How to draw and paint fairies

From finding inspiration to capturing diaphanous detail, a step-by-step guide to fairy-painting techniques.

Drawing and painting fairies is a delightful and eternally popular art form that poses its own unique challenges: how do you paint an imaginary subject?

How can you capture the luminosity and tiny detail of a figure that might fit in the palm of your hand?

This book explains the techniques to bring your fairy art to life.

It supplies the know-how and the skills in the form of practical techniques, linework to trace, and constructional drawings that clearly demonstrate how to form heads, faces, and figures that are easy to copy.

For the beginner artist there's linework to copy and trace, and then colour using whatever technique appeals.

Easy-to-follow constructional drawings reveal how to simplify shapes and figures to create flower fairies, nymphs, and sprites; trace a basic form, then complete your fairy however you wish.

Learn how to capture the grace and movement of fairy gestures; use stippling and impressing to add texture to fabric and wings; learn how to lay variegated washes and reserve highlights.