Terry Pratchett's Discworld Imaginarium

by Paul Kidby

Genres: Humorous Fantasy

Synopsis

Paul Kidby, Sir Terry Pratchett's artist of choice, provided the illustrations for The Last Hero, designed the covers for the Discworld novels since 2002 and is the author of the bestseller The Art Of Discworld. Now, Paul Kidby has collected the very best of his Discworld illustrations in this definitive volume, including 40 pieces never before seen, 30 pieces that have only appeared in foreign editions, limited editions and BCA editions, and 17 book cover illustrations since 2004 that have never been seen without cover text. If Terry Pratchett's pen gave his characters life, Paul Kidby's brush allowed them to live it, and nowhere is that better illustrated than in this magnificent book.

Release date: November 23, 2017

Publisher: Gollancz

Print pages: 272

Sample

THE IMAGINARIUM OF PROFESSOR PRATCHETT • ACRYLIC ON CANVAS • 77cm × 56cm • 2017

INTRODUCTION

“Fantasy is an exercise bicycle for the mind. It might not take you anywhere, but it tones up the muscles that can.”

Terry Pratchett

It was almost twenty-five years ago when I was first drawn to the literary cornucopia that is Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. His richly-packed stories burst at the seams with a combination of wit, wisdom and unbound imagination which I found then, and now, an irresistible challenge to illustrate.

I always had a vivid mind’s eye, which was troublesome for the four-year-old me lying in bed at night convinced there were dinosaurs in the hallway. As an adult, I have been able to harness those imaginings and give them shape with my pencil and brush. Discovering the Discworld novels was exciting; I had found somebody to whose writing I instantly connected, who had also learnt to marshal his imagination and, although my medium was drawing, I felt our two disciplines stylistically complemented each other. Terry’s novels are a gift to illustrators because his characters are descriptive without being prescriptive, leaving plenty of room for creative interpretation.

I find designing characters and creatures the hardest part of the artistic process but also the most fun. It’s when ideas come together and I t. . .