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Avatar: The Last Airbender & The Legend of Korra artbooks #1
Avatar The Last Airbender: The Art of the Animated Series
A stunning masterpiece of animated storytelling.
Avatar: The Last Airbender has been syndicated to more than 120 countries around the world, inspiring millions of fans and industry professionals alike and garnering numerous industry honors--including wins at the prestigious Annie, Peabody, and Primetime Emmy awards.
Join series creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino for an unprecendented behind-the-scenes look at hundreds of pieces of concept, design, and production art--most of which Nickelodeon has never before released to the public--as they take you on a guided tour through the development of this smash-hit television series. Learn how Avatar: The Last Airbender took shape, from the very first sketch to the series finale, and beyond!
Avatar: The Last Airbender has been syndicated to more than 120 countries around the world, inspiring millions of fans and industry professionals alike and garnering numerous industry honors--including wins at the prestigious Annie, Peabody, and Primetime Emmy awards.
Join series creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino for an unprecendented behind-the-scenes look at hundreds of pieces of concept, design, and production art--most of which Nickelodeon has never before released to the public--as they take you on a guided tour through the development of this smash-hit television series. Learn how Avatar: The Last Airbender took shape, from the very first sketch to the series finale, and beyond!
184 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2010
224 people are currently reading
14489 people want to read
About the author
Michael Dante DiMartino
104 books1,506 followersMichael Dante DiMartino is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. His directing credits include the animated series King of the Hill, Family Guy, and Mission Hill. He is a co-creator of the award-winning animated Nickelodeon series Avatar: The Last Airbender and its sequel, The Legend of Korra. DiMartino lives in Los Angeles with his wife. The Rebel Geniuses series is his debut prose work.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 247 reviews
December 13, 2021
8.9/10
It's so cool to learn about how it all started, how the two creators came up with the idea, what where their inspirations and what things they went through to bring their dream to life.
Besides the really interesting real life story of the creators, it also nice to see how the characters originaly look like and their development from the begining to the final result.
As a huge fan of the series, i enjoyed this very much and it was great to revisit this world
It's so cool to learn about how it all started, how the two creators came up with the idea, what where their inspirations and what things they went through to bring their dream to life.
Besides the really interesting real life story of the creators, it also nice to see how the characters originaly look like and their development from the begining to the final result.
As a huge fan of the series, i enjoyed this very much and it was great to revisit this world
February 1, 2021
I devoured this book. It's INCREDIBLE. (*Edit: Still love it on the third read!)
This book gives you an inside look at the process of creating ATLA, with awesome illustrations and commentary. As a fan, I loved it. As a writer, I know I'll read it many times.
It's just amazing to see where ATLA began, and how it grew into the perfect story it is today. If you love ATLA, you have to read this book.
This book gives you an inside look at the process of creating ATLA, with awesome illustrations and commentary. As a fan, I loved it. As a writer, I know I'll read it many times.
It's just amazing to see where ATLA began, and how it grew into the perfect story it is today. If you love ATLA, you have to read this book.
December 4, 2012
(More pictures at parkablogs.com)
This is a wonderful art book for a spellbinding animation series. Making the series took 6 years, hundreds of artists, and hundreds of thousands of drawings. This book showcases a selection of some really beautiful illustrations.
There are loads of character and background designs inside, in sketches and in their finished coloured form. The main characters like Aang and others come with cool animation sequences created with pencils. Also included are many of the discarded concepts which were difficult to animate or doesn't suit the story. Appa had some really awesome spiral horns but were discarded, unfortunately. The character drawings are superb. Just by looking at their different expressions you can pretty much guess their characteristics.
Besides the characters which includes the town folks and soldiers, there are also drawings for many miscellaneous stuff like storyboards, airships, hybrid animals, wanted posters, promotional posters, chibi (or super deformed) style and random doodles from meetings.
Did I mention the background paintings? The world created is so beautiful!
