The Official Vampire Artist's Handbook

Vampire mania is permeating pop culture. Throngs of people stand in movie theater lines to see Twilight, and True Blood & The Vampire Diaries are top-rated television series. More and more books feature alluring, albeit undead, main characters, while a subculture of fanatics are even donning fangs and dressing in the gothic garb of Dracula. Modern day vampires are sexy, cool and intelligent – all the reasons for a resurgence of interest in these legendary creatures.

Now, crafters can hop on the bandwagon and take an ordinary photo and transform it into vampire art. With the instructions and techniques inside The Official Vampire Artist’s Handbook (Fox Chapel Publishing, March 1, 2012) readers will turn their spouse, child, even a neighbor into a bloodthirsty being.

The detailed illustrations and skills include everything needed to proportionately draw a face, fierce facial expressions, a variety of dramatic hair styles, scars and wounds, signature fangs, and garments reminiscent of historical periods. An entire chapter is devoted to achieving proper skin tones. Thirty unique patterns are included to get readers started and inspire creativity. The one-of-akind book also includes extensive history, folklore and discussion on the legend of vampires.

With the guidance inside The Official Vampire Artist’s Handbook, mythological monsters resembling our loved ones will start popping up on the pages of our scrapbooks, greeting cards, even in picture frames on the fireplace mantel.