I highly recommend this book to all the fans of John Howe, this book is a bit pricey and very good quality; However, learning technical level, it is not a book for beginners, you know: "Make a rectangle and a square to draw an elephant"; it is more of a guide, a shared moment with John Howe, like looking over his shoulder to admire his work. You learn how to cut his pencils, and how to keep the different stages of a drawing, either in pencil or pastel. In the same spirit, I also recommend the book "Fantasy Art" that affects watercolors JH