousnorth wind lady. The series(left) is from the Americannewspaper cartoon, LittleNemo in Slumberland, bythe great fantasy artistWinsor McCay.

Tempting devicesEach of the two 19th centuryillustrations (above) portraysa girl being visited by anincubus. This creature was ademon who visited sleepingfemales with offerings ofseductive thoughts andemotions.

Interpreting dreamsThe dreamer's companion[above right) was a popular1840s interpretation ofdreams, and was consultedby girls as a guide to theirfuture.

The source of dreamsThis 16th century diagram(right) illustratedcontemporary ideas on theroot origins and causes ofdreams. These quasi-medical plans confusedphysical features with thespiritual and ethereal.Medieval thinkers oftenmaintained that dreamimages were a dialogue withsupernatural forces or thevoice of God.

Fantasy of legendsCentaurs, harpies, satyrs, Cyclops,griffins, unicorns and dragons are allconjured out of mythology. Thecharacters and exploits of these earlyfantastic creatures have been used overand over again by later artists. Legendsare re-interpreted by each age and abenign being, which was once a symbolof goodness, can become a focus of evil,a vision of wickedness. Greek gods,

Preceding pages:Saint George and the dragonPaolo Uccello, 1456

The legend in which StGeorge rescues a maiden byslaying a dragon was apopular subject for bothpaintings and sculptures. Toboth artist and audiencealike it symbolized thestruggle between good (thehero) and evil (the monster),and asserted that virtue andinnocence (the maiden)cannot be harmed by evil.Uccello worked in aChristian environment,decorating churches and thehomes of devout princes.The use of classical andmythological subjects assymbols to express Christianbeliefs was very commonduring the Renaissance.

Re-inventing mythologyThe 19th century Englishauthor Lewis Carrollintroduced a new audienceto past legends. In theillustration (right) the artistJohn Tenniel depicts ayouthful hero battling with areptilian dragon. Tenniel'svisual inventions were idealfor the world of Carroll, andtheir collaboration makesthe stories about Aliceeverlasting classics offantasy.

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Egyptian deities, legendary Romanheroes and Nordic spirits have been re-born in later Christian belief to representsimilar or parallel attributes. It is only inthe late 19th and 20th centuries that wehave become aware of the mythologiesof Asia, Africa and the Americas, theimagery of which has not yet beenincorporated into our visual language.

Dragon depictionsThe Latin word 'draco'means both dragon andserpent, but to artistsworldwide a dragon has legs,often wings and sometimesbreathes fire. Themythological beast appearsin all cultures and is bothfeared and revered.1 The dragon of the Nordicwarriors represented death,destruction and the guardianof hell, so it was a fittingdecoration for a Vikingbattle-axe of the 10thcentury.2 The dragon of medievalheraldry representedprowess and power. A markof authority, the deviceembellished the shield of aknight and was oftenincluded in his heraldicmotif.3 The serpent of CentralAmerican Azteccivilizations represented thepower of darkness and was aguardian of sacred secrets.4 The dragon of China is thebringer of good fortune, andwas the Emperor's emblem.As such, it was used as adecorative device onthousands of differentoriental objects andgarments.

Fantasy of superstitionsNaive belief in supernatural forces hasbeen a common inspiration for fantasticimagery. Superstitions often mix crude,inaccurate tales about demons anddevils with the spice of sex andpornography. The stirrings of the lowerbelly rise to stimulate the imaginings ofthe mind to create popular fantasy art.Any unexplained event is quickly

transformed by folk culture into themachinations of extraordinary forceswhich are then portrayed as devils,witches, demons, ghosts, vampires andother imaginary beings. The intention ofall such inventions is to frighten and toobtain power over the innocent, tocapture and fire their imaginations.

Preceding pages:The young sorceressAntoine Wiertz, 1850

The detail (overleaf) and thefull painting (right) reveal theopportunities for eroticismin paintings of thesupernatural. The artistachieves his effects byskilfully depicting detailsand by adding disturbingqualities which make uspause and ask questions.What is the old womanteaching the young nude girlto do? Are the other headsthose of real observers,voyeurs of pornography, orspirits to help in theceremony?Voluptuous flesh caught inan erotic pose combineswith the black, cloaked,ancient crone to suggest eviland secret rituals.

HISTORICTRAIL

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Demonic creaturesPopular tales of devils thattempt young girls or old hagswho have power over liveswere used by artists to stirup secret fears.1 The discovery of witches, a17th century book ondetecting witches.2 The devil and thedisobedient child, an 18thcentury American storybookillustration on morals.3 A bewitched groom, a 16thcentury German illustrationon the source of illness.4 Witches' trail sign(opposite). The touristhighway sign in Salem,USA, commemorates thetime when its bigotedcitizens allowed superstitionto overcome reason andcondemned many innocentpeople to death as witches.

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Fantasy of faithReligious beliefs have provided themeans for artists to portray worlds otherthan the real, physical, observableparts of the Earth. Hindu, Buddhist,Christian, Jewish religious buildings andbooks abound with fantasy art. Thetemples of ancient Egypt, Greece,Central America and Asia all containdepictions of fantastic worldsenvisioned and drawn by the faithful.With faith, everything is real. Heaven

and hell have reality. With faith,emotions can be personalized, shown asindividuals, creatures and monsters. Toall believers, regardless of education orintelligence, symbolism and pictorialrepresentation are commonlyunderstood. But deeply-held beliefsmust continue within any communityfor pictorial language to convey theartist's ideas; otherwise his visionsbecome obscure and unintelligible.

Preceding pages:The temptation of StAnthonyHieronymus Bosch, circa1500

This painting was requestedby the religious order of StAnthony. Attached to itschurch was a hospital whichspecialized in treatingvenereal disease. A suffererwho sought a miraculouscure was asked tocontemplate the horrors ofevil in front of this paintingbefore being given treatment.The painting is no larger thana dressing-table mirror andonly close examination willreveal its details. The manygroups, costumes, objectsand buildings were intendedto convey ideas now lost.Each image is a cartoon ofhuman folly and frailty,many are parodies ofChristian beliefs, well-known bible stories, rituals

and daily churchprocedures. The message ofthe painting is therenunciation of physicaldelights. Bosch usessymbolic images and punson common words to conveyhis warning. Without aprofound knowledge ofChristian beliefs andpractices, the images appearwild and irreverent.

The paintingThe altar panels (below),when closed, have paintingsof Christ's betrayal andcrucifixion on the outside.The silhouette of a man'shead is shown at the side togive an impression of size.

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SymbolismBecause so many of thefaithful were illiterate,Church leaders usedsymbols for people in itshistory. Christ and the fourevangelists were oftenshown as animals or otherbeings:1 Christ as a haloed lamb2 Mark as a winged lion3 John as an eagle4 Luke as a winged bull5 Matthew as an angel

PersonificationThe seven deadly sins, viceschosen by Christians as themost repellent, were givenphysical forms: monsters, asin the 16th century Germanwoodcut [right], or realanimals who were thought topossess an excess of one ofthe vices.

Other worldsWith faith, there is life afterdeath in an existence as realas the earthly one. The earlymedieval wall painting(right) shows the ladder ofsalvation, a path eachChristian must follow toavoid eternal damnation andachieve salvation. Faithmakes heaven and hell real;and the emotions, such ashate, love, lust and sloth,have personalities whichcome alive in the bodies ofmen, women and creatures.

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Fantasy of popular cultureWherever there is an audience artistsperform their skills at weaving magicand fantasy. Comics, children's classics,adult fiction, theatre, movies, videos andrecord sleeves are all media whichprovide space for creating images fromthe imagination. The great fictionalwriters, past and present, have inventedspecial worlds to which artists haveresponded by developing their ownvisual forms.

Preceding pages:Weird Tales 1924-40US popular magazine covers

Pulp magazines are an outletfor fantasy artists. The proseonly hints at acts of violence,sexuality, submission andtorture, performed at night,in jungle and dungeon. Andthe covers of Weird Talesand others reflect thecontent.

Comic sourcesPictures are the best way tocapture children's attentionso, before television, artistsdeveloped the comic strip toa high art. Today adultsoften find fantasy comicsmore attractive than children.From the creators of Batman,Superman, Rupert Bear,Barbar the Elephant andTintin came new worlds.Here are three examples ofgreat comic artists at work:1 Frank Bellamy, an Englishillustrator of the 1960s,created space pilot Dan Dare.2 Winsor McCay, illustratorof the New York Herald,created Little Nemo.3 Wilhelm Busch, late 19thcentury German illustrator,created Max and Moritz.

