“What’s On My Shelf?”: Let’s Talk About Art Books
A large part of my inspiration draws from artbooks. I have always been someone that enjoys seeing all the behind the scenes magic. It’s a mix of joy and rage, the rage comes from seeing ideas that didn’t make the final cut for whatever reason. Case in point, a year or so ago, someone released the details of a rejected pitch for a Batman Beyond animated movie. There was an immediate high, and an immediate low that followed when you realize that this project will probably never seen the light of day.
As an artist, there are tons of ugly draws and weird ideas that do not make the cut. The reasons can vary from current skill set to artist block to scheduling. That’s why I love art books, I never gravitate to an art book for a polished product. I need to see all the throw away sketches, the build up to the final piece, and the in-between works that is meant to be more of a creative exercise to tackle a new idea.
When there is an artist that I admire that creates an art book, I feel like I get a sneak preview into their world for a bit. Sometimes the art is accompanied by some captions to provide more context. Sometimes there is no context at all, and I like when it’s that way. I just want to take a stroll through their process, and see how they exercise their creativity. This matters to me, not because I wish to compare myself, but I am just that much of a fan of their work. Currently, I haven’t purchased any artbooks recently, but I want to highlight the artbooks that I have collected from some of my favorite artists. Looking at these books, I did not realize how many artists that I have discovered through YouTube. I am always looking for artist vlogs, and I just end up finding new artist that I become a fan of. Other artists I have found through Instagram, before Reels became popular, and you could use hashtags to filter out content on the site. So without further ado, here are a few art books that I really enjoy:
“Sushio the Idol”
When I came across this artbook, I was originally looking for a Gurren Lagann artbook. Those are expensive, so I was hoping that I could find one for a good price. I had no idea about Sushio, or his background. I was gravitated to the art style on the cover, and I came across a YouTube video that showed a preview of the content of the book where I saw art for Gurren Lagann and a few Studio Trigger characters.
Purchase Link:
“Atey Ghailan: An Artistic Journey”
When I came across this artbook, I was originally looking for a Gurren Lagann artbook. Those are expensive, so I was hoping that I could find one for a good price. I had no idea about Sushio, or his background. I was gravitated to the art style on the cover, and I came across a YouTube video that showed a preview of the content of the book where I saw art for Gurren Lagann and a few Studio Trigger characters.
Purchase Link:
“Spider-man: Across the Spider-Verse”
When I came across this artbook, I was originally looking for a Gurren Lagann artbook. Those are expensive, so I was hoping that I could find one for a good price. I had no idea about Sushio, or his background. I was gravitated to the art style on the cover, and I came across a YouTube video that showed a preview of the content of the book where I saw art for Gurren Lagann and a few Studio Trigger characters.
Purchase Link:
