If you’re a big fan of checking out illustrations from great manga artists, then look no further than the upcoming release of Otacool 4: Worldwide Illustrators. Otacool’s publisher Kotobukiya, has teamed up with Pixiv, Japan’s number one illustration site with over 200 million registered users, to scour the latest up-and-coming illustrators around the world. Their open contest resulted in over 1200 submissions from over 30 countries but only a few made it into the book.
Otacool 4 will be released internationally in February 2011 with full-color pages, paperback format, 160 pages, and in dual Japanese-English language. The price will be $34.99USD per copy and sporting a bigger B5 size (about 9.8″ x 6.9″) than prior Otacool volumes.
The book will also feature special interviews with popular manga artists like [i]Gantz[/i] creator Okya Hiroya, a look into each of the illustrator’s workspace, tools of the trade, resources, daily work routines, and answering personal tastes and preferences as a professional illustrator.
