The very talented illustrator Mikel Casal has a new book out- a collection of his work from 2004-2009 created for different Spanish newspapers. Mikel has a super design sense and his compositions are always so beautifully graphic. But even better are the characters he creates. They have so much personality. I can imagine them coming alive on the page, telling stories in crazy voices and walking around in strange ways on their thin legs. Something I’m also impressed with is Mikel’s use of textures in his work. Sometimes I find illustrators throwing in a texture just for the sake of making it look cooler. Mikel’s textures seem well planned and make sense with his drawings. He used pieces of collaged map for a globe shaped head on a character and a wood grain texture on a burly man’s beard. The bright full color illustrations in this book will definitely make you happy. Pick up a copy right here.

© Julia Rothman 2007