Sci-Fi Art Now by John Freeman (book review).
Finding some time to fit in books from what I bought over a couple years ago, I started with this one, ‘Sci-Fi Art Now’ by John Freeman.
‘By Now’ is actually 9 years ago but that has no bearing as art is good whatever the age. Once past the introductions by Chris Foss and John Freeman, there are pages and pages of art, divided into 7 subject chapters.
These are: ‘Radical Robots And Electric Dreams’, ‘Spacecrafts And Space Travellers’, ‘Aliens And Alien Worlds’, ‘Sirens Of Sci-Fi’, ‘Incredible Cities’. ‘High-Tech Warfare’ and ‘Steampunk’. Stir in 83 artists, several of which has done more than one painting, as witnessed by the ‘Artist Directory’ at the back of the book.
You might have to double-check for their websites after the intervening time but it also offers the opportunity to see more of their art or even buy prints. With each picture in this book, you get a paragraph of information about it from the artists themselves. The material show was used from everything from book covers to on-line illustrations to comicbooks.
Ergo, there is plenty in here for everyone. From the details next to each picture, it appears many were created digitally and, if they weren’t, might have been tweaked or enhanced in the final stages.
There’s a lot of good art within this book but too far back to necessitate tracking interiors. If you overlooked this book the first time around, then see if you can grab a copy as there is a nice selection of art within these pages.
GF Willmetts
December 2018
(pub: Collins Design/Harper Collins, 2010. 191 page illustrated square hardback. Price: (UK). ISBN: 978-0-06-200557-1)
check out website: www.harpercollins.com