The New Drawing on the Right Side of your Brain by Betty Edwards

The original Drawing on the Right Side of your Brain taught me how to draw again after ten years away from my easel. I was a jeweler during those years and I didn't have much time for drawing. The basic drawing skills I'd learned during college had gotten very rusty and this book helped me to refine them again.

This is the updated version. She rewrote more than half the book and added the latest research, too. I would recommend it to anyone from the absolute beginner to someone who just needs to touch base with the basics again.

I've been drawing ever since I've read this book and have become somewhat of an expert myself. Thank you, Betty Edwards!

The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron

Betty Edwards taught me how to draw again but Julia Cameron taught me how to be an artist. There is no other book available like this one. It's priceless. I learned so much about myself and so much about creating art from this book that I don't know where to begin. I think I'll just mention the most important piece of information that I learned from it: the creative spirit must be fed. Each person must learn to feed it in their own way, and that is what this book teaches you to do. This book is written for all artists and creative souls.

Drawing Made Easy by Carol Rosinski

This is my book and it's intended for beginning graphite (pencil) artists. Graphite pencil is a simple drawing medium that can be used to create beautiful artwork, and in this book I show readers how to do this with simple steps and clear instruction. I begin the book by describing the basic tools needed to complete a drawing and how to use them. I explore topics such as texture, using the computer as a drawing aid, and adding detail to a subject. Then I provide five step-by-step demonstrations, guiding readers from initial sketches to polished works of art.

The Blank Canvas: Inviting the Muse by Anna Held Audette

Anna Held Audette is a visual artist and she is an excellent writer too. The book is aimed at beginning artists but I go back to it again and again for inspiration. She is a professor of art and this book is aimed at that frightening moment when you have no more lessons to learn and you're on your own. It's about filling that blank canvas, where to get ideas, how to handle the emotions you're feeling, and how to move forward on your own.

She suggests keeping a journal about your art and I've found that to be beneficial in several ways through the years. She has great quotes from artists about art and making art which will inspire you. The really lovely thing the book accomplishes, though, is to make you feel relaxed and comfortable with the stage of development your artwork is in, whatever stage is.

Art and Fear by David Bayles by Ted Orland

It may be just my personality, but I have to walk this same path over and over again, questioning why I make my art and then once again finding the reasons within myself. I reach for books in those times to help me find my way back to my artistic path and to myself. I read and reread books like this which speak with clarity about the purpose of making art. The authors of Art and Fear, artists themselves, examine the artistic lives of many visual artists. Then, they dig out the core issues of what artists need to focus on to make their art. Those concerns always seem to boil down to the same ones no matter what kind of art you're making.

This is the best book I've ever found for learning how to draw on the computer. The author has created a series of traditional drawing lessons that you can work through using Photoshop or Painter and your digital tablet. She keeps the tools and brushes simple so you can concentrate on learning how to control the stylus and create an accurate drawing. Each lesson teaches you about a few more techniques and brushes, so, by the end of the book, you've got a good working knowledge of how to use each program artistically, and you're much more familiar with your digital tablet, too.

If you're a traditional artist who wants to explore making art on the computer, or you've tried working on the computer but haven't had good or predictable results, I recommend that you work through this book.