Four Fine Art Books for Beginners

Learning art is a long road that will take decades of practice to perfect, and books will be a massive part of your learning material. Luckily there are legions of shelves filled with art books that teach you the basics and history and style. So, what are some fine art books for beginners?

 

The amount of time and effort that go into learning to be a competent working artist is hard to calculate—as with most endeavors, breaking things down is a good idea to keep from being overwhelmed. So read on and learn all about the books you need as a beginner artist. Check out our collection of artistic gifts.

 

Art Books for Beginners

 

Artbooks will be easy to find but hard to disseminate good from the bad. So many artists have their take on perspective and anatomy that a young artist could find themselves lost in the sauce when it comes to technical terms or even how to hold a brush or pencil.

 

When shopping for artbooks, what to look for is concentrating on course-based books with practical exercises that reinforce the topic. These types of books are often found in college book stores, but the wonder of the internet puts them in the palm of your hand from anywhere on the globe.

 

The Practice and Science of Drawing is a Must-Have for Artists

 

Harold Speed's classic art tome is an excellent addition to any war chest you could be building for your all-out assault on the art world. For beginners, the insight and lessons contained in the book will connect them with the wonder of drawing and allow them to create art that combines real-world shapes with imaginary lines and colors.

 

Learning the basics is extremely important for the beginner. One of the essential properties Speed outlines is something he calls dither. Dither takes the framework of a real-world object and teaches the student how to add things that would make the object something that defies our reality.

 

Some things that Harold Speed covers in the Practice and Science of Drawing are:

 

• Line and Mass Drawing -One of the most important things that a young artist must learn is line and mass drawings. Mass drawings focus on how the shapes interact, while line drawing concentrates more on lines to create art pieces.
• Practical Exercises -At the end of each chapter, a practical exercise reinforces the lesson. It allows the artist to put pencil to paper. A practical is a real-world practice that can be used as many times as needed to make the lesson click.
• Historical Background -Art history is important but more important than related to the subject. Speed does a fantastic job relating the lessons to historical pieces and showing the techniques used.

 

Harold Speed's Practice and Science of Drawing will be a great asset for any beginner. While the subjects can be tedious, Speed has a way of connecting the lesson with the joy all artists feel while creating.

 

 

Lee Hammond’s Big Book of Drawing

 

An art book that stands out for all beginners is the Big Book of Drawing. It is one of those books that will follow the artist from their beginner steps through their professional and collegiate careers. It creates wonder for the artist that will infect their practices and possibly their jobs for years to come.

 

One of the great things about this book is how many different things you can learn to draw. It emphasizes ordinary things that create a firm building block in the art game for a lifetime. Knowing how to draw several different things allows you to find out which art type works best for you.

 

A few things that stand out about the Big Book of Drawing are:

 

• Line Drawings -Some of the most important things an artist can do are line drawings. They form a basis for adding shapes and lines that eventually lead to color and finished art. Line drawings start off rough but over time will be the basis for all and artists work. 
• Color Practical -One of the standout things about Hammond's book is how he allows the student to work with lines and marry them with color. This gives the artist a needed boost in confidence. Once they can work with lines and colors, they are on their way to a life in art!
• Shading Techniques -Something often overlooked in an artwork is the importance of shading. Often, artists will concentrate on color to give perspective, but learning valuable shading techniques allows them to create perspective without going overboard with color.

 

Hammond's books have a hidden quality that isn't found in other textbooks about art. A bit of fun added to the reader that allows learners of all ages to enjoy the text while getting valuable knowledge from the practicals.

 

Creating Textured Landscapes with Pen, Ink, and Watercolor 

 

 

Creating will be one of the essential books in your stash. It covers several different types of landscape work and allows the artist to dip their toes into each with confidence. It is a good resource for landscape work, but the author, Claudia Nice, adds in several sections that pertain to all types of art, not just landscapes.

 

Nice's landscape work comes from years of professional work and teaching. Her book concentrates on the building blocks of landscape art, emphasizing using photos to get an authentic look. Pictures as a basis create a look that is unmistakable in its quality and what collectors would be willing to pay.

 

The best thing about Creating Textured Landscapes with Pen, Ink, and Watercolor are:

 

• Texturing Techniques -One of the most important things that a beginner can learn is creating textures and applying them. Textures allow them to create perspective and shadow only by using different techniques.
• Different Mediums -A big part of learning art is finding which type the artist likes best. In this book, the artist is exposed to different kinds of art, like watercolor, outside their comfort zones. Learning is being uncomfortable, and being uncomfortable can lead to some fantastic art.
• Photo Reference -Most art teachers concentrate on the form and function of the art. Nice does a great job of this, but she compounds her lessons with photo reference material that could be invaluable to some readers.

