Book Review: Creature Features

Do you like monsters? Do you like drawing but never had the chance to learn how? Then have we got a book for you!

That’s right folks, Randy Martinez’s Creature Features is a must have guide for anyone interested in drawing their favorite monsters, aliens and mythical beasts.

The cover boasts “Odd Space Creatures!” “Shocking Legends!” “Terrifying Monsters!” and “Astonishing Mythology!” and you certainly won’t be disappointed.

Starting with a beginner friendly starter’s guide, Martinez discusses the materials and tools needed as well as the best environments to keep you free of distractions while you sketch the hours away.  He then moves on to give you some tips on the basics involved in drawing and art in general i.e. Basic Shapes, The Human Head, Lights and Shadows, Shading Techniques, Texture and Color.

Being an aspiring artist myself, I know how daunting the blank page can be. Luckily, Martinez provides us with six, easy-to-follow steps to get you from point A to point B by starting with the basic shapes all the way to adding the final details and color.

Enough about the basics, what’s actually in the book you ask? Well, it is divided into three scary sections: Legendary Monsters, Mythological Creatures, and Aliens & Other Galactic Travelers.

Every page is dedicated to a different creature and Martinez has put everything in an interesting yet simple format that allows you to have some fun without getting confused about what to do next.

Each demonstration comes with a bit of expository text meant to inform you of what the creature is, where it came from, and any other fun facts.  Then come the descriptions of the six steps you need to follow in order to actually draw the thing, complete with illustrations to help you through each step. And finally we arrive at a large illustration of the finished product and here we find a handy blurb that gives some tips for coloring your creation.

We’ve all seen how-to-draw books before so you know what I’m talking about, but what makes this book so interesting is its subject (monsters) and its options (over 40 creatures to draw!).  The Legendary Monsters section provides such classics as Frankenstein’s monster, Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and the Grim Reaper. In the Mythological Creatures section you will find the Minotaur, Cyclops, Medusa, Hydra and other such beasts, while the Aliens & Other Galactic Travelers section brings you Reptoids, Space Slugs, the Chupacabra (which I would personally put in one of the other categories, but to each his own), everyone’s favorite, the Purple People Eater and much more!

Finally, the book includes a Closing Word from the author and the last pages contain a small gallery of Martinez’s own monster drawings to inspire you.  Original art from the book as well as more information on Randy Martinez is available at the his website.

If you’re a beginner in need of some help or a more advanced artist looking for some new subjects to master, pick up a copy of Creature Features, but you better be prepared… to be scared!