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Children's fictionCarroll, Anderson, Kiplingand Potter and the lesser-known authors of Pinocchio,Goldilocks, Red Ridinghoodand Mother Goose havecreated magic worlds.1 Gulliver's Travels, offersgiants, dwarfs and horsesthat talk.Adult literatureThe horror stories of Poe,Shelley, Lovecraft andStoker or the fantasy ofBurroughs, Conan Doyle,Wells, Verne and Tolkien allprovide strange and bizarreimages.2 Mary Shelley's novelFrankenstein has spawnedhundreds of pictures andportrayals on TV and film.The theatrePuppet shows, pantomimes,ballets, operas, plays and thecircus all contain an elementof fantasy.3 The English pantomime,Puss in Boots, is a surrealtale of a cat that talks andwalks on two legs.MoviesFantasy has become moresophisticated, from the 1902films of George Melies toStar Wars, Aliens and Planetof the Apes. Tricks andanimation have enabledartists to forget the laws ofspace, time, matter andlogic.4 King Kong is a classicexample of make-believe. Agiant gorilla is tamed by thebeauty of a young girl.Videos and record sleevesNew media provide freshopportunities for the artist toexercise his imagination.5 Evil Dead, the video,used new techniques toproduce scenes of horror andnightmare reality.

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Fantasy of self-indulgenceEvery individual has a fantasy world ofhis own, but only a very few ever depictit in pictures; that this kingdom beimagined or dreamed about and thenforgotten seems to be sufficient. But 19thand 20th century artists have veryfrequently exploited this private realmas a storehouse of ideas which they haverecorded, usually in great pictorialdetail, and put on public display.

Because this art-form can emerge onlyfrom sources already digested in thesubconscious, it invariably containsreferences to the artist's ownexperiences and observations. For it tosucceed, it relies very much on sharedprivate knowledge or jokes. Theobserver knows that the artist knowsthat he knows the references in thepainting.

Preceding pages:The temptation of StAnthonySalvador Dali, 1946

A major advantage of all20th century artists is theirability to gain access tovisual sources from differenttimes, cultures andmaterials. Photographicreproductions, televisionand movies have providedmodern artists withresources beyond thewildest dreams of theirforebears. This painting ofThe temptation of StAnthony is an example of anartist being 'clever'.Producing a picture which isintended for public orprivate galleries, a picture todisplay his skills andknowledge, he includes areference to Bernini'sColumn in Rome and theEscorial Palace in Spain. Themain purpose of suchpaintings is to startle anddraw attention to the artist.Like naughty children suchan artist must bemischievous to succeed.

Private fantasiesThe painting (below), Thecaress by the Belgian artistFernand Khnopff, waspainted when he was 38 in1896. Understanding of thepicture is greatly enhancedby knowing that the femaleportrait is that of his sister,whom he lovedpassionately, but could notpossess. This painting is anelaborate private joke.

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Folk art fantasyAn illustration of aninvitation to the privateshowing of the Russian artistIvan Bilibin (above). Theexhibition was held inAlexandria (Egypt) and theartist used the traditionaltechniques of Russian folkart to depict a sphinx-likefigure.

Frivolous fantasyMany newspapers andmagazines offer a readysupply of objects for privatefantasy, either social orsexual. This is a means ofachieving in imaginationnew levels of life not atpresent available by normalmeans; elevated shoes toincrease your height, orplastic aprons (right) tochange your sex. Almost allare unbelievable and nonefulfill their promises.

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Section ThreeDevelopingideasOnce you have an idea, how do yourealize its potential?

This section explores some of thetechniques for developing the imagebeyond its original form. Your picturemay look normal, but you can insert anelement of surprise - for example, byshowing normal objects in an abnormalway - to create a fantasy image. Theelements within your composition maybe changing their appearance. Yourpicture may contain two imagescombined to make one, eithersuperimposed or buried within eachother, to create a double deception. Thecreatures you create can be the result ofthe combination of different animals, egthe griffin; anthropomorphic forms(animals with human attributes), egMickey Mouse; or creatures made upfrom inanimate materials, eg robots.

Compositional features or surfacequalities may be altered, thus changing apicture quite radically. A distortion inthe perspective, or turning the viewupside down creates spatial tension andis another way of heightening the dream-like effect. The use of surface qualityadaptation can open many new doors,leading to new ideas for subjects, andturn you back to look at previousexamples of your work for thepossibilities which may lie in them.

The 19th century Indianpopular print (right) depictsgods in sculptures and reliefcarvings from Hindutemples. The artist hasmixed these images with thetheme of the life of thesacred River Ganges.

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Elements of surpriseThe simple and effective way to achievefantasy in an image is by the subtlepresence of an unusual element. A wayto do this is to add features that fitcompletely into the general appearance,but on examination prove unlikely orimpossible. These intrusive parts createa disturbing feature which can unnerveour first responses to the image.

IrrationalitiesEither the figure (below) is aman dressed in women'sclothing or a woman whohas grown a beard. Theinconceivable is invariablydisturbing. To contemplate abearded woman could bemore disturbing than a manin woman's clothes.

Improbabilities"Alright, have it your way -you heard a seal bark!" Thecartoon (above right) by theAmerican humorist JamesThurber, beautifullydescribes the unlikely beingtaken as the inevitable.

IncongruitiesShowing normality withabnormal elements canproduce simple imageswhich cause a slightsurprise. The reader does a'double take'. The threeillustrations (right) showhow easily we first think theimage is normal, only todiscover upon examinationthat each one has somethingunusual about it.

ImpossibilitiesThe tower (right) is drawnusing the normal laws ofillustration. It appears at firstglance to be a staircase onthe top of a terrace, but uponexamination its constructionwould be impossible.Surrealist painters oftenused this technique to buildan image which looksnormal but which in realitycould not exist.

Creating incongruityWhen combining images, their jointeffect is best described as 'the sum isgreater than the parts'. The property ofsubjects when combined creates a mixwhich exceeds the effect of the basicingredients. Scale, textures, substance,events, space, when mixed irrationallycan create disturbing combinations.

SubstanceShoes are made to protectour feet so a shoe with toes{left) is a contradiction.Pencils are hard, inflexibleobjects so a pencil tied in aknot seems impossible. Ourprior knowledge of thecharacter of an object meanswe find it difficult to acceptobjects having propertiesdifferent from those we haveexperienced.

ScaleThree monkeys (right)examining a kissing couple.Are they giants? Is thecentral image a T.V. screen, awindow, or a painting?Without additionalinformation the image is anenigma. The viewer isseeking a plausibleexplanation for theincongruous.

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Pre-knowledge (above)The painting by PeterBrueghel the Elder ofhunters setting out on a walkappears in many books onthe history of art. This copyby a modern artist omits thefigures. The picture isdisturbing only to those whoremember the hunters'original positions (opposite).

IrrationalityThe 17th centuryillustration (left) of a kissingcouple is, in its original form(far left), already an imagewhich provokes the questionof who and why? By addingthe cubicled heads watchingthe couple a modern artisthas highlighted this feelingof enigma.

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Using the sizeOur experience of life leads us to assumethe size of objects or creatures. A bear ora bee have a generally imagined size.Fantasy artists use this feature to disturbour views of the normal, placing objectsalongside one another with disregard fortheir actual, related sizes. Ourimaginations are stretched by beingconfronted with the visually impossible.

Comparative sizesHuman beings are often usedas an indicator of scale. Thegroups of figures [below]through their contexts are, inone case, made to appear asgiants and in the other asnormal figures dwarfed byan enormous idol.

Perceived sizesThe composition (left) wasproduced from studies ofobjects found in a normalkitchen. The drawings(reproduced on page 16)were then re-arranged tocreate a towering idol. Theloaf of bread became a cliff,the bottle-opener amechanical device forworking the idol's arms, andthe fish head as the coldunsympathetic totem.

ContextThe illustrations by theFrench artist Gustave Dore tothe fantastic stories ofadventures of the Baron VonMunchhausen, achieve theireffect by the use of normalfigures or locations inabnormal situations. Thehorseman (right) ridingalong the sea bed and beingconfronted by gigantic fishesis an example of theimprobable set in theimpossible.

