Book Review: 小畑健画集「blanc et noir」(Art of Takeshi Obata)
小畑健画集「blanc et noir」 is a large hardcover book, about 18 inches diagonal. It comes with a slipcase, which houses three prints and a postcard. The prints are printed on both sides with glossy finish that of top quality photo paper. The cover you see above is one of the prints behind the circular cutout on the slipcase.
There are 150 pages including a few gatefolds. Every illustration is a splash page lavishly painted by Takeshi Obata (小畑 健). Besides Death Note, there are also work from Doshitsune-ki, Apatsuri Sakon, Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, Hikaru no Go and some of his personal pieces.
The art is very nice, especially the meticulously designed and fashionable clothing he's noted for. It's interesting to see that he also did some designs for characters who look to be from the Warring States period. Many pieces are as detailed as the cover art. At the back he includes his workflow which shows how he inks and colours. The art which looks water colour-painted are actually coloured with Copic markers.
This book is clearly constructed with the collector in mind. There are several paper material on which the illustrations are printed. While most are the low gloss type, selected pieces are printed on matte with a soft shine. Two gatefolds with Hikaru no Go are on textured water colour paper. And remember the three glossy prints.
I had some second thoughts about getting this book at first. It's rather pricey. The book turned out much better than I expected.
It's a quality art book. Highly recommended.
This book is available at:
Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.de | Amazon Japan | YesAsia USA | Play-asia.com
Visit Amazon to check out more reviews.
This book is available at:
Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.de | Amazon Japan | YesAsia USA | Play-asia.com
If you buy from any links on the blog, I get a little commission that helps me get more art books to feature.
Here's the Amazon Japan buying guide for your reference.
Comments
Nice One. I'll buy a copy for
Nice One. I'll buy a copy for myself then.
Great book, do you know if it
Great book, do you know if it will be translated into English?thanks
@Lemon I don't think it's
@Lemon
I don't think it's going to be translated. The only part with text is on the workflow at the back.
How much is it in english?Is
How much is it in english?Is there a site from america to get a non rip off?
@Dn Lover I don't too much
In reply to How much is it in english?Is by Dn Lover (not verified)
@Dn Lover
I don't too much about bookstores in USA. You can try Kinokuniya branches there.
When you're on the page where they ask for the credit card number, choose to display the page in Secure(SSL). The URL should start something like "https://.....", which is safer when sending credit card information online.
Hmmm it is really
Hmmm it is really expensive.Do you know of any other anime/manga art books for refernce?
@Dn Lover This particular
In reply to Hmmm it is really by Dn Lover (not verified)
@Dn Lover
This particular book is one of the more expensive ones. What kind of reference are you looking for?
Like good drawings of manga
Like good drawings of manga and anime on the kawaii or goth side that are less than 20 dollars
@Dn Lover Can't think of any
In reply to Like good drawings of manga by Dn Lover (not verified)
@Dn Lover
Can't think of any at the moment. You can try DeviantArt.