Books Reviews

How to Draw and Paint Vampires – Book Review

By Angela Youngman Jun 6, 2011, 16:42 GMT

The huge popularity of vampires as subjects of novels, graphic novels, films, and other entertainment media has created a steady demand for convincing illustrations of vampires in gothic settings. This book shows both beginners and experienced commercial artists how to compose impressive, spine-chilling, professionally-finished vampire illustrations that also include renditions of the vampires\' victims and companions. Author Ian Daniels offers inspiration by presenting spooky gothic illustrations in a wide range ...more

From Dracula to Buffy and Twilight - vampires are definitely popular.  Dark, gothic style novels are much in demand as are pictures in this genre. 

But how do you create your own vampire pictures?  Just simply adding blood dripping from a mouth is not enough.  The clothes, the setting, the fangs, and that indefinable mystical, other worldly impression are essential.  What Ian Daniels does in this book is show these can be achieved. 

It guides through the various stages necessary, from inspiration and developing ideas to actually completing a Gothic style painting.  The design directory of different types of vampires is really useful, together with full instructions on methods used to conceive and create haunting and mysterious environments. 

For example, he recommends creating fogs by adding a pale hue to the horizon, a graduated tint which becomes slowly becomes more opaque as it actually hits the horizon.

A luminous haze to the sky around the moon gives a mysterious, other worldly mood.  A really good, well thought out book.