Top 5 Art Instruction Books
There are a LOT of how-to art books out there. How to choose?
𐃘 Start here: top 5 art instruction books for beginners!
I love reading. I grew up watching Reading Rainbow, had my own library card, and the Scholastic Book Fair at school. I even participated in summer reading contests where we got free pizza if we read three books over the summer break. 🍕
When I was starting my art-learning journey several years ago, naturally I turned to books. Videos, in-person classes, and worksheets were great, but books go into more detail about style and practice that videos don’t.
Here are my top 5 art instruction books in drawing, watercolor, calligraphy and creating an art practice.
Book #1: If you want to find your creative voice
Find Your Artistic Voice by Lisa Congdon is a great place to start your creative journey.
This was the hardest thing for me to wrap my head around when I first started making art again in my mid-40’s. I thought I didn’t have a style.
That all changed after I read Find Your Artistic Voice: The Essential Guide to Working Your Creative Magic by Lisa Congdon. Lisa is an illustrator based in Portland, Oregon (where I live) and though I have never met her, I have read all of her books.
Highlights of this book:
Overview of how to create a great composition
Why having a unique voice matters
How to practice to finding it
Book #2: If you want to learn watercolor
Sara Simon's Modern Watercolor Botanicals was one of the first watercolor instruction books I really dove into when I was learning how to paint!
I first saw Sarah Simon doing a watercolor demo on a YouTube interview. I picked up her hefty spiral-bound book thinking I would just paint a little here and there. Instead, I got hooked on watercolors and started painting every plant I could find.
Modern Watercolor Botanicals: A Creative Workshop in Watercolor, Gouache, & Ink by Sarah Simon is better than taking a workshop. This book reads more like a cookbook than an art book. Sarah offers “recipes” for getting the right mix of colors, and even includes printout line drawings so that you can skip ahead to painting.
Highlights of this book:
Modern style of watercolor painting that is unique and pretty
Step-by-step instructions for how to get the colors to blend on the page
Traceable botanical line art to practice with
Lovely paint color “recipes”
Book #3: If you want to learn calligraphy
Modern Calligraphy and it's companion, Mastering Modern Calligraphy, by Molly Suber Thorpe, are essential for anyone learning this craft, especially pen-and-ink arts.
If you are into modern calligraphy at all, you probably already know of Molly Suber Thorpe. One of the OG’s of the calligraphy world, Molly’s website, virtual workshops and tutorials are amazing. I got hooked on calligraphy in 2020, and Molly’s book was one of my go-to resources then, and still is today.
I love her book, Modern Calligraphy: Everything you need to know to get started in script calligraphy plus 20 DIY projects for weddings, parties, blogs, and more, is truly that.
Highlights of this book:
Full-page letter samples of the entire alphabet in different styles Molly created
Step-by-step instruction to using a calligraphy nib holder, nib, and ink (great if you have done some calligraphy with a brush pen and want to branch out into using pen-and-ink)
Wonderful, doable projects to practice your calligraphy
Book #4: If you want to learn how to draw nature
I think of Claudia's unique ink techniques whenever I am at the beach, trying to draw WATER. This book is an incredible resource for anyone who (1) loves to draw nature, and (2) loves to combine ink and watercolor.
As a kid, I loved illustrated books. Some of my favorite books had an inky-drawing look that i wanted to learn how to emulate. But I couldn’t find any classes that taught the kind of technique I was looking for.
Enter Creating Textures in Pen & Ink with Watercolor by Claudia Nice. It’s a little bit hard to find this book, but it’s well worth the search. Claudia’s techniques include how to draw natural elements like stones, water, and trees, as well as animals, flowers, and landscapes. Claudia has several other books that are also great, but I think this one is a great one to start with. I still refer to her techniques often, when I sketch outside in our beautiful Pacific Northwest landscape.
Highlights of this book include:
How to use unconventional materials, like an exact-o blade, to get high contrast in watercolor sketches
A good overview of how to create compositions when drawing shifting landscapes
How to combine ink and watercolor in a way that looks complimentary and natural
Book #5: Learn how to draw your day-to-day life
I picked up this book on a whim, and it turned out to inspire nearly everything I draw when I sketch for fun!
Not everyone wants to schlep their art supplies outside to draw or paint nature. For the rest of us, I recommend Draw Your World: How to Sketch and Paint Your Remarkable Life, by Samantha Dion Baker.
Since I read this book, I have been obsessed with sketching my travels as a way of recording what happened on the trip. Usually I draw the food I ate! On a recent trip to Japan, I drew the beautiful food, urban street scenes, rivers, nature, and everything in between.
Highlights of this book include:
An in-depth overview of supplies you need, and what you don’t need
Techniques for starting to draw everyday objects, including sketching techniques to help you get over “blank page syndrome”
How to decide what to sketch from your everyday life
How to approach recording it in your own personal drawing style
Where to get books?
I encourage you to support local artists, authors, and locally-owned booksellers to build your art book collection.
Some of my favorite book resources include:
Thriftbooks (great for used and out-of-print books)
Broadway Books in Portland, a woman-owned business that can order nearly any book for you!
Bookshop.org, an online portal to order any book and support your local booksellers at the same time!
TLDR:
There are a lot of art instruction books out there. I recommend going to a local bookstore to browse books, and get ones that really grab your attention. Those are the ones you are most likely to use and enjoy.
What are your favorite art instruction books? Post in the comments below!
Start painting with watercolor today with my free online course
Create a watercolor card with my simple and fun techniques. I included a printable template so you can get right to the fun part... painting! This course teaches you how to set up your watercolor workspace, selecting colors and supplies, painting techniques, and video instruction. Stick around to the end for a surprise visit from my puppy, Milo.
