Learn to Draw Cursed Princess Club - LambCat - ★★★★★
AUTHOR: LambCat
GENRE: Learn to Draw Tutorial Book.
PUBLICATION DATE: July 9, 2024
RATING: 5 sparkly stars as bright as Prince Jamie!
In a Nutshell: The title doesn’t do this justice. It is so much more than a typical “Learn to Draw” book. Much recommended to aspiring comic artists and CPC fans. (This is a biased review because I adore the CPC series.)
I used to be fond of drawing in my younger days, but have long given up on the hobby due to time constraints. However, I didn’t grab this title to reignite my passion for artwork. Rather, I pounced upon it because I am a newly-minted super fan of the ‘Cursed Princess Club’ graphic novel series, which I read earlier this year on Webtoon and consider one of the best graphic novels, ever!
I thought it would take me about 10 minutes to breeze through this book. After all, how much time does it take to look at instructions on drawing? I was so wrong! In reality, it took me over an hour to complete, because the content was fascinating, and so much more than I had anticipated.
The book begins with an introduction to the Cursed Princess Club. There’s a little interview with the author (She’s self-taught!!!) where she speaks about her inspiration for the series. Next, we meet the main cast of the series: the Pastel Kingdom siblings, the Plaid Kingdom siblings, and some members of the CPC itself, including my favourite Prez. (Laverne fans, don’t fret; her majestic greatness is also a part of this book.) This character introduction offers us a brief bio about their personalities and the HEX colour codes for their distinctive anatomical features such as their hair, eyes and skin – a great help for digital artists..
Once the author details out the tools required for sketching whether in paper or digitally, she begins with the tutorial for sketching the characters. And my, is she thorough or what! Height charts, head dimensions, eye traits, bodily attributes, facial expressions, posture: every important aspect of sketching the character accurately is covered. She also includes the characters’ fashion preferences so that you can sketch them in their favourite outfits. The drawing tips are perfect for teens and above; they might be a bit too tricky for younger artists, though they too can certainly give this a go.
Once the character-specific instructions are done (this covers a range of the main characters, though not all), the book ends with tips on how to make your own webtoon series. This will be of great assistance to aspiring digital creators.
One thing I really enjoyed was learning about the subtleties involved in each character’s face. While reading graphic novels, we know that characters have a singular look. But this book demonstrated the extent of thought that goes into even supposedly basic character components such as eye shapes. I hadn’t even realised the distinctiveness of the eyes when I was reading the comics, probably because I had been struggling for time and had to complete the whole set in 4 days flat. Truly, my awe for the author has increased further after reading this book.
While I have no intention of following up on her detailed instructions and trying my hand at sketching any time soon, my younger daughter, who is more artistic, is very inspired by these techniques. She is determined to try out LambCat’s tips for drawing CPC characters as soon as she gets a chance. Even if she isn’t successful, I think the book has done its job by stirring up the passion needed to attempt something so complex.
All in all, an amazingly enlightening tutorial that far surpassed my expectations. It is informative without being overwhelming.
Definitely recommended to aspiring comic artists, and to fans of the Cursed Princess Club series. (If you haven’t read the graphic novels or the Webtoon series yet, do note that this ‘Learn to Draw’ book contains minor spoilers related to the characters’ backstories.)
My thanks to Quarto Publishing Group and NetGalley for the DRC of “Learn to Draw Cursed Princess Club”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
Wanna know more about the Cursed Princess Club? Read my reviews here:
Cursed Princess Club - Season 1:
Cursed Princess Club - Season 2:
Cursed Princess Club - Season 3:
Cursed Princess Club - Season 4:
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