Have you ever wondered what the best Drawing books are in 2023? Or have you learned a new skill over the summer and wanted to share it with others? In this article, we will be posting 15 of the best drawing books. If you’re looking to buy drawing books for beginners, intermediate or professional artists, this list is for you! These drawing books will help you to improve your skills and become an expert in the field. They cover various mediums, techniques, and styles.
Professional artists spend a lot of time reading, and they are always looking for new tips and tricks that can help them promote their art. If you want to be a renowned artist, you should take your time and read some books about drawing. Reading good books doesn’t only help you understand how drawings work. It can also give you inspiration, impulse and help you find new ways to approach your artwork. If you can’t afford an online course, these drawing books are for you. Drawing is the basis of the master drawing. If you want to be a famous artist or illustrator, start with learning to draw first. If you’re one of these talents, you are willing to devote a lot of time developing your innate talent into true skill and ability.
Learning how to draw can be a very rewarding and enjoyable hobby. It can also be frustrating if you don’t know what book to start with. However, you want to draw, reading these lists can help point you in the right direction! That’s why we compiled this list of the best Drawing books available right now. It is based on popularity, reviews, and price. So let’s jump right into it.
1. Keys to Drawing by Bert Dodson
About The Author: Bert Dodson is an illustrator and professional painter. Bert teaches art and has written a large number of bestselling drawing books. He is an illustrator of children’s books and has been involved with more than 70 of them. Her books are one of the best drawing books for kids/adults.
This sketching book is aimed at complete novices and beginners. This book is gradually breaking into the world of drawing. It gives you a quick-to-follow approach to new technology. Part of the book explains how to control clean, careful strokes with your hands and elbows. If you don’t want to make messy drawings, this is very useful. He also teaches the basics about texture, shade, and many exercises are offered for you. It concentrates on simple, repeated technique practices. His way of writing is clear and easy to understand. Bert Dobson’s book provides a guide to the confusing world of drawing.
2. Drawing for the Absolute Beginner by Mark Willenbrink
About The Authors: In the past, Mark was a business artist and had an advertising job. But he had a heart change and is now an illustrator freelancer. He works as a team with his wife Mary, teaches drawing, and writing books on all kinds of art media.
His book is one of the best drawing books for beginners/intermediates. It is a true all-rounder that covers all the fundamentals of drawing. Simple items such as forms and shading are also covered. Then it creates complicated things like still life and portraits all over the place—every step of the way you guide. The book is full of helpful tricks and tips. Drawing for the Absolute Beginner is a clear and easy guide to his name. The authors have a pleasant and friendly writing tone. For your first drawing try, he would make excellent guides.
3. Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain By Betty Edwards
About The Author: Betty Edwards is an American art teacher and writer. Her work has been successful in several art books, but none other than Drawing On The Right Side The Brain. Until her retirement in the 1990s, she taught and was a researcher at California State University.
Most of her sketching books were published originally in 1979. This book was recently revised with more expertise from Betty. This is a general manual of instruction. It has many tips, practices, and tricks which are bound to be helpful for artists of all levels of experience. The section dedicated to talking about ‘the right brain’ ‘the left’ makes this book interesting. It discusses how it is essential to appreciate the right side of the brain. This is the only thing worth checking out. This is one of the most beneficial drawing books for kids/adults. Here Betty’s expertise and tips are clear, understandable, and helpful.
4. Drawing for the Absolute and Utter Beginner By Claire Watson Garcia
About The Author: Clarie Watson Garcia is a U.S. writer, artist, and professor. She has written several drawing books for children and illustrated them. In several exhibitions around the globe, her works were featured. She works at the School of Art in Silvermine, where her book has several courses. Most of her books are the best drawing books for beginners/intermediate.
The main objective is to teach you to draw quiet life, objects, nature, and people. First, she shows you the fundamentals. Then illustrate textures to draw complex, realistic silent life. This book contains a lot of information. So it may take some time to drop into it, but it is detailed and perfect for all levels of skill. Some might be frustrated with the single-color nature of the mediums. At the same time, some would be very helpful to many. Her book has been carefully constructed and carefully detailed.
