Heather's Art Book List

Planted: November 2, 2025
Last tended: November 2, 2025

Although I took some fundamental courses in college to earn a minor in art, I consider myself mostly self-taught.

Here is a list of my favorite art books. If you are an artist, I 100% recommend them. I own most of the these but it also includes books I borrowed that I find valuable. I'll expand this page later to include some descriptions and my thoughts on them.

My TBRs are highlighted in purple... If you have any recommendations for me, leave a note in my guestbook!

Overall

"Creative Illustration" by Andrew Loomis
"Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist" by James Gurney

Anatomy

"The Art of Animal Drawing: Construction, Action Analysis, Caricature" by Ken Hultgren
"Figure Drawing for All It's Worth" by Andrew Loomis
"Drawing the Head and Hands" by Andrew Loomis
"Animals: Real and Imagined" by Terryl Whitlatch
"Science of Creature Design" by Terryl Whitlatch
"Morpho: Anatomy for Artists" by Michel Lauricella

Art of...

"Hayao Miyazaki" by Peter Docter, Daniel Kothenschulte, Toshio Suzuki, Hayao Miyazaki, and Jessica Niebel
"J.C. Leyendecker: American Imagist" by Laurence and Judy Goffman Cutler
All of J.A.W. Cooper's books
"The Art of Kiki's Delivery Service: A Film by Hayao Miyazaki"
"The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia"
The Art of Shadowscapes Tarot: Major Arcana" by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law
"Stratosphere" by Andrea Guzzetta
"Wonderland: The Art of Nanaco Yashiro"

Artmaking

"Art and Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking" by David Bayles and Ted Orland
"The Art Spirit" by Robert Henri

Color and Light

"Artists' Master Series: Color & Light" from 3dtotal
"Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter" by James Gurney

Composition

"Artists' Master Series: Composition & Narrative" from 3dtotal
"Artists' Master Series: Perspective & Depth" from 3dtotal
"Framed Ink: Drawing and Composition for Visual Storytellers" by Marcos Mateu-Mestre
"Picture This: How Pictures Work" by Molly Bang

Drawing/Sketching

"The Artist's Guide to Sketching" by James Gurney and Thomas Kinkade

Painting

"Daily Painting: Paint Small and Often to Become a More Creative, Productive, and Successful Artist" by Carol Marine
"How to Paint Fast, Loose & Bold: Simple Techniques for Expressive Painting" by Patti Mollica
"Plein Air Techniques for Artists: Principles and Methods for Painting in Natural Light" by Aimee Erickson
"Pop Painting" by Camilla d'Errico