Recommended Drawing Books and DVDs for All Artist Styles and Levels
Drawing books are a great place to expand and gain the knowledge that you need to push yourself the next level. The best thing about these materials is that almost every one will teach you something you didn't know before. I've always had a ton of different drawing books and have continued to expand my collection over the years. Here are some of the best books that I've found and used personally.
I divided the books and DVDs into different sections. When I was growing up there were no DVD drawing videos but now that there is I've found them to usually be much better than books. Please read the recommendations that I put beside each of these books to help you gauge what kind of info you'll find in the book or DVD and what level of artists will benefit most from the information within.
Beginner Drawing Books and DVDs:
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How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way
This was one of the first drawing books that I ever had and though I think it is a little difficult for younger children it still has the ability to capture the imagination and present drawing a fun and interesting way. All of the greats are in here including Spider Man, and Fantastic Four. I spent many summers with this book and a cheap sketchpad learning how to draw figures. I highly recommend this book for any comic enthusiast artists. The the principles presented within will teach you the basics that you need to create great looking comic book artwork.
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The above four books are by Christopher Hart who has produced a number of great drawing books that I have purchased. I find his books to be very well presented and really interesting with lots of pictures. The drawing books are good for people of all ages and skill levels and I'm sure that you can find a book that covers the area of drawing that you are interested in no matter what it may be. The last book by Christopher that I finished was his Cartoon Cool book which has been a real inspiration when drawing tutorials for this site.
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Intermediate Level Books and DVDs:
Learn & Master Painting DVDs
If you're looking to get into painting I was lucky enough to get a copy of the Learn and Master series on how to Paint. I was really impressed when I went to pick up the mail and saw this big box - there was far more content in this program than I was expecting - it came in a beautiful package and has tons of DVD content as well as a full color guide book to help you follow along. If you want to get into painting this is a great program to give you a really comprehensive course on getting real results quickly.
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain -Seven Lessons to Enhance Creativity and Artistic Self Confidence
Drawing on the right side of the brain is one of those books that I will highly recommend for both teachers and students. It has many great exercises and tutorials inside that will help unlock your inner artist and let you see things as they truly are which is the first step in doing great drawings. Though I highly recommend this book it may be a little dry for younger readers and is suggested for more mature and dedicated students. There is also drawing on the rights of the brain workshop which I think would be really great to attend if you ever have the chance.
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Pencil Drawing Techniques
This is a nice little book that is completely jam packed with great information. This book again is a little the dry side for younger readers, but it gives you a fantastic foundation about the skills and techniques of drawing and the tools that you will use.
I highly recommend this book if you have been drawing for a while, but are not sure which book or DVD to purchase next. |
Advanced Level Drawing Materials:
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Mastering Portrait Drawing, Vol. 1
This DVD is a little more expensive than some of the others but I found it to be extremely valuable in teaching the different subtle techniques that I can use when drawing realistic portraits. I highly recommend this DVD to anyone who is interested in serious and realistic portrait drawing.
Even if you think you may already know everything there is to know about drawing the face I guarantee you that within this DVD there something that you will learn to really improve your portraits.
It helped me improve so much and
I'm sure it will do the same for you too!
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The Techniques of Scott Robertson 1 Basic Perspective Form Drawing
Scott Robertson is a master. I learned so much from these DVD on perspective drawing that I really wondered why this DVD wasn't used when I was attending University!
If you really want to understand how to draw buildings, cars, airplanes, landscapes, and spaceships this DVD is a must have.
It will teach you basically everything that you need to know to create drawings that will truly WOW everyone around you.
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