Long time readers of Lines and Colors will know that I have long been an admirer of the work of William Stout. Stout is well know as a paleontological artist, film concept designer, illustrator and comics artist.

His style ranges as widely as his areas of endeavor, but I take particular pleasure in his ink and watercolor drawings.

Stout has a terrific pen and ink style, and his black an white illustrations pop with judiciously applied texture and finessed line work; but when he combines that skill with his talents as a painter, he creates images with visual charm that I find wonderfully appealing.

There have been a number of his illustrations that I’ve encountered over time, scattered here and there for different publications or purposes, that I’ve long wished were available in some more complete form.

I was delighted, then, to receive a review copy of a new book from Flesk Publications that is the first of a pair of editions collecting some of Stout’s best ink and watercolor images.

William Stout: Hallucinations collects his images of characters from film, pulp fiction, pop culture and even Aasop’s Fables, all rendered with that wonderful snap and zing of his pen style and the rich depth of his watercolors. Dragons, fauns, trolls and monsters fill the pages, along with character from the Wizard of Oz and John Carter of Mars.

There are sample images that can be viewed on the Flesk site. You can see more of Stout’s work on his own website.

It’s actually no surprise that I like Stout’s ink and watercolor style so much, in that the list of artist that Stout credits in the introduction with influencing this style are also among my favorites from the great Golden Age of illustration: Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac, William Heath Robinson, John Bauer, Gustaf Tenggren and John R. Neill.

Flesk Publications is offering the book in two editions, a hardbound, signed limited edition of 500, and a paperback edition.

The companion volume, William Stout: Inspirations, which collects his ink and watercolor images of women from fantasy and fairy tales, will be released in September of this year.

Both Flesk Publications and William Stout will be at this week’s Comic-Con international in San Diego, CA.