5. Perspective Made Easy (Dover Art Instruction) By Ernest R. Norling
About The Author: Ernest R. Norling has published two books on perspective and profile topics. She was a painter and art teacher.
Perspective is an essential competency in drawing art. This book focuses on facilitating understanding of perspective. It contains more than 250 line drawings covering the horizon and the point of disappearance—for example, the relationship between the eye level and the point of view. You will learn how shadows are created. It lies in the category of the best drawing books for beginners/intermediate. It’s entertaining how it is written. It contributes to constituting a solid foundation in perspective concepts. The activities can be easily followed. In a short time, this book will let you know all the basics.
6. Light for Visual Artists: Understanding & Using Light in Art & Design By Richard Yot
About The Author: The illustrator Richard Yot is active in traditional sketching books and digital media.
Light for Visual Artists: Understanding & Using Light in Art & Design is the best drawing book for kids/adults. This book will give you the basic introduction to value art and the fundamental skill of making light and shadings. You will get to learn light and shadow drawing techniques in this going. You’re going to learn the physics behind it too. There is also a color selection section that in an artist’s toolkit is extremely helpful.
It’s easy to follow one of the best things about this book. Detailed writing does not contain technical terminology and does not apply to visual art. The chapters are logically in order. So, we place it in the category of best drawing books for kids/adults.
7. Vilppu Drawing Manual By Glenn Vilppu
About The Author: Glenn Vilppu is best known in the animation industry since he worked at Disney for 15 years. He has been teaching drawing and working on projects like the Fox and the Hound and The Black Cauldron. He is renowned for writing a few of the best drawing books for kids/adults.
Design and form-building are two main concepts in this book. Additional areas of study are fundamental forms for accurately measuring and building objects from life. This sketching book is great for beginners who are looking for a different way of drawing life.
8. The Natural Way to Draw: A Working Plan for Art Study By Kimon Nicolaides
About The Author: In Washington D.C. (1891), Kimon Nicolaides was born. His father was an importer of oriental goods, so he was passionate about art. Under the Greats – Bridgman, Miller, and Sloan, Kimon studied art. He continued teaching for 15 years at the New York Art Student League. He was a well-known professor and artist.
This book will let you draw figures and objects in life, emphasizing drawing and animation. It also teaches you to capture figures quickly. Packed with exercises, the whole book requires a serious commitment to drawing. It’s an unbelievable asset. Be warned, however. If you are serious about your design skills, it will be of real value to you if you are prepared to practice for many hours. It’s like a year-long training in an art lesson. It’s not for beginners altogether but one of the best drawing books for intermediate.
9. Figure Drawing for All It’s Worth By Andrew Loomis
About The Author: Andrew Loomis was born in 1892. He studied art and opened his Chicago studio. He has worked for many notable enterprises throughout the years in publishing and advertising. He became a professor of art and was famous for his books on realistic art and illustration. In 1959 he died.
This book will let you draw body parts in the right size and many different positions. Outlook is an important part of the book’s teaching. It teaches you how to create realistic shading figures. Also, how to draw body parts – heads, hands, and feet (insertion of relief gasp). It is one of the best drawing books for beginners PDF. Also, Many recommend the Figure Drawing for All It’s Worth as an excellent resource. Especially for a beginner to draw. The approach in the book is simple to follow step by step. Although the drawing style might seem a bit outdated, it’s great to learn the basics.
10. How to Draw What You See By Rudy De Reyna
About The Author: Rudy De Reyna has written many books, including techniques for magical realist drawing.
This book is written in extraordinary detail. Shadows, perspectives, and shapes are what you learn in Rudy’s book. This is accomplished through a series of realistic drawings. The first 18-20 chapters cover drawing, then wood. Real drawing exercises are helpful and understandable. It is written for artists who never tried to draw from what they see in their surroundings. That’s why it is one of the best drawing books for beginners/intermediates. It covers various media and drawing, so this cannot fit those without the extras who only want to write a book.
