Best books for artists: For inspiration and self enrichment
Here's the list of books that I think should benefit you as an artists. The books are selected to provide you with an all-rounded view of art, the concepts and the intangibles. The following are not arranged in any order. Whenever possible, I'll provide a link to my review, if not then it's to reviews on Amazon.
Artist's Color Manual: The Complete Guide to Working with Color
This is a wonderful book for learning more about pigments and how they are made. It's quite comprehensive and covers quite a lot on the subject of colour. For painters who work with traditional medium, you'll probably get a new sense of appreciation whenever you use paint next time.
Framed Ink: Drawing and Composition for Visual Storytellers and Mastering Composition: Techniques and Principles to Dramatically Improve Your Painting
These two books talks about composition but from different context. Mastering Composition covers traditional composition techniques while Framed Ink talks about how you can use composition in storytelling. They complement each other well to give you a nice and detailed lesson on composition.
Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist and Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter
James Gurney is a well known and accomplished painter with years of experience and a wealth of knowledge. These two books are probably amount some of the best books about painting. They are good for those who paint for a living, but really is a book for all painters. They are incredibly insightful. You may not paint as well as James Gurney, but at least with these two books, you may know what makes paintings look good and believable.
Figure Drawing for All It's Worth
This classic book by Andrew Loomis is a great introduction to figure drawing. It's written in a fun and accessible manner. Learning figure drawing is always beneficial regardless of whether you draw from life or from imagination.
Steal Like an Artist and Show Your Work!
These two books by Austin Kleon are great for short burst of inspiration but it's only by following through the tips that you will benefit. One book talks about how you can be more creative and the other talks about self promotion (something artists are not good at).
And here are other books that I've not read but are very favorably reviewed:
- The Power of Habit
- The Creative Habit
- The Art Book
- Art: A Visual History
- Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils
- Daily Painting
- An Illustrated Life
- ART/WORK: Everything You Need to Know (and Do) As You Pursue Your Art Career
If you have books that have inspired you, share them in the comments section below. I'm always looking for good books to read.
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