Member Reviews
Mandy S, Reviewer
What a fun doodle book, really great for creating whimsical and quirky images of some fun and unexpected characters. The layout is the same as the animals book of a similar name. One page has step by step instructions for a creature then the next page is the “cute” variations of the same one. I do think this book is lacking in instructions for how to get to the other examples, you could probably figure them all out but for this type of book it might be nice to have a little more. The book is great for novices, and children because anybody can get decent results with this doodle style. The BEST image imo is the Frankenstein doing yoga! Perfect for “frankie says relax”, this was my first art but I will be working on another on those. Thanks to the publisher and net galley for the digital ARC to review. |
My Middle Schoolers will absolutely eat this up. They are not so much into the how to step by step detailed drawing methods, so this style showing chunks at a time is perfect for them. Very cute and a little bizaree. |
This is another fun book by Heegyum Kim, whose first book (draw 62 animals and make them cute) is one of my personal favorites for drawing instruction. This one is also easy to follow and gives you a variety of fun characters, though they are a little trickier sometimes and I didn't like them quite as much as the animal series. Also, not all of them are magical. Some are extinct (dodo) or just made magical (magical elephant) or kind of made up superheroes (a corgi with superpowers). Others are just fun animals (salamander, Maine Coon, sea horse). Many seem to be from other cultures that I was unfamiliar with (tengu, yale, dokkaibi, kumiho). Lots of mythological creatures are included (pegasus, sphinx, medusa, minotaur) and your standard scary creatures (ghost, goblin, kraken, ghoul, vampire) and urban legends (big foot, nessie) and sweeter magical creatures (mermaid, fairy, baby witch)... Each sketch includes a basic outline to start with and you see how to fill it out, and then some examples of similar ones in other poses or with other hairstyles and so on. I like seeing the creatures from lots of different angles and with lots of variations. All in all, this is a fun book for kids or adults who would like to learn to easily sketch some fun magical, mystical, odd or scary creatures. My rating system: 1 = hated it 2 = it was okay 3 = liked it 4 = really liked it 5 = love it, plan to purchase, and/or would buy it again if it was lost I read a temporary digital ARC of the book for the purpose of review. |
Educator 490567
Excellent book for doodling! The kids in my class absolutely love books like this! The right amount of guidance, plus ideas for how to make creatures your “own”. Love it! |
This book is a cartoon style drawing book in what seems a very typical "kids style" drawing book -- show a series of drawings each adding a bit more to the drawing. This is followed by a "Make Them Cute" section which shows variations on the creatures. And a small spot to try to draw one yourself. The book covers a wide variety of mythological creatures. However very few of the many creatures included were ones which could easily be made "cute", they could more often be described as monsters. And the author did not pull off a miracle and manage to make the monsters the cute either. In fact, in my personal opinion, the author's style was not cute even for those creatures that one would expect to be cute -- but I see that naming structure apparently is part of the author's previous books as well (which I have not read so can't comment on cuteness factor). I would recommend this book for a child who is more into the more odd and monstrous mythological creatures rather than one that is interested in anything "cute". |
Draw 62 Magical Creatures and Make Them Cute is a step by step drawing tutorial guide for fantasy creatures by Heegyum Kim. Due out 25th June 2019 by Quarto on their Quarry imprint, it's 128 pages and will be available in paperback format. This appealing book is full of simple tutorials for drawing magical creatures such as dragons, harpies, sirens, sphinxes, trolls, and some Asian inspired creatures such as dokkaebi, tengu, and kumiho. The tutorials and techniques are suited to beginning artists. There are step by step tutorials for 62 creatures with different variations and poses for each one. There is a 'you try it' balloon on each page for reader drawings. This would make a great gift for would-be artists of all ages. The included tutorials are varied and eclectic with origins from many different mythologies. There is no introductory technique or materials instruction; the book just includes the 62 tutorials. There is a complete table of contents, so locating individual ones shouldn't be problematic. They're slanted toward line drawings, though colored pens, crayons, and watercolors could certainly be used to enhance the drawings. Cute book, accessible for everyone. Five stars. |
Super cute characters. The instructions are simple and easy to follow. Not quite my style but lots of ideas to work with. |
I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. From the publisher, as I do not repeat the contents or story of books in reviews, I let them do it as they do it better than I do 😸. Build your drawing and character design skills while following the step-by-step instructions of Draw 62 Magical Creatures and Make Them Cute. Beloved illustrator and Instagrammer Heegyum Kim takes you on a magical journey to expand your character-building skills as she shows you how to draw each creature, from simple shapes to identifying marks, and then shares several other options for varying your design. You might change the view, the character's posture, their features, or their expression. Grab your pen and use the open spaces throughout the book to create your own fantastic variations of each one. Whether it's a gremlin, a gargoyle, a hobgoblin, or unicorn—you will be inspired by the fascinating characters of this collection. Fresh, modern, and unexpected, you won't find a more enjoyable way to practice your illustration and expand your imagination. I love Miss Kim's books and this one did not disappoint - her instructions are clear and even a really bad drawer like myself could ake magic creatures appear on the paper without swearing and frustration. The animals and creatures that are shown how to be drawn are cute and enjoyable by kids of all ages. Get the kids to put down their screens and make some art --- it's good for their souls! As always, I try to find a reason to not rate with stars as I love emojis (outside of their incessant use by Millennials on Instagram and Twitter) so let's give it 🎨🎨🎨🎨🎨 |
. This book is just what it says it is (although I do think it depends on your definition of ‘cute’). Each page has a shifting image (from initial shape to image completion) of a silly creature. There are no written instructions and the shift between each image is sometimes helpful, sometimes it seems like they were just trying to break it up but maybe it wasn’t the most logical spot (like draw half the scales.. and then the creature has all of the scales drawn on etc). I imagine its hard to break it down and decide where to shift each step (task analysis funnnn for all of us educators, we understand). I found the creatures fun and funky — not cute as some of my students would describe cute per se. But fun nonetheless and perfect for doodlers like me. I personally enjoyed the gnome, the dragon, and a couple of the more mythical creatures the best. 3.5 for me. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! |
Urbano R, Educator
This is a cute, inspiring book filled with fun cartooning ideas for the beginning artist. I will encourage the young artists I know to give this book a try. |
This book was great and very helpful! 💕 Even if I am no artist and my drawing skills are at the level of a middle schooler, I was able to draw a beautiful mermaid, very cute fairy, angry troll, mysterious wizard and a lot more magical creatutes 😊 and I had so much fun by doing so! I am sure this book will be big help for every artist out there 💜 |
Margaret T, Reviewer
This is a great simple book to get your doodling going in a cute creative direction! The instructions are clear and easy to follow. Some of the "make it cute" ideas are a stretch from the original doodle, but still give the artist an idea of where to from here. The characters are indeed cute. I can see my grandson picking up on this and having a blast! |




