World of Warcraft Artbook review: The art of Cataclysm
Today I'm sharing with you another artbook review, and this time I'll show the Wow artbook, expansion "Cataclysm". From the very start I have to admit that I'm a huge fan of Blizzard art and this is only the first one of WoW artbooks reviews, while more and more are coming soon:) Fortunately every expansion of the game was covered with a separate artbook:) As usual, I'll post here some scans that would make you familiar with the book so that you could decide: may be you want one for yourself too:)
So, Cataclysm. This expansion for the MMORPG was released on December, 2010 and followed thr "Wrath of the Lich King". I will not stop on gameplay process, I'm pretty sure if you love WoW you know all about it, and since my interest in an artists interest I'll talk about it.
The book has 176 pages and a hardcover. The contents is devided to 8 chapters:
1. Legasy of destruction:deathwing
2. The end of all things
3. A changing world:Kalimdor and the eastern kindoms
4. Lock the doors:Gilneas
5. Message in a bottle: Kezan and the lost isles
6. Forgotten depths: Vashj'ir
7. Mysteries in the sands: Uldum
8. Realm of fury: the elemental plane
The whole typography of the book is brilliant. High quality parer and print. It's really a must-have artbokk for WoW lover. I feel like the moto of the creators was "less words, more concepts", and I must say it's the best way to go!:) Concepts for the Deathwing:
Just look at these sketches! Am I the only one who has a rapid heartbeat seeng them? They're so adorable, even when they're on a pencil sketch stage. Sometimes lining takes away some energy from the sketch, so it's so wonderful to see the primodial thoughts of the artist.
The book includes a lot of both enviroment and characters concepts. Going threw pencil sketches and line arts, rough sketches of backgrounds you suddenly turn the page and jump into the fully researched pictures. I love how blizzard artists combine the colours, and I don't know if this term exists, haha, but I'm sure you'll know what I mean if I'll say "Blizzard blue":)
Here I just couldn't not to include this page to my review. Everyone who knows me or who reads my blog even for a short time knows, that I'm really fond of orks. And WoW orks are my an inexhaustible source of inspiration.
And about the clours and backgrounds again. May be it's just me, but the combinations af dungeon scenery with light bright gloving effects are brilliant not only in the game itself, but already on locations sketches.
A bit of mob dynamic transformation. How cool is that?:)
The last pages include a bit of weapon drawings. I whish there were more of them, may it's the only inadequately disclosed topic here.
The only thing I must say to criticize a bit - quite often the images dublicates from one artbook to another. I mean that some pictures can be seen in "Art of Cataclysm", for example, and in another WoW artbook as well. But not too much, so anyway all ot them worth your bookshelf.
If you missed the other reviews, about the artbook "Goblinoids", "Star Wars the Old Republic" and ""Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind", you can find it following these links:
https://steemit.com/drawing/@inber/goblinoids-by-scott-purdy-artbook-review-more-pictures-inside
https://steemit.com/review/@inber/nausicaa-of-the-valley-of-the-wind-artbook-review
Please upvote and follow if you liked my review, more and more are coming soon:)