Contest: What are your favourite art books from 2009?

Drawn To Life - Great resource of animation and art knowlege. A gold egg.

Massive Black Volume 1 - Because its Massive Black. Tons of great pictures.

Art Of Ponyo - because i love Ponyo and Studio Ghibli. Its beatufil with touch of heart.

P.S. Your site is site of the year in my private ranking in art category :)
P.S. 2 Captcha hate me

I dont think I bought any books that were released in 2009 this year? Most of the books i bought were from earlier.
Anyway I just wanted to give a shout out to ya Parka! LOVE YOUR BLOG, you rock!

Beyond Illustration: The Finest in Contemporary International Art & Illustration - Such a great collection of artists! I am a huge fan of Andrew Hem's work, so I jumped at the chance to have some of it in print.

World War Robot Vol 2 - I really love this comic series because you get the best of both worlds, excellent writing and the gorgeous illustrations of Ashley Wood side by side. Not to mention I'm a sucker for anything with robots!

Art Of Ponyo - I love all the Ghibli art books and cherish the few in my collection, the lush background and simple characters really evoke a feeling of exuberance and inspiration! From the pictures you posted I doubt this one would be any different.

I think I will have to pick the Amazon gift card just because I've been eying Taiyo Matsumoto's Gogo Monster for awhile now...but it's truly a tough call with so many amazing books to choose from. Thanks so much for all the reviews this year Parka! : )

My top 3 favorite art books for 2009:

1. The Art and Making of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
This is a great take on a book I read when I was a kid. The character and developmental design is extraordinary.

2. CFSL.NET: Café Salé Artbook 03
Being able to see character design and drawing from a European perspective, very inspirational!

3. Darkstalkers Tribute
Any book Capcom releases does not disappoint, awesome artwork from one of my favorite games.

Other favorites:
- Art of Kung Fu Panda
- The Marvel Art Of Marko Djurdjevic
- Illusive: Contemporary Illustration Part 3

Great blog, continue the great work providing a sneak peek for beautiful books! (Amazon.com $40 GC please!)

-pixelorangutan

1) The art of UP - Such a great story, really inspired by the vivid color keys and character designs.

2) The art of Pixar Short Films - They're shorts, but packed with so much goodness! Very nice window into the development for each Pixar short.

3) The art of Monsters vs. Aliens - I live in the Bay Area....with so many San Francisco references I could not wait to see the art work and the film.

Thanks!

1-The Art and Making of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.
Best art book Ive ever seen.

2-The Marvel Art Of Marko Djurdjevic.
Superheroes never looked so great! Marko is a genious.

3- Darkstalkers.
Im a big fan of the game. Ive waited years to see so many illustrations of Darkstalkers in a book.

Lemon

1-The Art of Kung Fu Panda
Beautiful illustration, one of my most favorite art books.

2-Massive Black Volume 1
Huge collection of concept illustration and game art.

3-Star Trek The Art of the Film
Fantastic concept art, love Sci Fi.

Thanks

PS. Luv your site, check it at least once a day

1. The Art of Star Wars: Clone Wars
Just when I thought Star Wars art books couldn't get better, it is infused with animation. Now, if only we could get one for the 2004-5 series...

2. The Art of Up
It's Pixar. Even though it may not be as impressive as the other books, it's due to its context. Having seen the book before and after the film, it is MUCH better after having seen the movie.

3. The Art of Watchmen
The sheer depth of the book is amazing. Floor plans, storyboards, full page newspapers. It's great!

Honorable Mention: The Art of Dead Space
I got it for free at a store that didn't want it. I probably would have paid for it, it's that good!

The Amazon voucher would be fantastic. My shopping cart is getting overloaded...

Unfortunatly I didn`t buyed to much this year, mostly because I didn`t even knew so much artbooks to buy.

If I shoudl choose the Top 3 of 2009, I definitly would choose these:

1. Darkstalkers Tribute
I love Darkstalkers, I saw the images of the fighters for years, since I was small but in contrast to Street Fighter I never played one of the games. But then, as the PSP came out, I finally buyed me one and since then I love the game even if the controlls on the handheld were bad. Darkstalkers is like Street Fighter or Star Wars something that follow me year after year and now this great Artbook with so many pictures of this beloved series.

