3dtotal Publishing

Character Design Quarterly (CDQ) is a lively, creative magazine bringing inspiration, expert insights, and leading techniques from professional illustrators, artists, and character art enthusiasts worldwide.

Each issue provides detailed tutorials on creating diverse characters, enabling you to explore the processes and decision making that go into creating amazing characters. Learn new ways to develop your own ideas, and discover from the artists what it is like to work for prolific animation studios such as Disney, Warner Bros., and DreamWorks.

The cover for issue 36 has been created by Nada aka Nadaskii, a Middle Eastern artist who takes inspiration from music, film, and the sea. Her surreal, peaceful art style has gained her a loyal following online and she has 132K followers on Instagram.

Character Design Quarterly (CDQ) is a lively, creative magazine bringing inspiration, expert insights, and leading techniques from professional illustrators, artists, and character art enthusiasts worldwide. 

Each issue provides detailed tutorials on creating diverse characters, enabling you to explore the processes and decision making that go into creating amazing characters. Learn new ways to develop your own ideas, and discover from the artists what it is like to work for prolific animation studios such as Disney, Warner Bros., and DreamWorks. 

The cover for issue 35 is by Maxine Vee (313K Instagram followers), a freelance illustrator based in Canada. Her cosy, fantasy-inspired characters and environments have led to work with Walt Disney Studios, Penguin Random House, Bloomsbury, and many more. She takes readers step by step through the creation of her stunning cover art, then answers our questions on her career journey and current creative projects.

Another great feature in this issue is an in-depth look at using Risograph to create characters. Natalie Andrewson, an American freelance illustrator and author (based in Los Angeles) speaks to us about how she came to work in this unique medium and creates a brand-new character, walking us through her process. Her work has featured in graphic novels, animation, gallery shows, and more. She has 193K followers on Instagram.

Each issue provides detailed tutorials on creating diverse characters, enabling you to explore the processes and decision making that go into creating amazing characters. Learn new ways to develop your own ideas, and discover from the artists what it is like to work for prolific animation studios such as Disney, Warner Bros., and DreamWorks. 

The cover for issue 34 is by Simone Ferriero (aka Simz), a freelance comic-book artist and illustrator from Italy who has a huge 431K followers on Instagram. Simz is known for his drawings of ghost cats and modern-day witches, with a style inspired by Japanese cartoons and comics. He takes us through the creation of his cover, then we interview him about his career and his current creative plans. 

Also featured in this issue is Tom Booth (335K followers on Instagram) an art director, illustrator, and author, based in Brooklyn, New York. He has created characters for Simon & Schuster, Netflix, Random House, and is known for his extensive work in children's literature. He talks to us about creating the video game Pine, for which he served as the artistic and narrative lead.

Unleash your child’s creative side with this super-cool drawing activity book. 

Inside you’ll find over 100 pages of step-by-step drawing lessons, perfect for ages 4 years and up, each one featuring a very cool thing. New lines are added at each step, so a child can gradually build up an impressive sketch, and all the drawing is done on separate paper, meaning the book can be kept for years to come. Featuring awesome illustrations and invaluable tips from professional artist Erin Hunting, this book is the perfect starting point for a child’s journey into art.

The child will learn to add up simple shapes and lines to create something recognizable and most importantly, super cool. Children's love for art will be sparked and their confidence boosted as they realise they can make marks on a page that mean something, and start to imagine their own cool creations. The only tools they will need are pens or pencils, paper, and this book.

Unleash your child’s creative side with this super-cool drawing activity book. 

Inside you’ll find over 100 pages of step-by-step drawing lessons, perfect for ages 4 years and up, each one featuring something amazing from nature. New lines are added at each step, so a child can gradually build up an impressive sketch, and all the drawing is done on separate paper, meaning the book can be kept for years to come. Featuring awesome illustrations and invaluable tips from professional artist Erin Hunting, this book is the perfect starting point for a child’s journey into art.

The child will learn to add up simple shapes and lines to create something recognizable and most importantly, super cool. Children's love for art will be sparked and their confidence boosted as they realise they can make marks on a page that mean something, and start to imagine their own cool creations. The only tools they will need are pens or pencils, paper, and this book.

Unleash your child’s creative side with this super-cool drawing activity book. 

