Dreamscapes: Creating Magical Angel, Faery & Mermaid Worlds in Watercolor

372 Pages·2008·19.31 MB·English

by  Stephanie Pui-Mun Law

DREAMSCAPES
Creating Magical
Angel, Faery & Mermaid Worlds
with Watercolor
Stephanie Pui-Mun Law
www.impact-books.com

Dreamscapes: Creating Magical Angel, Faery & Mermaid Worlds with Watercolor. Copyright © 2008
by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law. Manufactured in China. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Law, Stephanie Pui-Mun.
Dreamscapes : creating magical angel, faery & mermaid worlds with watercolor / Stephanie Pui-Mun
Law. -- 1st ed.
p. cm.
ISBN-13: 978-1-58180964-0 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN-13: 978-1-60061-366-1 (EPUB)
1. Fantasy in art. 2. Angels in art. 3. Fairies in art. 4. Mermaids in art. 5. Watercolor painting--Technique. I.
Title.
ND1460.F35L39 2008
751.42’247--dc22
2007025939
Edited by Kelly C. Messerly
Designed by Wendy Dunning
Production coordinated by Matt Wagner
Metric Conversion Chart
To convert to multiply by
Inches Centimeters 2.54
Centimeters Inches 0.4
Feet Centimeters 30.5
Centimeters Feet 0.03
Yards Meters 0.9
Meters Yards 1.1
About the Author
Stephanie Pui-Mun Law has been painting fantastic otherworlds from early
childhood, though her art career did not begin until 1998 when she graduated
from a program in computer science. After three years of programming for a
software company by day and rushing home to paint into the midnight hours, she
left the world of typed logic and numbers for painted worlds of dreams and the
fae.
Her illustrations have been for various game and publishing clients, including
Wizards of the Coast, HarperCollins, LUNA Books, Tachyon Books, Alderac
Entertainment Group and Green Ronin. In addition to the commissioned
projects, she has spent a great deal of time creating a personal body of work
whose inspiration stems from mythology, legend and folklore. She has also been
greatly influenced by the art of the Impressionists, Pre-Raphaelites, Surrealists,
and the master hand of Nature. Swirling images of sinuous oak branches,
watermarked leaf stains and the endless palette of the skies are her signature. Her
background as a flamenco dancer for over a decade is evident in the movement
and composition of her paintings. Every aspect of her paintings moves in a
choreographed flow, and the dancers are not only those with human limbs. What
Stephanie tries to convey with her art is not simply fantasy, but the fantastic, the
sense of wonder, that which is sacred.
While most of Stephanie’s work is done with watercolors, she also
experiments with pen-and-ink, intaglio printing, acrylic and digital painting.
Acknowledgments
Thanks to Dana for being the guinea pig for these tutorials. Mom, Dad, Dave,
Beck and Hop for always being supportive of my art. You guys at #epilogue for
letting me bounce ideas. Kelly Messerly and Pam Wissman for finding me and
giving me this opportunity.
Table of Contents
PART ONE
Materials & Techniques
Bring your imagined creatures and worlds into being with these basic
materials and techniques.
PART TWO
Faery Lands
Faeries have danced through folklore for centuries. Learn how to create
their magical realms in this chapter.
PART THREE
Mermaid Worlds
Faerytales speak of entire aquatic cities filled with lovely mermaids and
mermen. Capture their elusive presence within the bounds of pencil and
paper and brush.
PART FOUR
Angel Realms
Angels are immortal beings found in many religions. In this chapter,
you’ll learn how to bring these heavenly creatures to the mortal plane.