Christopher Hart’s book doodletopia
Fairies is by far my favorite book in the doodletopia series. This may have much to do with the fact that I
have always enjoyed fantasy and magical creatures, fairies in particular, so it
already had brownie points just for subject matter. It’s been awhile since my
last review, but I don’t think I’m imagining that Fairies is more instructional that its predecessors. While still
definitely being a guided activity book, there seems to be more actual art
education involved.
Hart promises that his book will teach you to “…draw fairy
wings, design magical fashions, make flying poses, create charming fairy
villages, produce magical effects in your artwork, and more.” p. 7 and jumps
right in with his first tip. “Indicating size and scale is another important
technique -” p.7 Like, I assume, many others, I often have the most difficulty
- when drawing a character - with the side profile. This time, Hart addresses that: “…known as a side
view - and “the angle that drives people crazy.” Let’s break down the steps to
make it easy to draw.” p. 12. Which he does. Honestly, I think it will continue
to be a problem for me, but I’m half a step closer.
In one regard particularly, Hart has held consistent appeal
for me, and that is his wit. He is just a funny guy. He continues to joke about
his magical ability to imbue his readers with super drawing powers, “Your
pencil is your wand. And your eraser is …still just a rubbery thing. But your
pencil is a wand.” P.13, and make funny remarks about his characters, “They’re
the ones who steal your sunglasses when you’re not looking.” P.7, but I feel
like he waxed even more eloquent on this go round. Again, maybe bias owing to
my enjoyment of the genre, but Fairies has
been funnier to me. My favorite quips?
“Fairies range in age from very
young (about 633 years old) to mature (“It would be rude to tell.”)” p. 10
“I flipped through some popular
fairy magazines, like Fairy Fitness &
Fun, to find insights into what fairies wear. Man, is it tough to read that
teensy print” p. 49
“You can create fairy hats from all
sorts of things. One of the most popular materials is a flower. Lots of
different flowers work. But not dandelions. One good breeze and the hat is
gone.” P. 65
“All I’m saying is that the next
time you see a tiara on a little kid’s head, be sure to tell them, “That was
stolen from a fairy.”” P. 70
“(What time is “yore” anyway? And
how does anyone know when it’s a quarter to yore?)” p. 140
One of Hart’s talents is highlighting how positions and
shapes impact your impressions of the attitude of the character. In fact, his
section headings for “More Fairy Faces” and point blank on the topic: “Oval-Faced
Fairies are Fun” p. 18 “Angular-Faced Fairies Are Confident” p. 19 “Round-Faced
Fairies are Perfect at Pouting” p. 20 “Young Faces Look Innocent” p. 21. He also has more subtle suggestions for how
to convey the characters’ outlook:
“Draw eyes wide, giving her a
bubbly appearance.” p. 10
“Draw the antennae leaning forward, for a
positive look.” P. 35
“Press his arms and legs together
for an insecure pose.” P. 43
“These wings may not seem unique at
first, but their position is interesting. Both sets of wings are lifted up,
which enhances the effect of her cheerful expression.” P. 87
“Notice how the wings are in the “down”
position. This placement can be used to show a negative attitude.” P. 108
This book is not a technical drawing book. While there is
some flat-out art speak, most of Hart’s advice comes in a far more
conversational tone. Topics of art classes are slipped in as a casual aside. I
have twenty specific examples of this, but will omit most of them for brevity’s
sake. But I will add just a few as supporting evidence. For instance, Hart does
not discuss background/foreground, but he does give advice about it: “First
draw the ring of flowers, and then the hat. The flowers are the front layer.” p.
68 or “Overlap the mushrooms below her.” p. 97. He doesn’t talk about light
sources, but he alludes to it: “Draw a shadow under the fairy to indicate that
she’s hovering above the ground.” p. 98. Nor does he talk about diagonal lines
being more visually interesting and stimulating than horizontals, but merely
suggests, “The horn is such a linear instrument. You either have to position it
horizontally or diagonally. I think you’ll find that diagonally is more
engaging.” p. 143
He also gets into the physics that make art more convincing,
such as being aware of gravity and other forces acting upon your character,
such as momentum creating an updraft on a fairy’s wings.
After the promise of malevolent fairies, I was a little
disappointed about their treatment in the book. After a promising start (“You
may never have actually seen an evil fairy, but you have seen their effects.
Why do you think a slice of bread always falls jelly-side down? Evil fairy. Why
can you never find your glasses? Evil fairy.” p. 114), just one page of advice
- maybe just hints (“Push those eyebrows down - way down!” p. 114), and one
page of go to (“Wicked characters drip with evil. So by all means, overdo it!”
p. 115)! Maybe there wasn’t a lot to say about it, but I’d have liked to have
seen further exploration of the topic.
The girls and I really enjoyed this book, and I would
recommend it to anyone whose interests in art and fairies overlap.
I tried to scan my daughter’s adorable artwork, but it turns
out she drew too lightly for my scanner, but here’s a page I did.
I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my review. This is my honest opinion about the book.
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