MontageFantasy artists havedelighted in using thetechnique of montage, thesticking together of twoimages cut from differentcontexts. This giant insect(below) is from a 17thcentury entomological bookand the struggling hero froma 19th century source.

Combining imagesVery often the artist can use normalobjects and, by their strangearrangement and relationship with otherobjects, create new worlds of fantasy. Toachieve the best results you mustconstantly collect images which sparkoff a tiny idea and store them for lateruse.

WarriorThe illustration (right) wasmade from three sources. Adetailed drawing of a 5thcentury Greek helmet, aphotograph of a face in awomen's magazine, and acut out photo from a 1940scar magazine of a radiatorwere combined.

Combat (right)The struggling girl is copiedfrom a ladies' keep-fit book,and her contestant is the larvaof a grasshopper, greatlyenlarged, stood on spider'slegs and given wire tendrils.

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VictimsThe purpose of this picture(right) was to describe thenightmare idea that we areall victims needing helpfrom a source we cannot seeor understand. The wall wasdrawn from a photograph,turned upside down, of thefloor of an iron foundry. Thehands were created from thestudy [above) of the artist'sown hands. The attentivejailer was created froma study of museumillustrations of Pacificcrustaceans. Images of thisnature stir our imaginationbecause they provoke thequestions "Who is behindthe screen? What are theydoing? How do they existtogether and what is thestrange shell creaturedoing?"

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Using changeThe great exponent of changing formswas the 19th century scientist CharlesDarwin. The idea that we could begin asone species and develop into anotherwas a startling proposal to people whobelieved in eternal forms. Nevertheless,metamorphosis (the changing form), hasalways existed. Caterpillars change tobutterflies, eggs to birds, seeds to trees.Nothing is constant.

Man to birdA contemporary cartoon(right) ridiculing Darwin'sideas on evolution.

Man to monster (opposite)Readers in the 19th centurywere particularly fond ofstories involving humanchanges of form. This is anillustration to the Gothicnovel by Stevenson of theStrange Case of Dr. Jekylland Mr. Hyde. Theeffectiveness of these storiesdepends on the assumptionthat goodness has one faceand evil another.

Teapot to scorpion (below)Hallucinogenic drugs,fatigue and mentalinstabilities can produceeffects where the normalappears abnormal. Realitychanges with ourperceptions of it. Successfulmetamorphosis dependsupon the unlikelytransformation of one objectinto another.

Seeing possibilitiesThe seven objects [right]were collected fromillustrations in popularmagazines. Try to imagineother forms which could bedeveloped from these.

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Double deceptionsFantasy artists often play with thereaders' perceptions of the image. Avisual game of 'look for the picturewithin the picture' is being played.Discovering whether we all draw thesame conclusions about a picture canlead to interesting enquiries as to thevery nature of perception. In children'scomics and popular newspapers thistheme has developed into a variety ofpuzzle games.

Exploring possibilitiesThe pencil drawing {above)of discarded take-away foodwas the first study which ledto the idea of a strangemonster peering from a box(right).

Double-take picturesSometimes we are caughtunawares by visual tricks.1 This could be a giant heador a rocky landscape.2 The top illustration couldbe a young girl or an oldlady. The subsequent twoillustrations have addeddetail to clarify eachinterpretation.3 This can be a black-faceddoll, or by turning the pageupside down, an old smilinggranny.4 Is this two confrontingfaces, or a vase containing aleafy plant?

Distorting your picturesThe next four pages have examples ofmethods of distorting an original imageto explore the effects the newly-createdimage has on the value of the picture.The only really satisfactory way toachieve new results is byexperimentation and by trying to thinkof unique ways the images you have canbe developed.

Graphic techniquesThe tools and techniques ofthe fantasy artist can beexplored to create morepowerful images.1 An original image with afull range of tones.2 The image described aslines traced along the edgesof the dark and light areas.3 The image drawn as onlypure blacks or whites withno intermediate tonalvalues.4 A negative version wherethe dark areas are white andthe light areas dark.5 This is illustration no. 3distorted by photocopying itwithout placing it directlyonto the photocopier's glassplate.

Double visual (right)By carefully disguising thejoints in the assembly of thisimage the hand appears tohave seven fingers.

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distorting your picturesTwo further methods ofchanging your imagesA By the distortion of asuperimposed grid.B By mutilating and re-assembling the image ormultiples of it.

Matrix distortionsThe illustration is coveredby a grid. You distort theimage by re-plottingaccording to a grid whore theaxes move in one or moredirections.1 Extending the vertical.2 and 3 Retaining thehorizontal but distorting thevertical.4 Extending the horizontal.

Montage distortion5 Sliced and re-arranged.6 Cut into circular strips andre-arranged.7 Duplicated at a variety ofsizes and super-imposed.8 Montaged with negativeelements.9 Cut into strips and edited.10 Super-imposedenlargements.

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Superimposing picturesOne successful way to achieve fantasypictures is by superimposing images.This is frequently done with thephotographic technique of doubleexposure. Alternatively, two matchingimages can be successfully combinedwithout a high degree of sophisticationby the use of tracing paper overlays.

Exploring the head1 Michael's pencil studyself-portrait is mademenacing by the addition ofa snarling lion copied from anature magazine and thesurprised creaturesprotruding from his ears.2 The ghoulish faceproduced by Mark wasachieved by a self-portraitstudy superimposed over atracing study of a skull.3 In this 17th centuryportrait of a nobleman theartist wished to make astatement about the subject'scharacter via thesuperimposition of theupside down portrait. Turnthe book upside down to seethe second face.4 A very popular 19thcentury motif was to haveimages which appear to beone subject, but containanother. In this postcard wecan find death.

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Human monstersMythology has been the breeding-ground for many half-human monsters.The synthesis of creatures and humanforms has been used to imply that thehybrid contains some of thecharacteristics of the combinedcreatures' appearance. By adding partsof creatures thought to be repellent, egclaws and scales, the frequentlyunpleasant nature of the mythologicalcreature could be more easily described.

Classical and ancienthybrids1 A Harpy, with eagle'stalons.2 Medusa, with her head ofsnakes.3 The Sphinx, with cat-likebody and contemplativesmile.

4 An Egyptian god, with aram's head on a lion's body.5 A Satyr, with goat-like legsand horns.6 A Centaur, combining thebodies of a man and a horse.

Exploratory groupsThe five drawings (above)are a student's studies fordeveloping an image of ahalf-naked female figure onthe bodies of a variety ofcreatures.

Folklore sources (below)Strange stories of unlikelycreatures flooded theliterature of early explorersand navigators.1 A 19th century skeleton ofa 'human fish', the work of askillful taxidermist.2 Mermaids and mermendecorated many early maps.

Personality portrayalsThe 19th century postcard(below) grafts a female faceonto a cat's body to hint atfeline characteristics.

Animals as peopleAttributing human characteristics toanimals has been a long tradition amongfantasy artists. The fictional animalworld of popular children's literatureabounds with human-style walking andtalking animals. Bears blow their noseson spotted handkerchiefs, dogs quoteSocrates, elephants go to the barber'sshop and foxes eat their supper usingknives and forks.

Representational worldsThis device {left) representsa mythological demon dog. Itwas used to decorate adoorknob in RenaissanceItaly.

Dream worlds (above)The 19th century authorLewis Carroll created adream world for his heroineAlice. Here, among rabbits,walruses and frogs, humanproperties were attributed toanimals so that they couldconverse with Alice.

Allegorical worlds (above)The shadow puppets ofMalaya include animals whotalk and walk as humans.These fantasy figures areinterchangeable with gods,spirits, servants, animals,warriors and villains. Eachfigure represents ideas andmorals.

Children's worldsMovies, TV, comics andpopular stories abound withanimal creatures. How manycan you name in thiscollection (below)? Do youknow where they appear inchildren's entertainmentsand what other famous oneshave been omitted?

Satirical worlds (above)The 19th century illustratorGranville depicted animalsperforming humanactivities. He used thistechnique primarily so thathe could expose the follies ofcontemporary society.

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Machines as peopleThe inanimate object can be madeanimate by the imagination of thefantasy artist. Fruit becomes a face,metal a limb, furniture a body and, in thesolid world of sculpture, iron or marblebecome human flesh. In the imaginationof fantasy artists all materials can begiven life. The artists play Godpersuading us to believe in theircreations.

