Overkill: The Art of Tomer Hanuka

by Tomer Hanuka

Compressed visual narratives are Tomer Hanuka's stock-in-trade. He s an illustrator by occupation, but his book covers, comics and editorial renderings transcend that title. In Overkill, he's selected some of his most vividly drawn and intensely colorful work, juxtaposing intense imagery with a truly unique palette. Hanuka is the winner of gold medals from the Society of Illustrators and the Society of Publication designers, and has been featured in numerous magazines. In 2008, a book cover he created won the British Design Museum award as part of the Penguin Classics Deluxe Editions. His image was used for the cover of the bestselling survey Juxtapoz Illustration. Not to be contained by the print medium, this versatile artist also contributed art to the Oscar nominated, Golden Globe winning animated documentary Waltz With Bashir. Tomer Hanuka lives in New York.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

104 pages, Hardcover

First published July 15, 2011

Reviews

[Marc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out-of-print monograph of Hanuka's artwork that I received as a surprise Father's Day gift from my wife (many, many reasons she's my favorite person on the planet and her gift-giving picks aren't even at the top of the list).

Just an all around lovely book--beautiful cover, large-format, and nice glossy paper which all serve to highlight the great artwork. Much like his most recent book, (Tomer Hanuka: Unknown Pleasures, there's a thumbnail index in the back that serves to provide info about each piece. This, and two pages of text (an afterword and a page where the artist answers five questions), are the only "reading" you'll be doing in this book.
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You can see a page-by-page flip-through here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwIu-...
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Older interview and more artwork here:
https://eviltender.com/2013/12/10/int...
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"Old Moab"

[Matt Graupman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overkill is an appropriate description of Tomer Hanuka's gorgeous illustrations: everything - his lines, his colors, his poses, etc. - is taken to the extreme. This collection of his personal and professional work is amped up to the point where the grotesque becomes beautiful; smashed raspberries are treated the same way as disemboweled viscera. Whether it's for a comic book cover or the cover of "The New Yorker," there's no mistaking a Hanuka piece.

There's not much that I can say about this amazing art book other than the stuff I didn't like. First, I wish there was more of it; while the book itself is wonderfully made (hardcover, glossy pages, etc.), it feels like a tease, that there's not enough work in it. Second, I wish the interview section in the back was more than five questions; an overview of his process would've been fascinating. Lastly, related to that, I'd love to have seen some of his pencils and other behind-the-scenes work; in particular, I wish I could get a sense of how he does his incredible coloring. But these are just minor quibbles, a longing for more work and insight from a master artist.

"Overkill" is an unsettling but fascinating glimpse into the mind and art of a truly unique illustrator. It these striking images, Tomer Hanuka is able to tell stories more effectively than most artists and "Overkill" is one of the few art books that rewards multiple viewings. It reveals more of its secrets each time.

[Parka · Rating 5 out of 5]

(More pictures on my blog)

Tomer Hanuka was born in Israel, studied art and lives in USA.

It's hard to miss the bright pink clothed cover on any bookshelf. The book is a large format 104-page hardcover. Overkill collects mainly his commercial works with a handful of personal pieces. He has done work for Playboy magazine so there are some sex themed illustrations included.

His illustrations are highly imaginative, at times psychedelic. Most revolve around dark subject matter. The first illustration in the book shows an old baby something being born out of someone's mouth.

Many of his work feature strong juxtaposition, either through imagery or the use of colours. His colour palette is quite arresting, particularly for pieces that use strong complementary colours. He doesn't use much gradient for his colours so they look very manga style. I had actually thought he was a Japanese artist because of his colouring. And his composition is masterful.

[J.souza · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best illustrators of our time! The colours he use are breathtaking and here you can see most of his work, from New York Times to Playboy and even an illustration of Star Trek. All that in beautiful prints and hardcover!

[M.i. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning does not do this book justice

Its graphic, arresting and captivating all rolled into one. The images are so vivid, drawing you into worlds of the artist's creation(s).