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Plate VIII, Study for a Picture, chalk and
pastel drawing. From The Practice and Science
of Drawing by Harold Speed. |
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I was just telling a friend of mine that artists love books.
That surprises some people, but it is totally true, especially if you love
flipping through great books for drawing ideas, like I do.
Drawing art books are my favorite probably because I feel
like the works are close enough to the originals that I can get a sense of
them, as opposed to a life-size painting or bronze sculpture.
And there are so many areas of drawing to cover; a library
of books really comes in handy. I have books of drawing basics and books of the works from my favorite
artists, with post-its sticking out all over the place where I've marked the
best drawing that illustrates a technique I want to explore further or something
that just really caught my eye.
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Plate XVIII, Study Illustrating Method
of Drawing. From The Practice and Science
of Drawing by Harold Speed. |
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There are anatomy books, which don't get pulled out as often
as I should. I have shelves of books of drawing exercises, and even books on
simple drawing tips from when I was a kid. I am a book hoarder; don't let it
surprise you to know that I my collection goes back to childhood. I have the
first book I ever read, the first series I ever read, and even books I can't
remember reading but just can't bear to part with.
But there are a few books that just stand out above the
rest, so here's a list of drawing books to add to your collection.
The Practice and Science of Drawing by Harold Speed: And how
sweet is this? You can download the book for free.
Human Anatomy for Artists: The Elements of Form by Eliot
Goldfinger (Oxford University Press, New York, New York)
Figure Drawing for All It's Worth by Andrew Loomis (Viking,
New York, New York)
Drawing the Living Figure by Joseph Sheppard (Dover
Publications, Mineola, New York)
A Handbook of Anatomy for Art Students by Arthur Thomson (Dover
Publications, Mineola, New York)
