50 robots to draw and paint

Some date the origin of robots to a mechanical crowing rooster placed atop the cathedral in Strasbourg, France, in 1350. In the 19th century, inventors like Seward Babbitt and Nikola Tesla designed motorized grippers and radio-controlled vehicles. In the 20th century, robotics brought us Robodoc to assist doctors in surgery and remote-controlled rovers that explored Mars. Thompson, a noted sci-fi and fantasy illustrator, teaches the artistic creation of a fantasy robot history-from an imagined Edo Period geisha robot to a late 21st-century personal assistant robot. Thompson takes a remarkably detailed look at rendering basic robots with simple shapes, then military robots, urban robots, law and order robots, and assistant robots. He teaches research and drawing, working traditionally and working digitally, with special attention to joints and movement, and, of course, exotic embellishments. A fun book that public libraries will find popular. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.