The Best Books For Learning How To Draw
For those looking to enhance their sketching skills, an instructional book is a must-have. These books can give you or your kids plenty of insight and knowledge on drawing and animating. That being said, with so many different books to choose from it can be tough to decide exactly which one to get. Fortunately, we’ve already scoured the market to find the best of the best. Scroll down to see which books will help kickstart your artistry.
The Animator’s Survival Kit
Animation domination
Enhance your artistic ability with this book by Richard Williams. The Animator’s Survival Kit is the ideal book to learn new and complicated drawing techniques. This book covers everything from traditional and hand-drawn tips along with information on cel animation and software. Better yet, the writing style and language used in the book make for a very simple read. This allows you to not only fully absorb all the knowledge in the book, but also apply all these techniques into practice. The Animator’s Survival Kit will be a very helpful guide for those looking to get into animating.
Pros:
- Features in-depth history of the development of animations
- Has tips and methods of how to set up your animations
- Shares information on 3D and stop motion techniques
Cons:
- It reads more like an actual book rather than a manual guide on how to draw
How to Draw Book for Kids
Luck of the draw
Thanks to this book by Jacy Corral, teaching your kids to draw will be easier than ever. How to Draw Book for Kids is a pretty self-explanatory title that sums up exactly what this book is about. It is a fabulous read which teaches your kids basic hand-drawn techniques to draw funny and silly stuff. It even features tutorials on tracing and free hands techniques which are extremely easy to follow. This allows kids to pick up on different drawing methods and put them into practice right after they read. Finally, this book will keep your kids constantly engaged while improving and expanding their skills.
Pros:
- Includes cute and fun themes that are attractive to kids such as ice cream, unicorns, and spaceships
- Can trace over images in the book which makes for useful practice exercises
- Drawing instructions included are very easy to follow
Cons:
- The book could be a bit longer
Look at That!: Discover the Joy of Seeing Sketch
Outside the lines
If your kids are excited to learn how to draw, this book from Bobbie Herron is an essential purchase. Look at That! provides all of the vital information your kids need to start their own sketch drawings. Plus, it is also a quick read and easy to comprehend which will motivate your kids to learn even more about drawing and sketching. It isn’t written like a generic book about learning how to draw. Instead, Look at That! seeks to help people find a passion and purpose in their drawing journey.
Pros:
- Features a series of exercises to practice and improve drawing skills
- Written with a conversational tone that keeps the reader constantly engaged
- Drawing techniques are described with easy to follow instructions
Cons:
- Too basic for advanced artists
How to Draw Cute Stuff
Throwing shade
You and your kids can learn to draw some cuddly creatures with this book by Angela Nguyen. In How to Draw Cute Stuff your kids will read all about Japanese kawaii. This drawing technique emphasizes faces with large eyes and fun facial expressions. This helps your kids improve the creativity and cuteness of all their drawings. Additionally, this book teaches your kids how to personify inanimate objects in their sketches. All of these intricate drawing methods will not only help your kids improve their overall technical ability but their imagination as well.
Pros:
- Features detailed kawaii drawing examples
- Kawaii styled techniques are ideal for drawing cute cartoon characters
- Informs you of the drawing tools and mechanisms needed to make good sketches
Cons:
- There are lots of drawings examples but few step-by-step instructions
How to Draw Cool Stuff
Quickdraw
Grasp the basics principles of drawing with this book by Catherine V Holmes. How to Draw Cool Stuff will teach you to do just that. You’ll learn about some fundamental principles of drawing. The book includes in-depth information on line quality, foreshortening, and shading. Plus, it also includes multiple fun exercises to enhance your ability to see lines, shapes, and spaces in everyday objects. This will significantly help you train your brain to visualize these objects as pieces of art making them easier to draw. The best part of this book is that it can take very simple shapes and teach you how to create complex drawings with them.
Pros:
- Includes multiple different shading techniques
- Teaches you about many different kinds of drawings including photorealistic faces to tattoos sketches
- Features detailed step by step drawing instructions
Cons:
- A bit too complex for very young children
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some fundamental skills of drawing?
The basic skills you need to learn how to draw include recognizing edges, lines, and angles. Also, you need to know how to decipher shadows, highlights, and variations of tone.
What are the basic shapes in drawing?
Squares, rectangles, triangles, cones, and cylinders are the basic shapes you should draw for practice. These shapes will significantly help you draw objects or characters more accurately.
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