Substituted fleshThe painting (below left) isby an 18th century artist.Fish, fruit and plants wereincorporated in suchcompositions more as adisplay of the skills of theartist than as a serious pieceof fantasy art.

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Manufactured fleshThe depiction of robots,usually machines in humanform, have been the stronginterest of 20th centuryfantasy artists. Advances intechnology have had aconsiderable influence uponartists' visions of the perfectrobotic figure (below left).

Collected fleshThe assembled parts ofmanmade objects have beengrouped in this drawing(below left] to represent agoldsmith. These 18thcentury illustrations weremocking the craftsman.

Constructed fleshThe drawing (below) is notof an imaginary giant,covered in ant-like humans.It is a picture representingthe construction of theStatue of Liberty in NewYork. Sculptors useinanimate substances todescribe animate forms.

Your point of viewTo achieve drama in a fantasy artcomposition the artist can use visualdistortions of the elements, extremes oflighting, dramatic scale variations, andunusual or disturbing positioning of thefocus of attention. These tricks areparticularly exploited in the productionof comic book art, where the repeateduse of the comic strip as a vehicle forimages and text can be monotonous.

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ViewpointArtists often select aviewpoint from which theelements draw us into thepicture (1 and 2). Drawingsneed not conform to theactual laws of opticalperspective (3). Someelements can be enlargeddramatically.

CompositionNote the use of dark andlight areas (4) to direct thereaders' attention. Thecutting away of the edges ofsubjects (5) or selectingdramatic positions (6) addsemphasis.

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Deliberate accidentsAn accidental occurrence in theproduction of a drawing may not alwaysbe detrimental. Accidental marks on adrawing's surface may enhance it andinspire new ideas. Many artistsexperiment with textures and keepexamples of random discoveries. When

you are not working directly on afinished drawing practise experimentingwith new media, unfamiliar tools andsurfaces so as to master the effects anduse them confidently. Remember to beopen to the unexpected.

Unexpected sourcesA popular 19th centuryhobby was autographcollecting, and this led to thepublication of a bookentitled Ghosts of myfriends. The book containedblank pages on whichfriends of the owner wrotetheir names in ink along avertical crease. The page wasfolded over so that the inksmudged, producing adouble blot or 'ghost'. The'ghost' (right) is of thesignature of Florence M.Woon, a dry version ofwhich is printed [left).

The kaleidoscope effectMultiple versions of animage can be made strikingby producing them from acut-out of a folded sheet. Thepattern {right) began as asingle figure and emerged asa dancing circle of figures.This method generatesmultiple images which itwould otherwise be hard toinvent.

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Surface accidentsThe watercolour painting(right) is by Victor Hugo, theFrench 19th centurynovelist. While outsketching he often rubbedsubstances such as cofffeegrounds and cigar ash intothe surface. He also used atype of pencil whichproduced soluble marks todeepen and dramatize thetonal effect. However thesetechniques should be usedwith caution as they candestroy the surface of yourwork.

Shape accidentsThe 18th century artistAlexander Cozensdeveloped an idea based onmaking landscapes frominkblots. He thought thatnatural accidents resemblednature and inspired visionsof imaginary places. Thepicture (right) was producedby dabbing a clothdampened with ink onto aflat piece of paper. This wasthen placed, inked sidedown, onto another piece ofpaper which had previouslybeen crumpled up. He gavethe resulting pattern ofinkblots to his students touse under a piece oftranslucent paper to producefantasy landscapes.

Section FourTechniquesand tipsThis section begins with a selection ofeight pictures, each created by acontemporary fantasy artist, and eachpicture is an example of the way inwhich the artist has mastered his chosenmedium. You too must constantlypractice with the medium you find mostconvenient, and from which you obtainthe best results. However, do continue toexplore new media when not workingon your finished paintings.

Always try to keep your work surfacesclean and your tools in good workingorder. Never buy cheap brushes, pens orpaper. An initially high expense canprove a worthwhile investment and helpyou to avoid frustrations incurred whenusing cheaper, less reliable, tools.

Always resolve as much as possibleeither on independent sketches orstudies, or by obtaining detailedreferences. Consequently, you shouldnever have to arrive at a point during thepainting when major elements are stillunresolved and which could develop ina form you find unacceptable.

Study closely the surfaces of otherartists' works to discover their method ofworking. Be careful when examiningreproductions as these are often greatlyreduced versions of the original and, assuch, can imply working methods otherthan those used by the original artist.Try to see the work of fantasy artists inexhibitions or art galleries and, ifpossible, visit the studios of artistswhose works you admire.

Three studies, in pencil (A),crayon (B), and brush (C), fora science fiction illustration.The top three are slightlyreduced from the original,whereas the bottom three aregreatly reduced.

Pencils and chalks Nick Cudworth50" x 30" (127cm x 76cm)

Nick Cudworth works entirely withcolored pencils, crayons and chalks. Heachieves the clean effects by masking-offareas with paper cut-outs, while heworks on exposed areas. His workingmethod means that when all the areasare completed he must review theoverall effects and carefully adjust thoseparts which did not merge with theadjacent areas.

Elements used• A full size humanskeleton.• An example of the work ofGauthier D'Agoty (an 18thcentury French illustrator).• A black and whiteillustration by Jan Van Eyckdepicting Adam and Eve.• Parquet flooring.

The ideaUnlike most of the otherexamples reproduced in thissection of the book, this oneis not intended forreproduction. It is one in aseries of studies of theskeleton which were framedand sold in an art gallery inthe same way as a painting.

ResearchThe skeleton appears to beviewed from above, sittingon a carpet and holding anobject. This view is achievedby fixing a full sizedskeleton to the wall of theartist's studio. The pelvis isattached to the verticalsurface so that the legs hangdownwards, and the uppertorso is suspended forwardson strings hung from theceiling. (If you turn theprevious pages sideways sothe feet point downwardsyou will see this effect). Adetailed study was thenmade of the subject ontracing paper to the final sizeof the drawing.

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PlanningNick traced the main detailsof the D'Agoty illustration.Using the technique ofproportional squares hetransferred the design ontothe background of thismaster drawing of theskeleton. Around the centralcarpet theme he plotted apattern of parquet floor tiles,using those in his home forreference. He then prepareda careful separate tracing ofthe Adam and Eve unit.These studies provided himwith his master tracing (a).

Progressing the drawingNick used a technique ofmasking. Only selected areaswere revealed. The otherswere protected fromsmudging by a protectivecut-out of paper. He thenapplied a soft B pencilto the reverse side of histracing (b) to enable him totransfer all the key lines ontoa sheet of paper which heused as a mask (c). Whenthis was complete hegummed the back surface ofthe masking sheet and, usinga scalpel, he carefully cutout the skeleton from thedesign, and stored this shapefor later use (d). To positionthe design on his intendedsurface he held down hismaster mask with paperweights then replaced theskeleton, pressing it onto thesurface securely. Thesurrounding mask was thenremoved (with the exceptionof the central Van Eyckelement). He replaced hismaster tracing and carefullyrecorded onto the drawingsurface the details of thedesign (e).

Applying colorsNick used finely groundpowders of chalk, pastel-sticks and colored pencils.He built up his designs withsoft, carefully fused values.He applied these on thedesign of the backgroundcarpet and constantlyreferred back to his originalsource references (f). Whenthis was complete hereplaced the mask, removedthe mask of the skeleton, andthen worked the details ofthe bones into the silhouette(g). Eventually, Nickremoved the mask for theparquet floor tiles andcolored them (h).

Shadow effectNick cut separate masks toreveal the shadow areas andreworked the shadows overthe initial drawing (i). Whenthe design was complete hebegan to rework all the areas,and particularly the edges ofthe masked surfaces usingwax crayons, pastels andcolored pencils to fuse theelements into one cohesivedesign. Finally he removedthe central area of the smallobject held by the skeletonand completed the copy ofthe Van Eyck figures (j).

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Pencils andwatercolorsMaurice Wilson worked for over fiftyyears producing delicate studies of realand imaginary creatures and plants. Hewas renowned for his ability to portraycreatures using very little referencematerial to aid the task, sometimesreconstructing long-dead creatures withonly a few surviving bones as a guide.He worked mainly with water solventinks, adding highlights in acrylic paints.After planning his pictures he usuallybegan painting the dark areas, buildingup the main elements in watercolor andadding lighter areas with opaquepigments. The study on the previous twopages of fairies in a magic wood is in theearly stages of painting. Unfortunatelywhile producing this picture Mauricesadly died, aged seventy three years.This is his last, and as it is incomplete,his most revealing work. His hugeknowledge of geological, geographical,botanical and anatomical detail made itpossible for him to get a high degree ofrealism working from memory.Nevertheless he would frequently returnto nature studies for some new aspect ofreality and to maintain a freshness ofvision. He believed that great care mustbe taken over truth to nature to endowthe fantasy image with a high degree ofrealism.

