Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
Draw Great Characters and Creatures
Drawing for the Absolute and Utter Beginner
Even an absolute beginner can learn drawing techniques using the right drawing books, whether focusing on figure drawing or drawing anime. Novice artists should keep the following criteria in mind before purchasing drawing books– the skill level the book covers, the theme, the type of drawing, and if it’s a comprehensive art course or a foundation course.
A professional artist who would like to master a complete drawing system or form construction will also find a good selection from the books below.
Fun fact: The oldest drawing school in the world, The Accademia e Compagnia Delle Arti del Disegno, was founded in 1563 by the Medici family.
Successful drawing of figures or objects takes practice, time, and patience. Art students and art teachers alike understand this important fact so no matter how many drawing books you purchase, drawing basic forms, landscape drawing, or mastering various drawing techniques takes years for some artists.
Realistic Drawing Exercises
Some of the great artists eventually expanded upon their techniques by life drawing real subjects. This is still considered the best drawing practice to develop composition as there are subtle details that a drawing simply cannot capture.
We suggest once basic figure drawing techniques have been understood and practiced by following the figure drawings and step-by-step instructions in a book, students can then move to life drawings.
Of course, digital drawing using a stylus or other tool is an entirely different technique to master. In this article, we will solely cover drawing with pencil and paper.
If you need a sketchbook to go along with your drawing exercises, please visit our article: Best Sketchbooks.
The Best Drawing Books on the Market Today
- Best Drawing Book Overall: Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
- Best Drawing Book for Comic Artist: Draw Great Characters and Creatures
- Best Drawing Book for the Absolute Beginner: Drawing for the Absolute and Utter Beginner
- Best Drawing Book for Professional Artist: The Artist’s Complete Guide to Drawing the Head
- Best Gesture Drawing and Figure Drawing Books: Drawing the Head and Hands, by Andrew Loomis
1. Best Drawing Book Overall – Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
Selection Criteria
- Price – ~$17.99 – Our score: 8/10
- Skill Level – Beginner to Advanced – Our score: 9/10
- Theme – Human Body – Our score: 8/10
- Drawing Types – Figures and Realistic Portraits – Our score: 8/10
- Comprehensive – Yes – Our score: 9/10
About Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
Beginner and Advanced artists will appreciate Betty Edwards Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain book. Edwards is an art instructor who has been teaching art for decades at the art college level around the US. Having been translated into 17 languages, this book is considered one of the best drawing instructions in the world.
She covers drawing fundamentals with some of the primary concepts covered including how to convey emotions, drawing realistic portraits, detailed portrait drawing, and model building.
This inspiring book makes drawing easier and since Edwards was an art teacher, she outlines the book with beautiful illustrations to inspire beginner or intermediate artists alike.
An added benefit to this book is that Edwards covers how the two halves of our brain contribute to creativity. Anyone needing artistic inspiration will like the way this book is summarized and will be able to understand key concepts of light, dimension, and perception.
Pros
- One of the best drawing books in the world for portrait drawings
- The author covers key drawing concepts
- Those interested in the right side of the brain and how it governs creativity will especially appreciate the first chapters of the book
- With tried and true techniques, students are sure to capture figure poses quickly with this book
Cons
- May have too much reading for some students
2. Best Drawing Book for A Comic Artist – Draw Great Characters and Creatures
Selection Criteria
- Price – ~$19.59 – Our score: 7/10
- Skill Level – Intermediate to Advanced – Our score: 7/10
- Theme – Character Drawing – Our score: 8/10
- Drawing Types – People, Animals, Plants – Our score: 8/10
- Comprehensive – Yes – Our score: 8/10
About Draw Great Characters and Creatures
Comic artists or illustrators in the graphic novel genre will find drawing people and concept art easy with this book from Beverly Johnson. The visual art provides ideas on how to create your own unique and interesting characters using the prompts contained in the book.
While this book doesn’t exactly teach you how to draw, it does cover techniques on how to bring out creative expression and personality in a pencil or ink drawing. Some exercises include clothing, poses, facial expressions, and relationships between characters.
A visual artist might also find the techniques outlined in this book helpful with its practical exercises. Practice includes drawing content, creating different moods, and incorporating visual cues for unique and diverse subject development.
The author also covers how to draw plants and animals effectively and some drawing experience is necessary to complete the prompts in this book. Intermediate artists will be sketching objects and completing entire drawings in no time with this book.
