My Favorite Art Books of 2023

Posted By yonghow on December 30th, 2023

I reviewed a total of 68 titles for 2023 ( see the full list here ), a slight dip from the 71 I did last year. The quantity is decided by a few factors like the actual pool of published titles that are available for the year, my financial ability to acquire them as well as the time I might have to review them ( my day-time job is a VFX artist and reviewing books is purely a hobby that I enjoy ).

For starters, I only review books ( and on occasion the odd blu-ray ) that I like, so they are all IMHO quality, but these 10 are my favorites for the year. The titles are arranged in chronological order of my review dates ( earliest to latest ) and as always, please bear in mind that some of the books might have been published before 2023.

I hope you’ll find something that will excite or interest you in the list, and if you do decide to make a purchase please consider doing it through my Amazon affiliate links; it will cost you absolutely nothing, but will go a very long way in helping me to keep this blog sustainable. Have a Happy 2024 ! –

1) Macross Package Art Collection

One of the many fond memories of my childhood was watching the immensely popular sci-fi anime series Macross on television; the sleek animation, the impressionable characters and of course the outrageously cool looking mecha captivated me and my brother to no end. Back then we had very little money to spend on toys, so I would always look with envy at the beautiful box art of the Macross model kits at the local shopping mall.

Now, all the delightful illustrations of these box art are collected in this Macross Package Art Collection book (超時空要塞マクロスパッケージアート集), and it is the most wonderful thing ever. What is equally wonderful is that I have from time to time lamented on the dire need for an art book showcasing Yoshiyuki Takani’s (高荷義之) amazing art, and this book checks that box as well.

Read the full book review | Buy From Amazon JP | Buy From Amazon.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK

2) The Making Of The Toxic Jungle – Takayuki Takeya

During the spring of 2021, Studio Ghibli and Japanese animation magazine Animage jointly organized and curated a Nausicaa exhibition (アニメージュとジブリ展) to celebration the 40th anniversary of the manga’s serialization. Studio Ghibli collaborated with famed Japanese sculptor Takayuki Takeya (竹谷隆之) to create a life-sized model of the Giant Ohmu, elaborate dioramas of the Sea Of Decay and it’s massive insect inhabitants as well as Nausicaa’s iconic blue costume.

The process and creation of these models are detailed and documented in this art book The Making Of The Toxic Jungle – Modeling Process In Pictures. On top of the many photographs of Takayuki and his team of artists at work assembling the Ohmu and the various dioramas, there are also character and creature designs sketches by Takayuki during his pre-production for the creation of his models.

Read the full book review | Buy From Amazon JP | Buy From Amazon.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK

3) The Hobbit Sketchbook ( Alan Lee )

This richly illustrated book (2019) celebrates in words and pictures the beautiful work that award-winning artist Alan Lee produced for J.R.R. Tolkiens The Hobbit, and includes dozens of brand-new paintings and pencil drawings exploring the world of Bilbo Baggins. Since The Hobbit was first published in 1937, generations of readers have fallen under its spell. That magic was reignited sixty years later, when Alan Lee was commissioned to produce a special illustrated edition, and his delicate pencil drawings and beautiful watercolour paintings have become for many the definitive vision of J.R.R. Tolkiens Middle-earth.

In this sumptuous, large-format hardback Alan Lee reveals in pictures and in words how he created these images, which would prove so powerful, matching perfectly with Tolkien’s own vision, that they would eventually define the look of Peter Jackson’s film adaptations and earn Alan a coveted Academy Award.

Read the full book review | Buy From Amazon.com | Buy From Amazon CA | Amazon JP | Amazon UK

4) AKIRA Layouts & Key Frames Vol 2 ( Otomo Complete Works )

Note : If you haven’t read my review for Vol 1, go here. Vol 1 was one of my fav art books last year, and this 2nd book earns a spot this year fairly easily as well on account of its superb quality.

Running at a sumptuous 710 pages, this book is even thicker than the voluminous Vol 1 by 60 pages, and covers genga ( key animation drawings ), layout and hi-quality reproduction anime cels of select shots from around the 2nd act of Katsuhiro Otomo’s magnum opus animated film AKIRA. A third volume ( release date as yet unannounced ) is also on the way.

Read the full book review | Buy From Amazon JP | Buy From Amazon.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK

5) Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse : The Art of the Movie

Released to critical acclaim with equally impressive box-office success ( $690 million ), Marvel/Sony Pictures Animation’s much anticipated Spider-Man : Across The Spider-Verse is the sequel to the equally fantastic 2018 Academy Award winner Spider-Man : Into The Spider-Verse. It’s an understatement to say that the stunning visuals are the highlight of the film, and Across The Spider-Verse expands and tops the high bar of the first film, showcasing a story that takes place across 6 uniquely different worlds.

As I wrote about in my earlier post on the Visdev Art Of Across The Spider-Verse, the many concept artist/character designers have been proudly showcasing their art created for the film on social media, and most, if not all of them are now neatly collected in this official art book for easy perusal and enjoyment. Running at over 220 pages, the book covers character designs, color keys/scripts, set/prop designs and more.

