Unlock the secrets of successful artists with our top picks for art and design books – each one beginning with “THE ART OF…” Get an exclusive sneak peek here!

chou tac chung merlion singapore
Chou-Tac at Merlion, Singapore

Last weekend I went on a very short trip to Singapore with my dad.

I went to my favorite bookstore: KINOKUNIYA at Orchard road.

As usual,
I went straight away to the Movie corner under “Entertainment” and find the hidden gems for designer inspiration! Every time I go there, I feel like hunting for treasure.

You might be in love with art and design books,
I have a recommendation for you.

Look for books with title starting with: “THE ART OF…”

If you are among the people who love watching the behind-the-scenes of movies, you will love these books! I secretly took a few pictures in the bookshop (Chuuuut!)to share some visuals with you.

Let me start with my favorite one of the moment!


artbook-spiderman multiverse cover book inspiration for industrial product design sketching
SPIDERMAN INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE. The art of the movie.

I decided to offer a present for myself. And choose one of these beautiful books. I look around, and suddenly I saw the last copy of “SPIDERMAN INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE. The art of the movie.”

I watched this movie a few weeks ago on the plane.
The movie was fabulous! And graphically intense.
My eyes kept seeing new images and action animation.

It was such a wonderful surprise for me to see the Artbook available now in my hands!

The art of spiderman multiverse spiderman sketches book inspiration for industrial product design sketching
Different versions of Peter Parker

I know we can find plenty of drawing content online from amazing artists.

However, the value of these artbooks diffuses much greater energy and emotional impact when you turn and feel the pages.

Spiderman multiverse sketches octo book inspiration for industrial product design sketching
Be aware of the spoilers!

TIP: You may find the name of the artists inside.
If you love their style, feel free to look for more of their creation online if you want to go further.

The art of spiderman multiverse spiderman lab sketches book inspiration for industrial product design sketching
Every scene starts with a sketch. That one is amazing!

Study the composition, the storyboards, and how you may import these into your own product design projects. Try to identify what makes the picture dynamic and eye-catching for your audience.

Kinokuniya book titles the art of book inspiration for industrial product design sketching
Check your favorite movie sketches!

You find inside the sketches from your favorite animation and movies:
Marvel, Pixar, and Disney have plenty of them.

These books won’t teach you how to draw!
But they will be an enormous source of inspiration.

They are big motivation boosters!
It is such a pleasure to see the initial sketches and research.
I love to see the fluidity and the style of the artists and designers.

The very first sketches are rough and get neater along the process.
Which is the same process for industrial designers creating products.

Ninja turtle movie sketches book inspiration for industrial product design sketching
THE ART OF TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

All the books are wrapped.
Select as many as you like, and ask the staff to open them for you.
It is a bit of a hassle.
But it is the best way to keep them protected.

So don’t be shy.
Ask the staff to help you open all the books you want to discover further.

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Study of each character, poses and face expressions
The art of ninja turtle sketch book inspiration for industrial product design sketching
Love the composition with the “post-it sketches”
The art of ninja turtle sketch environment book inspiration for industrial product design sketching
These books cover character design, environment design, vehicle design…

We can feel how much fun they had creating the universe.


Another visual impact I had also in the plane was from the movie Ready Player One, produced by Steven Spielberg. I can’t forget the scene when the gorilla is chasing the racers. Olala!

The art of Ready Player one book inspiration for industrial product design sketching
THE ART OF READY PLAYER ONE
Toshiro Yoshiaki The art of Ready player one book inspiration for industrial product design sketching
Character inspiration for DAITO
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My favorite scene in the movie with the King-Kong!
The art of Ready player one back cover book inspiration for industrial product design sketching
I want to adopt it! But I choose the Spiderman artbook

Some more here:

Zootopia book inspiration for industrial product design sketching
THE ART OF ZOOTOPIA
zootopia back cover book inspiration for industrial product design sketching

The art of sola star wars book inspiration for industrial product design sketching
THE ART OF SOLO – STAR WARS
The art of solo back cover book inspiration for industrial product design sketching

Once again, run to your closest bookstore, and look for the books starting with: The art of… You may find amazing sketching style you admire. And see how to import these lines into your own product design projects.

Cheers,
Chou-Tac

PS: It is not the first time I mention this art book corner at Kinokuniya on the blog. However, it is something that is so exciting to boost your motivation that I can’t miss out to share it with you again. : )

So look for this corner below!

A visual history Transformers book inspiration for industrial product design sketching
Stranger things book inspiration for industrial product design sketching
Kinokuniya book store movie corner book inspiration for industrial product design sketching
The art books of your favorite animated movies!

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