Mechanika ─ Creating the Art of Space, Aliens, Robots and Sci-Fi

You can design the future!

In a post-apocalyptic alien landscape, starfighters crash land in desert terrain, dino riders rear up, rusted crab walkers litter the horizon and men work with--or fight against--giant iron robots. You control it all and Academy Award-winning sci-fi film production designer Doug Chiang tells you how. In this revised and updated version of his best-selling book,Mechanika, Chiang uses his 25 years in the film industry working on such films as theStar Wars franchise, Terminator 2: Judgment Day and War of the Worlds to teach you the techniques, tools and tips to draw and think like a master sci-fi artist.

Inside you'll find:

• The six keys to good design and how to build an expert toolkit.
• Basic sketching techniques and the rules of perspective--even in imaginary worlds.
• 25+ step-by-step demonstrations showing how to draw everything from monopods and labor beasts to aliens and steam-powered robots by mixing traditional drawing and marker techniques with digital painting technology.
• How to create compelling science fiction scenes inspired by movies, books, comics and games from conceptualization to completion.
• Tips and details on how to use Adobe Photoshop to design, draw and enhance your creations--including author secrets!

Learn design secrets from one of the sci-fi artists behind Star Wars, War of the Worlds andTerminator 2: Judgment Day!

Doug Chiang, San Rafael, CA, currently hard at work as Vice President and Executive Creative Director for the new Star Wars films, got his start with stop-motion animation for Pee Wee’s Playhouse. He has since won a Clio, an Academy Award and two British Academy Awards for his work. His work has been in major exhibitions including those at the Brooklyn Museum, Houston Museum of Fine Art, San Diego Museum of Fine Art, Field Museum and Kyoto and Tokyo National Museums, among others. www.dchiang.com