Illustration Books

ELaine Hodges' "The Guild Handbook to Scientific Illustration" is truly a landmark as a reference and the finest on my shelf -- and I cannot count the times I've sought it since 1989 out either to clarify a client's request or as a refresher for some obscure technique (carbon dust, for example) . . .

Even though the book is quite expensive even by reference standards (twice its price of 1989), I would purchase it again without hesitation. Truly, there is no question of hand technique that is left unanswered . . .

If that were not enough, the volume weighs over two kilos and could also prove a formidable weapon . . .

Since its first edition this book has been by far the best single resource available for anyone with a serious interest in scientific, medical, biological, nature, botanical, or wildlife illustration.

Don't be daunted by the price - this book is worth far more than the next 10 competing books combined. I've been a professional medical and scientific illustrator for 35 years, and I own hundreds of books on the subject, but I think this single volume should be the foundation of any reference library on visual communication in the biomedical sciences.

Over and over in my work I found myself referring back to this encyclopedic manual. A must for all those in the field of scientific illustration, and a huge help for graphic artists and illustrators in general.

The most extensive coverage of media and subject matter for use in creating science art. For use by practicing illustrators.

As Giger fans, this is an excellent follow-up to "Necronomicon", with more gorgeous pictures. Another excellent gift for that special weirdo in your life.

Well as the Biggest Giger fan in the world i could never express the value of each book that he publishes. If your looking for something new, strange,fun,and exotic H.R. Giger is the man to see, with his uniqe style of erotic horror and morbid imaginTION this book has no exception, check it out today. you won't be dissapointed!

Giger's art, like the music of Marilyn Manson, the paintings of Jackson Pollock, and the clothing taste of Cher, tends to provoke extreme reactions in people (the classic "love-hate" relationship). This book, as well as the first Necronomicon volume, delves deep into the subconscious and comes up with fists full of squirming demons and violent yet artful sexual imagery. Some people are so repulsed by these "shadowed" parts of the psyche that they condemn Giger's art in general, while others wallow in the decay and degradation he depicts, believing it to be a mirror of the world they see around them. I personally keep Giger's work next to that of Alex Grey on my bookshelf, representing the dark repressed side of human nature coexisting along with the transcendental, spiritual side. Some may call Giger's art spiritual; I personally find it far too celebratory of the flesh for it to be truly spiritually-themed. If you are considering buying this book, first of all be forewarned: it is graphic and disturbing, but if you're looking at Giger books to begin with you probably already knew that. Also, I find the first Necronomicon volume to be better than this one. But if you are a fan you definitely will not be disappointed. You should probably buy one of Giger's lower-priced retrospectives if you're only going to have one of his books, but the attractively presented Necronomicons are the logical next step if you find yourself wanting more. Giger's work is very yin; just make sure you have some yang on your bookshelf to balance it.

Horrific? Yes, but beautiful none the less. The art in this book offers a great view into Giger's mind. Giger's use of the airbrush is phenomenal, giving his art a very realistic style to it. While flipping the pages, I felt like I was either reliving a nightmare or viewing satan's personal photo album. A truly unique experience.

I highly recommend this book based on its unique and excellently rendered imagery.

Excellent book. Great photos. I bought his posters way back in the early 80's. Good to see some ink on Pete Eastwood. My copy has already been well lloked at.

Robert Williams younger years are examined here and the influence of the car culture
and motorcycle culture on his art of the period and later. I liked the book,
as it exposes more of the man than his rather outre` work reveals.
I wish that more of his hot rod themed paintings had been included, as it is
mostly photos of Robert and his cars.
A helpful book if you're trying for a more rounded understanding of this
painter in relationship to his era.
His work from the period was more furious, than the ironic and fantastic
paintings of later years.
Reboundspring

I'm married 28 years to a hot rod guy. He always told me Robert Williams was "da man." Now, having read thru this excellent art-infused history-biography, I know why. Williams imagines, then creates. Nothing holds him back. In that way he's true to the spirit of hot rodding. His stories are highly entertaining, the art is spellbinding, and the overall organization of the book is first rate. Can't ask for much more than that! Totally and highly recommended.

The Hot Rod World of Robert Williams is quite a book. For Williams fans and car buffs alike, this title delivers a pile of steaming hot information, art and vintage photographs in an entertaining format. But like the man himself, there is nothing typical about this book.

