Rating: WORTHY!
From an advance review copy for which I thank the publisher.
Chibi is Japanese slang for 'short' and it can be both endearing when used with a loved one, or an insult when used inappropriately, so be careful how you employ the term! Here it's used to signify a particular type of art which appears in Japanese manga.
This book sets out to teach the techniques and in my opinion it succeeds. It begins with a brief survey of art materials, and gets quickly onto the basics - designing your character's pose and setting out proportions, and capturing motion. Later it covers lighting and blending colors.
It covers facial features: eyes, nose, mouth, as well as hair design, before leading into specific character creations one for each month of the year!) which you can follow along and draw your own version. It covers even more fantasy-like characters under 'chibi beasties' and it has a section on clothes, props, and accessories.
This was a great book with some really good art, and invaluable instruction for anyone who wants to get into this kind of illustration. I commend it as a worthy read.