Inside you’ll find over 100 pages of step-by-step drawing lessons, perfect for ages 4 years and up, each one featuring a fun character. New lines are added at each step, so a child can gradually build up an impressive sketch, and all the drawing is done on separate paper, meaning the book can be kept for years to come. Featuring awesome illustrations and invaluable tips from professional artist Erin Hunting, this book is the perfect starting point for a child’s journey into art.

The child will learn to add up simple shapes and lines to create something recognizable and most importantly, super cool. Children's love for art will be sparked and their confidence boosted as they realise they can make marks on a page that mean something, and start to imagine their own cool creations. The only tools they will need are pens or pencils, paper, and this book.

In this follow-up to the acclaimed Anatomy for Artists: Drawing Form & Pose (over 30,000 copies sold to date), figure-drawing maestro Tom Fox takes a deep dive into the subjects of clothing and drapery. 

Using his unique approach of simplified mannequins and dynamic figure sketches, Tom shares his process for improving your figures holistically, understanding fabric physics, and capturing the fold, stretch, and crumple of believable clothing.

With over 300 pages packed with Tom’s engaging drawings and accessible instruction, Drawing Clothed Characters is a perfect companion to Drawing Form & Pose, as well as an invaluable standalone resource in its own right.

Available alongside this book is a companion publication called Workbook: Drawing Clothed Characters, which features 200 pages of accessible instructions and figures to draw over on the pages, allowing the reader to practise the theory put forth in this main book.

This shorter-form book from 3dtotal Publishing, from our new series Create & Learn Collection, takes readers through clear and simple methods to achieving top-quality lighting in their drawing and digital paintings. 

The invaluable content is written and illustrated by professional artists, including an in-depth introduction by Kenneth Anderson (aka Character Cube), a character designer and illustrator based in Scotland, UK, who specializes in the creation of characters for animation, gaming, and traditional publishing. After covering the fundamentals of light and shade, he explores the ways lighting and shading can be used to describe form, push character stylization, and enhance storytelling. 

This is followed by eight invaluable tutorials from global artists, including Iranian concept artist Taraneh Karimi, Serbian illustrator Ognjen Sporin, and Italian character designer Isabella Agosti. They cover a range of topics, including ‘Controlling tonal structure of a character with light and shade’, ‘Using light within a character design’, and ‘Using light and shade in a stylized 3D character’. 

With a compact format and short, clear tutorial steps, this book is ideal for those wanting a quick reference guide or more relaxed approach from a tutorial book. It’s an ideal gift for an artist friend just discovering their digital-painting skills, or a must-buy for artists wanting to discover how the professionals create spot-on lighting and shade in their designs.

Each issue provides detailed tutorials on creating diverse characters, enabling you to explore the processes and decision making that go into creating amazing characters. Learn new ways to develop your own ideas, and discover from the artists what it is like to work for prolific animation studios such as Disney, Warner Bros., and DreamWorks. 

The cover for issue 28 has been created by Jackie Droujko, a professional character designer and filmmaker based in Vancouver, Canada. She is currently working at Disney Television Animation and her recent projects include several productions for Netflix, Dreamwork’s Cleopatra in Space, and Nickelodeon’s Monster High. Jackie provides an in-depth tutorial on creating the cover artwork, and answers our questions in a captivating interview. We also have tutorials from Noor Sofi, who shows us how to make the most of costume design, and Thomas Campi, who creates a romantic moment between two characters, plus an interview with beloved illustrator and concept artist John Loren.

Each issue provides detailed tutorials on creating diverse characters, enabling you to explore the processes and decision making that go into creating amazing characters. Learn new ways to develop your own ideas, and discover from the artists what it is like to work for prolific animation studios such as Disney, Warner Bros., and DreamWorks. 

The cover for issue 27 has been created by industry veteran Dave Guertin, who helped to define the characters for Playstation's Ratchet and Clank video game, and co-founded CreatureBox. We interview him about his incredible career and he provides a tutorial that aspiring and established artists will love. We also have a tutorial from Thomas Campi, an award-winning comic artist and illustrator based in Sydney, and we interview prolific artist and children's book illustrator Lydia Nichols.

The 100 challenges in this book have been carefully formulated by expert artists from the fields of illustration, video-gaming, animation, concept art, and many more. Some quick and some more detailed, the activity suggestions will help readers to try out different styles with ease - and with practice lead them to the discovery of the style that feels right for them.

