Love Ropes

• ISBN13: 9780240809939
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Product Description
Design creative characters inspired by real people. Let Mike Mattesi show you how to use life drawing to discover the poses, features and personalities which form the basis of character and then build, develop and ‘PUSH’… More >>

Force: Character Design from Life Drawing

1. M says:

   January 31, 2010 at 1:19 am

   Though this book has some foundational information it is far outweighed by the poorly done examples by the author. Examples that could do more harm than good for the beginner. Mr. Mattesi distorts the figure for distortions sake and ends up with characters that are mushy and have no substance. Focal Press is as much to blame for the lack of proper editing of the text. This book is not a good choice if you are looking for a real understanding of design.
   Rating: 1 / 5
2. Nancy Zonneveld says:

   January 31, 2010 at 2:29 am

   Best book about Character design I know!
   
   The drawings are nice, but all the text information is really great. I learned a lot from this book.
   Rating: 5 / 5
3. Parka says:

   January 31, 2010 at 5:24 am

   Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3KJRFN0Y0I3VD Force: Character Design from Life Drawing is the second book that deals with life drawing by Mike Mattesi, the first being Force: Dynamic Life Drawing for Animators. This book also talks about character design.

   The first part builds on the concepts he has taught in the previous book, which are the handling of force, space and shapes of characters. It’s presented in the similar style, sketches with tips. For those who like the first book, you would probably like this one too.

   The second part on character design. In addition to the sketches provided by Mike Mattesi, he has invited other character designers to contribute their work and thoughts. Photos of models are provided to them who then create their own style of work. Each artist then describes their characters in terms of acting and emotions, showing how they try to get ideas across to readers.

   The guest artists are Rik Maki, Stephen Silver, Dean Yeagle, Jake Kazdal, Griselda Sastrawinata, Patrick Morgan, Ragnar, Erin Leong, Marc Perry, Teddy Newton, Steph Laberis, John Nenarez, Mike Daley, Phil Rynda and Deanna Marsigliese. They provide plenty of insights into their personal style, be it the cutout collages of Pixar artist Teddy Newton or the simple cartoon caricatures of Marc Perry.

   At the end, there are also sections that talk about giving characters to architecture and animals. They are rather brief, but interesting nevertheless. For animal character designs, you can check out The Art of Animal Character Design for even more tips.

   There’s no one way to how character designs are done. The approach of this book is to give plenty of ideas to get you started. This book is for anyone who’s looking to put more edge and style into their own characters.
   Rating: 5 / 5
4. John Joyce says:

   January 31, 2010 at 7:55 am

   Any cartoonist or animator who feels that their own drawings are becoming stale or stuck in a rut would do well to read this innovative book by Michael D. Mattesi. While its title is “Character Design from Life Drawing”, what is really does is to introduce the reader to the art of spotting the distinctive features of any live artist’s model or photograph that can be exagerated or emphasised into a cartoon or caricature.

   While the first few chapters on “shape with character” show this technique to extreme (I imagine this is to get the point across), the later ones on “costume with character” and “reportage with character” take a more measured approach and show how the main theory of this book can be put into practical effect.

   In short, this is not a simple manual on how to draw cartoons aimed at beginners. It is very well illustrated and beautifully executed explanation of a way of looking at cartoon art that will kick-start anyone who feels they need an extra shot of inspiration in their own drawings.
   Rating: 4 / 5
5. Skoolbus says:

   January 31, 2010 at 9:12 am

   I’d like to express my admiration for Mr. Matessi’s “Force: Character Design from Life Drawing” book. I’ve read Mike’s initial Force book many times over. I actually never intended to purchase this new book. When I saw the cover originally, I got the impression that it’d be equivalent to the other character design book by a different author (since I think there is only one other available at this time). I figured it’d be other artists’ drawings with a tidbit of info from the author. As time passed and I read other authors’ books that bored me to death, I thought why not, I’ll give it a go.

   What I got… I got more of his first book. This is good because he refreshes your memory on the lessons taught in the first book, and then enhances it with new ideas and new procedures. I was blown away. The first 4 chapters refresh and recharge you on the idea of Force.

   This book covers everything, and reinFORCES exaggerating and making up your own interpretation of what you see. In later chapters he shows you how to apply the same methods to architecture.

   The first 4 chapters alone would have made a great book, and I’ll definitely read this more than once. Something about Matessi’s books just want you to tattoo the information on your brain. It is refreshing, and gives you a new perspective on art and life.

   What I enjoyed the most, is the application of design and abstract art to his life drawing. This book would be a great read for a graphic designer as well. I even started applying shapes prior to illustrating to plan out my drawing, and it has improved my art so much.
   Rating: 5 / 5