What we have here is an illustrated family album with dialog that sounds like it was recorded sitting around the kitchen table. Robert and Suzanne Williams are two very knowledgeable, articulate and funny people, with the inside skinny on the outlaw car and art worlds. These folks grew up after WWII when the teen car scene was in its infancy; they built their own cars, partied, fought and raised hell with the rough kids, and placed their own marks on the car (and art) culture. In this book, Robert and Suzanne explain what real hot rodders were doing as they show the evolution of the cars they built.

But understand, this is not a sanitized version, a tale of rich man collectors, or the Golden Book of Car Show Winners. Even within their circle of friends, Robert and Suzanne's cars and ideas were not typical. For those familiar with Robert's contribution as a trouble maker, innovator and leader in the art world, it is interesting to note that even within a group of car and biker outlaws, this guy was different, a radical who pursued his own ideas, often in the face of derision. And Suzanne is clearly his partner in crime.

While others were chopping and welding together steel street rats, fabricating racecars, or designing from scratch exotic show cars, the Williams carefully planned, cut and built cars that were true hot rods yet preserved the integrity of the original vehicle. Then when their cars were assembled, upholstered and beautifully finished, the couple eschewed the usual high gloss paint jobs and mag wheels, driving and displaying their cars instead in glorious dull primer! Years later, when flat primered hot rods became a SoCal fad, Robert restored his car's original rumble seat and had it painted in an outrageous early race car style with an obnoxious color scheme of purple and chartreuse (!), once again offending most of the car boy purists. Why?

Buy the book and see....

It's a great read, a fun ride, and, along the way, all will be explained.

I have been a casual fan of Giger for some time, but never actually got around to buying any of his work, aside from his calendars. This book serves as a fantastic summary of his life's work and manages to be very informative in its short span.

I wasn't sure if I was a big enough of a fan to buy his larger books, but after this one I'm quite excited about doing so.

Giger's work has incredible visual impact. He was the designer for the first Alien movie. He created that ambiguity of biota and machine. This book, with less concern for censorship, drives those images far beyond what the theaters can accept.

I read this book with a choked fascination. Giger uses all of his technical mastery in depicting landscapes of torment, eroticism, deformity, and beauty. This world is peopled by multiple beings, fused by birth, by force, or by carnality. His work reminds me of Druillet, where every scene is packed from edge to edge with bizarre detail. Giger goes beyond Druillet with his realistic style, making his monochrome worlds so much more convincing.

Although the Amazon web site lists Timothy Leary as a co-author, he just provides a one-page introduction. It's good, and it's Leary, but Leary fans shouldn't get their hopes up too far.

If you like Giger's work, as I do, this is an incredible collection. (If the imagery is too much for you, I understand.)This book also provides autobiographical notes, but I take those about as seriously as I take Salvador Dali's. It's the pictures that matter.

//wiredweird

If you just like flipping through art books for their pictures, this is a definte one that will keep you flippin' through the pictures. Another excellent look at how Giger views things.

This book is an excellent brief introduction to the life and art of H.R. Giger. It features plates of some of his most well-known works, as well as examples of his sketches, pen and inks, and other media. For someone who has taken an interest in Giger, but is not ready to invest in his larger, more complete books, this is a perfect starting point.

Robert Williams is one of the few bright lights in today's art world. Combining a staggering imagination with a powerful illustrative style, his works provoke and antagonize the viewer like no others, and demand scrutiny.

This book shows the evolution of this mad genius by taking us through all of his cartoons, comics, and illustrations, (no paintings) from his first commercial drawings to recent times. It is very interesting to see these after becoming familiar with his oil paintings. The quality of the various items within varies widely, from very crude, to masterly.

Some of his comics are extremely smuttty and raw, much more than most of his paintings even. But if you have a sick sense of humor, you'll appreciate them. If you're not familiar with his work, I'd recommend "Views From a Tortured Libido" or "Malicious Resplendence" as your first Robert Williams book.

If you like (or are a fan of) Robert Williams, or under ground comics, this is an amazing book. Buy it!

