Virtual Dreams
Sketch Card Mania by Randy Martinez and Denise Vasquez Review
After months of waiting for the first ever book devoted to the ins and outs of making sketch cards I finally have it in my grubby little mitts. ‘Is it worth the wait?’ you ask. The answer is a resounding YES! Or the drunken equivalent thereof, whichever you prefer.
The introduction includes a history of sketch cards which makes for an interesting read.
Part 1 is a walkthrough of the creation of a sketch card using different media from pencils and markers to acrylic paint and even mixed media.
Part 2 is all about the backs of sketch cards, what to put there, to how to print and mount them professionally. I’m not quite sure why one can’t simply print right on the card stock, but that’s neither here nor there.
Part 3 is a guide to drawing 13 different characters and the things you need to think about for each. It’s not restricted by media so it’s a nice source of ideas if you find yourself short.
Part 4 is in my opinion the most important part of the book. How to promote yourself and become a professional sketch card artist. Considering that’s exactly what I plan on trying to pull off I plan to spend a lot of time with that part of the book. I’ll be putting the entire adventure here so stay tuned. It finishes with a list of useful websites, some of which I’m familiar with, some not so much.
Throughout the book there’s a ton of awesome cards from various artists shown, and also included is prints of 9 cards and 9 blanks which leads me into one of the minor problems with the book. The right hand edge seems to be cut off a little bit which is a bit jarring considering just about everything else is top notch. The other small, small problem I have with the book is in regards to the website the book gives for downloading some bonus material. It doesn’t seem to exist. Other than that the book is absolutely amazing, and a must buy for anyone looking to get into the biz. It will find a warm welcome in my small pile of art books I consider critical.
