Japanese illustrator Yoko Tanji (丹地陽子) is one of the very first artists I discovered way back in 2004 when I first started living in Tokyo, and I’ve been a big fan of her art work ever since. Her illustrations were a regular fixture in the quarterly visual subculture magazine Kikan S, which I would always pick up for a browse during my weekend visits to the Kinokuniya bookstore in Shinjuku. Her art work quickly stood out from others pieces with her astute, expert use of aesthetically pleasing and striking compositions as well as dynamic application of colors.

This art book collects carefully selected art work from almost 20 years of her expansive portfolio for books, magazines and novel cover illustrations as well as her own personal work; including one of her online illustration series titled “I Hate Mondays” which is especially popular and has garnered her a huge following.

While the content is without a question exemplary, I am however a little disappointed with the somewhat small print size of the release, which I feel is a disservice to Tanji’s exuberantly colorful work that would have greatly benefited from a bigger format that would show off the details of her art. The all too common issue of art work getting splintered in the middle by the spine is also a minus.

All that said, I am still grateful to PIE International for picking up Yoko Tanji’s work for publishing ( I have actually written to them previously to recommend her work ), and this book is still an excellent way to enjoy and appreciate her delightful illustration work. My highest recommendations.

I also recommend checking out the March 2018 issue of ILLUSTRATION magazine with a special feature of her work.

“The Art Of Yoko Tanji Illustration Book 丹地陽子作品集” details :

– Dimensions – 210 × 148 x 15 mm
– Softcover, 218 pages
– Full color, in Japanese

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