One of the problems with my information sites is that sometimes as the content keeps increasing the site structure and layout becomes increasingly odd - so every now and again I give them a good sort out. I'd call it a spring clean - but it's the end of July!
I've now got four major sections (see below for a summary) and have also developed a more coherent order within each of these.
Click the links (coloured text) to visit that part of the website.
THE BEST ART BOOKS FOR DEVELOPING YOUR DRAWING SKILLS
This section now works in the basis of
- Identifying what are good/recommended books for people who are beginners and want to learn how to draw from a very basic level
- The logical next step- people begin to explore which media are particuly suitable for drawing and what the the media allows them to do in terms of techniques (this is a developing section)
- The final section focuses on what I call "advanced drawing" for people who are really wanting to give their drawing skills a workout - and who are willing to open up to different ways of approaching the practice of drawing
This now covers these popular "how to draw" topics. I'm afraid I'm very rude about a number of "how to draw books" and some of the ones you may be more familiar with don't make the list. However this my choice and I don't need to include any of the dumbed down books which get pushed by some of the publishers onto booksellers
- How to draw people
- How to do perspective drawing
- How to draw plants and flowers
- How to draw nature
- How to draw animals and birds
- How to make drawing creative and experimental
- How to illustrate Children's Books
THE BEST ART BOOKS ABOUT SKETCHING & VISUAL JOURNALS
This section looks at different approaches to keeping a sketchbook or visual journal.
THE BEST ART BOOKS ABOUT DRAWING THROUGH THE AGES
This section is now ordered from the past all the way through to contemporary drawing practice
Feedback please
Do let me know what you think. I'd love to know whether this makes the content of this website more accessible.
Also please continue to let me know of any books which you'd like to recommend. If you've got a book review of a book about drawing please leave a link in your comment.
Note: I started this site in 2007 as a place to keep links to all the book reviews arising out of the The Big Drawing Book Review on my blog. Read about The Big Drawing Book Review. This was started in support of the Big Draw month (October 2007) which is co-ordinated by the Drawing Campaign. Book reviews were posted on my blog Making A Mark and on the blogs of those people participating in the review. This site provides links to book reviews of books about drawing and/or sketchbooks by people participating in the project and links to those same books on Amazon. Since then it has continued to develop by identifying the best books about drawing
6 comments:
I see at your other blog that you list books by RB Hale, but I am reading/working out of one now, and pass it on with my recommendation.
Master Class in Figure Drawing
this is soooooo helpful!!!
THANK YOU :)
Hi Katherine, a really helpful in depth post yet again. It was nice to see the, 'Keys to Drawing', and, ‘Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain', make the cut. I constantly dip into these books for teaching on the drawing courses as they are invaluable. Other books I find a useful read are a couple of really old ones that I have, they are, 'The Natural Way to Draw by Kimon Nicolaides', a year long class in daily lessons and drawing practice, and Mary Suffudy, 'Sketching Techniques'. Watson-Guptill, 1985. Contains tips and how they go about drawing by people such artist as Charles Reid. My copy is from 1986 and seen better days; a good read none the less. All the best, Steve.
Extremely useful as usual, Katherine. Thank you for all the work you put in.
I wanted to recommend this book by Barbara Bradely: well written, well explained and has examples of quick sketches and more finished works.
Thanks for the comments and the recommendations. I'll take a good look at them when next updating my "resources for artists" best book sites
You have created a wonderful resource Katherine - Thank you . I follow your blog regularly ad it is so informative.
At the moment I can't click through to "the Sketching ad Journaling links"- it take me to a Squidoo page