Aspiring art students who have a special interest in science fiction-inspired graphic novels, computer games, book illustrations, and posters will find the help they're looking for in this comprehensive self-teaching course. The author instructs on ways to blend the exotic with the familiar in order to create believable yet dramatic future cityscapes, vehicles, extraterrestrial creatures, and more. From rough concept to finished illustration, his book shows artists how to convert their imaginings into dynamic and memorable images. He deals with all standard media, from pencil and acrylics to digital software, and he shows students how to blend colors in ways that give their pictures ethereal and futuristic atmospheres. Each lesson includes an Idea File sidebar feature that offers special tips and useful insights. Art students will also find helpful cross-references to closely related lessons. Vivid, how-to illustrations in color fill virtually every page of this highly instructive book.