Derek Bender — design, art direction and illustration

Big Book of Awesome

Some time ago I had ordered The Big Book of Contemporary Illustration from the publisher and it finally arrived. Normally I wouldn't write about a getting a new book except that some of my work is featured on its pages! Yes, on pages 195, 198 and 200 you can clearly see a few of my illustrations. The book is also full of amazing work by some very talented folks including illustrators Si Scott and Nik Ainley.

About 6 moths ago the author of the book, Martin Dawber, contacted me about putting some of my illustration work in a new book he was putting together. Of course I said "yes" and I gathered some high-quality examples and sent them off. Six months later, here we are with the book being released earlier this month. The pieces published exist on this site already, here, here and here.

A bit about the book:

From digital drawing, pixilated pictures, and Photoshop fantasies to traditional sketching and painting, it’s a showstopping display of style and technique from more than 160 international artists. With close to 1,000 images, the illustrations range over such categories as architecture, fashion, logos, manga, maps, nature, people, packaging, and pop culture. This is an essential anthology for artists, creative professionals, students, and anyone who appreciates the fine art of illustration.

I took a few iPhone pics of the book itself and the pages I'm featured on so check them out on my Flickr page.

I'd like to thank Martin Dawber and Anova Books for the chance to be part of this amazing collection of work by some of the most talented designers around. If you're interested, you can order the book from Amazon.