Illustrations

Illustration Now! (25th Anniversary Special Edtn)
$14.99
This book is a great collection of new work. I especially love that each artist writes about their work and what illustration means to them. As an illustration teacher, it is handy reference for my students to see what is current in the field.

DrawPlus X2 Graphics Studio
$99.99
I have owned graphics &/or web editing software since my first 386 Compaq PC in the early 90's. Later I discovered I liked the PaintShop Pro version best, but when the Pro 10 version went out of production, I considered new graphics software. The Serif software was suppose to be reasonably priced & compatable, even stating themselves to be "Vista's new graphics program", quote.
I have found it to be anything but so. In fact, a number of functions and the entire tutorial cannot be read & fails to work at all. File extensions are lost and misplaced, causing lost work, and many of the functions will lock up your computer. I have had a total of 119 registry errors since installing it, and overall it is not only a poor performing software, but much of it doesn't work.
This is not a hastedly written review either. I have owned the software for several months and have logged in well over 250 hours of "trying to make it work".
Plus you have to call Serif to give them your name and phone number when you install the software so they can send you useless emails and promotions for other things to buy.
My satisfaction with the buying experience overall is 0. I gave them 1 star simply because it was the lowest I could go. I would request a refund if I could.
Maybe X3, factory imbedded, or later versions will be better. But personally, I'll look elsewhere for affoardable graphics programs. I certainly would not buy a PC with this software imbedded into it unless it was clearly demonstrated to work before I purchased it.

Juxtapoz Illustration (Juxtapoz)
$29.95
This book makes a good addition to your art book collections. Has many artist in this book and page after page of unique art. From detailed to simple drawings of what todays artist are doing. You won't regret this purchase. Fun to look at and you will find new things everytime you look at it. If you love art especially todays art you will like this book a lot.

Show and Tell: Exploring the Fine Art of Children's Book Illustration
$24.99
Show and Tell: Exploring the Fine Art of Children's Book Illustration finally elevates the illustrations in children's books to the status it deserves. Browsing through this book, the reader sees first hand the quality of the art available to children in their picture books. Children's illustrators have been under appreciated for years. The author of Show and Tell educates adults about the significance and importance of the illustrations in a children's book--something not lost on children by the way. The reader sees how the art carries the emotion of the story and tells so much more than words can. Artists use all different media to illustrate children's books allowing children to grow in art appreciation from very young ages. The artists spotlighted in Show and Tell are representative of the different styles of art available to children in their books today. The author of this book was the first person to put together an exhibit of the art from children's books bringing that art an acceptance it richly deserves.