Maurice WilsonIllustration for a fairy tale, unpublished17 3/4" x 11 3/4" (45cm x 30cm)

Nature studyThe pencil study [left] is areduction of a sketch, byMaurice, produced from astudy of a tree in a wood.These observations reinforceknowledge and aid thedevelopment of accuratedetail.

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Preliminary sketchesThe composition is workedout several times ingeneralized sketches(above). This is how thelandscape evolved.Consequently, the finalpicture is an amalgamationof many of the ideas thathave become fused inMaurice's memory.

Adding detailOnce the composition isresolved Maurice developsthe tiniest details simply byimagining the surfaces he ispainting. The mischievousfox-like creature (right) is theresult of thousands ofstudies made of mammalsfrom nature andphotographs.

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Inks and watercolorsIan MillerOne of four paintings fora calendar, unpublished15"xl2"(38cm x30cm)

Ian Miller trained as a fine artist andslowly developed from an oil painter toone who uses inks and watercolorsextensively. Although his ideas havegreat freedom of expression, the detailwithin each picture is carefullyresolved. His images come almostentirely from memory - they are storeddetails of the observed world which hecan recall and build on. He seldom usesphotographic or technical source

1 Ian dampened a sheet ofhot press paper which has avery hard smooth surface.He then stuck it to a boardusing tape. It contracted as itdried, giving a firm, tightworking surface.

2 Using a brush Ian applied acoat of masking fluid to thelower section of thecomposition. This allowedfiner edge work than cut-outfilm or paper masks wouldhave.

references as he believes these caninhibit his exploration of the shapes andsurfaces of the drawing. Having workedin Hollywood on film animation, he hasdeveloped some of the habits ofanimation artists who work onnonabsorbent surfaces. His work oftenhas an element of the grotesque and theGothic, which creates a sense of uneasein the viewer.

3 Airbrush backgroundswere produced with Ian'smix of watercolor and watersolvent dyes. Their delicacyheld the stronger elements ofthe drawing.

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4 Ian applied a techniqueused in animation artworkand carefully dried thepicture at each stage. Heused an ordinary hairdryerto blow cold air onto thework.

5 Ian used a movable sheetwith a cut-out hole (rather asa surgeon uses sheets) forworking on each section. Hewore fingerless gloves whichavoid static and dustproblems as well as keepinggrease off the surface. Healso used the gloved handnot holding the brush as awiping surface for his brush.

6 When the individualsections were finished Ianremoved the masks and tiedtogether any discordantareas. Detail wasstrengthened with technicalink pens.

7 If you look closely at theleft hand tree you will seethat a fine mist has blownacross it. This final breath ofmystery was added when thedrawing was complete. Thefinal touches show the skillof a master craftsman.

©DIAGRAM109

Gouache colorsGiovanni CaselliIllustration for The evolution of Early Man,published by Eurobook Ltd, UK15 3/4 x 25 1/2" (40cm x 65cm)

Giovanni Caselli is an acclaimed masterof the creation of images of earliercivilisations. He produces pictures ofworlds for which we do not havecontemporary visual record in a formwhich meets present-day needs. Hispictures are based upon an imaginativeand sensitive understanding of thediscoveries of archeologists andhistorians. He brings the past alive forthe present-day reader of history. Hisimaginary pictures are the result ofextensive research and constantupdating of his archives of the smallestdetails of those past worlds. Hesuccessfully incorporates this reasearchinto pictorial situations based uponmodern landscapes which stand as aconvincing framework for hisreconstructions.

The painting (previous page)This illustration ofNeanderthal hunters is areconstruction of the life ofhomo sapiens 80,000 yearsago. It shows how they mayhave looked returning from asuccessful killing during thetime when Europe wasextensively covered with asemi-permanent layer of ice.

Contemporary sources ofinformationEarly man used art to depictcreatures and events centralto his existence. Theillustration (below left) is aNeanderthal man'srepresentation of woollymammoths. It was paintedon the wall of a cave, and isone of the few survivingrecords of life at that time

Present-day sourcesHills, birds, faces and figureshapes are all derived fromphotographic sources inmagazines such as theNational Geographic. Fromhis collection of over athousand color magazinesGiovanni can find referenceswhich act as a visual archiveof the smallest details in hislandscapes.The spear (right) is an objectfound in a grave of huntersof this period. There are novisual records of how theweapons really looked.Giovanni began hisreconstructions of thehunters by studyingarcheological finds of theperiod. The skull (below) hasa projecting but 'swept-back'face. Giovanni incorporatedthis information into anillustration of the head of apresent-day eskimo.

MaterialsNormally Giovanni works onbirch plywood panels whichhave been sized with acovering of gesso (similar toplaster of Paris). Thisprovides a very smoothsurface and a morepermanent base than canvas,paper or card.

SizeWorking for reproduction(pictures to be published),Giovanni painted hiscomposition half as largeagain as the reproduction size.This made the detail sharperand crisper duringreproduction.

©DIAGRAM

PlanningGiovanni produced a pencilsketch of the composition sothat he could build up all theelements required withinone grouping. He used a softlead pencil on tracing paper,and worked to the size of thefinal painting.Tracing downAfter working out all themajor details, and possiblyreserving particular areasindependently on separatesheets, he transferred thecomposition to the boardusing a hard pencil. This lefta fine groove in the surfacewhich does not appear inreproductions, but whichguided him during thepainting of the picture.ImplementingHe began by painting in thethree major areas.Foreground (a) in dark sepia,middle distance (b) inpurplish brown, and sky (c)in ochre. He then copied thedetails from photographs orhis own pencilreconstruction usinggouache.DevelopmentThis painting wasprogressed from dark basecolors to light areas, eachsuccessive layer of detailbeing produced by anincreasing thickness ofpigment. Large areas wereproduced with thin washesof lighter colors, highlightsand small dark details withthick gouache. The work wasmostly produced with avariety of brushes, but areassuch as the freezing breath[detail left) and the sunsetwere achieved using a finefoam sponge.

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Gouache colors and pencilsRobert ChapmanIllustration for a science journal,unpublished16 1/2" x 8 1/2" (42cm x 22cm)

Robert Chapman's technique is to workin water solvent colors, building up thedetails of his compositions from manyreferences and sources. His extensiveknowledge of astronomy ensures thatthe final paintings are true descriptions

of up-to-date planetary features. Hismain skill is in using an airbrush todescribe different surface qualities. Henormally works in a larger format thanthe final, printed illustration.

1 Robert first worked out thebasic composition on tracingpaper, basing the elementsupon references collectedover many years. He thensketched in the framework ofthe composition in softpencil onto artist'swatercolor board.

2 The foreground and planetJupiter were masked outand the sky sprayed a darkblue. When dry, an unevenapplication of soft patches ofblack was sprayed onto theblue to create an illusion ofdepth.

3 Robert then 'splattersprayed' white dots onto thesky, which was finallylightly fixed with a sprayingof gum to prevent damageduring later work.

4 The mask over Jupiter wasremoved and the sky wasmasked out. Bright, lightbands of color werehandpainted onto theplanet's surface and thenoverpainted with darkerdetails. These bands werefused with patches ofspraying to blend the tonestogether. The surfacegranulation was achieved byadding pencil over drypaintwork.

5 The mask over Callisto wasremoved and the major darkareas painted in, followed bylighter areas. All thepaintwork was kept thick onthe moon's surface tosimulate a rough texture.

6 The mask on the sky wasremoved and the side viewof Jupiter's bands painted inwith brush rule technique.Finally, any tinyirregularities between eachmasking were removed, andthe tiny space probe,Voyager III, added.

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Splatter work (right)Uneven splatter dots can beachieved by removing thenozzle of the airbrush andshooting bursts of paint atthe surface. Great care mustbe taken to avoid accidentalheavy clustering of splatter.Practise on spare paperbefore applying thetechnique to your work.