2. The Marvel Art Of Marko Djurdjevic
This is birthday present a girlfriend of mine will send me today or tomorrow. It`s so full of this strong Art with commentary and so on. But the best of all, it`s a German and a citizen of Berlin. I never would have imagined that this great covers is the work of a guy who lives here. I love this book not only because of the fantastic work he did but also because it shows that also the people here can reach something on this market and that comics are still alive.

3. The Art of Monsters vs Aliens
This one was a hard nut to crack, I don`t mean the book but the third place. Monsters vs Aliens was my first 3D movie since a childhood travel to Disneyland Paris were I saw a movie out of clips with asteroids, the Millenium Falcon and Michael Jackson. My memories are very blurry and not very excact. But I remember Monster vs Aliens and it was really great like the artbook.

Greetings

Seth

Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes: The Walt Stanchfield Lectures

1:Very inspirational book, and a great resource for animators and artists alike, so much wisdom and just great words and examples in this book.

2:The Art and Making of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Great movie great book, there is book has a great design sense for artists who love sing the pre-production art, and thoughts, challenges in making a feature movie, and the imagery just beautiful

3: Daily Zoo Year 2: Keeping the Doctor at Bay with a Drawing a Day

This should be my number 1, not only is there great art work both books are a great representation of the trials and tribulations Mr Ayres went through not only that he is a great guy i emailed a while ago, and he emailed me back with great words, a true great

Honorable mention
Alina's Travel Journal
Because i know here lol, and she is a fun person to go sketching with, she really help start the sketchrawl in los angeles area, and she is a great artist
Prize tough choice I will go with the GIft card

great Job you have helped me purchase a lot of books

My top fav's of the year would have to be 1) The Art of Princess & the Frog, 2) The Art of UP, and 3) Peter De Seve's A Sketchy Past raisonne. They're all such wonderful books for this year, and hope that 2010 will be even for the better!

Also, honorable mention to the Drawn to Life books. Really, they're a given since there's so much good stuff in them already.

(*Also, have been following for quite some time--keep up the great work!)

Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes: The Walt Stanchfield Lectures

Most of the book that i bought this year are books on Anatomy, a few on animation and some which are either on sale or really caught my attention like:

1)Fantasy Workshop: Mastering Digital Painting Techniques
Many great tips and step by step lesson on digital painting character and such. Not many book like this out there. All the steps are easy to follow and the different way each artist featured in the book paint their works astound me.

2)The Art of Pixar Short Films
Since i'm learning animation, this is the type of book i really like. A friend of mine got this book which after i read, i too wanted to buy it. I've watch all the short animations showcase in the book.

3)SF20: The Art of Street Fighter
Been a fan of street fighter since i was little. Every Artwork in this book is fantastic. All the different artist style with a common subject which result in different illustration. A great artbook and you can take tips with.

Illusive 3: Top quality illustrations which surprised me a little as I didn't like Illusive 1 very much.

Illustration Now 3: Especially like the format where you get several illustrations from each featured artist. Another series that's getting better.

Tales from Outer Suburbia - because Shaun Tan is brilliant.

Hi Parka.
My favorite books for 2009 are:
Tim Burton - because it never ceases to amaze us
A sketchy past: the art of Peter de Seve - amazing artist I love his New Yorker covers
Drawing Life: the art of Mariscal - an artist like Mariscal deserves a book like this, de luxe edition for a fine artist.

The Amazon voucher would help in the purchase of some of these books.

Thanks!!!!!

1. Sorolla by Jose Luis Diez and Javier Baron Thaidigsmann. Its a bit outside the scope of this blog, but it is a fantastic book on one of history's greatest painters that would certainly hold significant appeal to illustrators and digital painters.

2. extreme finales. 800 pages of ashley wood. nice collection.

3. classic human anatomy. This book doesn't really break any new ground, but it does present information in a very clear and easy to follow manner using small diagrams and color coding. It has become one of my main references for anatomy.

Hi Parka,

My top 3 are:

* The DC Comics Guide to Digitally Drawing Comics
It has some great tips from a professional on how Comics can be drawn digitally. Lots of time saving tips are mentioned. Main software used is photoshop, but there are also tips using Google Sketchup.