Read the full book review | Buy From Amazon.com | Buy From Amazon CA | Amazon JP | Amazon UK

6) The Fantastic Worlds of Frank Frazetta Art Book Review ( Taschen )

This is one of my most expensive book purchases for 2023, but TOTALLY worth it – Frank Frazetta (1928–2010) was an American fantasy and science fiction artist, noted for comic books, paperback book covers, paintings, posters, LP record album covers, and other media. He is often referred to as the “Godfather of fantasy art”, and one of the most renowned illustrators of the 20th century.

Fantasy art fans are no strangers to Frazetta’s work, and there’s gotta be at least a dozen publications of his art available, but the definitive draw and appeal of this book is the exceptional size and print quality of the reproductions, which completely floored me with the sheer fidelity; really, you have to see the book in person to fully appreciate how good they are. It is also through the browsing of this book that I’ve discovered Frazetta’s strong influence on other notable artists, in particular Hellboy artist Mike Mignola.

Read the full book review | Buy From Amazon.com | Buy From Amazon CA | Amazon JP | Amazon UK

7) Mad Dreams and Monsters : The Art of Phil Tippett

On the other end of the price spectrum, this giant tome of a book is an absolute steal for its quantity and quality at only $36 USD –

Mad Dreams and Monsters: The Art of Phil Tippett and Tippett Studio is a 528 pages volume celebrating the illustrious career of the legendary stop-motion and vfx ( visual effects ) supervisor, with a long list of impressive credits for films like the original Starwars trilogy, Dragonheart, Robocop, Jurassic Park, Starship Troopers and many more.

Packed with over a thousand behind-the-scenes photographs and housed in a beautifully designed slipcase, Mad Dreams and Monsters includes never-before-published stories from the master himself and a veritable who’s who of visual effects luminaries—a must-have for movie fans, film students, and anyone who’s ever been captivated by movie magic.

Read the full book review | Buy From Amazon.com | Buy From Amazon CA | Amazon JP | Amazon UK

8) Singapore Sketchbook – An Island Observed

Now this entry is kinda an outlier chronologically having been published way back in 2011, but a good book is still a good book –

Singapore Sketchbook is a celebration of streets and buildings, classic scenes and marvelous architectural details. Singapore is a thriving, modern city; but a mixture of modernity and a rich heritage, often beautifully restored, gives it a unique character.

I’m not sure why I took as long as I did to finally review this splendid book; perhaps because I’m Singaporean and growing up I just took the beautiful sights showcased in this book for granted, but now that I’m based in Vancouver I have a renewed appreciation and nostalgia for all things Singaporean.

The watercolor illustrations are painted with amazing detail by the artist Graham Byfield, and complementing the excellent art work is the thick, matte paper stock on which they are printed on, which gives a really nice tactile feel when flipping through the pages, almost like one is viewing the artist’s original sketchbook.

Read the full book review | Buy From Amazon.com | Buy From Amazon CA | Amazon JP | Amazon UK

9) Bruegel – The Complete Works ( XXL First Edition ) Taschen

Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1526–1569) was the preeminent artist of the Dutch & Flemish Renaissance painting, a painter and printmaker, known for his landscapes and peasant scenes, executed on large canvases. His most revered and recognized painting is arguably The Tower Of Babel.

Published in 2018, this 492 paged massive (XXL) hardcover volume comes with its own beautiful carrying cardboard case and is the first edition of Taschen’s monograph for Bruegel. It is mostly out of print and harder to locate except from select Amazon Marketplace sellers. There is also a smaller regular edition as well as a “pocket-sized” edition, which I reviewed here.

Just like the giant Frank Frazetta monograph above, the selling point of this book is the splendid print size and quality of the reproductions; dare I say the next best thing to seeing the original paintings in person.

Read the full book review | Buy From Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon JP

10) Mitsuo Iso Animation Concept Art

One of the most influential artist/director working in the anime industry today, Mitsuo Iso (磯光雄) has animated some astounding sequences, including the Asuka VS MPE fight scene in End Of Evangelion and also directed the highly acclaimed Denno Coil series, among many other acclaimed titles.

I had previously reviewed his “Animation Works” art books Vol 1 and Vol 2, and both books are excellent, covering a lot of beautiful genga and layout pieces on animated films and series that he was involved in.

This new art book delves more into the pre-production work of Mitsuo Iso, covering both intellectual property and ideas for stories that were never fully realized into actual content, as well as a really huge collection of splendid concept art drawings and sketches for animated films that he had worked on. Personally for me, it is the latter that is really the highlight of this book.

Read the full book review | Buy From Amazon JP | Buy From Amazon.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK

And that rounds up my favorite art book picks of 2023; some notable mentions that didn’t make it into my top 10 include The Art Of God Of War Ragnarok, Wyeth – Andrew & Jamie In The Studio, RECORD – Eguchi Hisashi, The Boy And The Heron Storyboard Book and more; here’s the full list of art books I in reviewed in 2023 ( 68 total ).

I also recommend my favorite art book lists from these other years –

2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012