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Gilles Beloeil
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Art Fundamentals: Color, Light, Composition, Anatomy, Perspective, and Depth Paperback – September 3, 2013

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 225 ratings
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A broad understanding of the fundamental concepts, conventions, and theories of art is essential when it comes to producing a successful piece of work. Art Fundamentals addresses key basic subjects such as color and light, composition, perspective and depth, anatomy, and portraying emotions in a series of insightful chapters. Find out about color relationships and how to choose colors that work well together. Learn about the Rule of Thirds, Rule of Odds, Golden Triangle, and Divine Proportions, all of which are key when it comes to creating a realistic and dynamic composition. Discover the power of storytelling in an image and how the slightest tilt of an eyebrow can transform happiness into anger.

Written by some of the most experienced artists in the games and film industries, including Gilles Beloeil (Assassin's Creed series) and Andrei Riabovitchev (Prometheus and X-Men: First Class), this title gives newcomers the tools they need to get them started on their artistic journey and offers veterans a chance to brush up on their theory.

Gilles Beloeil is a senior concept artist and matte painter at Ubisoft Montreal who has spent the last several years working on titles in the best-selling Assassin's Creed video game series.

Andrei Riabovitchev works for MPC in the United Kingdom as a concept artist and has an impressive résumé that includes Prometheus, X-Men: First Class, and Snow White and the Huntsman.
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  1. Print length
    272 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    3DTotal Publishing
  4. Publication date
    September 3, 2013
  5. Dimensions
    8.5 x 1.25 x 12 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    190941400X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1909414006
  8. See all details
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The Amazon Book Review
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Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Gilles Beloeil currently works for Ubisoft in Canada and served as lead artist on the groundbreaking Assassin's Creed video game.

Andrei Riabovitchev is a talented artist at NPC, London, who has worked on titles including the Harry Potter films and Clash of the Titans

Roberto F Castro works at Atomhawk Design studio on projects such as Dead Island and the latest Mortal Kombat video game.

3DTotal Publishing
3DTotal was founded in 1999 as a simple 3D resource website. Over the last decade the site has evolved into one of the premier CG art websites in the world, offering a variety of training products, an inspirational gallery, a free texture library and hundreds of free tutorials on a variety of subjects.

In 2006, 3DTotal entered into partnership with Focal Press and launched the popular book series Digital Art Masters and Digital Painting Techniques. The premise for these books was to provide high quality content that would inspire and educate the next generation of digital artists. Featuring the work of top industry professionals, detailed tutorials and image breakdowns, these series have become firmly established as indispensable resources for any digital artist.

After five successful years working with Focal Press, 3DTotal Publishing was launched in early 2010. As well as self-publishing the next volumes in the pre-existing Digital Art Masters and Digital Painting Techniques series, 3DTotal Publishing has launched a number of new titles including: Photoshop for 3D Artists: Volume 1, Beginner’s Guide to Digital Painting in Photoshop, ZBrush Character Creation and Elysium - The Art of Daarken.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ 3DTotal Publishing; Box edition (September 3, 2013)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 190941400X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1909414006
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.25 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.5 x 1.25 x 12 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 225 ratings

About the authors

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  1. 3dtotal Publishing

    3dtotal Publishing

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    3dtotal Publishing is a small independent publisher specializing in high-quality art books dedicated to bringing invaluable training to beginners, hobbyists, and professionals alike. Our titles proudly feature top industry professionals who share their experience in skillfully written step-by-step tutorials and quick tip guides placed alongside stunning artwork to offer creative insight, expert advice, and essential motivation.

    From traditional art techniques, such as sketching and clay sculpting, to digital art software including Photoshop and Procreate, the vast knowledge offered by multiple contributing artists makes these books an indispensable addition to any artist’s bookshelf. Popular titles such as the Sketching from the Imagination and Beginner’s Guide series, along with our quarterly magazine CDQ, are part of a backlist of over 80 titles, many of which have been translated into several languages. At the heart of the 3dtotal Publishing catalogue, our sought-after “Art of” books showcase the very best content from the very best creators, in stunning and uniquely designed hard-back format. From 2022, we pledge to donate 50% of our net profits to charity, including planting one tree for every book sold.