Draw a tree using only triangles, create an illustration using no more than three colours, or design a character by combining your favourite and least favourite genres... these seemingly simple yet extremely useful creative tasks will challenge artists to expand beyond their usual processes and break free of the invisible limitations they may have set for themselves.

Artists of all abilities will find the clear yet creative style of this book a great help, whether they are just starting to explore their art style or have been sticking to the same one for many years and want to try something new.

Each issue provides detailed tutorials on creating diverse characters, enabling you to explore the processes and decision making that go into creating amazing characters. Learn new ways to develop your own ideas, and discover from the artists what it is like to work for prolific animation studios such as Disney, Warner Bros., and DreamWorks. 

Ben Eblen, a prolific designer and illustrator from Australia, has created the cover for issue 29. He’s created incredible tutorials for CDQ in the past and always proved popular, so we are thrilled to feature his art on the cover this time. Inside you’ll also find eye-opening articles, interviews, and tutorials on many aspects of character design, created by the world’s leading artists in the field. We have tutorials from Andy Na, who explores the use of colour in character design, and Sarah Lisa Hleb, who tackles our Characterize This challenge, plus an interview with CDQ and Instagram favourite Poopikat.

Character designers take inspiration from beautiful botany and, in this project-focused title, each create a brand-new character based on nature, with step-by-step tutorials allowing readers to follow along.

From mushroom fairies to swamp-dwelling beasts, and Mother Nature herself, we have seen countless characters inspired by the delicacy and harshness of the natural world.

The projects include notes on the ideation, research, design, and creation of the characters, leading to a stunning final image, plus a gallery from each artist showing more of their nature-themed works.

Budding artists will love learning how to create these much-loved botanical characters, while more experienced creators will enjoy seeing how experts design something original. Even non-artists will want to own this book packed with beautiful imagery and intriguing, enchanting characters.

The illustrative artwork is created both digitally and traditionally, with styles ranging from anime-inspired to watercolor, all with a fantastical, magical aura.

Learn how experienced artists turn their ideas into believable concepts, with easy-to-follow steps, helpful tips, and art theory made simple. This book is perfect for beginner artists looking for an authoritative but fun introduction to drawing, with minimal tools required. 

Discover how to: 

*Create finished characters, from rough sketches to final colour designs 

*Tackle essential subjects, including anatomy, expressions, and colour 

*Use pencil and pen to achieve a range of drawing and shading techniques 

*Take the first steps into digital drawing with Clip Studio Paint 

*Develop your own creations with the help of downloadable resources

Become a better artist with this immersive visual masterclass in drawing, created by industry expert, Brett Bean. Simply pick up a pen or pencil and start practising, following the captivating illustrated steps and easy-to-digest text prompts along the way. 

Learn about construction lines, warm-up exercises, and line weight, before diving into lessons on how to build up characters, vehicles, buildings, and environments with basic shapes. Next, soak up Brett's unique way of building up detail and interest in drawings, and how he researches and implements unique and fascinating elements that catch the eye. As the book progresses, build up confidence in tackling tricky tasks such as creating perspective, drawing hands and poses, and succeeding at effective colour and lighting. All of this can be absorbed at a glance thanks to the visually engrossing exercises, meaning you can get going as soon as you open the cover. 

Those looking to improve their drawing skills can follow the book from start to finish, enjoying ongoing improvement and ending with a huge boost in confidence and talent when the final page is reached. This is an unmissable opportunity to have an expert's knowledge at your fingertips for years to come.

With 100 pages, 10 exclusive pull-out prints, luxury finishes, mixed paper types, artist insights, and incredible artwork, Astre is a magazine like no other. This is a celebration of the art we love, made by real artists. 

To celebrate 25 years of 3dtotal and show our support to a community we love, we wanted to make something that pushed back against AI, showcasing real art by real people in the best way possible, while also creating a true collector’s item. This magazine is a culmination of everything we've learned over 25 years of making quality art content, books, and magazines. Our ambition is to make every issue feel like a collector's item, designed to increase in value over time. Each copy will be numbered and feature multiple paper types and special finishes - embossing, debossing, cut-outs, removable add-ons – if you can imagine it, then you should expect to find it in Astre magazine. 

