The Simpsons Handbook: Secret Tips from the Pros

by Bill Morrison and Matt Groening

Book Overview

Here is a rare homage to the art of classic 2-D animation and the time-honored method of hand-drawing characters that come alive on the silver screen. The creator of "The Simpsons" and "Futurama," reveals the art of brilliant character design, backgrounds, and prop art in this lavishly detailed handbook that unveils the complex secrets behind the deceptively simple and universally loved Simpsons characters. With creative insights, artists' sketches,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061231290
• ISBN13: 9780061231292
• Release Date: June 2007
• Publisher: Harper Design
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 2.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 11.2" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Drawing with the pros

I was really pleasantly surprised when I received the book. It really feels like a book which the pros have been part of doing. It includes really great tips and is over all a great guide in to the Simpsons world. I got this book to give as a present. Now I think I have to get another one just for my self.

Complete Model Sheets for THE SIMPSONS

This book will be of the most direct interest to people planning to get a job as an animator on THE SIMPSONS. It goes into full detail about how to draw every character in Springfield and also how to draw the props and the buildings. Since the Springfield community is probably the most fully realized community in TV animation (I can't think of any other show with as many different characters and places - can you?) it is a great how-to-do-it example for anyone contemplating creating an animated world. I've always liked the level of realism in THE SIMPSONS TV show in that everything is consistent and permanent even though supernaturally wild and unlikely happenings can occur and I admire the huge effort that went into the design of each building and character in Springfield. This is not a book to buy just because you are a fan of the show (unless you intend to collect every SIMPSONS book published which will be a collection worth a lot of money in a few decades) but this book is definitely a great book for any animation artist to buy. It's filled with the "tips and secrets" that its title promises.

A gift...

I bought this book as a gift for my younger brother's birthday since he loves to draw and enjoys watching the Simpsons as well. He loves it!

Amazing book! Two yellow thumbs up!

I am very pleased with this book. It outlines all the same "rules" (and there a lot of them!) for drawing the Simpsons' characters that all the Simpsons' animators and comic illustrators have to use to keep the look consistent. There are step by step instructions on how to draw practically every character in the show (32 of them anyway), including some cool transparency overlays of the main characters. Expressions, hands, body positions, props and backgrounds are also covered. The book itself is a very nice bound hard cover book and every page will stay open on its own, which is a real plus when you want your hands free for drawing! As simple as the characters may look on the show, it definitely takes skill to get them to look that way, and it turns out they are more complicated than you may think. This book, by the makers of the Simpsons, demonstrates how to do that perfectly. Now if they would just put out a similar book for the very underrated Futurama, I could die happy!

Amazing

This book is something I've always wanted: a definitive, professional guide for drawing the Simpsons. It's amazing how complicated drawing these deceptively simplistic characters can be. The book starts out with detailed guides for the five main characters, the Simpsons family. At the end of each main character's section is a page full of notes and sketches with a transparent sheet that overlaps with an "inked" version of the main character. The book also has basic guidelines for many other characters, but not nearly as in-depth as the main cast. These secondary characters sometimes have pages that fold out and have additional tips by Simpsons artists. I would have liked more characters and more in-depth information for these secondary characters, but most of the more popular characters are there, and the book would have to be massive to go more in depth and/or add more characters. It's already considerably huge as it is. The main characters are addressed once again with various outfits, though only single images are shown and not detailed alternate angles and such. Select environments from the show are also shown, with notes given to perspective. This book won't really teach you drawing with perspective, but it will give some insights into both it and the terminology for it. All in all, if you've ever wanted to draw The Simpsons "correctly" or simply love behind the scenes stuff, I highly recommend this book for you. I myself am a cartoonist and an art student, and I believe it was worth every penny (though I did order it from here for the discounted price).