Product Description

Draw the stuff of which nightmares are made. If you harbor a love of imagery most foul, of demons and monsters and devils of all sorts ... then welcome to the book from hell. Within its pages lurk sadistic orcs, flesh-eating zombies, blood-thirsty dragons, unholy monstrosities and dreaded beasts of legend and lore.

If you dare to open this book and unleash such horror, venture forth and learn everything a good monster-maker needs to know:

• How to spawn a loathsome range of creatures, step by gruesome step: Humanoid Monsters * Reptiles and Aquatic Creatures * Winged Beasts * Quadrupeds and More * in 29 demonstrations.
• Masterful techniques for drawing the massive biceps of the Gaki, the jagged tentacles of the Leviathan, the wicked curved claws of the Hellhound, blood-dripping fangs, putrefied decaying wounds and other deadly features and really gross details.
• Tips for making your creatures even creepier with the skillful use of point-of-view, iconic and action poses, color and shadow.

Hell Beasts will empower you to bring forth the sinister beings that lurk in the deepest, darkest shadows of your imagination. Summon them to claw at bedroom windows and wreak havoc in the dreams of your unsuspecting audience for years to come.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #44908 in Books
• Published on: 2007-07-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 128 pages

About the Author
Armed with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Washington University, an encyclopedia of artists, a firm hatred of humanity and the desire to dominate, Jim set off into the gaming world where he’s slaved tirelessly for over a decade. He works in traditional media like pencil, charcoal, acrylic and oil, as well as digital programs. He’s worked on many collectible card games, role playing games, board games and other projects for such clients as Wizards of the Coast (Dungeons & Dragons, Forgotten Realms, Magic: The Gathering), History Channel/Triking Games, Alderac Entertainment, Precedence, Z-Man Games, Fantasy Flight Games, Sabertooth Games, Hidden City Games, White Wolf, Atlas Games, Goodman Games, Green Ronin Publishing, Warhammer Fantasy, Hekaforge, Issaries Inc., E.E. Knight, Heavy Metal Magazine, Comics Buyer’s Guide, Scrye. www.jimpavelec.com

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Customer Reviews

an excellent resource and inspiration
Mr. Pavelec's book is an excellent resource for anyone in (or interested in) the fantasy art niche (though, the lessons is just as valid for any type of art, I believe). Though the book is loaded with all sorts of tips about making convincing and interesting creatures, I'd say the underlying focus is on the composition of a figure. Jim displays in many examples how to focus on the primary action or energy of a pose, even if the pose isn't inherently dynamic. The viewer gets to see many paintings evolve from thumbnail sketch to a completed illustration, along with a side commentary about why he makes his choices.

When I was starting out, I would have begged. borrowed or stolen to get my grubby paws on this book. Even as a reasonably seasoned professional, there are still a number of pearls residing between the covers.

Jim Pavelec (aka Iced tea guy) rocks.
I'm not much for the entire fantasy genre and neither do I have the imagination for such macabre concepts. With that being said, let me continue and make you understand why I am writing a review, and a positive one at that!

Jim Pavelec is an amazing artist. I've read instructional art guides before and I never really got much out of them. Out of this one, I received way more than I bargained for! He covers the basics and the tools that you'll need to do what he's about to cover. At the end of the book, he says that he has many inspirations and that it is okay to use that inspiration from other artists to create something of your own. In finding your niche, you can go through many. That may or may not make sense, but it did me a hell of good! I never knew these monsters had names!

It was 18 bucks well spent, thank you very much. It made me want to become an illustrator and offer services to paint nasty aquatic on bathroom walls. I could write another page on how happy I am that I bought this book and the nightmares that Mr. Pavelec's creations dwell in, but I have walls to paint.

For any would-be comic or graphic novel artist
HELL BEASTS: HOW TO DRAW GROTESQUE FANTASY CREATURES is for any would-be comic or graphic novel artist: it tells how to create and draw monsters, how to make selected monsters even creepier, and how to draw upon imagination to create new monsters. It's a pick not just for graphic novel and comics collections, but for any general-interest lending library reaching out to young would-be artists.