Recently going through some of my old trading cards I stumbled on my 1994 Marvel Masterpieces set. All my love for The Brothers Hildebrandt came flooding back. I loved their short comment on the back like,

“We found that we literally had to develop a new style to paint this set, to convey the extremes of the intensity for the characters!”

Just the kind of stuff to get a young illustrator charged up! The brothers started painting professionally in 1959 and worked solidly since, illustrating for posters, books, adverts and, of coarse, trading cards. I was sad to read that Tim died in 2006, but the duo’s work will definitely continue inspiring illustrators for years to come. See more of their work on their website.

Belgian illustrator Mister Melvin creates wonderful illustrations with a unique style. He knows how to create illustrations which make you chuckle, that’s for sure. Comprising of mainly editorial and children’s’ book work, he also has some graffiti and other bits and pieces on his website. Mister Melvin contributed to our book ‘100% Recycled Paper’ (soon to be published). When I first saw his comic strip for the book, it made me laugh out loud to the point of crying! Such is his excellent sense of humour. Additionally, he has an intelligent way of getting his ideas across in his work with wit and charm.

On a personal note, I found Mister Melvin to be a true pro and he doesn’t do anything half-heartedly. Visit his fantastic portfolio here.

Mike Maihack is a very busy man, editor and art director of comic anthology Parable, creator of the webcomic Cow & Buffalo, member of webcomic collectives Lunchbox Funnies, Spacedock 7 and is currently working on his sci-fi epic, Cleopatra in Spaaace. His work is so wonderfully diverse, it’s hard to choose a style to like best! Hop over to the Cow shell website to try and choose for yourself!

Book by its Cover features an extensive range of illustrated books, with short reviews and comments as well as screenshots. What makes this even better is the fact that there are also hand-made books included, so you’ll definitely find something you won’t see in a shop anywhere. A great source of inspiration! Additionally, there are interviews and a list of good book suppliers, as well as some great links to appropriate websites. The site is run by illustrator Julia Rothman and currently assisted by Leah Goren. Julia started the website so she could share a great variety of art related publications. Good job!

Thanks to Iro for the suggestion.

Though I would write a post about the late and great Jean Henri Gaston Giraud who passed away just a month ago. R.I.P Mr Giraud…

For those of you who don’t know, he was a French comic artist mostly known as a bandes dessinées artist (Comics that are created for a Belgian and French audience. These countries have a long tradition in comics and comic books Flemish Belgian comic books (originally written in Dutch) are influenced by francophone comics, yet have a distinctly different style. Many other European comics, especially Italian comics, are strongly influenced by Franco-Belgian comics.)

Jean Giraud has had a vast career, working with Marvel Comics on  a Silver Surfer miniseries which won the Eisner Award for best limited series in 1989 and his awe inspiring later work on “Inside Moebius” an illustrated autobiographical fantasy in six hardcover volumes totalling 700 pages.

“Giraud’s working methods were various and adaptable ranging from etchings, white and black illustrations, to work in colour of the ligne claire genre and water colours. Giraud’s solo Blueberry works were sometimes criticized by fans of the series because the artist dramatically changed the tone of the series as well as the graphic style. However, Blueberry’s early success was also due to Giraud’s innovations, as he did not content himself with following earlier styles, an important aspect of his development as an artist.”

View his official website here: moebius.fr

Miquel Montlló is a Spanish freelance illustrator currently living and working in Dublin, Ireland. He has worked in the videogame and animated movie industries, as well as a commercial storyboard artist for international companies such as Nike, Ikea, Real Madrid and Audi. I have personally had the privilege of working with Miki when he contributed to our book ‘100% Recycled Paper’ (soon to be published). He is a true professional, a wonderful talent with initiative and boundless creativity. He is one of those people who could probably turn his hand to anything and do it better than most. Not only that, but he’s one hell of a nice guy…so please do visit his excellent blog where he posts all manner of creative things. You can even see some of his process, which is a nice bonus!

Introducing the candy-coloured work of Tara McPherson. Her illustrations are a surreal interpretation of many of life issues, particularly concentrating on relationships. Since around 2002 Tara has been one very active illustrator consistently lecturing, making countless public appearances, taking part in group exhibitions, and having a few solo ones too! Her work has been featured an array of publications such as Esquire, Vanity and Metal Hammer. Her work has even popped up in the film Juno!