Have you always thought that you can't draw, and that only people with artistic talent can ever do a decent drawing? It may well be that you haven't found the right teacher. But with a good book on drawing you can also improve and develop your drawing ability. So here are some amazing art books to teach you how to draw …
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Drawing for the Absolute Beginner
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If you really have no idea where to start, then you need a book for complete beginners. This book will show you the very basic techniques of drawing, from how to hold a pencil for different effects to drawing the basic shapes that you will use to form your drawings. It also gives you a list of the basic tools that you'll need to begin drawing.
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Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
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Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain is a classic among art instruction. The idea behind it is that you need to train your brain so that you can use the creative side of it, and not the logical, thinking side. If you feel that you just can't see things the right way to draw them, this could be the book to develop your drawing ability.
Developed by Betty Edwards, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain is revolutionary in its techniques, encouraging a new perspective on seeing to achieve better drawing results. As you progress through the exercises, you'll find yourself bypassing the analytical left brain and tapping into the right brain's artistic potential. Whether you're a budding artist or looking to sharpen your skills, the transformations in your work could be astonishing as you unlock parts of your creativity that have been dormant. It’s perfect for those ready to transition from stick figures to realistic portraits.
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One Drawing a Day
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If you only pick up a sketchbook and pencils occasionally, you're not going to improve your drawing skills. The discipline of doing a drawing every day could really make a difference. Try this book, and see how much your drawing improves over the course of six weeks (be disciplined, and don't be tempted to skip a day!). It's not really a book for complete beginners though.
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Drawing in Pen & Ink
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Pencils aren't the only media for drawing, of course. If you'd like to learn to do ink drawings, here's a book for you. Ink drawings are often used as illustrations in books, presumably because they're easier to print. It's certainly useful to develop your drawing skills by trying different media.
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Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing from Life
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Perhaps you're already fairly good at drawing, but faces and figures elude you. The human body is often the hardest aspect of drawing to capture. In that case, you need a guide to figure drawing, like this one. It'll teach you everything you could ever need to know about figure drawing.
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Meaning is not what you start with but what you end up with.
Mastering Manga with Mark Crilley
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Are you a manga fan who'd love to learn how to draw manga yourself? This type of drawing leans more towards imaginative interpretation than literal representations of the human figure, so carries its own challenges. So who better to show you than a manga artist who also has his own YouTube channel with lots of video tutorials.
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You Can Draw in 30 Days
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There's nothing like a positive affirmation to encourage you! Like One Drawing A Day, this book aims to help you improve your drawing over several weeks. Work at the exercises steadily, and you should find that, even if it takes you longer than 30 days, you should over time be able to do better drawings.
So don't be daunted by drawing - get yourself a book, a sketching pad and some pencils, and start drawing! Your first efforts may not be that impressive, but it's only through practice and following exercises that your work will improve. What have you always wished you could do?
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