    3dtotal Publishing is an offspring of 3dtotal.com, a leading website for CG artists founded by Tom Greenway in 1999.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Gilles Beloeil

    Gilles Beloeil

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    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
225 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Bunny Wolf
5.0 out of 5 stars The tool you need!! :D
Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2014
Verified Purchase
I'm not very good in proportion, in perspective or composition, I've always find it hard to mix them all together to get the final piece. I saw this book and i wasn't sure if this was the one that i needed or if it was explained correctly so i decided to take a chance and try it.
When it arraived I opened it immediatly and started reading it. By the time I realized it, I was on chapter 3 and I was understanding perfectly what I was missing on my art that I never got to understood very much. I saw examples of what they were explaining and I never got confused by weird or peculiar words that sometimes makes it sound so professional that you have no idea what's going on X'D

I highly recommend it because this is a very usefull tool for you to understand the aspects of designing a character or environment like the pros do. :D All that's left is to keep doing it and practice and practice and practice to get even better :D
8 people found this helpful
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Darvit
5.0 out of 5 stars This Book is Awesome!
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2014
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I learned the basics of art through this book back in school. Now that I have children who are also into learning about creating their own pieces I really wanted to find this book! I'm so happy that it's still being sold... it's well worth the price. :) It is a paperback book but arrives in a hardcover protective sleeve. Very nice and practical packaging for usefulness. I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in learning the basics of how to create works of art that look the way you "see" the image in your mind. It takes practice of course but knowing about light, shading, shape, perspective, and color helps everyone become a better artist!
One person found this helpful
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V. Hutson
4.0 out of 5 stars Introduces a lot of concepts--but some not in much depth.
Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2013
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The media could not be loaded.
I created a short video that shows what the pages look like. Below is my brief summary of the actually written content.

The first chapter on "Color and Light" is about 25 pages long. It is written by Gilles Beloeil (Assassin's Creed). Obviously, 25 pages (when there are lots of images included) isn't enough to go into great detail--but he does introduce several key concepts and he provides some very good images to illustrate his points. I wish this chapter was longer because what it does contain is very good! In short, I feel this is the best chapter of the whole book.

The second chapter on "Composition" is about 30 pages long. Most of the chapter deals with the Golden Ratio and how it is applied. While this is an important compositional device I was a bit surprised that so much of the chapter was devoted to this single theme and the mathematical approaches used in constructing it. The last few pages of this chapter do include material on topics such as rhythm, point of interest, size and ratio, light contrast, and five rules for creating a thumbnail--but the material is very brief. At the end of this chapter I felt a bit disappointed.

The third chapter is on "Perspective and Depth" and it is about 25 pages long. It does a good job of showing the different types of perspective, but if you are hoping to learn how to draw in perspective I don't think this book will do it for you. The last couple pages briefly touch on topics such as using light and color to show depth--but it does not go into much detail. Once again, I was hoping for more.

The fourth chapter is on "Anatomy" and it is 76 pages long--basically as long as the first three chapters combined. It includes a lot of drawings (see the video). If you are hoping for step-by-step instruction you may be disappointed--but the diagrams and written information are good.

The last chapter is the "Reference Gallery" and it 100 pages long. Many of the images do contain a reference back to some key concept mentioned in the first four chapters. Personally, I would prefer fewer pages in this chapter and more pages in the first three chapters since there are already numerous books, magazines, and websites that display contemporary work.