Robert Williams' comix are amazing. Very violent & vulgar, but amazingly executed. I prefer his black & white comic work over his oil paintings any day. Unforntunately his comic output is pretty small. Nonetheless the several comics presented here are amazing. Extremely detailed and bizarre and they ooze with a feeling of being high.
My personal favorite tale is "Mentor in the Mentor Jar". Insane ideas such as 'Gorilla Women of the Third Reich', Atrillo Trilobite and the fate of 'Mr. Baldpubis' puts Robt. Williams in a class all of his own.
Years ago I went and bought all the individual ZAP comics when i learned Mr. Williams did comic work. These issues are great for you can see the work of the other underground greats, but Hysteria in Remission presents Williams' work in a lovely LARGE format (even at the size, the detail boogles my grey matter) and on beautiful glossy paper rather than fading pulpy newsprint grade paper.
Get this book for the insane-ness, the fantastic execution in india ink and completeness of Williams' comic work (early days all the way up to model sheets for an animated series, Jack Clum, Dream interpreter done in 2001.
a great piece of work from Fantagraphics - THANK YOU.
Now i need to save up some cash to purchase MALICIOUS RESPLENDENCE....

This book has everything. The perfect, comprehensive companion to Fantagraphics' 1998 collection, MALICIOUS RESPLENDENCE. MALICIOUS has all of the paintings, while HYSTERIA has all of the comix and illustration. It is astounding how provocative and powerful this work is, and that so much of it has been allowed to slip out of print over the last 25 years despite Williams's extraordinary success in the fine art world. His comics bulge (as Jim Woodring says, "often literally") with greater imagination than even his paintings, what is amazing is how few people are doing comics like this anymore. There may have never been a better pure draughtsman in comics, his work rivals Crumb and even classic strip artists like Hal Foster or illustrators like Howard Pyle, but what truly sets Williams apart is the sheer visceral force of his imagery. If anything lives up to the old cliche of, "This will blow your mind," it's HYSTERIA IN REMISSION.

If you are researching illumination of Spanish Codex and manuscripts this is the book to have. There are only two books written in English that cover this unique style; the other book on Spanish medieval illumination is: Early Spanish Manuscript Illumination. The quantity and quality of the pictures in "The Illuminated Manuscripts..." make the price worth it. Spanish 10-11th century illumination is quite separate and unique from the rest of Europe using lively imagery, repeating patterns and vivid color combinations. This book captures the spirit of Spanish medieval artwork and shows the world the finest examples of this form.

The quality of the reproductions in this book alone is worth the price tag. The fact that this book is in English (much of the material on this subject is not) makes it a valuable resource as well. Mireille Mentre is one of the leading students of Spanish medieval manuscripts, and this book surveys the most important pre-Romanesque (mozarabic) examples. This is a somewhat conventional art-historical analysis, as Mentre traces the development of the mozarabic style through numerous examples. The chapters are as follows:
1. Context and characteristics of mozarabic painting
2. Foundations and development of a distinctive style
3. The role and function of painting and illumination
4. Design and pictorial treatment
5. Painting and spirituality

There are also appendices listing principal mozarabic manuscripts and dated manuscripts, as well as an extensive bibliography about the subject.

This is the book to start your adventures in Medieval Spanish illumination. This looks at the influences of Christian, Jewish, and Islamic art - the fact that the majority of the plates are in color can only add to the value of the very reasonable price.

Highly recommended for anyone engaged in reproduction of this style of art. Beautiful rendition of the colors of the original MSS.

The fantastic pictures of the manuscripts alone are worth the pricetag on this book. But don't buy it for that reason alone. Mireille Mentre has managed to strike an impressive balance between descriptive text, academic discussion, and outstanding photography. While the organization of the book as a whole suffers slightly from what appears to be the publication of parts of an excellent doctoral dissertation, anyone interested in the history of medieval Spanish illumination (especially members of organizations like the Society for Creative Anachronism) would do well to add this text to their library.

This is one of the best books on illuminated manuscripts currently available. The book is hardcover, full color throughout, and many nice reproductions. There is a nice variety in the work shown and good commentary. If you get this at the discounted price, this is a hard book to beat in quantity and quality. Along with A History of Illuminated Manuscripts this is a must-have book.

What can I say? I have been researching this specific field now for the last five years, and rarely find such a magnificent reproduction as this! Excellent job on the colour balance, and many miniatures I have not seen in any other books. Well done.

Best "bang for the buck" period illumination book on the market. Every page is crammed with beautiful, clear color photos of ten centuries of period illumination styles. There are 'leaves' and 'hours' in there that I have never seen before. Best of all (and unlike other books I could name) it's affordable and within the reach of the true 'starving artist' (and it's about time).

