I fell in love with this book at first glance, and I hadn't read this review at the time. I was in the book shop, saw this minotaur-like creature on a shelve... It just took a few seconds and pages to make me buy it ! Paul Bonner's artworks are stunning, he's probably one of my favourite fantasy artists as of now. The fact that John Howe wrote the preface is a good hint already... :)
Paul Bonner's technique is near perfect ; his landscapes are beautiful and natural, his creatures and characters very lively and primal. There's always something caricatural to the poses, faces and expressions, but it's well-enough measured that it doesn't turn ridiculous or steals the global power of the drawing. What strikes me the most is the incredibly realistic lighting and the liveliness of the colors - and it's all natural, nothing digital ! Very few artists can boast such skills nowadays.
When I first went through the pages, I recognized many artworks as stuff that kept inspiring me when I was a kid. At the time I was fond of all fantasy art such as what could be seen in Dragon Magazine, RPG manuals and merchandising from TSR... Besides Jeff Easley, Keith Parkinson, Frank Frazetta or Brom, Paul Bonner was already there yet I didn't know his name. Now, as I've stumbled upon this wonderful artbook many years later, I can finally put a name on these terrific pieces of art ! Long live Paul Bonner. :D
I fell in love with this book at first glance, and I hadn't read this review at the time. I was in the book shop, saw this minotaur-like creature on a shelve... It just took a few seconds and pages to make me buy it ! Paul Bonner's artworks are stunning, he's probably one of my favourite fantasy artists as of now. The fact that John Howe wrote the preface is a good hint already... :)
Paul Bonner's technique is near perfect ; his landscapes are beautiful and natural, his creatures and characters very lively and primal. There's always something caricatural to the poses, faces and expressions, but it's well-enough measured that it doesn't turn ridiculous or steals the global power of the drawing. What strikes me the most is the incredibly realistic lighting and the liveliness of the colors - and it's all natural, nothing digital ! Very few artists can boast such skills nowadays.
When I first went through the pages, I recognized many artworks as stuff that kept inspiring me when I was a kid. At the time I was fond of all fantasy art such as what could be seen in Dragon Magazine, RPG manuals and merchandising from TSR... Besides Jeff Easley, Keith Parkinson, Frank Frazetta or Brom, Paul Bonner was already there yet I didn't know his name. Now, as I've stumbled upon this wonderful artbook many years later, I can finally put a name on these terrific pieces of art ! Long live Paul Bonner. :D