I started this as a resource for my online homeschool students. I hope you find it helpful as well. Growing up, my mom tried to find ways for me to develop my interest in drawing, but in the 90s in Texas, resources were hard to find.
I give a general age range under each category. That does not mean that the skills developed in that group are only for those ages. It is more that the higher level books contain information that a younger student will struggle with. Art is a skill just like reading or math, but art is not English. Or algebra. A twelfth grader will not find a lot of interest or benefit in reading "See Jane Run" books, or adding 2+2. A developing artist is working with a set of skills (think scales in music or drills in a sport) that they will always be building on. Even an artist like me, with 20+ years of drawing under my belt, can take simple exercises like the ones in Lutz' book and use them as tools for developing my eye and hand skills. They're actually quite fun. Even though my very artsy brain struggles with repetition, exercises like what you find in Baburina's course have been enormously helpful to me personally. I do exercises like these almost every week because I can trace a direct line (pun not really intended) between these simple exercises and my growth as an artist.
All of these resources are in what I call a specific genre of art education. This system is a very old way of learning art that stems from the classical academic tradition. It emphasizes breaking subjects down into simple shapes and relationships, understanding the properties of light on form, learning both from repetition and master studies. All of these things are designed to help you learn how to see, which is the most important tool in any artist’s toolbox.
What to Draw and How to Draw It, by E.G. Lutz
This is a great free resource for beginning drawing students. It breaks subjects into simple shapes and builds up to the final image.
Draw 50 Animals, by Lee J. Ames
This book is still in print and I will always recommend Ames' books to students wanting to learn how to draw. He has several other books in his "Draw 50" series. Just make sure the artist is Ames; he started letting other artists make books under this imprint but they're not all quality art instruction steps.
Brush Drawing, a Basic Course, by Richele Baburina
A very basic course on learning to draw with a brush. It can be a little tedious, but the principles the authors are working with are solid. Students will learn to think about shapes first while developing dexterity and fine motor control.
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, by Betty Edwards
One of the best books on learning how to draw ever written. My drawing professor in college introduced me to it and it is still one of the top books I recommend to anyone who wants to really learn how to see and draw. Work through to book cover to cover and you or your student will have a solid foundation in drawing.
Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling, by John Muir Laws
This is a great resource with guided drawing steps, tips for using many different types of mediums, composition, color theory and more! As a bonus it is a really beautifully designed book (as someone who is an artist and has worked as a graphic designer, this is high praise).
All of Juliette Aristides books are great resources. I use Her Beginning Drawing Atelier in my introductory drawing class. Below are a few more resources for more advanced (and older) students.
Andrew Loomis books are worth their weight in gold. For a long time they were out of print and you had to track down a PDF that someone had scanned to print out and bind on the comb binding machine at work (which is totally not what I did . . . ). He emphasizes memorization of the figure, which is not something I really understood or valued until much later in my art career.
Figure Drawing For All It’s Worth
New Masters Academy is an online school with recorded courses from some of the greatest artists and teachers out there today. I do courses with them to keep learning and to try and think differently about the topics I’m teaching students.
Everything above this point in this very long article are skill based books that everyone can learn from and benefit from understanding. Artists-in-training are something else. They need to make art like they need air to breathe. Make no mistake, all of the above are essential in building an artists-in-training’s foundation. You cannot skip those things. But at some point an artist-in-training needs to find a mentor and have in-person guidance for their study. Despite what we’d like to think, art is a human endeavor that requires human connection. As wonderful a resource as the internet is, learning art cannot be confined to a screen.
All that to say, there are still some books that I would recommend to feed your art soul.
The Art Spirit, by Robert Henri
Walking on Water, by Madeleine l’Engle
Mind of the Maker, by Dorothy L. Sayers
Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters, by Robert Beverly Hale
Whew. That was a lot. I’d love to hear your thoughts about this topic. Do you have other resources you would recommend? Do you disagree with my recommendations? I’d love to hear from you!
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