The first issue features incredible cover art by Andrew Hem, a Cambodia-born artist who lives in Los Angeles. We also have exclusive new prints by Canadian artists Audra Auclair and Janice Sung, Swedish artists Chantal Horeis and Feefal (who has 1.1m followers on Instagram), and award-winning Bulgarian artist now living in San Francisco, Eliza Ivanova - with more artists to be announced. Each artist will be the focus of an article featuring additional art and insights into their creative minds.

Each issue of Astre will only be available for a limited time and in limited quantities. So the choice is yours - keep it in mint condition as a piece of modern art history, or read it every day and hang all the incredible art on your wall.

Each issue provides detailed tutorials on creating diverse characters, enabling you to explore the processes and decision making that go into creating amazing characters. Learn new ways to develop your own ideas, and discover from the artists what it is like to work for prolific animation studios such as Disney, Warner Bros., and DreamWorks.

The cover for issue 26 has been created by Mila Useche, a Colombian artist living in Berlin. She is a successful character designer, visual development artist, and illustrator, and is currently working on a short film. We interviewed her about her career and she supplies a step-by-step tutorial on how she created the stunning cover art. Also in this issue, hugely popular artist Ben Eblen creates two characters from a basic prompt: 'Thief, Woodland, Surprise!' We interview Sara Paz and Simone Grunewald about their art, careers, and advice for budding artists. Alex Jensen shows us how to design a cast of superheroes, and Rachelle Joy Slingerland is back with a reimagining of a fairy-tale witch.

Unleash the creative power of Procreate to bring outdoor scenes to life on your iPad, from thumbnail designs to final images. With an introduction by BAFTA-award-winning art director, Mike McCain.

You will become fluent in using Procreate for all stages of outdoor painting - capturing the spirit and essence of a landscape, subject, or building by incorporating natural light, color, and movement into your works. The thorough Getting Started section spotlights the specific Procreate tools, such as Brushes, Layers, and Adjustments, that bring your paintings to life. Perfecting color and nuance of sky, land, and human subjects outdoors is vital, and the Quick Tips section lets you quickly locate and manipulate the tools you need.

Take the opportunity to observe and practice the techniques as part of a real-world workflow, as professional artists demonstrate in seven step-by-step Projects how to use Procreate’s tools to successfully evolve a plein-air painting from initial idea to final masterpiece. Whether or not you have used Procreate before, A Guide to Digital Painting in Procreate: Landscapes & Plein Air ensures your passion for outdoor painting can be fully realized on the iPad screen.

With 200 pages of accessible instructions and figures to draw over on the page, this workbook allows the reader to practise the theory put forth in the main book, while also functioning perfectly as a standalone. The exercises consist of partial references at low opacity, with the figure or geometric mannequin beneath the clothing provided so the reader can concentrate on drawing the clothes only. Additionally, this workbook includes some bonus clothing and pose references from the artist – ones there wasn’t room for in the main book. 

This and the main title are follow-ups to Tom Fox’s previous book, Anatomy for Artists: Drawing Form & Pose (over 30,000 copies sold to date), with the figure-drawing maestro taking a deep dive into the subjects of clothing and drapery. Using his unique approach of simplified mannequins and dynamic figure sketches, Tom shares his process for improving your figures holistically, understanding fabric physics, and capturing the fold, stretch, and crumple of believable clothing.

Bolder than watercolour, cleaner than acrylics, and quicker than oils, this richly coloured paint is popular among countless artists working today. Gouache has rapidly gained popularity as an accessible, affordable medium for aspiring painters. This renowned paint, used by beloved artists from Henri Matisse to Syd Mead, is a perfect option for artists who want to achieve vibrant results fast. 

With this step-by-step tutorial book, beginners can learn the fundamentals of painting with gouache and how to apply those skills to imaginative fantasy scenes inspired by the timeless beauty of nature. Perfect for beginners to traditional painting, and for more experienced fantasy artists who are keen to step away from their devices and learn a more tactile medium, Painting Fantasy with Gouache is packed with tutorials, guides, and professionals’ tips to support your gouache journey. 

