Yoshitoshi Abe's Comiket 79 release, C.H.R 2010 Winter brings together a combination of new illustrations along with Abe's steps taken in making each piece. It's especially interesting because he executes a variety of styles in his collection, from the painted look he's most notable for in Serial Experiments Lain to a sharper anime style.

C.H.R 2010 Winter is A4-sized and 60-pages including the covers. It seems quite large for a doujinshi, but most of the illustrations are accompanied by one to three pages of steps and explanation. The process for the coloring of each illustration makes up the majority of the steps, but that's where Yoshitoshi Abe puts in much of his style.

Most of the illustrations are very portrait-like, focusing on characters from the waist up. The eyes on the illustration above are just amazing, and it's one of the more carefully done pieces in the book.

And as you might expect from Yoshitoshi Abe, many of the illustrations have a dark and gritty feel to them, with earth-toned color palettes and intense-looking characters. One of the interesting things to note while looking through his illustration processes is that, even when a piece starts out with a lighter, brighter color palette, he tends to add textures and color that neutralize the warmth.

The last section of C.H.R 2010 Winter from pages 43 through 58 is monochrome illustrations and sketches that are mostly of people, although there are a couple of monsters in the mix. The finished color illustrations are the highlight of the collection, but I'm sure the illustrated steps for Yoshitoshi Abe's coloring process would serve to inspire and educate those willing to learn from it.

• Title: C.H.R 2010 Winter
• タイトル: C.H.R 2010 Winter
• Release Date: 12/31/2010
• Pages: 60
• Buy: eBay, Keibunsha