If you love art and illustration, you’re probably aware of plenty of non-professional, up-and-coming artists who showcase their work on sites like Tumblr and Twitter. In fact, fan art can be of such a high quality as to surpass the original work, and now there’s a new art book on sale in Japan which aims to “capture” the entire illustration scene at the present moment, showcasing work both amateur and professional by some of today’s most influential artists.

Illustration 2016 features work by 150 artists of different backgrounds and is the perfect guide for those who are into fan art and illustration of all kinds.

Illustration 2016 showcases the work of 150 artists from Japan and overseas alongside small biographies for each one, consisting of their online handle, website URL, Twitter ID, and Pixiv/Tumblr names, which means that you can easily follow the online work of whichever artist catches your eye. There’s also a brief comment from each artist, summarising their work and artistic philosophy. The art book is a continuation of a series, following previous entries Illustration 2014 and Illustration 2013.

The art book features illustrations of many aspects of Japanese and overseas popular culture, including anime, manga, online culture, street culture, video games, and modern art.

The cover art was designed by artist Third Echoes in collaboration with TATSDESIGN, and there is also an essay inside discussing how the cover was conceptualised.

In addition, the book contains a collection of interviews with artists who have managed to establish a foothold in the industry, including freelance illustrator Taiki who has designed characters for games such as Lord of Vermilion III, Racing Miku 2015, and Digimon World: next 0rder. It seems this art book would be the perfect study guide for those who would like to pursue a career in professional illustration. Who knows, maybe you could even make it into the next edition!

The art book is due to go on sale in Japan on November 5 and will be priced at 3,024 yen (US$25).

Source, images: Kai-You