Animals Real and Imagined: Fantasy of What Is and What Might Be

Right when I saw this book I knew I needed to have it. However, due to personal experience I am weary about buying used books without feeling them first. But, like I said I NEEDED this book and like the impatient person I am I took the risk against my better judgment. I'm Glad I did. Not only did the book arrive way before I expected it to but the condition it came it was astonishing. Not only was it wrapped like it was a plate of gold but the book itself was in practically new condition. In fact, they could have put down that the book was new and I would have believed it. I absolutely wish I lived in California as I would take a trip and visit them in person to tell them how much I loved everything. I was hoping beyond hope that they were somewhere in my state so I could do so! And, not only that. But when I opened my book and glanced at my receipt, in the corner was a hand penned note that she hoped I was happy with my book. You have no idea! If I can give you any advice, if you ever order a used book online do so from these people. You will not be disappointed! As for the book itself it is a beautiful artist reference for creatures both real and imagined. Go figure. It is chocked full of colored/completed designs along with unfinished sketches detailing real animals, estranged creatures with cartoons/caricatures scattered here and there. I personally will be using it for reference and inspiration for my novels. But for artist I think it is in the 'must have' category. It is far from being extremely professional but it is beautifully defined and gives plenty of musculature and skeletal structures for all kinds of creatures -even humans. If you like imaginative bestiaries/reference books then give this one a once-over!

I am a big fan of conceptual art, and I have to give Terryl Whitlatch much of the credit for that. I first purchased her book The Wildlife of Star Wars: A Field Guide back when it first came out and I was blown away by the detailed and thoughtful creature designs. Say what you will about the prequels (and I will say that overall they were not that good), but I can find no fault with the many artists who worked on the design of the films - Whitlatch did much of the creature work for the first film, and so I was somewhat familiar with a few of her designs even before purchasing that book. I also bought her book The Katurran Odyssey a few years ago - I am sure it was one of the bargain books at Barnes and Nobles or Borders - again the artwork was terrific, although it was focused more on actual animals, some extinct some extant. I was extremely excited when I read that Whitlatch was coming out with a new book of conceptual artwork, so you can bet that I pre-ordered it as soon as I could. I was not disappointed. Chapter Two (Animals Imagined) is clearly my favorite part of the book. Her ungulate/ ape hybrids were particularly interesting. I also loved her ogres and the Pre-Tracker (which I believe was created for a class she teaches: [...] Overall, the book is great - my hardcover edition is printed on high-quality paper and I know it's something I will enjoy for years. If you are interested in this type of creature design, I would also recommend: The World of Kong: A Natural History of Skull Island (King Kong) , Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time -- 20th Anniversary Edition (Calla Editions) , Worlds: A Mission of Discovery , Prometheus: The Art of the Film , Expedition: Being an Account in Words and Artwork of the A.D. 2358 Voyage to Darwin IV , and these books by Dougal Dixon - After Man: A Zoology of the Future and The New Dinosaurs: An Alternative Evolution .

Terryl Whitlatch is so talented, and this book of her animal illustrations and drawings is amazing. Her realistic animal illustrations and orthographic drawings are beautiful and informative. Her creature designs are inspiring- my teenage sister saw this book sitting on my desk and started looking through it, and later that day, she had pages of drawings of her own fantastic imaginative creatures!

This is an absolutely beautiful book! I'm an artist, and the cover caught my eye while sitting through art books on Amazon. Then when I got the actual book in hand, I almost couldn't stop drooling! The book itself, the artwork, it's all amazing! Absolutely Beautiful and Stunning book! Well worth adding to any artist collection! Or just anyone who likes looking at beautiful art!!! Well worth every penny! I love this book! It was amazing!

If you like animals, prehistoric fauna or fantasy creatures, this book is going to blow your mind up. Terryl Whitlatch's knowledge of animal anatomy is simply outstanding and when you put this together with her extraordinary talent for illustration, the result is a book you never get tired to flip through its pages. Some of the silly characters in this book are my least favorite of her creations, and this is why I am not rating this book with five stars; however I still I admire the consistent anatomy and the rich, talented imagination behind even these goofy creatures. If you are an artist or an illustrator with a taste for animals, you will enjoy a lot Terryl's detailed studies of many animals you already know and many others you haven't dreamed about yet.

This book made my face light up with ecstasy. Packed in this 160-page book is a collection of new artwork from Terryl Whitlatch. You won't see any of her Star Wars creatures that appeared in The Wildlife of Star...

This book is an absolute must. It is PACKED with wonderful, inspiring images and sketches. This book makes me excited to become a better artist! I own several art reference books and I would happily burn them all to keep this one😂

This book went straight up near the top of my list of favorite art books. I'm an artist who's been having a go at drawing all sorts of creatures for most of my life, so I wasn't after an in-depth written explination of what's going on in the pictures, I just want to look at the art style and ability of someone who knows what she's doing. (This book has lots of pictures and very little text, just a short intorduction to each chapter and sketched notes.) The Author/Artist's scientific knowledge of animal anotomy is way over my head, and is obvious in even the most bizarre of her creatures. There's a great mix of realistic and cartoon drawing styles, heaps of skelleton/muscle/fully-fleshed comparisons and colour paintings. There's plenty of everything. I love it.