Get Rolling on Your Most Inventive Artwork Ever

What lurks in the shadows of your imagination? This book takes you deep into the dusty corners and dark recesses where your most original ideas lie in wait, showing you how to lure them out into daylight, and shape them into fantastic yet believable concept art.

Experimentation is the cornerstone of "Fantasy Genesis." A series of dice rolls and corresponding word lists present you with an infinite variety of jumping-off points and visual problems to solve. The challenge (and the fun) is to meld seemingly unrelated and everyday elements such as a caterpillar, seashells, fire or a hammer into exceptionally curious, grotesque, oddly beautiful and totally unexpected creations.

• 40+ step-by-step mini-demonstrations illustrate basic techniques for drawing a wide range of fantasy elements and forms
• 3 game variations (complete with game sheets) lead you to create fiercely imaginative objects, creatures and humanoids
• 3 full-length demonstrations show how to play the game from your first rolls of the die to finished concept drawings

Conjure creatures and characters from your imagination! To generate fantasy characters and inhabitants that populate an imaginary world, sometimes you need a little creative fuel...and a 20-sided die. Fantasy Genesis Characters is a choose-your-own-adventure game where a roll of the dice decides what type of creature you create. Each chapter expands on mimicking the observable world to engineer original populations by mashing up unrelated quirks and concepts--think "vegetarian zombie," "Byzantine goth" or "gangster sheep." Roll the dice to combine traits from word lists. Mix random emotions, behaviors, costumes, cultures and anthropomorphic attributes to create infinite and unexpected characters. Short lessons supply the building blocks to develop character components--expressions, gestures, posture, etc.--while mini demos, creative challenges and RPG-like activities help you bring them to life. 30+ challenges and demonstrations illustrate how to conceptualize and create fully developed fantasy characters Use free-association word games to jump-start your brain into forming original ideas, crazy-cool mash-ups and visual solutions Includes a crash course in anatomy, plus tips for drawing from life and reference photos Learn to sketch facial expressions and modify classic archetypes