Phil LePine’s work is really quite something, although when you consider he’s been at his job for nearly a quarter of a century, it’s little wonder that his work spans a variety of styles. It’s an inspiring portfolio because illustration these days has become so specilized most people only work in a very limited styliztic range.

Choosing a showcase picture for Jay Montgomery was very hard. Not because there wasn’t anything to find… no, no quite the opposite. Archiving 16 years work of illustration work, his site is a lush collection of some of the finest realist illustration I have seen. Check out the ‘How I work’ section too for a neat insight into his work process.

Dutch designer and illustrator Metin Seven has a site that is full of his work, including several different styles of illustration. His best works, I think, are his photo realistic 3D illustrations, some of which cleverly illustrate the topics at hand.

Gracia Artigas is an illustrator who designs snowboards and tattoos. She works in a variety of styles, but I enjoyed looking at her painting portfolio most. Check out her blog too for some really nice life-drawing sketches.

Minako Saitoh Botsford paints some amazing Ohimesama (a term akin to what I understand as princess…) pictures in Photoshop. Her women have a retro 50s glamor feel, even if they are made on the computer.