An in-depth introduction asks 'What is gouache?' and then covers essential tools, basic and advanced techniques, simple exercises, clean-up tips, and a gallery of example gouache paintings from the author-artist. This is followed by a selection of tutorials from professional painters, taking readers step by step through the creation of brand-new fantasy paintings using the medium. Stunning photography accompanies each stage of the painting process, giving budding artists a visual guide to begin their own journey with gouache.

Each issue provides detailed tutorials on creating diverse characters, enabling you to explore the processes and decision making that go into creating amazing characters. Learn new ways to develop your own ideas, and discover from the artists what it is like to work for prolific animation studios such as Disney, Warner Bros., and DreamWorks. 

This issue's beautiful cover has been created by Los Angeles illustrator Noor Sofi, who has painted it in her thoughtful and atmospheric style. Benjamin Denkert creates a dragon-slaying knight and shares extensive tips about how to use dip pens to create original and stunning character designs. Dan Sprogis, Art Director at Warner Bros. Animation, shows us how landscape and background can be its own character, creating a creepy forest for two adventurers to traverse. Mad Boogie Studios talk to us about the opportunities and challenges of creating characters for high-profile clients like Marvel, Disney Publishing, and Blizzard, and show us their process by creating a brand-new character from scratch.

This shorter-form book from 3dtotal Publishing, from our new series Create & Learn Collection, takes readers through a clear and simple guide to achieving top-quality prints with the linocutting technique. 

The invaluable content is written and illustrated by professional artists, including an in-depth introduction by Gareth Barnes (aka Spindle Printer), a printmaker who works from his home studio in Leeds, UK. His work is inspired by history, folklore, the natural world, and vintage illustration, and he sells his work at print fairs around the UK. He discusses the materials used for linocutting, followed by techniques from start to finish, including carving, prepping paper, tips for mixing colours, and pressing and drying. All accompanying by stunning photography of the process in action. 

 We then have specific projects from global artists, including Dutch printmaker Esther van Dam, Anna Hermsdorf from Germany, and Mary Ann Testagrossa from California, USA. Their tutorials include simple and more advanced version of multiblock prints and reduction prints, as well as a jigsaw print and the technique of reprinting a pattern on fabric. Photographs accompany each step of each process, alongside clear written instructions from the artist. 

 With a compact format and short, clear tutorial steps, this book is ideal for those wanting a quick reference guide or more relaxed approach from a tutorial book. It's an ideal gift for an artist friend just discovering their printmaking passion, or a must-buy for linocutters wanting to discover how the professionals create their stunning prints.

Specially commissioned step-by-step tutorials by respected professionals help you fine-tune your technique for engaging results, and define your niche as a pro artist. Projects tackle anime styles such as the dynamic Shōnen and fantasy tinged Shōjo, both aimed at adults, and Kodomo, created for children. 

Case studies explore anime sub-styles, helping you pinpoint how your innate style fits into the anime landscape, and what to focus on creatively and commercially for professional success. The book also asks: what is your brand, who is your audience, and how will you engage with it In a competitive environment, your ability to stand out, grab, and maintain attention is key. Independent professional artists who have done just that discuss this, plus the planning, work, and management that go into running you own brand. 

Promoting your art, growing your audience on social media, and establishing an ecommerce site to convert that audience into sales - every aspect of being a professional artist is covered. There is even advice about choosing related products and merchandise that complement your brand and provide a relevant backdrop for your art.

Each issue provides detailed tutorials on creating diverse characters, enabling you to explore the processes and decision making that go into creating amazing characters. Learn new ways to develop your own ideas, and discover from the artists what it is like to work for prolific animation studios such as Disney, Warner Bros., and DreamWorks.

This issue's cover is provided by incredible artist Feefal, who has worked with us many times before (including on her own Art Of book). Johanna Forster takes us inside her sketchbook, sharing how she uses real-world references to build up a library of character ideas. Sheryl Yap has a collection of tips for how to make original and effective character turnarounds, a crucial skill for working as a designer at animated-film studios. David Ardinaryas Lojaya, Art Director of the hit game Coral Island, talks to us about creating characters for video games and his professional design process.

Chosen especially for this book these artists from around the globe take inspiration from folklore, myths, modern stories, and sometimes even real life as a basis for their imaginative work. Everything mystical, magical, impossible, and unlikely has fascinated us across the centuries and been an enduring theme in art, literature, film and TV. This book is packed with concepts developed and conveyed through the medium of drawing here and now, in the 21st century. 