* Drawn to Life
Drawing and animation secrets and tips from the master himself. Covers the foundation of animation very well.

* The Art and Feel of Making it Real
Gesture drawing is critical to bring life to one's drawing. Few books give the kind of focus this one does. Especially great for creators of comics.

If I win, I'd like an Amazon voucher :-)

thanks

Hello Parka

My favorite artbooks of the year are the following

- Art of The Princess and the Frog
The return to traditional animation...finally! A gorgeous book with some great character designs, boards and color scripts. But for me the environmental concepts are what I truly love about this book. Just beautiful!

- The Marvel Art of Marko Djurdjevic
This guy is just a machine. His work has such great detail and his anatomy is incredible. Amazing that he's self-taught. Love his pencil work.

- CFSL.NET 03
Such a fantastic community full of talented artists. Much like the previous 2 artbooks, has a great collection with a lot of variety in styles. Really colorful too.

I hope this blog continues for another 100 years!

*the art of Clouds with a Chance of Meatballs:
just like all other sony animation artbooks , this one is again filled to the rim with absolutely stunning artwork and goodies.

*the art of Ponyo: it is such a treat to be able to examine the lush crayon backgrounds.
this book also features interesting little interviews with miyazaki's staff.

*the art of UP: a break from the more dreamy pastel artwork in previous pixarbooks,
this one has tighter designs and lots of sauve style

* Drawn to Life
must-have book for everyone that picks up a pencil from time to time

I would like gift card :)

Are You planning to review more books from japan amazaon? :)

1) The Art of Star Wars: The Clone Wars - because i love (almost) all SW things and this is the best about the animated series. Very complete and stunning visually.

2) A.I. Artificial Intelligence: From Stanley Kubrick to Steven Spielberg: The Vision Behind the Film - One of most long time awaited art books, finally here. Awesome movies deserves awesome books like this.

3) The Arto f Tim Burton - ¿the ultimate art book about Tim Burton?. A masterpiece converted in book.

Happy Xmas!!! ;-)

I'm really into sci-fi and fantasy art , so all my 3 choices would be devoted to that:

1.Spectrum 16: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art
2. Imaginative Realism
3. Sci-Fi Art: A Graphic History

Thank you for great reviews!

My top 3 would be the following

1.) The Art if Guild Wars 2 - Kekai Kotaki and the rest of the art team did an amazing job with their concept art. Worth every cent.

2.) it's a tie! Exodyssey - i think their technique and approach to digital art really stands out and this book has a wealth of information just by looking at their rough stuff.

The Art of Massive Black - These guys are so good. no wonder they are the go-to-guys of a lot fo big companies.

3.) The Marvel Art of Marko Djurdjevic - Love the insights and thoughts about the pieces he did. And it's always nice to see roughs.

Thank you for the art book reviews and the blogs you tell your readers about. Can't wait for 2010!

Amazon GC for me!

Hi Parka,

THis are my favourite Art Books 2009:

1.) The Art of Tim Burton - Pure Genius on 430 Sites. Great Art in a great designed book.
2.)The Art of UP! - Awesome Charakterdesign and inspiring other work. Brilliant
3.)The Art of The Princess and the Frog - See above.

Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes: The Walt Stanchfield Lectures

Hellboy Library volume 3

The Art of Harvey Kurtzman

Al williamson Flash Gordon

1. Spectrum 16 - best yet
2. The Art of Massive Black
3. Alien Race

I forgot to mention, if I win I want exodyssey. Thanks!

You are awesome, you post reviews and yet still give away prizes!

No.1: Papercraft:Design and art with paper.
-this book is awesome, not only the design contents are very high quality but such topic are hard to come by, is not everyday you come across a book showcasing design on such a simple medium that we often look pass.

No.2: Lord of Vermilion: Black and White.
-The artworks of the Japanese are really high in quality, unlike magic the gathering, not one card here is illustrated poorly. All of them are tightly designed and rendered, it doesn't feel loose and sketchy. As always, the japanese bring in a different flavour to the mix.

No.3: Tekkon Kinkreet / Black & White
-Seriously, do I even need to justify this? I am at loss for words, if a picture is worth a thousand words, you'll find a trillion words inside.