Bottom line: Overall, this is a good book and some of the parts are very good. It does introduce a lot of important art concepts. I just wish some of the areas were covered in more depth.
145 people found this helpful
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Tenshi
5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2014
Verified Purchase
I have a large library of art and art instruction books and this one has to be one of my favorite. I was a bit concerned about the ambitious scope of the material when I was deciding whether I should buy it or not. I'm happy to say that the authors did an amazing job covering all the topics with just the right level of detail. The quality of the book itself and the illustrations is excellent, which makes this book not only very informative, but also turns it into a source of artistic inspiration. I'd recommend it to any serious art student, especially to those who've set their sights on the entertainment art industry.
3 people found this helpful
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Ali Alfoudery
5.0 out of 5 stars The Ultimate Painting Book!
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2019
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If you had to choose one book, and one book “only”, for being a better painter, fulfilling all your needs and “desires” in painting, then this is the “ultimate” book for you! This book is my favorite painting book “so far”: however; You have to practice and apply what you learn. What an amazing book! I’m speechless…
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Good condition
Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2022
Verified Purchase
Very educational.
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K. Happel
5.0 out of 5 stars Transforming painting into the visualization
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2018
Verified Purchase
LOVE THIS BOOK, Not at all what I expected. This is about how the elements of design, color and composition interact to create intended effect. Not about the effects of technique, talent or theory. It is about intent, painting so that the intent of the artist
/s viewpoint is revealed.
2 people found this helpful
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Katelyn Rynerson
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Impressed
Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2016
Verified Purchase
A very comprehensive reader that touches on concepts and techniques often neglected in other like books. I didn't think it was possible to cover so much ground so succinctly in one book. I'm very happy with it and will be on the lookout for others by this author.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Natt Acatauassu
5.0 out of 5 stars Must have
Reviewed in Brazil on December 24, 2019
Verified Purchase
Great for beginners and intermediates artists, really nice tips.
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Stefan A.
5.0 out of 5 stars The one and Only Master book
Reviewed in Germany on September 3, 2020
Verified Purchase
The best Book ever what can i say more, it has plenty of of Information but what i found most inspirational was the Anatomy Chapter
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Vlad Ciuru
5.0 out of 5 stars Tiempo de entrega perfecto
Reviewed in Spain on August 13, 2020
Verified Purchase
Es la primera vez que pruebo amazon express y hasta ahora siempre cualquier producto que compraba online me llegaba en 2 semanas como mínimo ya que vivo en las islas canarias, pero me asombro ver como el libro me ha llegado al TERCER dia de encargarlo, la verdad que me parece increible XD
Sobre el libro en sí, ya que todavía no he leído nada, todo lo que puedo decir es que se nota la buena calidad del contenido y los materiales con los que está hecho, además el envoltorio duro que viene con él es bastante bonito
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Marianne
5.0 out of 5 stars Genial.
Reviewed in Mexico on March 20, 2018
Verified Purchase
Este libro pone las cosas claras y simples:
Ya sea que conozcas o no las bases este libro las explica de manera sencilla y con ejemplos gráficos claros.
Me encantó la calidad del papel y la impresión también tiene una calidad genial; además viene en una especie de caja para protegerlo que es de un cartón muy grueso, a mi gusto es la cereza del pastel, pues tiene un contenido excelente con una presentación excelente, nada menos :)

Ampliamente recomendado, no se arrepentirán :)!!
Customer image
Marianne
5.0 out of 5 stars Genial.
Reviewed in Mexico on March 20, 2018
Este libro pone las cosas claras y simples:
Ya sea que conozcas o no las bases este libro las explica de manera sencilla y con ejemplos gráficos claros.
Me encantó la calidad del papel y la impresión también tiene una calidad genial; además viene en una especie de caja para protegerlo que es de un cartón muy grueso, a mi gusto es la cereza del pastel, pues tiene un contenido excelente con una presentación excelente, nada menos :)

Ampliamente recomendado, no se arrepentirán :)!!
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4 people found this helpful
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Mitchell
5.0 out of 5 stars This book is great if you a re a beginner as it introduces ...
Reviewed in Canada on August 2, 2017
Verified Purchase
This book is great if you a re a beginner as it introduces you to the fundamentals of art (not in depth analysis of the fundamentals), with great pieces to provide examples of the outcome one desires. By the end of reading the book you should know how to be able to correlate how colour/light and 3D objects manifest. The book does not go into to much depth on techniques on how to apply that knowledge onto programs or paper though so just keep in mind.
One person found this helpful
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