Mixed media work (right)When the paintwork is dry,very subtle changes incolor and texture can beachieved by rubbing over thesurface with the side of apencil, chalk, or crayon.This technique must beapplied near completion,because you cannotsatisfactorily paint back overthe pencil work.

Brush rule work (right)When adding very accurateline work, you can use a finesharp brush and, with verylittle paint, add brush lineswhich are very straight. Holdthe ruler's edge up from thesurface, and run the brush'smetal collar along the rule.Practise this techniquebefore applying it to yourpainting.

Dry brush work (right)Coarse textures can beachieved if you apply thickpaint with an old brush.Because the paint is dabbedonto the surface, or draggedonto it, do not use new orgood quality brushes. Takecare not to apply too muchpaint as this can peel off ifhandled roughly or canbuild up, creating artificialshadows which appearwhen your painting isphotographed forreproduction. ©DIAGRAM

Acrylic colorsJim BurnsBook jacket design for Majipoor Chronicles,published by Victor Gollancz Ltd, UK27 1/2'' x 19 1/4'' (70cm x 49cm)

Jim Burns is a renowned artist whoworks for publishers and moviedirectors in the science fiction genre. Helectures at conferences on the role of thevisual artist in creating new images tomatch the advancing ideas. His imagesare impressive because they have a highquality of reality, and depict a futuristic

world of vehicles, people, buildings,monsters and landscapes. Using acrylicpaints applied with both brush andairbrush, almost all of his inspirationsprings from his ability to seeopportunities for creating futuristicworlds from contemporary sources suchas glossy magazines.

Book jacket designJim has produced manycovers for science fictionbooks and he always insistson being allowed time toread the book and interpretits subject. Authors whohave seen his workspecifically ask for hisimaginative interpretations.The cover (left) is for acollection of stories aboutthe fantastical world ofMajipoor. Jim has caughtbrilliantly the isolation feltby the girl as she enters thealien city. The compositionis particularly striking inthat it draws the reader intothe subject by the acuteperspective and thedominant foregroundelements. Notice howcarefully Jim has subduedthe colors behind the text sothat the typography does notconflict with the tonalvalues of the image.

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Painting techniqueThe painting of the MajipoorChronicles cover wasproduced on fiberboardwhich had been primed withacrylic gesso to produce astrong, smooth base. Thelarge, even areas of color areairbrushed layers of thinacrylic paint. The luminouscolors are produced bycombining layers of acrylicpaint with glazes.

SourcesJim has an enormouscollection of photographscut out from glossymagazines. He finds thatItalian fashion magazinesand sports-car magazines area good source forsophisticated images. Thereflective polished surfaceswhich characterize his workecho the polished style ofmodern magazinephotography.

Other applicationsJim has been asked to applyhis creative ideas to theworld of movies and even topresent-day vehicle design.He worked in Hollywood onthe movie Bladerunnerwhere his enthusiasm forfuturistic vehicles wasincorporated in the moviesets. The sketch (below)shows one of his many ideasfor vehicles in the movie. InEurope he has also producedideas for new electrically-powered vehicle design inwhich traditional bodyshapes have beencompletely rethought.

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Acrylic and oil colorsAlan CraddockBook jacket design forPlanet of the Damned,published by Futura, UK21 1/2" x 27 1/2" (55cm x 70cm)

Alan Craddock is one of a newgeneration of artists who havedeveloped their skills to suit the needsof publishers of science fiction and therising popularity of a 'comic culture.'From childhood he collected small-format comics and advertisements forbodybuilding aids. He is a self-trained

artist, but was inspired and givenconfidence by his high school artteacher. All his technical skills havebeen developed by a process ofexperimentation and his efforts atmastering his craft. His images aresimple in composition, forceful, directand memorable.

Folk heroes (right)Alan's enormous knowledgeof popular American comicculture means that he canuse hero figures as a basis forhis ideas. Flash Gordon,Buck Rogers, Superman,Spiderman, The IncredibleHulk, Doctor Death, TheSpook, Conan the Barbarian,Deathlock and a gallery ofother square-jawed,bodybuilding giants strutthrough his pictures. Theyremind the science fictionreaders of their own comicstrip heroes.

Figure constructionAlan frequently starts with afigure from a comic. In thepainting (opposite) hecopied the pose of his hero,The Spook (left). This negrozombie has a muscularphysique and a dark, shinyskin texture. Alan addedfuturistic weaponry and alifeless female form.

ColorAlan developed his owncolor system using oils andacrylic paints to produceradiant lighting andluminous images. Hesprayed a glaze over eachsection of the work, buildingup thin layers of translucentcolor over earlier brushworkor spray-work.

Composition (above)The painting was composedin order to enable thepublisher to print the titleand other details on thecover. Artists are oftenrequired to produce work insuch a way that the elementsof the picture are positionedto suit the requirements ofthe publisher.

The mediumAlan worked on strongsmooth artist's board andbuilt up all the detail inpencil directly onto thesurface of the board. He thensprayed on (without usingmasks) thin layers of acrylicpaints. He completed thepainting using artist's oil

colors applied thinly. One ofhis most successfultechniques is to gentlyremove the surface of thepainting using a hard pencileraser. Carefully handled,this technique createshighlights and reveals colorsapplied previously.

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Oil colorsGeorge SharpIllustration from The High Kings,published by Ballantine, USA23V2" x 17%" (60cm x 45cm)

George Sharp's technique is to combinevery detailed photographic referenceswith his highly accomplished skills infigure and animal drawing. He normallyworks in oils, initially applied in thinlayers, which build up the detail to

produce an effect of glowing inner light.The surface is a very finely texturedcanvas, which George stretches andprimes himself to produce a verysmoothly surfaced finish and a card-likeabsorbency.

Choosing the compositionThe idea for the scene was animage which developed inhis mind. The story seemedto spark off the picture of adark sea cave, occupied by abasking, fat, contenteddragon.1 The first stage was to obtainphotographs of caves, andGeorge was lucky to have afriend who took photographsof the spectacular volcanicsea caves on the CanaryIslands.2 To select a suitable view,George first transferred thefloor planes of the cave ontotracing paper.3 He then composed, in greatdetail, a pencil study of a fatdragon. Great care was takenat this stage to resolve theconstruction and features ofthe invented dragon, asworking out details on thecanvas destroys the purity ofthe final work. Remember, aproblem left until thepainting stage is a problemwith increased dangers ofspoiling the cleanliness ofthe final result.

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Establishing the images4 George uses a photographicprojector to transfer hisstudies onto canvas [left).This method enables him topaint the tonal areas directlyonto the surface without thepresence of outlines andconstruction marks. You canuse a home transparencyprojector and transfer yourpictures onto the wall againstwhich you have placed yourwork surface.5 George begins with the darkareas of the cave to establishthe composition. He thenprojects his drawing of thedragon into the central area.Using this method enablesyou to combine any numberof elements very accurately,but care must be taken toimagine a common source oflighting to avoid the imagesappearing out of context.

Building up the detailThe dark areas were slowlybuilt up to form the majorstructures of the composition(a), and, within thesestructures, textures wereestablished by dabbing thewet surface with pieces ofkitchen roll (b) (detail right,actual size). This techniqueis excellent for naturalsurfaces, but requires greatcare as you are unable torepeat or revise the results ifthey are unsatisfactory.During the painting, thehighlights (c) are workedback into the picture by usingthicker, opaque colors.

Constructing the dragonDetail on the dragon wasachieved with a very finebrush, and care was taken tosmooth the dark drawinglines into each form. Theanatomy is a mixture ofcrocodile (for the head),birds' claws (for the feet),amphibian (for the smoothunderbelly) and the pose isone of lazy, relaxedenjoyment.

©DIAGRAM129

Mastering techniquesThe work of artists discussed in thissection has shown that the techniquesused have a great influence over thequalities of the work. You can onlyexpress yourself well if you areconfident in your method. The picturesin this book are only reproductions andas such can do little to inform you of thesurface quality of the works examined.Size and color are equally important and

these are difficult to convey in a book.Without reading the text you might nothave realised that the frozen breath onthe figures in Giovanni's painting (page110) was added with a sponge, that therock surface in George's painting (page126) was produced by removing thepaint with a paper tissue, and that Nick'spainting (page 98) is really a pencil andcrayon drawing.

1 Pen and inkThis detail shows thescratchy quality of a penused with confidence andspeed. The original wasobviously drawn muchsmaller. This technique isseldom used now byillustrators.