No.4: The Art of Hercules: The Chaos of Creation
-Brilliant Disney stuff. One can never underestimate a disney production. THis book may be almost out of print, but the contents inside are classic. Whereas books nowadays are saturated with too much cg paintings, Hercules contains strong design and superb traditional skills that are still hard to replicate in this digital era.

I guess that's it, though there are still many amazing books in 2009! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year by the way!! -Ed

My favs
1. The Art of Up--the character design in this movie is incredible and the overall is beautiful. the book is just as beautiful and colorful as the movie. Movie production art is always interesting to look at.

2. SF20: The Art of Street Fighter--I love this book, because I love Street Fighter characters. This book has character drawings from all the different street fighters, which is why I like it so much. Lots of pages, which equals lots of art.

3. Figure Drawing: Design and Invention--this is a must have for every artist that wants to really learn how to draw the figure. it has a lot of helpful tips and ways of interpreting the figure so it's easier to draw. this is one of my favorite figure drawing books.

4. Udon's Art of Capcom--what can I say, I'm a huge fan of Capcom. at first, this was my favorite capcom art book, but then I got SF20. So now, SF20 is my first favorite and Udon's Art of Capcom is my second favorite.

----my price of choice is Spectrum 16

The Art of Tim Burton -
Wonderful art from a filmaking genius.

The Art of UP -
Lovely designs, shows the more complete designs better than previous Pixar 'art ofs'

Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes: The Walt Stanchfield Lectures
Fantastic animation resource. A must have.

My fav art books for 2009 are:

1. EXODYSSEY
I love their unique concepts as well as the way they are presented. The atmosphere and tone in their environmental designs is amazing.

1. 2. THE ART OF PONYO
Studio Ghibli just can't go wrong! Quirky and compassionate; Ponyo is a delight to watch.

1. 3. STAR TREK: THE ART OF THE FILM
It's great to see this franchise finally being updated. Visually stunning, Star Trek XI doesn't disappoint both in the creatures dept. and environmental design.

It would be great to receive a $40 Amazon.com gift cert.

Hi Parka!

my 3 favs of this year are:

1- imaginative Realism by James Gurney- full of useful and inspiring information for an art
student like myself.

2. Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera- amazing reference and knowledge passed
down from an American master of illustration.

3. exodyssey- visual development of an epic adventure by steambot studios-
amazing concept work and inspiring brushstrokes. big fan of feerik.

$40 amazon gift cert. if i win please =) thanks parka!

Hi Parka!

My favourites are:

1. The Marvel Art Of Marko Djurdjevic: An amazing book by an amazing artist, he's changed the way comic book covers are drawn. The story of his journey so far is also inspiring. I'd love to read about the thinking that went into creating his art.

2. Massive Black Volume 1: It was great to see the collected work of such an inspiring studio. Fantastic to see pieces from extremely original and skilled artists who're clearing doing what they love.

3. d'artiste Character Modeling 3: This book seems to be more of a guide than an artbook, but I'm a modeler and I love the in depth technical knowledge and the quality of presentation. Also has a great gallery of work by fantastic artists from all over the word.

My Top 3 Art Books for 2009 :

1) Art Of Up.
Great Film. Great book!

2) Art of Monsters Vs. Aliens
This was a real fun film that REALLY embraced the 3D effects. The art book really shows just how much fun they had with this film. Hope there's a sequel!

3)Art of Tim Burton
I still haven't been able to order this one, but it looks fantastic and should be the DEFINITIVE book on Burtons artwork.

If i happen to be the luck winner I'd like to get the $40 GC.

Thanks & have a happy Holidays & wonderful new year!

My Bestest...

-Pixiv Nenkan 2009 Official Book-
A collection of beautiful online art from the Pixiv Community. Great way to find new undiscovered talent worth following on the web.

-Apple Volume 3-
Again, another collection by a large group of outstanding artists. Great exposure to what the Koreans have to add to comic art, CG and fine illustration.

-Street Fighter Tribute-
Unique mix of nostalgia and freshness. I've always been a huge fan of the Capcom art style, and seeing these varied interpretations by artists who feel similarly inspired is... very... inspiring(?).

I would like the CFSL.NET: Cafe Sale Artbook 03, please. Fingers crossed.

