Spectrum 14: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art (Spectrum (Underwood Books))

Spectrum 14: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art (Spectrum (Underwood Books)) | Truly one of the Best Art Books Ever!

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Spectrum 14: The B...

	Spectrum 14: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art (Spectrum (Underwood Books)) Underwood Books, 2007 - 224 pages average customer review:based on 15 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Drawn from work created for books, comics, magazines, art galleries, advertisements, and the portfolios of the finest contemporary fantasy artists, the illustrations in Spectrum 14 extend the boundaries of the imagination and explore new realms of creativity. The book contains nearly 350 pieces by creators spanning the globe, including works from America, Germany, England, the Netherlands, Korea, Australia, Japan, Canada, and France. Now in its 14th year, this is a must for fans of this genre of art as well as an invaluable resource for art directors and illustrators.

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PERHAPS THE BEST SPECTRUM YET!

Like Santa Claus, Spectrum only comes around once per year and is always highly anticipated. This annual collection of the world's best contemporary fantasy and Sci-fi art is always a favorite not only due to its sheer size and beautiful production, but also because of its diversity in scope. Spectrum presents the best art from the fields of books, comics, advertising, editorial, concept, and even sculpture into each year's volume.

As always, the book begins with a look at the year in review and the trends in contemporary fantasy art before getting into the opening category of advertising art and presenting the first of its gold and silver annual awards to the best in each category. This year's gold winner in the advertising category went to James Jean for his Retro-hip "Spacerace 2020" painting for Nike. This gorgeous pop-art piece is a tribute to Sci-Fi imagery of the `40s and `50s.

I'm not sure how they could have picked a winner in the book category as there are so many outstanding pieces. While Jon Foster's winning painting for Night Shade books was very good, Luis Royo's offering for his graphic novel, "Dark Labyrinth". Adam Hughes took home the Gold Award in the Comics category for his depiction of the sleek and sexy Scarlet Witch from Upper Deck. As a long-time comic book fan I love seeing the industry's artists getting their just due as the outstanding artists that they are. Other standouts included Gary Giannni's standout art from the Prince Valiant comic strip that is in the best tradition of Hal Foster, and Charles Vess/Mike Kaluta's work from the Vertigo Comics series "1001 Nights of Snowfall".

One of the categories I look forward to most each year is the dimensional chapter featuring the year's best sculptures and models and this year was certainly no disappointment. A. Brent Armstrongs mammoth 54" tall piece featuring King Kong atop the Empire State Building is simply breathtaking! The Alex Ross designed Superman resin sculpt by artist Karen Palinko features the distinctive look of Ross as Clark Kent rips open his shirt to reveal Superman's legendary logo. Shawn Nagle's "Tarzan and the Golden Lion" based on art by longtime Tarzan illustrator, J. Allen St. John, is another winner.

Spectrum never fails to deliver a little something for everyone's taste and Spectrum volume 14 may be the best edition yet. Grade A.

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Truly one of the Best Art Books Ever!

This is my second purchase of spectrum books. 13 was the first one I brought. All I can say is this is one of the most stunning art books I have ever owned...that and after going through this one I may have to pick up all the other books. Every page is full of beautiful work from a wide arrange of different styles. I can't say how many times this book has saved me when It came down to me trying to complete a illustration. It constantly inspires me and makes me want to pick up a paintbrush or any drawing tool for that matter and create.

Spectrum deserves all the praise in the world for the great effort that they put into all these books. To top that off most standard art books like this go for itleast double the cost. Love these books!

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An Excellent Book in the Spectrum yearly series

I have purchased the last five issues of Spectrum and enjoyed this almost as much as Spectrum 12. I have just started puchasing the re-issued original issues and can say that Spectrum 1 may have fewer pages but still is well worth the money. I find myself looking online for the artists that impress me. I just wish there was more information supplied on the art shown. Overall, I would definitely recommend Spectrum 14.

Illustration Artwork Rocks!!!

You can't lose with Spectrum editions. They are all awesome and inspiring to anyone who loves art. Collect'em all and enjoy the art when ever your in the mood. I've browsed through each one several times and find something inspiring every time. Priceless...

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The Same, but Thicker

I don't have the others nearby to judge from, but 14 seems thicker than previous installments. This one is paperback, and as usual, the color and print quality are good. Unfortunately, also as usual, cramming three or four pictures on a single page means that many are too small for you to really enjoy the details. Still, if you're a fan of fantasy and sci-fi art, I know of no better yearly collection of some of the best stuff out there.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3

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