 

The lessons contained in Claudia Nice's Creating are essential for young artists. The texture work allows them to see what kind of art they are interested in creating while giving them a firm foundation in all types of landscape art.

 

Mark Crilley's The Realism Challenge 

 

One of the most intense forms of art is hyperrealism. It takes a picture from the real world and makes art indiscernible from the original item. Knowing how to create art with this type of detail is an essential skill for young artists, and this book will open their eyes to the world of realism.

 

Taking on subjects a bit out of their depth could be suitable for artists in a rut or who feel like they aren't good enough. A book like Crilley's takes artists from bare line drawings to immaculate pictures of decaying leaves or photorealistic flower arrangements.

 

A few things that stand out about Crilley's The Realism Challenge are:

 

• Step-By-Step -One of the most important things about this book is that each lesson builds on the last one. That means that as you progress, you are using pieces of information that may have been learned at the very beginning of the book. Therefore, a step-by-step process is always good to fall back on when you need it.
• YouTube Page -Other books don't do enough to create a YouTube to go along with the book. Crilley started his hyperrealism art on the app and has leaned heavily on it for years. Seeing videos can help some learners connect the dots and improve their learning ability.

 

While this book might seem like a heavy addition to some rudimentary skills, realism will be critical to the artist. Being able to mimic the techniques allows them to stretch out and see if working with realism is for them or if they could create better art in other ways.

 

What Should Beginning Artists Learn?

 

The internet gives you so many choices as a beginner that it can leave you a bit confused. However, there are a few things you can concentrate on until you find out which style of art you want to pursue.

 

A few things beginning artists should learn are:

 

• The Tools -Like any other job, there will be specific tools of the trade. The artist should familiarize themselves with all types of pen and paper. The digital artist should work with drawing tablets and software until they know how to create workspaces for new pieces.
• The Grip -Drawing with a pencil and writing with a pencil requires different grip types. Knowing how to hold the tool for your type of art will be a priceless skill. Take the time to work with all kinds of grip until you find something that keeps your hand from unnecessary cramping or pain.
• Start Small -By joining shapes, the artist can form a better relationship with shape and how those shapes come together to create pictures. In addition, starting with tiny shapes and lines allows the artist to grow based on their skill.
• Time Management -Going crazy with your practice time can be disastrous for your life and art career. Learn to use your practice and work time efficiently to reap the rewards of your work and not the anxiety of procrastination.

 

 

Learning those things is essential because once you have them down, you can move on to the actual work's next part of the artist training. Familiarizing yourself with the tools and the time needed to learn to draw or paint are two separate parts of the equation. Emphasize both reap the most significant rewards.

 

The Fundamentals are Important

 

The fundamentals that a beginning artist should know are:

 

• Form -Some of the best artists know that form is essential. It allows them to see beyond an image and create new shapes and lines based on their understanding of how the subject works. This makes the artist's work seamless and shows they can produce art that captures form and function.
• Perspective -One of the most challenging things for artists to master is perspective. Perspective is how our eyes adjust to objects. For instance, as something gets closer, it will get larger. Drawing with perspective means you can create this effect by changing lines and shapes.
• Composition -Mainly for digital art scapes, composition focuses on the product as a whole. Art comes in many fits and starts that the final product could be unknown until all pieces are assembled. Composition is tough. Look to other areas, like video and photography, for ideas on composing art.
• Anatomy -We've all seen bad anatomy drawings. Muscles that don't articulate or move in ways that shouldn't ruin a piece of art. Anatomy is a fundamental skill that must be practiced as it applies to the human form and all forms of animals.

 

Marrying the fundamentals with the essential skills is an excellent recipe for success in art. Knowing all the fundamentals is just the first step. Mastering them will take time and a mountain of practice to achieve.

 

Conclusion

 

Beginners are in an excellent position. Not only do they have tons of books and videos at their fingertips, but they also have digital tablets and canvas that allow them to work as much as they want. Practice is important, and knowing which skills to practice and which fundamentals matter most can make or break a young artist.

 

There are a few things out there that are essential for the beginning artist. Before any art is attempted, knowing the tools and how to use them should be high on the list. Once the tools are familiar, they can move on to learning the fundamentals that will open the art world to them.

 

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