2 Brush and inkBrushes create lines ofvarying thicknesses withease. They are commonlyused among comic bookillustrators who will oftenplan in soft pencil and goover the plan with ink and afinely-pointed brush.

3 Chalks, brush and inkIn this example chalks havebeen highlighted with atouch of white paint. This isnow rarely used.

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6 Flat area workThis is a copy of a Mexicanstamp design. This type ofdrawing is produced using afine pencil to plan thedesign, then the large areasare filled-in using apaintbrush.

4 Technical pen and brushThis is an actual size copy ofa movie still. The large darkareas are produced using inkand brush. The gradationsare added in the form of dotsmade with a technical pen.

5 Splatter techniqueHere the dramatic effect isachieved using a tooth brushto spray the ink on (see page136). Practise this methodbeforehand and use it withcaution.

7 Reproduction methodsThis example is a woodengraving, a copy of a studyby the 19th century artistGustave Dore. The engraversemployed great skill toreproduce the textural andtonal qualities of the originalwatercolor.

©DIAGRAM

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Dry medium techniquesPencils, chalks and crayons are tools ofconvenience. Pencils are ideal forthinking out your ideas and planning asthe lines can be covered over easilywith paint. Chalks and crayons are veryuseful for building up tones. Pencils areavailable in a wide range of leadstrengths - the hardest produce thefinest and lightest marks, the softest thedarkest and roughest marks. They cantherefore be used to record a very wide

range of tonal values which canrepresent the qualities of later, moreresolved work. Dry medium tools need asuitable texture for their use - such ascartridge paper — but even so, finishedwork must be sprayed with fixativesolution to prevent smudging.Unfortunately, one drawback of thismedium is that the subtle qualities of thelines and tones produced makereproduction of the image difficult.

Thinking it outThe pencil drawing (left) isone of many produced by thearchitect Sant 'Elia who useda pencil to sketch his ideasof futuristic cities. Pencilsare ideal for quickly workingout your ideas, revealingyour first thoughts, andreworking the originalimage.

Tonal studiesThe two pencil studies(above right and right) are byLee aged 18 years. Bothdrawings, which he intendsto use as reference material,show the ability of the artistto use the pencil to obtain awide range of tones from thesoft lead of a single pencil.

PlanningHaving worked out yourideas you can use pencils toconstruct the compositionand also produceindependent studies ofindividual sections of thedesign. The illustration(right) is a preliminarysketch for a science fictioncomposition.

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Wet medium techniquesFantasy artists usually use wet mediumtools to produce drawings intended forreproduction as they make clear, strongmarks. Since these marks are difficultto erase the artist normally preplans hisdesign in light pencil or chalk. Workingwith a wet medium requires you to usestronger papers than with pencils orchalks, as the moisture can cause thesurface to buckle. There are two types oftool, those containing their own ink;technical pens, ball point pens, felt tippens, and those you dip into ink such asbrushes and dip-in pens.

Dip-in pensThese are very useful to givea drawing energy and life asa good strong pen nibproduces lines which revealthe pressure and speed of thehand. The drawing (right) byHeinrich Kley beautifullycaptures the imaginaryblack-feathered crow man.

Technical pensArchitects, engineers anddesigners use pens whichproduce a regular thicknessof line. These are best usedon plastic sheets or hard,smooth card as the fine pointcan easily snag on thesurface of rough papers.Each pen produces aconstant line thickness so avariety of pens must be usedto achieve a drawing withvarying thickness lines likethe example (right). Thisdrawing uses rules andtemplates to guide the penduring drawing.

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BrushesDrawing with a brush offersthe opportunity ofproducing lines which canthicken and narrowdepending on the pressure ofthe hand or the amount ofink on the brush. Brushes areable to produce efficientlyboth fine lines, such as thewhiskers on the drawing(right) or large solid areassuch as the victim's garment.

Felt tipped pensThere are many varieties offelt tipped pen, varying inthickness and color. Thesenormally use kerosene as anink base so marks cannoteasily be refined. They arealso very easily used up asthe contents dry out aftersome use and the pen mustbe discarded. The drawing(right) uses fine pens for thedetail and broad pens for thelarger areas.

Ball-point pensThese are very rarely usedfor final designs but veryuseful as a means of quicklyjotting down ideas. Thedoodles (below) by Mike,aged 14, show how quickand easy drawing with aball-point pen can be.

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AirbrushUsing an airbrush requires a differenttype of skill from that used with brushesor pencils. The paint is finely sprayedonto the surface and can achieve eithervery smooth even areas or finegradations — both of which are difficultto achieve with other tools. Thetechnique has been greatly exploited byartists depicting science fiction subjects.It is often difficult to detect the working

methods of good airbrush artists. Theyusually work from simple dark areas tointricate light ones. Graduating betweensuch areas is a very skilled job. Whileworking the artists protect sections ofthe painting with paper masks so thatonly the areas they are directly workingon are exposed. In the hands of mastersvery fine detail is achieved, oftenreinforced with careful brushwork.

Progressing a paintingRobert Chapman began thepainting {far right) byproducing a careful pencilsketch of the idea. Heworked with a hard pencilon tracing paper usingtemplates to constructaccurately the ovals of themajor parts of the design.1 He then transferred-downonto finely-grained cartridgeboard the major elements of

the design, subsequentlycovering the board with afilm of clear maskingmaterial.2 He then removed the outerareas having first cut a verycareful line around thecentral object using anextremely sharp scalpel.This aspect of working withan airbrush requires a greatdeal of skill to avoid cuttingtoo deeply into the surface of

Toothbrush techniqueCoarse gradations andtextures similar to spraywork can be achieved usingan old toothbrush and asmall stick rubbed across theinked bristles. Beforeapplying paint or ink, maskareas you don't want itapplied to.

the board.3 The dark background areaswere sprayed.4 Next, he removed thecentral mask and cut a newmask to protect thebackground areas whileworking on the centraldesign.5 Bob cut a series of maskswithin the central area toenable him to spray different

areas with a variety ofgradations of color.6 When all the surface of theboard had been painted, Bobbegan 'drawing-in' the detailwith a fine brush. He madesure that there were no whiteareas left where the edges ofthe masks had been. Hefinished off by applyingcarefully placed, small areasof bright spraywork.

Science fiction worldsThis is an airbrushedpainting by Robert Chapman[see page 124).The artist must hold clearlyin mind the tonal values ofthe areas obscured under themask to avoid producingresults which flatten the

image. Using the airbrushrequires a steady hand andsmooth movement. One ofthe most impressivequalities of airbrush artists istheir ability to add verysmall gradated values suchas shining lights or softlydarkened forms.

Adding textures and tonesThere are two ways of adding tone ortexture to a drawing. If the drawing is tobe reproduced, you can either instructthe printer to add mechanical tone oradd the tone yourself and experimentwith tonal values. You can do this usingself-adhesive or rub-down sheets ofmechanically produced tone. Storesheets carefully, keeping them flat andfree from dust.

Selecting a textureA large range of tones andtextures, both regular andirregular, are available, butthey tend to be costly. Onlybuy the ones which youknow you want to use, andstore unused piecescarefully. A few examples ofthe available range areshown (below).A Rub-downВ Self-adhesive film

Applying rub-down tone(below)1 Complete a line drawing.2 Lay the sheet of tone overyour drawing and rub downusing a blunt tool (aburnisher is ideal). Lift thesheet up occasionally tocheck the effect.3 Move the unused tone toanother area and applyagain. You can build up thetexture by laying one patternover another.

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Applying self-adhesive film(below)Using this method you willhave strong, blackcontaining lines with avariety of textures. Avoidusing tones of either typeover large areas.1 Complete your linedrawing.2 Lay part of the texturesheet (with the backing sheet

still attached) over yourwork. Using a scalpel, cutout roughly, but notwastefully, the arearequired. Remove thebacking sheet and theunused pieces of tone withcare. Put the shaped area oftone over your work and rubdown in the centre only tokeep the piece in place.3 Carefully cut around the

area you want tone on.4 Lay a piece of spare paperon the area and burnish allover using a smooth blunttool.5 Make sure there is no dirton the drawing beforeadding any further tones.6 Repeat this process addingother tones.