Thanks for your efforts, and for this opportunity!

Here are my three picks:

1.Imaginative Realism
From what i gained through james gurney's blog about illustrations, I believe it is the best book for aspiring fantasy concept artist.

2.Exodyssey
Always loved their work. They have very cool shaped designs. I believe it one of the best for concept and industrial designer.

3.Art of Up
Beautiful and cute characters and charming colors, how they were made, thats why.

It's difficult to choose, but, here's my top 3:

1. Drawn to life: this is a unique master piece plenty of knowledge. There are lots of great artbooks, but this one helps specially to anybody who want to be an artist.

2. Spectrum 16: I have this book since its 12th edition. It shows every year a great compilation of some of the best artists in different sectors like comics, advertising, etc

3. Lord of Vermilion (Black & White): This two volumes show how japanese artists (and others like the great Hyung Tae Kim) can make great designs of creatures and characters for a cards game.

Anyway, I love other artbooks from this year, Exodyssey, Art of Marko, etc. It was a nice year for art :D

Prize: I'd like the CFSL.NET: Cafe Sale Artbook 03 if I win.

Always, thanks for your work in this blog Parka!

CFSL.NET: Café Salé Artbook 03

My fav books of 2009:

1- PR3_the hallowed scam: I just can't get enough of James Jean. This is the third book I buy from him, and the quality of the book itself is great. I don't need to mention the work do I?

2- Kindling: Well yes, another James Jean. This is not exactly an art book, but more of a compilation of high quality prints, along with sketches from the fineshed pieces. The packaging, print, everything makes this worth every peny invested.

3- The Art of Oban Star Races: well this one I bought thanks for this blog. I've never even heard of this, but it looked pretty nice from the review. And what a great surprise it's even cooler than I thought. The characters the space ship designs, everything. I'm really happy that I gave it a try.

As always your work is great Parka. Best blog of 2009

1. Massive Black vol. 1
Excellent selection of work from a bunch of great artists, it also gives you the warm and fuzzy feeling knowing you're supporting the art community by getting this.

2. Exodyssey
Good stuff here as well from some great names, although I would have liked slightly more character work personally.

3. The Landscapes
Have to choose something a bit different for the third place. I don't have this yet (evil price!), but I'm quite fond of Schmid's work and his Alla Prima book is killer, so no doubt this is filled with great art from beginning to end.

As for the prize, if it comes my way I'll gladly take Marko Djurdjevic's book.

Hi Parka,

First of all, thanks for this contest, it's really a great opportunity to expand an artist's mind.

It was very tough to decide which are the 3 best, but here ya go:

1 - Exodyssey: Visual Development of an Epic Adventure
Six artists, one book. To create an entire setting, story and concept in the form of a book with an excellent quality is something really remarkable. We need to see more works/books like this in the future.

2 - Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist
Bringing realism to imagination. Receives the second place because it's a book that teaches well something necessary: the importance of research in illustration.

3 - CFSL.NET: Café Salé Artbook 03
Without the Café Salé books (and Parka Blogs) I'd never know french illustrators. It's good to meet their art, and this book shows independent and begginers, which is something excellent and unfortunately still rare nowadays.

For the prize, Spectrum 16: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art.

Thanks again and keep up the great reviews!

Darkstalkers Tribute This is one of my fav fighting games ever, so this artbook collecting art from around the world by pros & fans alike, its a must for every Night warriors player, visual junky, Capcom gamer, or anybody else!

Popbot Book 8 by Ashley Wood Comics from Ashley had always been excentric and original, but i think this is his most complete work till date. An imaginary and literary piece of art.

The Making of Fantastic Mr. Fox I love traditional animation and stop-motion is something that you don´t usually see. And there will be dvd extras yeah but, talking about traditional, theres no better way to complete the movie than buying an equally fantastic book.

I would like a gift cert =)
Congrats this is the best blog about artbooks that i know.

The Art of Monsters vs. Aliens
Lots of cool stuff and great concepts overall

Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist
Incredibly informative...

The Art of Planet 51
Another fully loaded image journey through the creative process...

