Alphonse Mucha

Alphonse Mucha

Naoto Hattori

Naoto Hattori, born in Yokohama Japan, studied graphic design in Tokyo, illustration in New York. He mostly works in airbrush and acrylic. He says, "I've been creating the imaginary world within my mind ever since I was a child. My vision is like a dream, where it's a sweet dream, a nightmare or just a bizarre dream. I try to see what's really going on in my mind and that's a practice to increase my awareness in stream-of-conscious creativity. I try not to label or think about what is supposed to be, just take it in as it is and paint whatever I see in my mind with no compromise. That way, I create my own vision."

Naoto Hattori's official site (with gallery and prints)

Dave Cooper

Dave Cooper has always intrigued me. He began as a comics artist and that style persists in his paintings. You can see influences from R. Crumb, crazy animation of the 1930's and 40's, Renaissance paintings and, what, I don't know... balloons? Verging between cute and grotesque, sexual and disturbing, happy and violent, his art grabs you in your pop-culture psyche without any clear reference. I just got his book, Bent, and I highly recommend it.

Dave Cooper's website
Dave Cooper at Jonathan LeVine Gallery
Dave's old site
Dave Cooper's art book, Bent

1872 Anatomy

Check out these amazing cross-cut anatomy illustrations from Germany published in 1872. Quite beautiful. On Flickr by History of the Book / Typography, Amsterdam's photostream, be sure to take a look at the rest of the historical prints available there.

Andrej Dugin and Olga Dugina

Andrej Dugin and Olga Dugina are what you would have if you took Arthur Rackham, Hieronymus Bosch, and Eugène Delacroix and mashed them together into an astonishing illustration team. There are notes of so many more influences from classic illustration, romanticism, and deco aesthetics that you'll get lost in time and magic and wonder that you are looking modern works.

I found these artists on the wonderful blog, lines and colors.

The artist's official website
Some great pieces
Another gallery
lines and colors post

The above illustration was done for Madonna's children's fable, The Adventures of Abdi. Not a great story, but great illustration. I recommend their own books, The Brave Little Tailor and, with Arnica Esterl writing, Dragon Feathers.

Peter P. Plasencia

 

Ward-O-Matic (Ward Jenkins) shares some terrific illustrations from a Jules Verne book. Illustrations by Peter P. Plasencia. They're stunning in their design and tone. Peter P. Plasencia also illustrated a wonderful Space Alphabet book.

Jules Verne: The Man Who Invented the Future

Space Alphabet
Ward-O-Matic

Till Hafenbrak

Till Hafenbrak has a wonderful way with a limited palette.

Till Hafenbrak website
flickr

via Drawn

cancer

It's been a long, long time since I've been updating my blogs. I apologize for not being around, answering emails or requests, writing, drawing... just doing anything but healing. See, I spent all of 2010 fighting cancer. The good news is that the cancer is gone, I am healthy, and I am ready to draw and blog again! And it sure is great to be back.