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Combining mediaDrawings can accommodate a widevariety of unusual textures. Explore thepossibilities. Often the use of severaltechniques leads to exciting discoverieswhich can be used in later drawings.Textures should not be employed fortheir own sake - they should be an

integral part of the drawing. Try not touse methods which damage the surfaceof the picture. All the examples on thesepages are of primitive, coarse textureswhich, when applied correctly, can giveyour drawings life and vitality.

StippleRegular textures can bemade using a large, blunt-ended brush and stipplingthe tones (left). Protect theother areas with a mask, anddo not use thin ink or paint,as this can cause blotches.Always test the effect of afreshly loaded brush on apiece of scrap paper beforeapplying.

FrottageA pattern can be added byplacing your drawing over acoarse-grained surface (suchas a piece of wood) andrubbing over the drawingwith a soft pencil [left].Make sure the drawing doesnot move during the process.Only pastel, crayon andpencil are suitable tools forthis method.

SmudgingA very common technique,but take care to avoid amessy result. The end ofyour finger (left), softmaterial, or a putty rubbercan be used to spread thetone. Spray fixative over thefinished drawing to preventaccidental smudging.

Resistant materials (below)You can create interestingeffects using wax withwater-based tone.A Cover part of your picturewith wax, either by rubbinga candle or wax crayon overit, or use liquid wax appliedwith a brush.В Add a wash of tone. Thiswill shrink back from thewaxed areas and expose theearlier drawing.

Scratch back (above)Exciting effects can beobtained by carefullyscratching over your inkdrawing with a sharp bladeor scalpel. Scratch with theedge of a blade only to avoiddamage to the surface.Remove only a very thinlayer, and remember thatsubsequent redrawing maybe difficult.

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АAccidents, deliberate, 94-95Achelous and Hercules, 10Acrylic colors, 118-121Acrylic and oil colors, 122-125African art, 28-29Airbrush, 136-137Alice, 44, 48, 88American Indian art, 10, 28-29,

41,49Animal spirits, 41Animals as people, 88-89Australian Aborigine face

painting, 28Aztec art, 49

ВBellamy, Frank, 60Bilibin, Ivan, 12, 65Blake, William, 16, 30-31Bosch, Hieronymus, 54-56Brueghel, Peter the Elder, 30-31,

71Brushes, 134-135Burns, Jim, 118-121Busch, Wilhelm, 60

сCarroll, Lewis, 48, 88Caselli, Giovanni, 110-113Centaur, 86Central American Indian art,

28-29Change, using, 76-77Chapman, Robert, 114-117,

136-137

Children's literature, 88-89Chinese carving, 28Chinese dragon, 49Christian belief and

symbolism, 56-57Combining images, 74-75Combining media, 140-141Comics, 60-61Cozens, Alexander, 94-95Craddock, Alan, 122-125Cudworth, Nick, 98-101Cultures, other, 28-29

Dda Vinci, Leonardo, 14D'Agoty, Gauthier, 100-101Dali, Salvador, 62-64Dan Dare, 60Deceptions, double, 78-79Demonic creatures, 53Dickens, Charles, 11Distorting your pictures, 80-83Dore, Gustave, 31, 73,131Double deceptions, 78-79Dragons, 49 (see also St George)Dreams, fantasy of, 42-45Dry medium techniques, 132-133Durer, Albrecht, 40

ЕEgyptian god, 86Egyptian statue, 28-29Ensor, James, 32-33Evangelists, the four, 57Everyday objects, 16-17Evil Dead, 61

142

Faith, fantasy of, 54-57Fantasy, 10-11,32-65

of dreams, 42-45of faith, 54-57of legends, 46-49of nature, 38-41of the ordinary, 34-37of popular culture, 58-61of self-indulgence, 62-65of superstitions, 50-53

Frankenstein, 61Fuseli, Henry, 42-44

Inspiration bank, 16-17Irrationalities, 68

J

Jekyll and Hyde, 76-77Juxtapositions, 37

КKaleidoscope effect, 94Khnopff, Fernand, 64King Kong, 61Kley, Heinrich, 134Koerner, Henry, 8-9

GGouache colors, 110-113Gouache colors and pencils,

114-117Goya, Francisco de, 11Granville, 89Greek fertility goddess, 28-29Greek helmet, 74Greek myth, 10Greek theater mask, 28-29Grunewald, Matthias, 38-40Gulliver's Travels, 61

HHarpy, 86Harrison, Harry, 122-125Hercules and Achelous, 10Hokusai, Katsushika, 31Horror sources, 36Hugo, Victor, 94-95Human monsters, 86-87

IIdeas,

developing, 66-95generating, 8-31

Impossibilities, 68-69Improbabilities, 68Incongruities, 68-69, 70-71Incubus, 45Indian (Hindu) art, 66-67

(see also American Indian Art)Inks and watercolors, 106-109

LLegends, fantasy of, 46-49Little Nemo, 44, 60

MMcCay, Winsor, 44, 60Machines as people, 90-91Magritte, 34-36Majipoor Chronicles, 120-121Malayan puppets, 32, 89Manufactured objects, 18-19Mastering techniques, 130-131Matrix distortion, 82-83Max and Moritz, 60Media, combining, 140-141Medieval mystery play mask,

28-29Medusa, 86Melies, George, 61Mermaids, 87Microscopic objects, 21Miller, Ian, 106-109Models, 26-27Montage, 73, 74-75Montage distortion, 82-83Munch, Edvard, 37Munchhausen, Baron Von, 73Mythology, 86-87

NNature,

fantasy of, 38-41studying, 14-15

143

index

Newton, Isaac, 8Normality, heightened, 37

ОOil and acrylic colors, 122-125Oil colors, 126-129Ordinary, fantasy of the, 34-37

рPast masters, 30-31Patent Office designs, 21Pencils and chalks, 98-101Pencils and gouache colors, 114-117Pencils and watercolors, 102-105Pens, 134-135Peter Pan, 44Photographic sources, 13, 22-25Plant spirits, 41Plants, 14Popular culture, fantasy of, 58-61Puss in Boots, 61

RReality, using, 16-17Rops, Felicien, 37

sSt Anthony, temptation of,

by Bosch, 54-56by Dali, 62-64by Durer, 40by Grunewald, 38-40

St George and the Dragon, 46-48Salem witches, 53Sant 'Elia, 132Satire, 89Satyr, 86Self-indulgence, fantasy of, 62-65Seven deadly sins, 57Sharp, George, 126-129Shelley, Mary, 44, 61Size, using, 72-73Sources (of images), 12-13, 32-65

everyday objects, 16-17inspiration bank, 16-17manufactured objects, 18-19microscopic objects, 21

models, 26-27nature, 14-15, 20-21other cultures, 28-29Patent Office designs, 21photographic, 13, 22-25plants, 14technical, 12unseen world, 20-21

Sources of fantasy, 32-65heightened normality, 37horror, 36juxtapositions, 37

Sphinx, 86Stevenson, R L, 76-77Superimposing pictures, 84-85Superstitions, fantasy of, 50-53Surprise, 68-69

тTechnical sources, 12Techniques,

dry medium, 132-133mastering, 130-131wet medium, 134-135

Techniques and tips, 96-141Tenniel, John, 48Textures, 138-139Thurber, James, 68Tones, 138-139

UUccello, Paolo, 46-48Unseen world, 20-21

VVan Eyck, Jan, 100Viewpoint, 92-93Viking battle-axe, 49

W 'Watercolors and inks, 106-109Watercolors and pencils, 102-105Weird Tales, 58-60Wet medium techniques, 134-135Wiertz, Antoine, 50-52Wilson, Maurice, 102-105Witches, 83

144

TECHNIQUES OF FANTASY ART contains interviews with aselection of internationally famous fantasy artists. Each artist

describes in a step-by-step manner the stages in the creation ofone of their major works. The examples, reproduced in fullcolour, have been selected to illustrate the variety of mediatechniques - coloured pencils, watercolours, coloured inks,

gouache and oil paints, and mixed media. Each artist reveals thesecrets of their working techniques so that you can understand the

graphic qualities of the picture.

TECHNIQUES OF FANTASY ART is a practical and totally realisticway of creating imaginary images. The book provokes ideas,

advises the best methods for capturing and developing your ideas,and, most importantly, explains how to translate your ideas into

either a drawing or a painting with a higher degreeof competence.

TECHNIQUES OF FANTASY ART will help you improve your owndrawing abilities, understand the techniques and skills of other

artists' work, and introduce you to a world that has nolimits to its imaginary forms.