Artists of a dizzying array of styles and backgrounds throw open the doors of their imaginations for all to see the creatures and characters, people and places, and other unheard-of concepts that so many artists strive to depict. As with the previous titles in the series, Worlds of Magic gives artists the opportunity to share the ideas, motivations, creative strokes of genius, or simple chance that lit the fire beneath their imagination. This makes it not only a visual feast of fantastical magic from artists around the world, but also an absorbing and compelling read.

These tricks provide the perfect base for aspiring artist to build confidence and grow their skills. More advanced artists can also take the techniques in this book and use them to speed up their digital-painting process.

Procreate for the iPad continues to be the most popular digital-painting software in the world, with around 30 million users. 3dtotal Publishing's previous Procreate titles have sold over 74,000 copies to date, so the desire in our audience to learn more about this software is proven. This book goes right back to basics, covering the use of selection tools, gradient fills, custom brushes, and more to quickly and easily build up quality paintings. 

These methods are introduced in an in-depth chapter of must-know basics, which are followed by eight accessible tutorials written by professional artists, including Derek Domnic D'Souza. Featuring short, simple steps and easy-to-follow instructions, plus clear screengrabs from Procreate accompanying each stage of the process, the projects show readers exactly how to achieve what is being described. 

For those picking up an iPad and opening Procreate for the very first time, this book provides an amazingly detailed lesson in creating high-quality paintings with simple techniques. For those with more experience, it offers a new range of skills to speed up working digitally - all provided by highly respected artists from around the world.

Clip Studio Paint is a cross-platform drawing and animation software used by millions of artists worldwide. Its popularity has recently boomed - in 2022, the userbase had grown to 25 million. The software is popular with artists of every level, can be used on any device (mobile phone, tablets including the iPad, and any computer) and is relatively cheap to purchase compared to other software. 

It's perfect for beginners wanting to try something out. For these reasons and more, there’s a keen audience for a high-quality tutorial book like this one. The book features an all-encompassing Getting Started section, covering all the basics and advice from a respected artist in the digital field. Each page teaches through screengrabs of the software in use, detailed written steps, and art in progress. 

There are also in-depth tutorials from professional artists covering a variety of genres in which the software might be used, including manga comics, character design, landscapes (real and fantasy), picture-book illustration, and more. The tutorials are provided by artists at the top of their game, including Devin Elle Kurtz (858K Instagram followers) and Simz (403K Instagram followers), both of whom have published their own Art Of book with 3dtotal Publishing and are highly revered in the digital-art world.

Following the success of previous titles in this popular series, Sketching from the Imagination: Character Concepts showcases the incredible character work of 50 artists and illustrators. Chosen especially for this book, these artists from around the globe take inspiration from folklore, myths, modern stories, and sometimes real life as a basis for their imaginative work. 

This book is packed with character concepts developed and conveyed through the medium of drawing. Artists with a dizzying array of styles and backgrounds throw open the doors of their imaginations, displaying the fantastical, intriguing, one-of-a-kind characters that so many artists strive to depict. 

As with the previous titles in the series, this book gives artists the opportunity to share the ideas, motivations, creative strokes of genius, or simple chance that lit the fire beneath their imagination. This makes it not only a visual feast of work from artists around the world, but also an absorbing and compelling read.

This is no ordinary book about drawing portraits, this is a book that may change your life and identity – transforming you into a dedicated artist who draws with passion and skill. Whether you’re a beginner or already an accomplished artist, The Art of Portraiture takes you on a journey of discovery about what it takes to capture the essence of a person with just graphite and patience.

Author and expert teacher Stephen Bauman offers a synthesis of the best lessons he has learned in his career as a student, as well as the most efficient exercises he’s developed as an artist and teacher. If you're up for a bit of adventure, a touch of self-discovery, and a whole lot of drawing, then you're in the right place. This book is Stephen’s earnest attempt to share what he’s learned (often the hard way) about drawing portraits. Spoiler alert: There were plenty of awkward attempts, eraser battles, and moments where his ‘likenesses’ were more cartoon than human. But isn't that the point of learning – to embrace the stumbles and celebrate the breakthroughs? 

There are chapters answering questions such as ‘What makes a drawing work?’ followed by practical tutorials on specific techniques, including Value Mapping and Form Visualization, all accompanied by incredible illustrative examples and steps. Ultimately readers can reflect on the transformation they have achieved throughout the book and focus on their continuous growth and improvement. This is a wonderfully deep dive into the messy, marvellous, and occasionally magical world of portrait drawing.

Packed with insightful tips, exciting tutorial projects, and essential art theory simply explained by industry professionals, this exciting volume is the perfect launch pad for your journey forward through time.

Expert drawing instructor and storyboard artist Tom Fox knows exactly how to capture the figure in poses that are both dynamic and true to human anatomy. The book details the central figure-drawing elements and techniques that are essential to every artist of every skill level. From understanding the XYZ axis and basic skeleton, to thinking in 3D space and creating mannequins of all levels of detail, the book deals with everything the reader needs to know before moving on to the figure itself. Tom presents in step-by-step details exactly how to add the muscles and depict truly believable poses. 

Every part of the body is presented in detail, with easy-to-follow breakdowns of the torso, arms, and legs, and the often-tricky head, hands, and feet. The author also shares insightful, game-changing anatomy tips, many learned from years of working for major clients in the entertainment industry and teaching others to draw the human figure, both in person and online. This combination of experiences and skills make Tom an outstanding author of this must-have book for artists in all areas of figure drawing.

Learning from the biggest and best creators in any industry is a rare and sought after opportunity. In this book, clay-sculpting royalty “The Shiflett Brothers” guide us through their creative journey as well as sharing in-depth insight into the processes they use to create their dynamic and captivating fantasy sculpts. 

Joined by fellow esteemed sculptors Simon Lee, Aris Kolokontes, and Forest Rogers, the Shifletts bring together a collection of visually led step-by-step tutorials that are sure to broaden your creative horizons and add an expansive set of practical skills to your sculpting arsenal. With studio-quality photography and a how-to section on creating the Shiflett’s very own tools, this book is a prize possession for any member of the brothers’ huge and loyal fan base and as an exhilarating follow-on from the popular Beginner’s Guide to Sculpting Characters in Clay.

In this book for newcomers to the software, several renowned and experienced designers demonstrate how they do it, sharing not only their professional tips and tricks, but also how the traditional character design process translates to Procreate. Whether you sketch or paint, draw from reality, or dream up new concepts, you will become fluent in using Procreate for all stages of character design. The thorough Getting Started section spotlights the specific Procreate tools, such as Brushes, Layers, and Adjustments, that bring your characters to life. Perfecting color and nuance of hair, skin, eyes and fabric of your characters is vital, and the Quick Tips section lets you quickly locate and manipulate the tools you need. 

Take the opportunity to observe and practice the techniques as part of a real-world workflow, as professional character designers demonstrate in seven step-by-step Projects how to use Procreate’s tools to successfully evolve a character from initial thumbnails to final hero pose. Whether or not you have used Procreate before, Beginner’s Guide to Procreate: Characters ensures your character ideas and concepts become fully realized creations on the iPad screen.

Building on the foundations set by our popular Art Fundamentals book, Beyond Fundamentals shows artists how to take their work a step beyond techniques and mechanics. A memorable, unique image requires more than just accurate anatomy and choosing the right tools, after all! This impressive volume offers in-depth guidance on conveying mood and emotion, creating narratives, and improving your images' storytelling through composition, character details, and atmosphere. Beyond Fundamentals is an ideal book both for hobbyists and new artists wanting to add extra depth to their work, and for skilled illustrators looking for a spark of new inspiration.

Widely loved illustrator Tasia brings her unique style to this issue's cover design, and she also provides an in-depth tutorial to show us how she creates her art. Kenneth Anderson creates a 70s rock band, Johanna Forster brings fruit to life, and Sara Paz shows us how to create characters from reference photos.

Character Design Quarterly (CDQ) is a lively, creative magazine bringing inspiration, expert insights, and leading techniques from professional illustrators, artists, and character art enthusiasts worldwide. Each issue provides detailed tutorials on creating diverse characters, enabling you to explore the processes and decision making that go into creating amazing characters. Learn new ways to develop your own ideas, and discover from the artists what it is like to work for prolific animation studios such as Disney, Warner Bros., and DreamWorks.