In the spring of 2004, at the Annecy International Animation Festival in France, a dear friend and I had a conversation about animation books. Interesting, we noted, that there is not a single book dedicated to classical hand-drawn special effects animation, even though it is an enormously important aspect of the animation business, and a very specialized and specifi c art form in its own right. While there is a proliferation of books dealing with various kinds of visual effects work, most of these are focused purely on the kinds of polished photorealistic visual effects that we are used to seeing in Hollywood action and science fi ction fi lms, using optical live-action fi lm techniques, and more recently, computer-generated techniques.

Create amazing animated effects such as fiery blazes, rippling water, and magical transformations. Animation guru Joseph Gilland breaks down the world of special effects animation with clear step-by-step diagrams and explanations on how to create the amazing and compelling images you see on the big screen. 'Elemental Magic' is jam-packed with rich, original illustrations from the author himself which help explain and illuminate the technique, philosophy, and approach behind classical hand drawn animated effects and how to apply these skills to your digital projects. * Create stunning animated effects such as sparkling pixie dust, roaring tidal waves, and raging fires * Apply the theory behind effects animation to your traditional and digital animation projects * Written by animated effects guru, Joseph Gilland, who has worked on such feature films as Lilo & Stitch, Brother Bear, Pochahontas, Tarzan, and Mulan.