I was initially going to skip buying Jun Ikeda Works Collection & CG Technique, as most books with the words "CG Techique" in the title tend to have few illustrations and more tutorials. But this art book manages to find a nice middle-ground, with an extensive display of art works along with visual work-in-progress guides to many of the finished illustrations featured in the book.

The one word I would use to describe the theme in nearly all of the works in this art book is nature. Jun Ikeda definitely seems to love illustrating the great outdoors, with only a handful of illustrations being set inside. Even then, those indoor scenes still have windows and lighting that exposes ideal landscapes in the distance. Another aspect present in many of the illustrations are petals blowing in the wind, or water---be it rain, river, or garden hose. Great attention is paid to the settings of the girls in this collection, in pretty much every piece. I'd also say for the most part the backgrounds really outshine the girls.

The art book itself is a small B5 size, a measurement most commonly reserved for doujinshi. And though the pages feel smooth to the touch, they are slightly textured as you can see the paper grain in the dark and black areas on the illustrations. But all that is made up for by the very high quality printing with no visible DPI, which is also similar to the way a lot of doujinshi are printed. Jun Ikeda Works Collection & CG Technique is 128 pages, with pages 3 through 82 featuring illustrations that are for the most part full page and the rest of the art book covering the tutorials, aside from a 3-page thumb-nailed index with artist commentary.

The illustration collection really features a lot of season illustrations, covering everything from Spring to Winter vividly and vibrantly. Most of the pieces in the front half are very green, with signs of Spring and Summer everywhere, while the latter half are toned down with more night scenes, some snow, and a lot of "golden hour" moments. Yoshizuki Kumichi's Calendar Film comes to mind when looking at the colors and tones of these nature scenes.

Finally, above are some shots of the tutorial section in the back of the book. The tutorials are all from finished illustrations that are included in the art book, so you can really check out the details if need be. To me, the arrangement is less like a tutorial though, and more like showing steps of a work in progress, as specific paint program instructions aren't mentioned. It shouldn't be a problem for a CG artist with even a little experience to follow what's going on and try some of the techniques---even without any Japanese knowledge---as the changes per image are very gradual.

I'm glad I stepped outside of my comfort zone for Jun Ikeda Works Collection & CG Technique, as it's as packed with as many illustrations as a lot of art books that are 'only' meant as art books. Plus, if I ever get into trying my hand at CG backgrounds, I'll know a good place to look for inspiration. ^^

• Title: Jun Ikeda Works Collection & CG Technique
• タイトル: いけだじゅん 作品集&CGテクニック
• Pages: 128
• Release date: 12/21/2009
• Buy: Amazon Japan