11. Step-by-Step Guide to Travel Sketching with Emphasis on Pen-and-Ink By Joyce Ryan
About The Author: Joyce Ryan is an American author. She has written books on drawing, cooking, and other hobbies.
As the title states, this book focuses on how you can draw on your natural and urban scenes in particular. She has given many examples, lessons, and techniques which you will find helpful. This book is best for personalities who have already grasped the fundamentals of drawing. So, this sketching book is the best drawing book for kids/adults who have a bit of knowledge about basics. It also offers lessons and techniques useful for ups and downs. She has many of her portfolio sketches to inspire you. Traveling with your sketchbook is an outstanding guide to travel design. It focuses exclusively on this subject.
12. A Foundation Course in Drawing By Peter Stanyer
About The Authors: Peter Stanyer was a lecturer at London University. Her sketching books were very popular among the students over there.
A Foundation Course in Drawing By Peter Stanyer includes fun drawing exercises. By studying space, structure, light, form, and shape, you learn different ways of looking at a subject. Figure motion, still life, landscape, and abstracts are the subjective topics of this book. This book gives you all you need to jump right into a “foundation course.” The content of this book is wide and diverse, although not necessarily for beginners. It is one of the best drawing books for kids/adults. The offered projects in the book are also very exciting.
13. Learn to Draw and Paint by Curtis Tappenden
About The Author: Curtis Tappenden is the artist and illustrator of sketchbooks. His work is on exhibit throughout the world in many collections. He belongs to London.
This book is a hand-held lesson guide on the principles of drawing and painting. It is concentrated on the design of pencil and charcoal. It covers the drawing and perspective of lines, contours and patterns, scales, and depths. The painting section covers pieces, oil, and aquarelles. Many useful suggestions and great ideas are also available in the book. It contains different colorful illustrations. Then this book helps to build your expertise in both media of art. It aims at more intermediate artists. If you are a novice, you would need a book that examines certain techniques in more depth.
14. How To Draw: Drawing And Sketching Objects From Your Imagination By Scott Robertson
About The Author: Scott Robertson has nearly two decades of teaching design, drawing, and reproduction. He has the highest level of sketching books. He has written many books jointly and worked with notable companies on projects.
It is a guide for the drawing of perspectives. Some of the issues covered are the creation of grids, the model process, volume work, ellipses, and rotations. This book is connected with the digital world and is one of the best drawing books for beginners PDF. The new Design Studio Press app can scan more than 25 pages over a smartphone or tablet, linking to the book’s video tutorials. It’s a wonderful feature. It’s accompanied by excellent images and explanations of each technique. Moreover, the addition of video tutorials makes it even easier to learn the methods within the book.
15. Framed Ink: Drawing and Composition for Visual Storytellers By Marcos Mateu-Mestre
About The Author: Marcos Mateu-Mestre is a visual concept and traditional animation layout artist. He writes graphic novels and illustrates them.
It takes enormous effort to produce illustrations for newspapers and other media. The book is therefore divided into various categories. Draw and write a single picture, arrange a picture for one purpose—the composition of the Graphic Novel and continuity. The techniques are detailed and exemplified by excellent examples. This sketching book is ideal for understanding how to create a visual novel or comic. It stood out to you for two things. Firstly, the subject of expressive drawing. Secondly, with day and night light to depict.
Conclusion!
This is all about the 15 Best Drawing Books in 2023. And yes, they are the best ones! Above, we have focused on the prize-winning books and authors’ reputations and tried to choose titles that will cover multiple genres and levels for various ages. This list is subjective as we have selected only the books we were interested in and think that they might be helpful for all those who are looking for some inspiring or fun drawing books. Hopefully, you will find your next drawing book or something interesting here!
