Recomendations for good Art Series? & Opinions: Art Explosion 600,000?

[aries2]

Hello!
Can anyone recomend a nice clip art series? I have a couple Dover illustration books (which I like, but I need more of a variety of immages)and I just bought a series called Art Explosion 600,000 but many of the immages in it are cartoony...I'm looking for a more professional looking series with not so many cartoons...any recs?
Thanks!!!

 

[aries2]

If you own Art Explosion 600,000...What is your opinion of it?

 

[jimoblak]

If you have a decent internet connection, it no longer makes sense to buy packages of art. You can simply browse the online catalogs and pay as you need an image.

- - picklefish - -
Why is everyone in this forum responding to me as picklefish?

 

[GeorgeMack]

Seems to me that most collections I've seen are geared toward quick fliers, company newsletters, small space ads and such: very general, very stylized art good for breaking up large areas of type but not necessarily offering a choice of style. Many reflect the historical era they were designed in (which could be good or bad.) Sometimes difficult to find 2 or 3 pieces to go together in a single project or series without style mismatches. And some are downright grubby or cheesy.

Jimoblak's comment about the web is good, if you have the budget to buy by the piece. Sources such as Eyewire or Artville can offer certain kinds of artwork with a more individual style, at a premium price.

Some image fonts also provide a simple way to add minor graphic pizazz (Image Club has offered a few, as has Metal.)

It depends on your budget, your target style, and your fussiness. (Not to mention your clients!)