在线阅读本书 Drawing has recently experienced a renewal of importance in the art world; in fact, it has rarely been as widely represented in the biennials, art fairs, and exhibitions as it is now. Similar in concept, scope and structure to Phaidon's successful volume Vitamin P, Vitamin D presents, in A to Z order, the work of 109 artists who have emerged internationally since 1990 using the medium of drawing. Whether representational or abstract, small or large in scale, using only one line or rich in colors and pattern, drawings have a highly descriptive and meticulously detailed quality that is being explored by an increasing number of contemporary artists. Extending beyond the traditional image associated with this medium, Vitamin D hopes to illustrate the complexity, variety, and relevance of the practice of drawing today.

Drawing power from magazines and newspapers to ads, websites, album covers, and even mobile phone wallpaper, illustration is a crucial element in visual communication today. With unlimited creative possibilities, illustration is as unbound as imagination itself; whether it's a simple pencil drawing, an ornate airbrushed painting, or a computer-generated image, an illustration speaks the international language of ideas. This comprehensive guide showcases 200 of today's best commercial and editorial illustrators from over 50 countries; each entry highlights examples of recent work and includes the artist's contact information, favorite media, awards, clients, and work philosophy. Look no further for what works and who's who in the world of illustration: it's all here.

An artist's journal is packed with sketches and captions; some rough, some polished. The margins sometimes spill over with hurriedly scrawled shopping lists and phone numbers. The cover may be travel-worn and the pages warped from watercolors. Open the book, and raw creativity seeps from each color and line. The intimacy and freedom on its pages are almost like being inside the artist's mind: You get a direct window into risks, lessons, mistakes, and dreams. The private worlds of these visual journals are exactly what you'll find inside An Illustrated Life. This book offers a sneak peak into the wildly creative imaginations of 50 top illustrators, designers and artists. Included are sketchbook pages from R. Crumb, Chris Ware, James Jean, James Kochalka, and many others. In addition, author Danny Gregory has interviewed each artist and shares their thoughts on living the artistic life through journaling.

《Bitch Life》由日本著名Figure、首办原型师--韮泽靖监修，联合鸟山明、桂正和、寺田克也、村田莲而等一众大师协力，还有一部份我们不认识的日本作者涉及其中，这就形成了这本豪华阵容的《Bitch Life--Illustration File》。 最早见到《Bitch Life》的介绍是在香港杂志里面，文章用日本顶尖画家云集为主导，而且突出全书以“三级”为卖点，渲染文字极尽夸张作大之能事。笔者当初接触到这些介绍，确实是心驰神荡起来，同时亦充满了好奇。后来终于一偿相思之苦，托人在香港买到了两本。得到画集之后第一时间打开翻阅，结果发现鉴于香港传媒的尺度规限，之前杂志所介绍的都是小儿科，然而未公开的《Bitch Life》的色情画面比比皆是，“三级”成份是非常惊人的。 从书的内容可以看出，不同的作者就有不同的创作取向，有些作者自重身份，不敢画得太放纵，如村田莲尓；然而有的作者就大胆得突破了过往的创作底线，例如桂正和，他为《Bitch Life》创作了一个四幅的超短篇故事，漫画情节流露出桂正和压抑了很久的色情神经，宣泄ＳＭ的意识大于画面的营造，从而由头到尾地向外宣告：“桂正和是应该去画成人向漫画的！”事实上，桂正和也有这样的实力和条件，从《电影少女》到《I"s》，桂正和在创作过程中，经常将自已代入到男主角的位置，诸多感官刺激的描绘、性幻想的场面，实际上是给自已和读者们一个意淫的想像空间，不过创作尺度亦只到《I"s》为止，要想成为成人向漫画，桂正和都一直未去尝试。然而《Bitch Life》这种实验性的刊物，恰到好处地为桂正和提供了这个突破口，同时亦为读者实现了这个梦想。 桂正和的超短篇用女学生为主角，男性主角潜伏在画面的角落，由始至终都没有以正面示人，全篇没有一句对白，只有少许的象声词，这也是过往在桂正和作品中少见的，而且故事情节属于比较无聊的一类，单纯是为了色情而画色情，看来他未能够将过往《I"s》情爱交融的优点转嫁在上面，要想创作好的成人向漫画，桂正和还要认真好好修炼才成，否则单凭现有的少年＆半色情漫画水平，都很难挤身大师殿堂的。 在其他大师的作品方面，令人有惊喜感觉的创作实在说不出什么。寺田克也一贯地玩弄高超的造形及绘画技巧，不过风格就是我们一向常见的神秘感；插画家沓泽龙一郎为《Bitch Life》画了一辑黑白插图，分别描绘江户、明治、二战等多个时期的日本世情；《无限の住人》作者沙村广明今次不再画“砍瓜切菜式”的武士生涯，反而画出几张现代人物的素描，不过如常展示出他深厚的素描功力；凭着《特警Ｘ世代》让大家认识的贰瓶勉，同样亦贡献出几张习作，题材环境依然是暗黑的、阴冷的、无助的空间，残缺的机体和死寂背后的身影互相对应，勾勒出一个我们未知的、仿佛即将发生的年代；日本顶尖首办原型师--韮泽靖在国内可能知名度不高，不过他的造型想象能力却属于天才横溢，而且今次的《Bitch Life》能够汇聚众多漫画名家，由此可见他在日本的江湖地位了。韮泽靖为《Bitch Life》创作的几幅插图已经比过往的保守，但是在配色方面同样能够毫不逊色于职业画家，在芸芸作者中脱颖而出；然而笔者一向喜爱的游戏人设专家村田莲尓却交了行货，新作可能不如他以前设计的角色那么讨好，也算是一个新尝试吧。