How to Render: the fundamentals of light, shadow and reflectivity Paperback – November 15, 2014

This book is massive. There is so much content that the table of contents is five pages. Small print. Does this mean this is the only book you will ever need on rendering? I haven't finished the book, but I'm going to take wild guess and say 'yes'. I can't be for sure, but I do know this, I will be spending months, if not years perfecting the lessons in this book. Because of that, this will be my last and go-to guide to rendering.In other words, save the time, money, and shelf space, and just get this book. I have been learning so much that my mind is blown. Here's so of my favorite things about the book so far:1. It has a lot of content for every situation you will find yourself in as an artist. If you draw from photo references, there's a lesson. If you use markers to render, there's a lesson. If you're drawing from life, there's a lesson. This is amazing because it never assumes you will use the same techniques with every medium or every reference. Rendering is different for every situation and I love that they take the time to show examples for each. which is why the book is so long.2. I don't have to read straight through. I can use it as a reference guide and learn techniques as I need them. As artist we build tools and techniques one after the other. We don't learn everything there is in one sitting. This book is good for building.3. Reflective or glossy surfaces. Need need need.What isn't my favorite sometimes is how detailed it gets. There are some things that is hard for me to understand. Right now I'm looking at what looks like a math problem. However, I bought this book for that very reason. I want to know the details, so it will take some time.

Another winner in the growing series from Scott Robertson. If you purchased "How To Draw", you owe it to yourself to add this book to your learning library. Similar in format, "How To Render" is both a hands-on, how-to instructional as well as a knowledge based means for understanding the "why" of the "what" you are doing. Scott gives you a well balanced understanding of the underlying principles that are key to accurately applying the techniques that will bring your line art to full blown, well executed final renderings. The additional video content is superb and compliments the written explanations beautifully. Both works are like having a classroom experience in a book/video format and are fantastic learning resources. Being as such, if you follow the sequential steps and let your knowledge grow progressively through the book and don't try to skim it or pick and choose the information, you will walk away with a rich understanding of the subject matter and be able to apply it across the spectrum of your work and not just the immediate project at hand.If you are looking to take your artwork to a higher level but are at a loss as to where to find the knowledge, you cannot go wrong in purchasing this book or Scott's other work, "How To Draw". Both are excellent resources and are highly recommended!

If you're self learning how to draw professionally, this is a MUST BUY. It explains literally everything you can imagine the title of the book should encompass, and does so in an intelligent, yet very simple manner. It doesn't take much brain power to understand what the book is telling you, and most of some parts is just common sense if you've been drawing already for years.The book has simple assignments for you to try out. It's not the (draw A and B five times) crap. You can do it as much as you like then move on, or skip it entirely and come back to it if need be.I do have to say please go through from beginning to end. DO NOT skip any pages!!! The set up is meant so that by the time you reach the meat of the book, you'll have no questions to ask seeing they were covering in the beginning of the book. "Steady as she goes" and "Haste makes waste" would be the quotes to use when reading through this book.I would buy the 1st part of this book as it encompasses how to sketch art before rendering/painting things.

This book is a must-have for every aspiring artist/designer interested in learning the fundamentals of light, shadow, and reflectivity. Robertson conveys concepts clearly and methodically, enabling me to grasp seemingly complex ideas and apply them in my own drawing and rendering exercises. The instructional videos included in this product can be accessed via the DSP app, which makes doing the exercises more enjoyable. The step-by-step videos are absolutely conducive to learning.I highly recommend this book as it is just as outstanding as the author's other book, "How to Draw", which teaches you to draw objects and environments from your own imagination using perspective and the draw-through method. The first book also comes with instructional videos that can be accessed through the DSP app. For the price, this book is such a great value as it packs in a LOT of essential information.

Incredible