i recently got this very cool book: new york drawings, which features the illustrations of graphic artist adrian tomine for the new yorker magazine. i've been a huge fan of tomine for years. from his comic book series optic nerve to his graphic novels like shortcomings (one of my personal favorites), his attention to detail, clean line quality, compositions, and color choices always make a lasting impact. whether you know tomine or not, do yourself a favor and get your own copy here!
i'm in love with luke pearson, a young british illustrator and comic book artist who has quickly burst onto the scene with his unique hand, quirky sense of humor, and prolific portfolio. considering he only graduated in 2010 and has already published several comics, including the adventurous hildafolk and the heartbreaking everything we miss through nobrow press (who i've mentioned before in featuring another talented artist, ben newman), there is much to look forward to from this artist. i love his sense of color, attention to detail, and his beautiful linework. consider me a fan. learn more about luke here.
penguin has pretty much been knocking it out of the park with their book redesigns in recent years, and their latest series, penguin threads, is no exception. i love books and i love embroidery, so these were more or less made for me. the lady behind the design is jillian tamaki, an illustrator and cartoonist who hand-embroidered each cover, and the final book was then sculpt embossed to give it a real texture. and that's not all - when you open the covers, you can even see the backs of the embroideries! swoon. buy the series at penguin and learn more about jillian here.
i'm currently experiencing some book lust over these new editions of kafka designed by pantheon art director peter mendelsund. it's always refreshing to see my old favorites updated (a la coralie bickford-smith), and i love what the bright color and simple graphics bring to these covers. the uniting symbol of the eye is perfect for kafka, who was so interested in introspection, and the color is a nod to the humor and absurdity found in much of his work. in addition, the font is based off of kafka's own handwriting - a lovely counterpart to the bold graphics. stack them up in rainbow order and i'm happy. get yours here.