Pros
- Designed with artists with foundational drawing experience in mind
- Exercises build on the creativity of the artist to create mood
- Many practice exercises to flesh out character development
Cons
- Not a step-by-step drawing book
3. Best Drawing Book for the Beginners – Drawing for the Absolute and Utter Beginner
Selection Criteria
- Price – ~$13.59 – Our score: 8/10
- Skill Level – Beginner – Our score: 9/10
- Theme – Basic Drawing Techniques – Our score: 8/10
- Drawing Types – Figures, Objects – Our score: 8/10
- Comprehensive – Yes – Our score: 9/10
About Drawing for the Absolute and Utter Beginner
Not many drawing books for beginners can boast the success of Claire Watson Garcia’s book, Drawing for the Absolute and Utter Beginner. The complete guide covers human anatomy, how to draw figures, and three-dimensional objects all tailored to complete beginners.
The author offers art study workshops in Connecticut and this book is a culmination of decades of teaching experience. There is great reference material contained in this book for painting projects and figure drawing.
The techniques can be easily followed by younger or older artists who are interested in learning basic drawing from dimension, contour, faces, and depth.
This is the 15th edition of this book with added tools and methods to help beginners master figure drawing, still lifes, or other images with accurate light, depth, and dimension.
Pros
- Drawing guide catering to beginners
- The author has been teaching art for decades
- Available in spiral-bound and Kindle versions
- Covers pencil and ink drawing
Cons
- Landscape drawings, animals, or plants aren’t covered in this book
- Can be unclear for some readers with little artistic reference
4. Best Drawing Books for the Professional Artist – The Artist’s Complete Guide to Drawing the Head
Selection Criteria
- Price – ~$13.59 – Our score: 8/10
- Skill Level – Advanced – Our score: 8/10
- Theme – Human Head – Our score: 7/10
- Drawing Types – Human Head Only – Our score: 8/10
- Comprehensive – Yes – Our score: 9/10
About The Artist’s Complete Guide to Drawing the Head
Professional artists know that it takes drawing skills to realistically capture the expressions of a subject. Drawing the head, especially from a life drawing is considered to be one of the most difficult undertakings for any artist.
Drawing from Da Vinci’s light and dark technique, the author breaks down this core skill in a way that makes it more accessible to experienced artists who are lacking the depth of expression of professional artists.
Many art mediums can be used with this book like pastels, charcoals, pencils, or pens to create accurate sketches of human heads and facial expressions. Visual artists may also find the detailed illustrations helpful.
This book is intended to focus specifically on three-dimensional drawings of the constructionist’s view of the human head while successfully depicting light and dark or chiaroscuro renderings.
Pros
- Covers negative space, and shading to add facial features
- Focuses strictly on the human head
- Takes into account different mediums
- Advanced artists will see immediate improvements in their renditions after using this book
- Includes beautiful illustrations that are sure to inspire
Cons
- Only covers the human head
5. Best Gesture Drawing and Figure Drawing Books – Drawing the Head and Hands, by Andrew Loomis
Selection Criteria
- Price – ~$23.85 – Our score: 7/10
- Skill Level – Intermediate – Our score: 8/10
- Theme – Human Body – Our score: 8/10
- Drawing Types – Figures and Realistic Portraits – Our score: 7/10
- Comprehensive – Yes – Our score: 9/10
About Drawing the Head and Hands
Andrew Loomis is one of the great illustrators who inspired the likes of Norman Rockwell and Alex Ross. When it comes to figure drawing and human anatomy, Andrew Loomis is one of the must-have books for beginners and intermediate artists.
Having created the Loomis Method of drafting sketches and drawings, his work is still considered essential in the art world for drawing the head and hands.
Keep in mind that this book is designed for artists that want to master human anatomy. While it can be used by beginners and hobbyists, some understanding of art terms and basic techniques is required.
Similar to other authors on our list, Loomis taught art and drawing techniques and speaks directly to artists. One major difference is that he was born at the end of the 19th century at a calmer and less frenetic time which is reflected in his writing and instruction.
Pros
- Depicts the human head and hands in more detail than most other artists
- Considered the bible of human anatomy for experienced and budding artists
- The author offers words of wisdom for the struggles some artists experience that aren’t found in just about any other drawing book
- The illustrations and techniques have inspired countless big-name artists
- Loomis has a realistic style that any skill-level artist can adopt
Cons
- Can be a bit outdated for some students
- The Kindle version has limited features
Conclusion
We hope you found our guide to the best drawing books helpful. We’ve covered the different types of drawing books available along with our recommendations in various contexts.
We’ve discussed how you can choose the best drawing books with different themes for people who are beginners, intermediate, or professional artists. Lastly, we’ve combined our recommendations for those drawing books that cover step-by-step instructions or provide an overview of different drawing techniques that cater to the absolute beginner, or offer more realistic drawing exercises.
From human anatomy to animal drawings there is something for everyone in our list above. With every author having taught art classes, each book caters to art students and can even be used by art teachers as part of a curriculum.
Thanks for reading; we hope our suggestions help you choose the best drawing books, whether it’s your first book or you’re adding to your artistic library, there is a large variety above.
