Book Review: The Worlds Beyond: From the Sketchbook of Anthony Waters

Anthony Scott Waters is a freelance concept artist and illustrator who has worked for more than two decades in the gaming industry. He has worked for many companies, most notably for Wizards of the Coast to create art for Magic: The Gathering.

The Worlds Beyond is a 118-page hardcover artbook that features the sketches of Anthony Waters

This book was actually funded on Kickstarter in 2019 with 295 backers. And it's also now available to the public through publisher Paper Nautilus Press for US $35. The digital ebook is $15.

This is not an instructional book on how to draw. This is a sketchbook that focuses on Anthony Waters's thought process as he designs ships, characters and environments for MtG, what he thinks about personal IP when designing for Helen Sander's novel Ringmaker.

There's a lot to read. He really talks in detail on how he gets his ideas, how he goes about world building. When designed the Weatherlight ship for MtG, he created sketches for almost all parts of the ship, eg exteriors, interiors, doors, different parts of the ship, bridge control, engine and even how some of the pipes run.

The same level of meticulous detail and thought process is applied to his other designs. And he also talks about how he handled his Attention-Deficit Disorder.

This is a rather insightful book, a wonderful behind-the-scenes look at what it's like to be a concept artist like him.

After reading the book, I went online to search for the art he has created for MtG and found out that a few of the cards that I like were actually drawn by him. I still remember the artworks. That's so cool.

There are no MtG card art featured in this book though, for copyright reasons.

You can find this book at https://www.papernautiluspress.com