Made by Humans : Creatives In Conversation is an interview series produced by renowned stop-motion animation studio LAIKA, celebrating all the wonders of human powered filmmaking, practical effects, and craftsmanship.

Each episode pairs a key creative from Laika with an animation/filmmaking luminary as they discuss inspiration, craftsmanship and mythic wonder that bring some of cinema’s most iconic worlds to life, from Coraline and LAIKA’s upcoming film Wildwood to Jurassic Park, Project Hail Mary, your favorite TikTok videos and so many more.

Check out the series trailer below-

The latest episode ( uploaded September 26th ) features LAIKA’s Head of Model Shop Keith McQueen and legendary stop motion pioneer Phil Tippett-

At the time of writing this post, a total of 6 episodes have been released for the series. The full playlist from Laika’s youtube channel can be found here.

I’ve been a big follower of Laika’s films since Coraline and cannot wait for their latest film Wildwood, releasing on October 23rd. I’ll of course be picking up the art book for review as well, so look out for it coming soon.


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Renato Fratini (1932 – 1973) was an Italian commercial artist who specialized in cinema posters and book covers. An exceedingly prolific artist with a most impressive and expansive portfolio, Fratini’s heyday was in 1960s London, where he painted memorable posters for films like Lawrence Of Arabia and From Russia With Love.

Admittedly, I was not familiar with the artist’s work until I chanced upon this art book’s Kickstarter program, but I was immediately drawn to his particular style of painting, which quickly reminded me of yet another legendary artist, the great Robert McGinnis.

Priced at 210 AUD ( about $150 USD ) for the regular ( lowest tier ) edition, this was not a cheap book to fund, but I was convinced by the quality of the art work presented. I am glad upon receipt of the book that it is fantastic; the preview images I’ve included below are but a very small sampling of the entire collection of art work showcased, running at an impressive 448 pages, with over 900 pieces of art work.

(above & below) The giant hardcover volume is housed in a sturdy cardboard.

(above & below) Pieces like these bring to mind the work of Robert McGinnis; even the color palette used by both artists are somewhat similar.

I’m very delighted to have discovered the amazing work of Renato Fratini through this Kickstarter program, and the book itself has also exceeded my expectations. As I mentioned previously, the book is fairly costly, but it is definitely good value especially since the item won’t be available in stores.

Availability : This was a Kickstarter funded art book that has since ended. According to the Kickstarter page, remaining copies from the first edition will be released via renatofratini.com once fulfilment is complete.

The Art Of Renato Fratini art book details :

– Dimensions – 9 x 12 inches
– Hardcover, 448 pages
– Full color

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Some pictures of Shout! Factory’s 4K UHD release for Michael Arias’ animated film Tekkon Kinkreet (2006), based on the original manga by Taiyo Matsumoto. Folks who have seen the film will surely agree that it is a visual stunning movie with some of the most spectacular background art ever to grace any anime, painted by the legendary art director Kimura Shinji.

The release is a 2 disc set, with the presentations of the film on both 4K UHD and regular SD blu-ray. Check out the contents below-

(image below) The set also comes with a 28 paged art booklet with some select character designs, genga as well as background art. All of these are showcased in much great detail in the numerous Tekkon Kinkreet art books I’ve reviewed over the years.

And here we come to the most important discussion- the video quality of the movie on 4K UHD. In a word; SPLENDID. The images are sharp and crisp with no hint of DNR over-processing ( so far as I can discern ), and the highlight has got to be the amazing colors that really make the stunning background art of Kimura Shinji pop, and then some. To me, the presentation is as close to perfect as it can be. I haven’t had time to check out the special/making of features, but I’m sure I will at some point in the near future when I re-visit the film again.

The price of $38 ( accurate when the post was written ) is quite a bit higher than what I would usually be willing to pay for a 4K UHD title, but I really like the movie, and I also figured that a Japanese edition release would surely be even more expensive, probably twice the price or more. And so I took the plunge, and I gotta say the excellent video quality makes the purchase worthwhile. Highly recommended.

Also be sure to check out all the fantastic Tekkon Kinkreet art books I’ve reviewed in the past.

Buy From Amazon CA | Amazon JP | Amazon UK

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The Art of Daniel Warren Johnson showcases the majority of DWJ’s kinetic career since his start in 2012. There are a multitude of sections covering his favorite comic-book covers and pages, along with rarely seen commissions and personal works, preliminaries and cover thumbnails. Full access was given to his personal sketchbooks, allowing for a deep look at over 200 sketches that are presented in a dynamic and exciting way.

This sizable book reveals great detail by sharing extended commentary covering DWJ’s thoughts and pathos for almost every piece. This collection has been methodically put together from the original art and through numerous interview sessions with DWJ over the span of four years. This is a highly collaborative book between Flesk and the artist. This team worked in unison on every aspect to bring you the works that DWJ was most excited to draw, that were the most challenging and that were the most rewarding. Each piece is perfectly curated to balance the artist’s wins and his struggles.

All the elements of his career and artistry are presented in a beautiful and organically designed volume to make you feel as if you are sitting alongside DWJ while he takes you through his first decade in the industry.

I only discovered DWJ’s work in recent years, but I’m so glad that I did. In some ways, his art style, in particular the way he depicts action shares similarities with James Harren, another comic artist whose art work I really like. This voluminous art book is packed from cover to cover with really high quality art, and I’m only small nitpick is that I wish it could have been released in hardcover format. Highly recommended.

“The Art Of Daniel Warren Johnson” art book details :

– Dimensions – 9 x 1.18 x 12 inches
– Softcover, 288 pages
– Full color

Buy From Amazon CA | Amazon JP | Amazon UK

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In very much the same vein as the excellent Anime Architecture art book by Stefan Riekeles, The World Of Anime Background Art (アニメーション美術の世界) showcases the stunning background art paintings of top art directors working in the field, including industry veterans like Ono Hiroshi ( Kiki’s Delivery Service ), Hiromasa Ogura ( Jin-roh The Wolf Brigade ), Shuichi Kusamori ( Ghost In The Shell ), Kimura Shinji ( Steamboy / Tekkon Kinkreet ), Kazuo Oga ( Princess Mononoke / Totoro ), Yamamoto Nizo ( The Girl Who Leapt Through Time ) and more.

On top of the artist showcase and interviews, there is also a section that charts the developmental history of background art in Japanese animation.

Having a good grasp of the Japanese language will allow you to immerse in the written interviews of each artist showcased, but the book itself still stands up very well by virtue of the many excellent background paintings included. Highly recommended.

If you’re keen to discover the work of more anime background artists, I also recommend checking out my curated list of background art books here.

“The World Of Anime Background Art Book アニメーション美術の世界” details :

Dimensions – 8.66 x 0.43 x 11.42 inches
Softcover, 144 pages
Full color, In Japanese language

  
Buy From Amazon.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | CDJapan

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