Best Books For Self-Taught Artists (29 books)

Listopia > Best Books For Self-Taught Artists

This list is for those who want to learn art and are looking for helpful resources. It contains both beginner friendly and advanced art books of various topics. *NOTE - it is very hard to rate these books against each other, so don't take the order as best is first. It all depends on what level you are at, what you want to learn and how you learn. Some books hold your hand throughout the entire book, some throw you into complex concepts at the beginning.

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1	Framed Ink by Marcos Mateu-Mestre 4.37 avg rating — 3,074 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
1	Tattle Tales: Tattoo Stories and Portraits by Brandy Isadora (Goodreads Author) 4.33 avg rating — 6 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	Framed Perspective Vol. 1: Technical Perspective and Visual Storytelling by Marcos Mateu-Mestre 4.54 avg rating — 217 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter by James Gurney 4.07 avg rating — 20,017 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	Perspective Made Easy by Ernest R. Norling 4.26 avg rating — 2,284 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	Stonehouse's Anatomy by Seok Jung Hyun 4.14 avg rating — 136 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way by Stan Lee 4.04 avg rating — 8,022 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	How to Draw: Drawing and Sketching Objects and Environments from Your Imagination by Scott Robertson 4.57 avg rating — 1,207 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	How to Render: the fundamentals of light, shadow and reflectivity by Scott Robertson 4.62 avg rating — 296 ratings score: 93, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist by James Gurney 4.12 avg rating — 8,551 ratings score: 92, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	Morpho: Anatomy for Artists by Michel Lauricella 4.56 avg rating — 413 ratings score: 91, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	Drawing Scenery: Seascapes and Landscapes by Jack Hamm 4.15 avg rating — 439 ratings score: 90, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	Framed Perspective Vol. 2: Technical Drawing for Shadows, Volume, and Characters by Marcos Mateu-Mestre 4.64 avg rating — 114 ratings score: 89, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	Morpho: Simplified Forms: Anatomy for Artists (Morpho: Anatomy for Artists, 2) by Michel Lauricella 4.47 avg rating — 413 ratings score: 88, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	Morpho: Clothing Folds and Creases: Anatomy for Artists (Morpho Anatomy for Artists, 8) by Michel Lauricella 4.46 avg rating — 109 ratings score: 87, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	Figure Drawing for All It's Worth by Andrew Loomis 3.96 avg rating — 24,823 ratings score: 86, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	Drawing the Head and Hands by Andrew Loomis 4.23 avg rating — 6,621 ratings score: 85, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing From Life: Over 1,000 Illustrations by George B. Bridgman 4.10 avg rating — 5,812 ratings score: 84, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	You Will Be Able to Draw By the End of this Book by Jake Spicer (Goodreads Author) 3.95 avg rating — 95 ratings score: 83, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	You Will be Able to Draw Faces by the End of This Book by Jake Spicer (Goodreads Author) 4.26 avg rating — 50 ratings score: 82, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	You Will Be Able to Draw by the End of this Book: Coloured Pencils by Jake Spicer (Goodreads Author) 4.07 avg rating — 15 ratings score: 81, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22	You Will be Able to Draw by the End of this Book: Ink by Jake Spicer (Goodreads Author) 3.88 avg rating — 16 ratings score: 80, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	You Will Be Able to Draw Animals by the End of this Book by Jake Spicer (Goodreads Author) 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings score: 79, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	Mastering Composition: Techniques and Principles to Dramatically Improve Your Painting by Ian Roberts (Goodreads Author) 4.41 avg rating — 447 ratings score: 78, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	Pen and Ink Drawing: A Simple Guide by Alphonso Dunn (Goodreads Author) 4.53 avg rating — 872 ratings score: 77, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	Pen & Ink Drawing Workbook by Alphonso Dunn (Goodreads Author) 4.61 avg rating — 206 ratings score: 76, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	How to Draw What You See by Rudy De Reyna 4.09 avg rating — 2,951 ratings score: 75, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	Botanical Art Techniques: A Comprehensive Guide to Watercolor, Graphite, Colored Pencil, Vellum, Pen and Ink, Egg Tempera, Oils, Printmaking, and More by American Society of Botanical Artists 4.57 avg rating — 157 ratings score: 74, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
29	The Art of Botanical Painting by Margaret Stevens 4.22 avg rating — 63 ratings score: 73, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars