Book Description:
A lavish, full-colour hardcover art book taking readers on a visual guide through Stephen Hickman's artwork. The collection focuses on his book covers for famous SFF authors such as Harlan Ellison, Robert Heinlein, Anne McCaffrey, and Larry Niven.Review:
With a body of work that is mainly fantasy with a portion of science fiction, this coffee table book is a real showcase for art appreciators who want to see his interpretation of characters and settings from some of the most famous novels around, and through his book covers, Hickman has evoked the feelings of his subjects. The front page image, Dragon also gets to be inside stretched over two pages of the scaly face with horned snout and Hickman's trademark leathery wings and tail stare out into the distance.
Complete with preliminary sketches, from before the sketch had been finished along with the final painting, the reader can understand the artist's thought processes, his paintings of the characters and some of the small details that go a long way to explain the look of his art really well. From looking at the images, Hickman's artistic influences are obvious; Boris Vallejo, in some of the characters faces and in the background, Frank Frazetta in another, though in Flame weaver there is a coloured Eastern influence in the detail of the background as well as on the characters costume. The eagle behind her looks almost abstract in nature as if it is more of a symbol than a supposed living entity. Other than the wraparound cover, the hardback's inside has a gloss back cover with a golden line art dragon on the front that adds a sense that the reader has got a bonus piece of art for their collection.
Book Details:
Hardcover: 160 pages
Publisher: Titan Books (6 Nov. 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1783298456
ISBN-13: 978-1783298457
Hardcover: 160 pages
Publisher: Titan Books (6 Nov. 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1783298456
ISBN-13: 978-1783298457
