This article showcases our top picks for the Best Books To Learn To Draw. We reached out to industry leaders and experts who have contributed the suggestions within this article (they have been credited for their contributions below).
We are keen to hear your feedback on all of our content and our comment section is a moderated space to express your thoughts and feelings related (or not) to this article This list is in no particular order.
Sketching People by Lynne Chapman
This product was recommended by Summer Romasco from Ad Hoc Labs
Urban sketching has been on the rise over the last decade. It’s a fun way to practice drawing while on location and an excellent way to learn to draw people through observation. Illustrator and urban sketcher Lynne Chapman’s Sketching People: An Urban Sketcher’s Manual to Drawing Figures and Faces is your go-to compendium for figure drawing. From features to actions, Chapman covers every angle of sketching people in a variety of situations. Sketching People is packed with information and inspiration. It’s a beautiful book you’ll want to pour through again and again!
Draw Your World by Samantha Dion Baker
This product was recommended by Niamh Jordan from Which Watch Next
This book is excellent for inspiring you to draw everyday. It will teach you to get inspired by your life, and see your world in a new way by drawing it. This book on will help you build up a habit of practicing your drawing everyday. You start with the basics first, so it is an ideal book for beginners. The book will give you fun sketching tasks with step by step instructions. You’ll get so much inspiration from this book. It is a great book to start with when you’re feeling uninspired and need a push to keep practicing your sketching each day.
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards
This product was recommended by Eden Cheng from PeopleFinderFree
This is an excellent choice for first-time beginners, as the book dives deeper into the premise that our left part of the brain, the analytical part, is what often ends up hindering our capacity to observe what’s in front of us by imposing false interpretations of what we’re seeing. And it is because of that we often end up drawing what we think we are seeing, instead of putting on paper what we are actually seeing. In this respect, the author proposes several extensive drawing techniques, as well as the theoretical knowledge they need to effectively “negate” the left part of the brain and allow the intuitive part of the brain, the right side, to take over, which in theory should help you to better perceive spaces, perceive lights, shadows, and much more.
How to Draw Anime by Takeshi Sugimori
This product was recommended by Stephen Curry from CocoSign
One of the top drawing books ever published is the latest version of this best selling book, How to Draw Anime. This book is not only for beginners but also for experts as it contains various techniques and examples that will push your skills to a whole new level. These books will teach you everything from basic shapes and lines to advanced shading and drawing techniques. The book also contains several lessons that will help you learn how to draw some of the most famous and beloved characters from many animes and mangas.
