Most books about animal painting tend to fall short when it comes to the practicalities of anatomy, texture and mark-making. Vic Bearcroft is sure-footed on these and covers details such as eyes and paws thoroughly. He is also particularly sound (and useful) on how to give skin and fur exactly the right texture. The main topics are cats, ungulates, bears, pachyderms and apes, as good a division as any and one which separates out quite different builds that have different requirements and approaches, to which Vic gives proper attention. You'll probably notice, though, that the author is better at animals than he is at backgrounds, which tend to be a trifle flat.-The Artist
