Nowadays I earn money with my art, but it hasn't always been this way. I had to learn, just like any other artist. Of course, you can have a talent for making art, but if you don't invest time and effort you won't see much improvement. That is why I'm sharing my top 5 artbooks for beginner artists. This top 5 is however my opinion, there are many other books from which you can learn.
Figure drawing: design and invention
Are you interested in figure drawing? Then this book is an amazing start. In this book Michael Hampton splits up the body into 8 seperate parts and teaches you step by step how to pose and construct figures in every way imaginable.
This book teaches you to observe form and flow, but also the mechanics of each body part. If you want to learn how to draw people I highly recommend this book. This book is also usefull for intermediate artists.
Available on: Amazon
Color and Light
How do we perceive color and light? “Color and Light” is a book by James Gurney in which he parses and explains how light affects colors. To this day I still regularly grab this book to learn more about light and the theory behind it.
It might not surprise you, but there is a lot of science behind the making of art. Some famous artist like Da Vinci devoted their life to acquire knowledge about this specific topic. Everything you need to know about color and light is written in this book.
Available on: Amazon
The animator's survival kit
Do you like animated movies and wish you could make art like that? Then you need this book! I'll be honest with you, animation is a very hard skill to acquire. However, it is a very rewarding skill if you're patient enough to learn.
In this book Richard Williams takes you by the hand and teaches you about the "12 principles of animation". It also includes in depth visual breakdowns. If you have even the slightest bit of interest in learning animation, then this book will teach you all the basics.
Available on: Amazon
Perspective for beginners - Dutch
Is it your dream to be able to draw landscapes and cities, then you need to learn about perspective. It is one of the fundamentals of art. Perspective is a more geometric form of art than it is intuitive. But there are a lot of smaller steps to grow in this artform.
The writers of "Perspective for beginners", Arcas and González, take you by the hand in this learning proces. With the usage of beautiful watercolor paintings they explain every term and teach you everything there is to know about perspective.
Available on: Bol.com
tHE ART OF: WRECK-IT RALPH - ENGELS
Something I am particularly fond of is storytelling. If the same applies to you then "The Art of Wreck-It Ralph" could be a huge inspiration for you. This book takes you behind the scenes and into the world of concept and visual development, from worldbuilding to characters.
This artbook isn't a step-by-step guide, but it does show you how to be creative within a narrative. If you haven't seen this movie, you can look up any recent animated movie that you liked titled: "The Art of...".
Available on: Amazon
art and books
These five books helped me grow and develop my art and skills as an artist. But the very best way to grow as an artist is to simply take the first step and start creating. Go outside with a pencil and some paper and draw the things around you. Observe people, take a closer look at colors and light, try to come up with stories. Improvement comes to us when we invest time, effort and learn from others. Create as much as you can and you will steadily start to see your art evolve.
There are countless books from which you can learn. I had to scour my bookcase to pick just five artbooks. Which books haven't I mentioned but would've been a great addition to this list?