Daniel Cooney graduated with a BFA in Illustration and Cartooning from The School of Visual Arts, New York. He is the best-selling author of Writing and Illustrating the Graphic Novel and The Complete Guide to Figure Drawing for Comics and Graphic Novels. Daniel, a California native, now lives in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, USA with his family. Learn more about Daniel at dancooneyart.com or find him @dcooneyart on Twitter and Instagram.
Perspective is one of those things you either understand instinctively or struggle with. If it's the latter, it's easy to file the subject under 'difficult' and avoid it. This book caters for a specific market and you're probably wondering what it's doing here. That difference makes it worth a look. Graphic novels aren't all about realistic presentation and often rely on a distortion of perspective that only really works if you've got it off pat in the first place. This is useful, partly because it features a lot of figures, seen from all angles, but also for the exercises and practice space that encourage you to try things from different viewpoints. * The Artist * Featuring everything readers need to know about perspective, this fascinating guide is perfect for new comic book artists. Graphic novelist Dan Cooney explains how to draw from any point of view, creating convincing backgrounds to capture the angle of each character. The title features practical demonstrations and an interactive workbook, together with inspiring illustrations and useful guidance. * Craft Focus April/May 2019 * 'It's a very exhaustive book indeed which, as you'd expect, deals with the horrors of one-point, two-point and three-point perspective but also touches on a whole range of other things necessary to the artist, such as the materials needed for drawing, the importance of carrying a sketch pad with you, as you seek out examples of perspective in the real world, advice on how to place your vanishing point, the Rule of Thirds, tips on drawing the human figure, how to use perspective to make your work feel more dynamic, and a whole heap of other stuff of value to the artist. In doing so, it uses a plethora of images, not only by Cooney himself but by a number of other industry professionals. Needless to say, I was especially impressed by Judge Dredd showing up. The book's extremely thorough and technical in how it goes about its business and perhaps its most useful feature is that it's packed with designated worksheets on which you can carry out the exercises laid out in the book, meaning it functions as a course in perspective rather than just being a reference or instruction book. So, if you've ever wanted to gain a fuller understanding of just how to incorporate perspective into your visual work, this is the book for you.' Read the full review here. -- Steve Does Comics * stevedoescomics.blogspot.com *