The whole book is annotated heavily by Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino. They talk about everything on production, from creating the pilot episode to Nickelodeon approving the final season. You can see and read about their influences and inspiration everywhere, from Buddhism, Studio Ghibli, Gainax, Chinese martial arts, etc. It's very interesting to see how they apply what they learned from research to their drawings and animation.
This is a fantastic art book for the series and fans, which should appeal to anyone who hasn't watch the series. Good art appeals to all.
Highly recommended!
September 15, 2024
Una de las mejores series animadas, con un mundo increíble, y unos personajes geniales; es muy interesante conocer cómo se realizó el arte de esta obra maestra de la animación.
October 23, 2017
For ANY fan of the series, this is an ABSOLUTE must-have. This book is jam-packed with all sorts of goodies, plus stuff I didn't expect to have. I've always loved seeing rough sketches and idea drawings, and this book does not fail to disappoint.
You get a huge treasure trove of backgrounds, paintings, character designs, and notes. It truly is an amazing read.
Like Johane said, it's almost a shame that there isn't a separate book for each season, because there's just so much good stuff in here. It's almost too much - I do wish some of the drawings were bigger. At 184 pages, I cannot help but wonder why the creators of this book didn't just spring for 200. On one page, there is a lineup of portraits of five Fire Lords, but they're so small that I have to use a magnifying glass to really look at all the details of these pictures (the images are no more than a couple of inches high) It would be nice to have several pages - even foldout - so we can examine these images to our fullest pleasure. It is due to the size of some of the images in this book that I cannot give it a perfect 5 stars - I can only give it 4.5 at best.
Still, this is a pretty sweet collectible full of lovely artwork and other goodies that should not fail to disappoint even the most die-hard Avatar fan. And if you have a friend or family member who is an Avatard, believe me, this is a gift that WILL make their day.
You get a huge treasure trove of backgrounds, paintings, character designs, and notes. It truly is an amazing read.
Like Johane said, it's almost a shame that there isn't a separate book for each season, because there's just so much good stuff in here. It's almost too much - I do wish some of the drawings were bigger. At 184 pages, I cannot help but wonder why the creators of this book didn't just spring for 200. On one page, there is a lineup of portraits of five Fire Lords, but they're so small that I have to use a magnifying glass to really look at all the details of these pictures (the images are no more than a couple of inches high) It would be nice to have several pages - even foldout - so we can examine these images to our fullest pleasure. It is due to the size of some of the images in this book that I cannot give it a perfect 5 stars - I can only give it 4.5 at best.
Still, this is a pretty sweet collectible full of lovely artwork and other goodies that should not fail to disappoint even the most die-hard Avatar fan. And if you have a friend or family member who is an Avatard, believe me, this is a gift that WILL make their day.
June 6, 2012
This book, to me, is exactly what any 'art behind the series' should be. Every last detail of the show is covered, starting off with the very first sketch of the futuristic boy that became Aang, and finishing with break downs of every episode. It is fascinating to read and learn how much detail was put into the development of the bending motions, which countries the inspiration of the architecture and artwork within the show came from, and the detail put into simply the backgrounds. Avatar: The Last Airbender was a masterpiece, and this book proudly displays all the hard work and dedication that the creators, writers and artists put into it, to make it what it was.
June 20, 2010
At the size of your average textbook, this art book is chock full of full-color images, sketches, character designs, and great information. From its conception to the end of the series, Avatar: The Last Airbender had truly stunning art and unbelievably detailed and beautiful backgrounds and designs. This book is a must for any Avatar fan. I hope we get another art book some day, because I definitely want to see more.
June 16, 2010
This book is a fantastic addition to the 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' universe. Hardbound and sitting at around 185 pages, it is packed with commentary on the series beginning to end, sketches of the characters as they evolved into what we see in the animation, and best of all, lots of original artwork by the creators.
Creators Bryan and Michael let us in on lots of little factoids sure to please Avatar fans. (Unfortunately, they left out the part about where Zuko's mother is, but I guess that was to be expected. :p)
As before mentioned, the book goes through entire timeline of the series and beyond. You'll see art from the pilot, all three books, and the extra art from SDCC, DVD covers, etc!
