From Snow White to Shrek, from Fred Flintstone to SpongeBob SquarePants, the design of a character conveys personality before a single word of dialogue is spoken. Designing Characters with Personality shows artists how to create a distinctive character, then place that character in context within a script, establish hierarchy, and maximize the impact of pose and expression. Practical exercises help readers put everything together to make their new characters sparkle. Lessons from ...

You've researched your character extensively, tailored her to your audience, sketched hundreds of versions, and now you lean back content as you gaze at your final character model sheet. But now what? Whether you want to use her in an animated film, television show, video game, web comic, or children's book, you're going to have to make her perform. How a character looks and is costumed starts to tell her story, but her body language reveals even more. Character Mentor shows you h...

E-Squared, the international hit sensation described by one reader as "The Secret on crack," provided the training wheels, the baby steps, to "really getting it" that thoughts create reality.In E-Cubed (don’t worry—there will never be E to the 27th Power), Pam Grout takes you higher and deeper into the quantum field, where you’ll prove that blessings and miracles are natural and that joy is only ...

There are 168 hours in a week. This book is about where the time really goes, and how we can all use it better.It's an unquestioned truth of modern life: we are starved for time. With the rise of two-income families, extreme jobs, and 24/7 connectivity, life is so frenzied we can barely find time to breathe. We tell ourselves we'd like to read more, get to the gym regularly, try new hobbies, and accomplish all kinds of goals. But then we give up because th...

Have you ever wanted to try your hand at cartoony computer animation? Then look no further… Cartoon Character Animation with Maya will help you create just that, guiding you through every step of the process including how to incorporate multiple limbs, smears, motion lines and staggers seamlessly into your animation.From planning to posing to polish, you'll learn how to make the most of breakdowns, take the terror out of tangent types and overcome the oft-feared graph edit...

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' your drawings to new heights of dramatic and visual impact for believable characters audiences can relate to. Packed with color illustrations and photographs of the models who inspired them. With step-by-step explanation of how the characters were developed and exercises f...

Steve Jobs was most probably the most famous business leader the world has or ever will know. He was a visionary and this simple guide is going to try and share some information behind the man who gave us amongst many other things Macs, iPods and iPhones. This guide tries to reflect the simplicity and ease of use that we all know in Apple products. We take a look at his early years and how he was adopted soon after birth, what he was like at school and his early working life at Atari befor...

* Have you ever walked into a room and couldn't remember what you went there for?* Have you ever grasped the hand of a potential client and then when the handshake broke, the name seemed to disappear from your memory?* Or have you ever left a prospect or an important meeting and as you drove away remembered a key point that you should have shared with them?The problem is NOT with your memory. The problem is with the "Filing System" your brain currently uses to store...

Newly updated and revised, How to Shoot Video That Doesn’t Suck is a quick and easy guide that will make your video better instantly—whether you read it cover to cover or just skim a few chapters. It’s about the language of video and how to think like a director, regardless of equipment (amateurs think about the camera, pros think about communication). It’s about the rules developed over a century of movie-making—which work just as well when shooting a two-year-old’s birthday part...

Digital Painting, 26 Beginner Tricks and Techniques will show you how to get more out of your software and improve your digital artwork. Gary Tonge, one of the world's leading digital art pros, offers state-of-the-art advice for beginners covering every aspect of computer-generated art--from lighting and color basics to working with layers. Clear instruction, screen shots and striking art make these tips immediately applicable so you can begin right away.

Make the most of your digital artwork. State-of-the-art advice from Gary Tonge, one of the world's leading digital art pros, covers every aspect of computer-generated art from combining a range of source material into one cohesive image to adding super realistic effects. Eight step-by-step demonstrations offer advanced level instruction, making these tips immediately applicable so you can begin right away. With real-world perspective and a practical focus, this is a powerful resource. By a...

In Stan Lee's How to Draw Comics, Stan Lee reveals his secrets for:* Costumes * Penciling, Inking & Coloring * Lettering & Word Balloons* Digital Advances * Perspective & Foreshortening * What Makes Great Action * Page & Panel Layout * Covers * Creating a Portfolio * Getting WorkWhen it comes to comic books, one name says it all: Stan Lee. His characters are classics. His industry knowledge is vast. His creativity is boundless. And now, he’s sharing what he ...