Like any other type of painting, fantasy art starts with the same basics such as what to buy, and how to use it.  This book contains this information, as well as how to achieve the right sort of look to your work: for example, painting an underwater environment, creating castles in the air or getting the scale right for a miniature world.  The chapters talk you through the process, from getting started, where you go shopping with the write list, and then getting to put your purchases through their paces.  I particularly liked the attention to detail, such as the palette you need for each season, the right colors for painting weather, transferring with a grid and mixing leaf greens.   Picture making involves just what it says, from getting inspired to keeping a sketchbook, composition and even some simple rules of perspective.  There are some useful ready-to-draw files showing different items or beings you might find in Fairyland, from insects to furniture.  Again, it is the small details that impressed me the most, such as how to change a simple drawing of a lizard into a dragon, or getting the right veining on your leaves.  Later on there are galleries and staged projects to work through, and by the end of the book I felt I knew more than I thought I would need to know, which is surely the sign of a good, practical book.   If you want to have a go at this type of artwork then I honestly haven’t seen a better book than this.

If you cannot find art materials locally try SearchPress.com for a list of suppliers.