If you are an Avatar fan or just a fan of the artwork, I highly recommend you pick up this book.
'Avatar The Last Airbender- The Art of the Animated Series' is available now online and in stores.
Creators Bryan and Michael let us in on lots of little factoids sure to please Avatar fans. (Unfortunately, they left out the part about where Zuko's mother is, but I guess that was to be expected. :p)
As before mentioned, the book goes through entire timeline of the series and beyond. You'll see art from the pilot, all three books, and the extra art from SDCC, DVD covers, etc!
If you are an Avatar fan or just a fan of the artwork, I highly recommend you pick up this book.
'Avatar The Last Airbender- The Art of the Animated Series' is available now online and in stores.
May 3, 2011
I love Avatar: The Last Airbender, which I had the fortune of finally watching in its entirety after much prompting from very convincing friends. This artbook is a fantastic endcap to a truly epic series that makes you appreciate the effort, artistry, and research chops the creators put into, of all things, a children's cartoon. Definitely a book I don't regret buying -- the huge art spreads that detail the world building behind the show are worth the price of the book ten times over. Massively dorky to own, but hey, you gotta give respect where respect is due. There aren't a lot of television shows, let alone cartoons for children that are as finely crafted as Avatar (and we shall never speak of that horrible, awful live adaptation).
April 11, 2011
One of the better art books out there, it's full of concept and production art as well as plenty of behind-the-scenes info about he show and world of Avatar. A great addition to the bookshelf of any Avatar fan.
June 24, 2010
A behind-the-scenes look at the art of the animated series, the pictures and pencil drawings and paintings are beautiful. More than that, I appreciated hearing from the creators their thoughts on the characters and art. I would have liked to see more "large" pictures of the animation. My favorite part of the book was the translation of the various posters and calligraphy featured on the show. The book could've been tripled the current length and I would've wanted more.
February 21, 2011
This volume is a very cool companion to the animated series. It shares the genesis of character, costume and culture designs that made Avatar such a great show. I loved seeing how characters like Uncle Iroh and Toph changed from conception to their final versions. It also made me appreciate how much hard work went in to make a "simple" kids show!
December 28, 2020
Que más puedo decir aparte de que ame la serie animada, y quería saber cual fue el proceso creativo que los motivo a crearla. Además me encanto ver como se crearon el diseño de personajes, storyboards, locaciones, entre otras cosas.
September 28, 2012
M.N.S. did not read this book. It was amazing, full of awesome art, comments from Byan and Mike, concepts, and it was also very funny.
December 1, 2024
Che tuffo nel passato. Un artbook (e non solo) veramente bello ❤️
July 13, 2020
Whenever I feel overwhelmed, Avatar the Last Airbender is my go to. Everything about this series makes me feel happy and gives the light I need.
This book gives us a behind the scenes of the animation, certain story elements and fun facts. It does not tell us everything, but gives us highlights.
The art in it is amazingly beautiful and it shows how much work goes into every single frame. My respect for the artists grew with every single page.
I would highly recommend this to Avatar fans.
This book gives us a behind the scenes of the animation, certain story elements and fun facts. It does not tell us everything, but gives us highlights.
The art in it is amazingly beautiful and it shows how much work goes into every single frame. My respect for the artists grew with every single page.
I would highly recommend this to Avatar fans.
August 28, 2018
now excuse me while i go rewatch the animated series for the thousandth time
June 11, 2020
This is perfect for any fan of the series, especially if you like the art style and the animation. There are many insights in the process of how this great piece of art has been made and you can greatly appreciate all the hard work of so many people that went into this.
January 16, 2017
I'm a huge fan of the tv series and have watched and rewatched it countless times over the years so getting my hands on this book was a real treat. It was such a joy to read this. It was so interesting to see how the concept for the show and the production came together from their first collaborations to pitching the story to the network and so on. I loved learning about the various cultures they drew inspiration from for the locations, costumes and art style. I know very little about animation so I loved seeing the concept art and how the designs for the characters developed or who they're based on. There were also storyboards of some of the more pivotal scenes.
