easolinas's review
5.0
Charles Vess is one of those illustrators that every fantasy fan has seen -- he's done comics and illustrations for Neil Gaiman, mainstream graphic novels, and covers for authors like Charles de Lint, Diana Wynne-Jones, Terri Windling and George R.R. Martin. "Drawing Down the Moon: The Art of Charles Vess" brings together countless pieces of Vess's gorgeous art.
The artwork is divided into Vess's early artwork, "Playing in Someone Else's Sandbox" (comic book artwork, such as Spiderman, Bone and Sandman), "Drawing Between the Lines" (adaptations of classic tales and various gorgeous illustration works for "Stardust," "Deep Secret," "Peter Pan" and various Charles de Lint stories), "Ballads and Sagas," and "Odds and Ends."
There are also a lot of other, random tidbits of artwork throughout the book, such as flyers and advertisements, such as an illustration depicting Tori Amos as a floating fairy. And there are odds and ends that have been just sort of in the ether, like previously unpublished illustrations.
Each picture has a title, and quite a few have an explanatory paragraph showing why Vess drew what he drew, the thought processes behind it, and something of the progression of his art. For instance, his love of hit comics like Prince Valiant and Fables, or his desire to take more "personal" projects.
But Vess' artwork is the real star here -- luminous colors, delicate lines, and beautiful fey creatures that are just a little freaky and unearthly. Some are black-and-white pencil sketches, and they are full of fragile beauty.
But the pictures with color simply seem to float out of the pages, glowing with soft mossy greens, rich leathery browns, pale yellows, shadowy blacks and a layer of pale starlight. Some are simple depictions of a solid image (the cover of Diana Wynne-Jones' "Deep Secret" has a centaur jumping over a bunch of convention-goers), but others are entwined with tree boughs, crumbling stone walls, low-hanging moons and old-world buildings.
Those who love fantasy art will probably adore "Drawing Down the Moon: The Art of Charles Vess," which brings together the works of this talented artist. Gorgeous and luminous.
The artwork is divided into Vess's early artwork, "Playing in Someone Else's Sandbox" (comic book artwork, such as Spiderman, Bone and Sandman), "Drawing Between the Lines" (adaptations of classic tales and various gorgeous illustration works for "Stardust," "Deep Secret," "Peter Pan" and various Charles de Lint stories), "Ballads and Sagas," and "Odds and Ends."
There are also a lot of other, random tidbits of artwork throughout the book, such as flyers and advertisements, such as an illustration depicting Tori Amos as a floating fairy. And there are odds and ends that have been just sort of in the ether, like previously unpublished illustrations.
Each picture has a title, and quite a few have an explanatory paragraph showing why Vess drew what he drew, the thought processes behind it, and something of the progression of his art. For instance, his love of hit comics like Prince Valiant and Fables, or his desire to take more "personal" projects.
But Vess' artwork is the real star here -- luminous colors, delicate lines, and beautiful fey creatures that are just a little freaky and unearthly. Some are black-and-white pencil sketches, and they are full of fragile beauty.
But the pictures with color simply seem to float out of the pages, glowing with soft mossy greens, rich leathery browns, pale yellows, shadowy blacks and a layer of pale starlight. Some are simple depictions of a solid image (the cover of Diana Wynne-Jones' "Deep Secret" has a centaur jumping over a bunch of convention-goers), but others are entwined with tree boughs, crumbling stone walls, low-hanging moons and old-world buildings.
Those who love fantasy art will probably adore "Drawing Down the Moon: The Art of Charles Vess," which brings together the works of this talented artist. Gorgeous and luminous.
jgintrovertedreader's review
5.0
Charles Vess's fantasy artwork has been collected in a beautiful volume.
I love just about every piece of art in this book. The few that I don't like are probably the few that are science fiction. I am not at all knowledgeable about art so I can't write in any kind of meaningful way about it. I do know what I like and I most definitely like this.
I tried hard to take my time poring over this book. I can flip way too fast through illustrated books, focusing too much on the words. I knew that Vess hides a lot of details in his work and it would be worth the time to look carefully at every page. It was. The vibrant colors, the classic fantasy elements with the occasional modern twist thrown in, this collection was all that I expected it to be and more.
The problem is that now I want to add all of the books he's worked on to my wishlist! He's been a busy man! I already own quite a few of them because he tends to collaborate with authors I love in their own right, such as Charles de Lint and Neil Gaiman. I did not realize that Vess had worked on an illustrated edition of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series but now that I do, I feel the burning need to own it. Unfortunately, it was apparently a limited edition and is now pretty much unavailable or way beyond my means. Here's hoping for a wider release.
Fans of fantasy art and/or writing will love this collection. It will be displayed proudly in my home.
I love just about every piece of art in this book. The few that I don't like are probably the few that are science fiction. I am not at all knowledgeable about art so I can't write in any kind of meaningful way about it. I do know what I like and I most definitely like this.
I tried hard to take my time poring over this book. I can flip way too fast through illustrated books, focusing too much on the words. I knew that Vess hides a lot of details in his work and it would be worth the time to look carefully at every page. It was. The vibrant colors, the classic fantasy elements with the occasional modern twist thrown in, this collection was all that I expected it to be and more.
The problem is that now I want to add all of the books he's worked on to my wishlist! He's been a busy man! I already own quite a few of them because he tends to collaborate with authors I love in their own right, such as Charles de Lint and Neil Gaiman. I did not realize that Vess had worked on an illustrated edition of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series but now that I do, I feel the burning need to own it. Unfortunately, it was apparently a limited edition and is now pretty much unavailable or way beyond my means. Here's hoping for a wider release.
Fans of fantasy art and/or writing will love this collection. It will be displayed proudly in my home.
djl's review
4.0
While this isn't a book you read so much as peruse, it does showcase beautifully detailed pictures from artist, Charles Vess, and gives the history of his various works. This is a book for artists or writers as a source of inspiration or for comic and graphic novel aficionados to learn the history behind the creator featured in works such as The Sandman, Stardust, and Swamp Thing.
For young readers and those with young readers unfamiliar with Vess' artwork, I recommend Instructions by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Charles Vess as a starting point.
For young readers and those with young readers unfamiliar with Vess' artwork, I recommend Instructions by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Charles Vess as a starting point.
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