A sumptuous collection of the personal work and original concept designs of a number of animation professionals. Spanning a variety of approaches, styles and subject matter, this book includes media from pen and ink, to miniature photography, to cutting-edge digital painting. A feast for the eyes for fans of imaginative design and illustration, with a step-by-step guide for each creative process...

Battle Milk 2: Tangents and Transitions in Concept Art is an interesting collection of concept illustrations and paintings by some of the hottest young artists working in the industry today. Following on from Volume 1, this collection adds David Le Merrer and Le Tang from Lucasfilm Animation into the mix.

Sure there are a few cliches here Thang Lee's Aias Power suit being the most obvious example. Powered exoskeletons of this design have been around for years in literature, Japanese mangas and animes and movies (the most famous examples being Robocob's ED-209; the P-5000 power loaders seen in Aliens; and most recently the A.M.P. suits in Avatar). And to be honest all of his sci-fi creations look similar to artwork you'll have seen in the past. But overall this book is full of interesting takes on a variety of styles and subject matters.

Overall a very interesting look at some of the wonderful concept artwork that's out there and would otherwise never have been given a public.

8

Nick Smithson