Last update: 26/09/19
Resources for visual artists.
Books
Anatomy
- Anatomy for Sculptors - Uldis Zarins: Ignore the title, this is the best anatomy book for all visual artists. Lots of pictures, author has ADHD so it's tailored to that.
- Morpho: Simplified Forms - Michel Lauricella: Lots of drawings. There's multiple books in the series for specific things like fat and skin folds.
- Figure Drawing: Design and Invention - Michael Hampton: Good for breaking down anatomy.
- Form of the Head and Neck - Uldis Zarins: Lots of Pictures.
- Anatomy of Facial Expression - Uldis Zarins: Lots of pictures.
Colour
- Color and Light - James Gurney
- Color - David Hornun
Value
- Color and Light - James Gurney: It can go here too.
- Light for Visual Artists - Richard Yot: Plenty of examples and explains different lighting conditions.
- How to Render - Scott Robertson: Very good but overwhelming. The sequel to how to draw.
Perspective
- Perspective for Comic Book Artists - David Chelsea: It's in a comic format. Covers some aspects skipped over in the others while being easier to understand.
- Perspective Made Easy - Ernest R. Norling: What everyone recommends. Straight forward and has excercises.
- Perspective Drawing Handbook - Joseph D'ame: Good to use as reference.
- How to Draw - Scott Robertson: Very good but overwhelming. Has excercises.
Composition
- Framed Ink - Marcos Mateu-Mestre
- Artists' Master Series: Composition and Narrative
Online resources
- Draw A Box: Has excercises, but tedious.
- Hue Value Chroma: Skim this one, it has more than you will ever need to know about value and colour.
- Art tutorial for the intermediate painter: A guide on getting into the mindspace for digital rendering.
- Handprint Watercolors: A site on watercolours, but it has a bunch of articles on the fundamentals, including the most comprehensive guide on perspective that tells you how to calculate the arc on a rainbow.
- The rainbow tutorial from above (scroll down)