I have previously reviewed one of Stephanie Pui-Mun Law’s books, Dreamscapes Magical Menagerie. It’s all about legendary creatures and characters rather than fantasy creatures and animals this time around, and that means more human-like subjects. Some are based around astrological themes such as the Sun and Moon, some around folk-lore such as tree-spirits, tricksters and witches. The legendary creatures featured in this book include the unicorn, the phoenix and the dragon.
The subjects themselves are all delightful creations. Based on existing traditional ideas for legendary creatures, I love how Stephanie bulks out the pages with insights into certain aspects of a paintings subject. One example is how she explains that fire is a juxtaposition of life and death – it’s warmth is inviting, but get too close and feel it’s burn – and how a Phoenix embodies them both. I also love how she so thoroughly explores the origins of her subjects. This does not only show in the paragraphs preceding a painting – it shows in the paintings themselves, with layers of subtle detail, numerous elements of traditional symbolism, and believable settings.
There are a fair amount of tips and tutorials in this book, and they are not all strictly related to watercolours. This was a feature I loved in the other book I reviewed, and I adore it in this one too. There are pages and pages devoted to all manner of seemingly random elements, such as feathers and wings, rendering patterns on clothing, developing spirits from photographs of trees, painting water, drawing horns and fur, even colour management and palette selection – and they are all packed full of tips to help your art stand out.
All in all, this book is very useful, even if you are a “digital guy” like me. The watercolour tips broadly apply to modern paint programs such as ArtRage, whereas the design and colour advice is universal no matter what your chosen art material is. Having left it on the coffee table the other day, I have discovered that it has a dual-function – non-creative types are intrigued by the pastel colours and Stephanie’s incredible interpretations.
