Conceptions I

Rating:
Summary: Dream Away
Review: An interesting book full of ideas, and obviously, conceptions...Although there are some interesting ideas(???) portrayed by Royo, the art world still has to admire Fantasy Artists for their imagination, prehaps one of the hardest subjects to create. Out of most of his books this one is well put together, and interesting with the use of sketches and the forward pace created from ideas gathered from around his life and created from an active mind-to-paper. Well done

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: This book was disappointing to me for two reasons: First, it's a smaller format than many other Royo books. Secondly, this book contains only SIMPLE pencil drawings of some of Royo's artwork. It's just a rough sketchbook. The cover art is the most elaborate of all of the images in the entire volume. And although the pencil images are well done, they lack the amazing realism of his completed color paintings. Illustrators (or anyone who's aspiring to be one) may enjoy it, but others like me probably wouldn't. If you're just discovering Royo, I'd recommend getting Secrets, Malefic and Visions instead. In my opinion, Women isn't worth buying, because it simply doesn't reflect the mature Royo fans love (rather, it highlights Royo as cheesy 70's sci-fi cover artist).

Rating:
Summary: A gorgeous Collection of Artwork
Review: When I ordered this book I was not really expecting it to be as beautiful as some of Royo's other books and artwork. This book, being comprised of sketches rather than finished works, did leave me feeling as though the book would likely be rather dull to view and would only warrant one flick through. However being an avid Royo collector and wanting to complete my collection I ordered this hardcover copy.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that my doubts were unfounded. This book is actually of the same quality and if not more captivating than some of his other books such as Prohibited or Visions. The sketches inside are complex and wonderful pieces presented within a strong and marvelously presented hardcover book. The text throughout, though sparse, illustrates the steps taken to create a finished image, and although no fully finished pieces are shown in this book the images within are absolutely beautiful. The pencil sketched drawings only do more to show the absolute skill and devotion Luis Royo has to his work.

A real addition to any Royo fans collection.