I had the chance to see these books at a friend's house and I would love to own them as soon as possible, so if I'll ever win I would like one of these books, it doesn't matter witch one :)

Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes: The Walt Stanchfield Lectures - Fantastic learning source. There're gems every single topic!

The Hallowed Seam: PR Vol 3 - You can always find and learn something new by looking at JJ's work.. especially his sketches.. and this book is full of them!

A SKETCHY PAST: The Art of Peter de Sève - Beautiful book! Beautiful works.. probably one of my favourite book of the year.

I would love an Amazon gift cert. :)

Thank you for your great reviews! All the best.

-Charles

Hey Parka!
Thanks for featuring this contest! It's nice to know I have a chance here, especially considering the odds are a little better in this one than in Amazon.com's sweepstakes.
Favorite art books of 2009....hmmm...tough choice, but I'd have to say:

1) The Art of UP - loved the movie and the overall design of the film; would've liked to have seen a little more character development within the book, but I did love seeing the aging of Carl inside the front and back covers.

2) Drawn to Life - A wonderful resource for artists and animators which I haven't bought yet but happen to flip through every time I'm in a bookstore.

3) The Art of the Princess and the Frog - Love love love that Disney is returning to traditional 2D animation and while the character designs were nothing radical, the settings within the film were beautiful. It's lovely to see the design process within the book.

I would love the Amazon gift card - it would be a wonderful holiday present. Thank you :)

My top 3 favorite art books for 2009:

1. Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes: The Walt Stanchfield Lectures
This book bring to us the drawn classes that the Disney animation had.

2. The Art and Making of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
A diferent kind of character design in the animation area. In this book you can see from the start how they make this new type of movie

3. Elemental Magic: The Art of Special Effects Animation
The special efects animation is something very important in the movies and something hard to look for books.

Continues this great work in your blog.

I choose the amazon card $40 GC, just for onething. I nedd to buy the Illusion Of life and it's coust $40,50

Mateus Lima

First off I'd just like to thank you again Parka for another wonderfully generous contest!

I've got plenty of faves from this year but to keep it simple here's few in no particular order:

The Marvel Art Of Marko Djurdjevic
This is just a gorgeous book with a great mix of sketches and paintings. It's just a very emotionally charged book with great art, composition, and design. I love it!

The Art and Making of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
I recently got into animated movie artbooks and this one definately stood out. A fun looking book for a cute movie. I love the retro feel of the character designs. This book is just chock full of gorgeous matte paintings. Yum!

The Art of The Princess and the Frog
After hearing that Disney was releasing a new tradtional 2D flick, I knew that the artbook would be worth checking out. It's such a beautifully designed movie and this book just highlights and compliments that fact.

If I win, I would love to have a copy of CFSL.NET: Café Salé Artbook 03. I've been eyeing this series of books for ages!

Thanks again! Love the blog, keep up the great work! ^_^

1) The Beat of Urban Art - is fantastic to look at. The exaggerated proportions, and warped perspective really add a sense of movement found in urban artistry.

2) Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera - so much fun to look at. I'm a great Norman Rockwell fan, and his work has always been the perfect touch of realism and exaggeration so that the characters always seem alive. Seeing the side by side comparison with his photographs only enhances this fact. Showing off his skill even more.

3) The Art and Making of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs - Looking at the character designs and color scheme of this movie is great. It's got such a cartoony style that we haven't seen in a 3D movie, and they really pulled it off exceptionally. The food looks delicious and really makes me hungry, and overall there's just so MUCH! This book is packed with artwork, and I really appreciate the effort that went into making the movie.

For the prize:
$40 Amazon.com gift cert

Thanks for all the great work this year, Parka!

Hi Parka, thanks for one more contest!

My top-3 favorite artbooks from 2009 are:

- The Art and Making of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
One crazy artbook in the good sense! Huge with lots of stuff, just love it.

- Drawn to Life, both volumes
Knowledge that is priceless for me. They sit right next to Animator's Survival Kit.

- The Art of Up
Great movie, very funny. I liked the character design and the artbook has lots of info and images about it.

This is not an artbook, but is animation-related and I'm enjoying reading it: Starting Point 1979-1996 by Hayao Miyazaki. It's an old book but the English version was released this year. Recommended!

As for the prize, I choose the Amazon gift cert.

Thanks once again!