What a marvellous collection of Illustrated Manuscripts. A couple of other reviewers stated that this was one of the best books of this kind ever published.I certainly have no dispute with them as it is the best I've seen.
Going through this book gives one the feeling of viewing the greatest illustrated books that were the domain of the rich and powerful from the 7th. Century to the 17th.Century. Unless you were of that class,you had little chance of ever seeing,touching and certainly no chance whatsoever of owning one of these books.
Until the Gutenberg press of the 1450's there were no printed books,which meant that any book had to be drawn and lettered printed by hand,taking years of painstaking and highly talented work.Hence,they were extremely expensive and available to the very few.Even someone who owned or had access to books like these,even they would be very lucky if they saw more than a few in their lifetime.In this book we get to see hundreds of the manuscripts from literally hundreds of these rare masterpieces.They come from all over Europe and from a span of roughly a thousand years.
It'as amazing to think that in the 14th.Century,it was possible to build massive Cathedrals;but a book like this for the masses was not even imaginable.

In this age of digital consciousness it is almost impossible to comprehend how an artist like Kim Murray can draw these images in all their details and textures. The ornate and lush style of the illustrations are a meditation that one willingly surrenders to- a collection of mandala- like imagery that is a feast for the eye and the heart. The print quality of Illuminations is also extraordinary- this book is an incredible deal at this price!

I just reread the Bhagavad Gita and I am in love with it! Then I went hunting for an illustrated edition and this little (purse-size) volume is perfect!!!! (I want a large edition of now.) The art is gorgeous and the passages have been thoughtfully chosen to give the reader the essentials of the Gita.

This book is a beautifully illustrated book with colorful pictures and beautiful language. It makes you want to be in key with god.

This book was given to me as a child. It is one of the most beautifully illustrated books that I've ever seen. The text is highlights from the Bhagavad Gita which is spiritual based. There are beautiful, large full page detailed color pictures on at least every other page! The opposite pages also all have illustrations on them. If you like India art, this book is a must have in your collection.

This is what you would happily expect...a book filled with page after page of astounding work from talented artists from around the world. What you might not expect (if you had not bought the first volume as I have), is that it is organized by style...and covers the gamut of design aesthetics and mediums. (by organized I mean, that there is no section by section titles that I can recall or index of organizing, but as you flip the pages you will witness the ebb and flow of similarities in the art that is displayed and the differences as you continue through the book, on to another style/medium.) I find this book (as I did the last) unique because of (1) the exceeding quality of artists and perhaps more importantly, (2) the relative "Freshness" of th work on display. As is the case with any book of this nature, the work can quickly become dated. I find that the designs and artists on display in this book are ahead of the curve to be sure... In my work, I scour the internet, read many books, sketch and visit galleries to think of styles and design approaches and have found this book (and this short series) to be a good showcase of work from which to draw inspiration from time to time. Hopefully it can do the same for you...

I just hope they publish this every year. I know I'd purchase it annually.

It's similar to its previous version. Hardcover book about 300+ pages.
This isn't a "How To Illustrate" book. It's a "Get Inspired" book. As a broadcast motion graphics designer, this hits most current styles. Each page is like a different mood board to get inspiration from.

It covers collage, vector, traditional and others. And when I say current styles, I don't mean your "mom&pop" small town coupon illustrations. This hits more to the "Out of the Box" big city illustrations. Think clients that might have money and able to risk big (Nike, MTV, Toyota Hybrid, Diesel, etc.)

Awesome buy.

This book is totally amazing... Some of the best graphic design work out there today. But not only on paper. Mush of this work is showcased as instillations. Really a true treasure for the graphic design art enthusiast!

As the firs one, a must buy for sure, if your are into illustration or like to see illustration, ore are in search of new tendencies for your ad or related, you should buy this book!

Kerry Gammill has always been one of those artists who I thought was underappreciated. His art was always consistently good without trying to be overpowering the way so many artists are today. "Drawing Monsters and Heroes for Film & Comics" presents a wonderful cross-section of Gamill's work throughout his career, both pre and post-comic book days. Gammill's early life was not unlike my own...except for the being a talented artist part. He was a big fan of classic monsters, horror movie hosts, silver age art, and those great old monster model kits by Aurora.

