The Creature Garden: An Illustrator’s Guide to Beautiful Beasts & Fictional Fauna

The Creature Garden is an illustrator’s step-by-step sourcebook for drawing and painting 50 real and imagined creatures in a whimsical folk-art style. With an embossed cover, striking endpapers, and extraordinary interior illustrations, this beautifully crafted book is a unique piece of art in itself.

Husband-and-wife illustrator team Harry and Zanna Goldhawk, the founders of Papio Press, teach you how to make vibrant paintings of these beautiful beasts and fictional fauna: Mammals, including big cats, wolves, sloths, and red pandas Marine life, including whales, sea dragons, narwhals, and giant Pacific octopi Birds, including peacocks, cranes, owls, and flamingos Insects, including butterflies, moths, bumblebees, and damselflies Mythical creatures, including mermaids, unicorns, dragons, phoenixes, centaurs, and hippogriffs And more! The Creature Garden begins with the basics, first instructing you on which tools to use, how to create patterns, the importance of keeping a sketchbook, and even avoiding comparison with other artists. The book then navigates through each illustration in a step-by-step manner that is manageable and easy to understand. Each project carefully guides you through each phase of the artistic process, from creating an outline to adding a realistic animal pattern.

You’ll also learn how to draw botanical patterns from different environments—the garden, forest, jungle, and ocean—that enable you to surround your animal drawings with a natural environment.

Full of lush warmth and fairy-tale wonder, The Creature Garden is a wonderful addition to the repertoire of both seasoned artists and novices alike.