One of the reasons I think this show was so successful, and consequently one of my favorites, is that there is a clear path the story is taking. Which is rare to see, especially for children's televison. They mentioned even in the early stages of development- before the pilot even- they knew how it was going to end. They had a rough plan of how each of the three seasons would play out, even if they didn't have all the details in place yet. This was the same for a lot of the character arcs as well, and I still believe to this day Avatar showcased some of the best executed and pivotal developments of its characters in any show or book I've seen.
The show is one of the most iconic and beloved I know of- and not just because it was part of so many people's childhoods. It dealt with so many important themes and showed different ways of life while also having super cool elemental magic fights. What more can one ask for in a cartoon? But honestly it was great to get a look inside the making of one of my favorite stories.
One of the reasons I think this show was so successful, and consequently one of my favorites, is that there is a clear path the story is taking. Which is rare to see, especially for children's televison. They mentioned even in the early stages of development- before the pilot even- they knew how it was going to end. They had a rough plan of how each of the three seasons would play out, even if they didn't have all the details in place yet. This was the same for a lot of the character arcs as well, and I still believe to this day Avatar showcased some of the best executed and pivotal developments of its characters in any show or book I've seen.
The show is one of the most iconic and beloved I know of- and not just because it was part of so many people's childhoods. It dealt with so many important themes and showed different ways of life while also having super cool elemental magic fights. What more can one ask for in a cartoon? But honestly it was great to get a look inside the making of one of my favorite stories.
February 22, 2015
This book is a must-have for any enthusiast of the Airbender series or universe. It covers the conception of the series, featuring inside looks at the series Bible and other materials that gave birth to the show. Equally interesting is the insight into the day-to-day operation of producing the show. The story boards, pencil tests and concept sketches alone make this book a treat, but the remarks from its creators put it over the top as a joy to read.
Insightful, gorgeous and inspirational. An easy five stars.
Insightful, gorgeous and inspirational. An easy five stars.
September 26, 2014
My son Daniel and I really enjoyed this series and we were hungry for anything more. The concept art is good, often more detailed than the show, and the commentary is interesting: I thought the dragon turtle in the last episode kind of came out of nowhere, for example, but they pointed to places hints about it showed up earlier in the series. We wished there were more pictures of the main characters. We also got a "How to Draw Avatar" book but it was very short. Looking forward to the new series!
May 5, 2013
Gorgeous and insightful, although the relative lack of discussion in regards to the (very comprehensive) artwork can at times make it feel rather like going to a gallery rather than peeking behind the scenes. Probably my favorite thing about this collection is the (admittedly succinct) examination of the development process (the original premise, the pitch, the pilot, etc.) and the care Konietzko and DiMartino take to spotlight the South Korean studios and individual animators who worked on the series.
Absolutely worth the $35.
Absolutely worth the $35.
July 8, 2012
I am new to the Avatar world (in fact it was maybe a couple of week ago that i finally choose to watch the TV series) but i found this book on offer and bought it and now i am glad that i did. It goes in depth to explain the ideas and concepts behind the television series it also has the most stunning artwork that i have seen for a Cartoon show. Anyone that is a fan of the Avatar Series will love this book i am sure!
July 26, 2012
This is an absolutely beautiful book. The art is fantastic and inspiring. As an avid Avatar the Last Airbender fan, I was more then delighted to read about little details and insight from the creators.
Who knew that in their idea grew from a drawing the did of a bald man with an arrow in his head, a robot cyclops monkey, and a polar bear-dog!
This book was worth every penny.
Who knew that in their idea grew from a drawing the did of a bald man with an arrow in his head, a robot cyclops monkey, and a polar bear-dog!
This book was worth every penny.
October 4, 2012
This book is excellent for any fan of the Last Airbender series. It is chocked full of gorgeous production art, background paintings, and character designs and original sketches. It's narrated by the creator's Mike and Bryan throughout the book. They give detailed accounts of the process of making this series from start to finish.
February 9, 2023
What I expected: a very good artbook with beautiful art belonging to one of the most stunning animated shows ever.