Gammill discusses how he eventually broke into comics with Marvel and gives aspiring artists some great advice on how to do the same. As he points out, back when he broke in there weren't many publishers like there are today and if you wanted to draw superheroes you had to work for Marvel or DC. The playing field has changed and there are many more outlets available to artists today but Gammill still recommends that putting together a great portfolio not only of pinup type pages, but also examples showing how to flow a story and action. He also recommends getting to know the human anatomy. As a long time comic fan I could not agree more. There are many talented artists in comics today but the best are those that can tell a story, not just draw splash pages. Dozens of examples of Kerry's work from his comic days are on display including many pieces that were never used. Gammill again emphasizes the need for artists to study anatomy and facial expressions which are especially critical when drawing characters from a particular perspective.

Gammill abruptly left comics and began doing conceptual work in a number of different areas. He provided concept drawings to a toy company who made premium items for fast food meals. A number of these drawings are included in the book and feature things like R2D2 band-aid dispensers, and Darth Maul mouse pads. Lunch boxes, tooth brushes, model kits...Gammill provided the concept art for dozens of different products. And you never would have known that one of our favorite comic book artists was partly responsible for the design of Taco Bell kids meal toy!

Gammill would go on to do concept drawings for film and TV and work on projects such as "Virus" starring Jamie Lee Curtis and the new Outer Limits television show. We get to see drawings he did for the shelved "I am Legend" film that was to star Arnold Schwarzenegger was and based on the story by Richard Matheson. Another project that Gammill worked on that has since been scrapped was the "Superman Lives" film that has since been replaced by "Superman Returns". These drawings show off his vision of Superman's adversary `Doomsday' who has a very different look than the comic book version.

Gammill's very diversified career is given a bright spotlight by Vanguard Productions and his advice to aspiring artists is invaluable.

Kerry Gammill is a one superhero of an artist! Boy, I've read his comic book work over the years (SPIDER-MAN to SUPERMAN to POWERMAN/IRON FIST) but never knew the extent of his talent until I read this wonderful book. Gammill not only can draw, he can tell a crackerjack STORY! Please, Hollywood. Use this guy more often! (Your current crop of films are so lame). Looking over the beautiful illustrations it's no small wonder that he was picked to design make-ups for horror movies and TV shows. I learned volumes of helpful tips from the background information concerning his influences. Every kid should use this for their own references on who and what to study if they want to be the best. And Gammill's youthful experiences doing homemade make-ups for his little backyard "movies" got him friendly with STAR WARS make-up artist Rick Baker! Baker who has won six Oscars and probably will again for the new PLANET OF THE APES! How can you beat that for an inkling of how good Kerry's make-up designs are? If you want to learn what it takes to become a professional artist AND how much fun it can all be in the process (with lots of drawing to get there), get this book! Buy it for yourself but you'll probably have to get one for a kindred soul/best buddy that loves comics and movies. This will become a special book among those up and coming "new" comic book artists and special effects make-up designers of tomorrow. Someday, I'm sure one of them will list it as one of THE books of their formulative years.

Kerry Gammilýs drawing Monsters and Heroes For Film and comics is a great book for beginning drawers and advanced drawers . It is great for learning muscles and for animation . It goes from basic figures to story boards for film and T.V. Learn to make comics and Body suits . I learned a lot from this book ,you will too. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to draw comics .

I know Kerry Gammill slightly, so you're free to dismiss this as a Buddy's Puff Piece if you wish. The title of the book is a misnomer; it sounds like a how-to book, when in fact this is a guided tour through the portfolio of a very gifted, very flexible artist. Useful for any adolescent with an interest in monsters or superheroes (or for anyone with an adolescent heart), Kerry's book strongly illustrates the changes in horror/hero art stylistics over the decades. Starting in the Sixties (when Kerry was a schoolboy), we see him recreate the stark imagery of the Universal horror heroes, followed by the "so busy I think my eyes will pop" style of Jack Kirby's Marvel comics, and we close with a detailed view of Special Effects artistry, and see the heavy hand of H.R. Giger (Icky ooky organs! Spooky spiky spines!), which seems to predominate in this unheralded branch of the art world. No, Kerry's not Vermeer (I like to imagine the Dutch minimalist leafing through a copy of X-Men), but he is a very talented artist working in a strange but awfully fun corner of the imaginative world. If you (or your children) love monsters or superheroes, or you're interested in an insider's view of the Special Effects world, this book is an excellent addition to your library. Note: general intensity of imagery and a few nudes and kinda-nudes make this book inappropriate for very young fans.