Curated Book Recommendation - The Favorite Illustrated Books, Graphic Novels in my Library
In this short edition, I share some of the new illustrated books I incorporated into my art book collection and why I recommend them
5th edition of The Creative Draft! Hello there! I recently published the second part of my book recommendation on YouTube, and I thought of sharing it with you all here as well! In the video, I show a bit of what makes them unique, so be sure to check it out. I will leave it below.
When it comes to my favorite illustrators and artists that I admire, I enjoy a lot getting some of their books or graphic novels. On one side, it’s my way to support their work somehow, and on the other, I love to experience those books myself, with the intent they were designed and created for. Also, in my new studio, I have a bigger library space for them, so with that extra space comes a bigger collection.
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The Menu for This Week
👉 Illustrated Art Book Collection Video
👉 Bonus Video: Illustrated Art Book Collection Video Part I
👉 Bonus Video: 5 Books Every Illustrator Should Have
On the Bookshelf :
📚 How to be a Children’s Book Illustrator
📚 Through a Life
📚 Old Enough to Save the Planet
📚 Daughters of Ys
📚 The Moonlight Zoo
📚 Magical Creatures and Mythical Beasts
New Art Books In My Illustrated Book Collection
After Taking a Few Weeks to Focus on Projects, I’m Coming Back with a New Video.
This week I released a video where I show you the main features of the books I will be covering in this edition of The Creative draft! I chose most of the books because, if you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I truly believe that looking into art and how other illustrators work and show their work is incredibly satisfying and inspiring.
Even today, with all the technology, there's no replacement for a beautifully crafted book! And a good coffee that can come with it:)
Below you will find all the books that I talked about in the video and some insights that summarize why I consider they can be an excellent addition to your book collection, mostly if you are an artist or illustrator, either professional or aspiring one.
How to be a Children's Book Illustrator
The Best Book for Those Looking Into becoming a Children’s Book Illustrator!
This is one of those books you can’t miss if you are seriously thinking about becoming a children’s book illustrator. The first chapters were written & illustrated by Ruth Hammond, and in this book, you will see tips on how to address properly and engage with young readers through your illustrations.
This book has incredibly useful insights about working on a children’s book from beginning to end, including character creation, colors, fonts, and what comes after. It has a chapter about building a portfolio and working with publishers.
The book also includes 8 different sample stories writing by great illustrators. This is one of my favorite parts of the book, as you can see how it translates into the visual language of what the book is all about. This section includes illustrators like Cris Ramos, Dapo Adeola, Saoirse Lou, Dom Murphy, Laura Proietti, Aurélien Galvan, Kyle Beckett, Kate Pellerin "Poopikat."
Through A Life by Tom Haugomat
This Book is Like Reading a Poem Made Out of Images—an Illustrated Nostalgia.
Tom Haugomat is one of my very favorite artists. I love his work, and I got this book to incorporate it into my collection, and it’s so incredibly published; I wasn’t expecting to love it so much.
The book goes around telling the story of a child that wants to become an astronaut and grows to become one. It’s a completely silent illustrated novel (no dialog), and Tom's art is so powerful, moving, and beautiful that, as I said in the video, there’s no reason for words at all.
Everything in the book is perfectly achieved; it has a strong and limited color palette, on-point composition, small vignette illustrations that perfectly interact with illustrated spreads. If you have the chance, get the book. You will not regret it!
Old Enough to Save The Planet
A Great Book that Shows How Young Activists Take Action for the Planet.
This book is one that I wanted to incorporate into my collection for a while now. This is for two reasons, one is the incredibly beautiful illustrations from Adelina Lirius, and the second is because of the nature theme of the book. As you might know, I love books about the environment, animals, and fighting climate change.
I believe this book can be really good for young readers to learn about environmental awareness, and I also believe it can be enjoyed by many fellow illustrators out there. The art from Adelina in this book is absolutely beautiful.
Daughters of YS’ / Soeurs D'Ys
A Magical Graphic novel about two sisters. A page-turner for a mature audience.
This book was illustrated by Jo Rioux. It’s a beautiful graphic novel full of magic, with art that’s super dynamic, dramatic, and very expressive. If you put your hands on this book, you will see how once you start turning those pages, there’s no coming back.
Another thing about this book is how beautifully printed it is. It has a hardcover full of details in gold, with a soft textured cover. It’s a great addition to any collection. As you can see in the video, I got the French version of the book, but it’s also published and available in English.
The Moonlight Zoo
Beautiful & Vibrant Short Illustrated Story About a Girl Looking For Her Lost Cat
This book was recommended to me by one of my dearests patrons Diane, and she was absolutely right. I really love this book. Karl James Mountford is an illustrator I truly admire, and this book represents how magical and amazing his work is.
I’m really happy I finally got one of Karl J.M. books, and I’m planning on getting a few more in the coming months, and I will be sharing my thoughts. The only thing about this book is that it’s so beautiful that I wish it were a bit longer. You’ll see why; anyone can stare at those pages for hours.
Magical Creatures And Mythical Beasts
Do you love folk-tales, myths & legends? I’ve got something just for you!
Illustrated by Victo Ngai, this book was by far one of the nicest ones I’ve gotten lately. One of the main reasons is because it has a pretty unique surprise. The book comes with a “magic torch” that will help you reveal a second layer to the illustrations, hidden to the naked eye.
If you turn off the lights and use the torch (kind of a UV light), it will reveal magical creatures and the mystical beast the book it’s all about. Kids will love it, but trust me, you will enjoy it more than them.
I’ve admired Victo Ngai's work for years now; she is incredibly talented. If you are not familiar with her work, go check it out and come back :) This book tells the story about different places worldwide, their legends, and mythical creatures roaming around.
Bonus Video: Illustrated Art Book Collection Video Part I
This is the first part of the series where I share my favorite art books!
In the video, I’m sharing with you guys my favorite books from my Illustrated Art Book collection. Books like "Wonder" from Beatrice Blue, clearly one of my favorites, or one I really love called National Parks from the U.S.A by Chris Turnham.
Guys, I'm also interested in knowing if you have any illustrated book recommendations, leave them in the comments below.
Bonus Video: 5 Books Every Illustrator Should Have
Pricing, Contracts, Working With Clients! All topics in these books!
I made this video a few months ago! It covers a series of books that are meant to help artists. I’m sharing books about how to make a contract, how to prepare a license agreement for your clients, or how to know if the contract is right. Also some tips about pricing from some industry standards and more
Including a few books about how to become a successful illustrator and finding your artistic style. Let me know in the comments if the books helped :)
Now, if you want to check my Procreate Brushes and color palettes, the link is below. Every artwork I create, from the drafts to the final artwork I make using my very own Procreate Brush Sets. The only place where you can get my brushes is my website or my Gumroad page. Have that always in mind
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