What I got: a very good artbook with beautiful art belonging to one of the most stunning animated shows ever, together with insightful commentary how said series was planned, developed and created, how various characters and places were conceptualized and made and an all-around awesome book.
I am full of admiration to the creators of the series for avoiding using the "Hollywood/Theme Park versions" of various Asian settings and myths, instead travelling around to world to get everything just right as well as researching various myths.
The written part was just as interesting as the art part of the book. If I had to have a tiny complaint about this book it is that so little space was devoted to the "Beach" and "Firebending Masters" episodes. The latter was probably the most visually stunning episode and I'd love to see how the "Dragon Dance" was conceptualized and how the scenes were shot. As to the former... come on, only a couple of small pictures of Azula in bikini and Ty Lee in bikini? No pictures of Mai, Katara and Suki in bikinis? Blasphemy!
I wish the book was longer, maybe like the Korra artbooks with a separate book for each season? Especially as ATLA seasons were twice as long as LoK’s? Then again, if the biggest flaw of a book is “I wish it was longer” I guess I could say I really liked.
Ok, now onto Korra artbooks!
What I got: a very good artbook with beautiful art belonging to one of the most stunning animated shows ever, together with insightful commentary how said series was planned, developed and created, how various characters and places were conceptualized and made and an all-around awesome book.
I am full of admiration to the creators of the series for avoiding using the "Hollywood/Theme Park versions" of various Asian settings and myths, instead travelling around to world to get everything just right as well as researching various myths.
The written part was just as interesting as the art part of the book. If I had to have a tiny complaint about this book it is that so little space was devoted to the "Beach" and "Firebending Masters" episodes. The latter was probably the most visually stunning episode and I'd love to see how the "Dragon Dance" was conceptualized and how the scenes were shot. As to the former... come on, only a couple of small pictures of Azula in bikini and Ty Lee in bikini? No pictures of Mai, Katara and Suki in bikinis? Blasphemy!
I wish the book was longer, maybe like the Korra artbooks with a separate book for each season? Especially as ATLA seasons were twice as long as LoK’s? Then again, if the biggest flaw of a book is “I wish it was longer” I guess I could say I really liked.
Ok, now onto Korra artbooks!
June 8, 2020
Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of my all-time favorite shows. It might be THE all time favorite, until I remember Friends. My family and I were ecstatic to hear about plans to bring the show to Netflix in May 2020 (not nearly as enthusiastic about the live action rumors, I must say. I've had quite enough of that, thanks.), and we've been really enjoying rewatching it together. My kids are playing airbender even as I type this.
This week was the perfect time for diving into this artbook. Just flipping through, it's obvious how much effort was put into this masterpiece; the labor alone makes it worth that title, but the execution cements it. It was a delight to peruse through sketches, storyboards, and backgrounds helpfully organized by episode order. My only complaint is that I wish there had been more commentary. Is that a thing that exists on the DVDs?
This week was the perfect time for diving into this artbook. Just flipping through, it's obvious how much effort was put into this masterpiece; the labor alone makes it worth that title, but the execution cements it. It was a delight to peruse through sketches, storyboards, and backgrounds helpfully organized by episode order. My only complaint is that I wish there had been more commentary. Is that a thing that exists on the DVDs?
February 16, 2023
My heart is bursting 🥹
February 14, 2025
I love this show maybe more than any other show ever made. I got Aang’s glider tattooed on me and I am so glad I get to carry a piece of this show with me forever. I am so in awe of the amount of beauty created so quickly. When I read/watch/interact with this show, I still have that feeling you get when you’re a kid where you’re so afraid to miss even one moment.
This is an indispensable read for any fan of the show.
This is an indispensable read for any fan of the show.
July 17, 2025
I learned so much about Avatar reading this, and I really enjoyed seeing the concept sketches too. What I enjoyed the most was hearing how the creators were inspired by a lot of my other favorite animations, like studio ghibli and cowboy bebop. This is by far my favorite television show ever and this book just solidified that more!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 247 reviews