There’s a reason for the incredible proliferation of sci-fi imagery in our culture, from the beautiful robot in Ex Machina to the violent societies of The Hunger Games and The Walking Dead. In an age when science fiction is becoming science fact at an astounding rate, conjuring visions of the future is one of the ways in which we understand the present, come to accept it, or demand that it be changed.
For all those clear-eyed artists, ages 12 and up, engaging in and reimagining this world, How to Draw Sci-Fi Utopias and Dystopias gives an in-depth look at the process of completing sci-fi illustrations—from the thought behind them to constructing basic forms and objects on paper, converting roughs into finished pencil drawings, inking them in, and coloring them in Photoshop. The book is organized around the perennial distinction between two ways of representing the future in science fiction: the pessimistic and the hopeful, or dystopian and utopian.
A long-time contributor to DC Comics, on projects including Green Lantern: Rebirth, Supergirl, and Batman: The Ultimate Evil, Prentis Rollins teaches that the only way to create authenticity in a science fictional world is to root the imagined in the real, becoming the sole authority on its narrative and rationales. He demonstrates the astounding power of storytelling with 32 step-by-step case studies created and imagined just for this book.
Thanks to our friends at Monacelli Studio we’ve got an excerpt of two of the step-by-step case studies from the book.
How to Draw Sci-Fi Utopias and Dystopias by Prentis Rollins is available now.
