Whether you are a beginner or a professional graphic artist, there is a drawing book for you. However, choosing the best book to learn drawing is very crucial.
As professional artists, we at Just Creative meticulously selected the best books to learn drawing. These books offer step-by-step guides and general advice for beginners and pros.
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The best books to learn drawing have clear and concise instructions that are easy to understand and follow. We’ve compiled the classics and the newest publications of the best drawing books.
This article will give you a wide range of drawing guidelines. We’ve done the tough work searching for the best books to learn drawing. We followed an unbiased and strict review process when scouring the best drawing books.
If you are a professional digital artist or a self-taught artist looking for good devices, you can check out our ultimate reviews. We’ve done reviews of the best standalone drawing tablets and the best drawing tablets for animation.
If you’ve got kids, don’t miss our round-ups of the best drawing tablets for kids. Let’s dive into the best drawing books and the process.
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Our Top Pick
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This classic art book is an ideal introduction to discipline, focus, and perspective, which offers essential concepts and exercises for improving pen and ink drawing skills. |
For beginners on a budget, Art Fundamentals offers updated theories, drawing techniques, and valuable tips. |
Keys to Drawing offers accessible guidance on realistic portrait drawing, lighting, depth, and texture for budding artists eager to learn. |
This classic art book is an ideal introduction to discipline, focus, and perspective, which offers essential concepts and exercises for improving pen and ink drawing skills.
For beginners on a budget, Art Fundamentals offers updated theories, drawing techniques, and valuable tips.
Keys to Drawing offers accessible guidance on realistic portrait drawing, lighting, depth, and texture for budding artists eager to learn.
10 Best Books To Learn Drawing in 2024
- The Natural Way To Draw: A Working Plan for Art Study — Best book overall to learn drawing (Editor’s Choice)
- Art Fundamentals — Best valued drawing book with core fundamentals
- Keys to Drawing — Best budget book for beginners
- Draw Great Characters — Best book to learn character drawing
- Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain — Best book to learn creative drawing
- The Silver Way — Best book with great techniques
- How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way — Best book to learn comic drawing
- Sketching from the Imagination: Creatures and Monsters — Best book to learn fantasy drawings
- Beginner’s Guide to Life Drawing — Best book for beginners with guide
- Drawing the Head and Hands — Best book to learn heads and hands
What is the Best Book to Learn Drawing?
The Natural Way To Draw: A Working Plan for Art Study is our pick for the best book overall to learn drawing. The following books mentioned below will help you learn more about drawing and foundations.
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If you are interested in learning more have a look at Best Logo Design Books, Best Markers for Adult Coloring Books, and Best Pens for Artists.
Top 3 Best Books to Learn Drawing
These are the three best-selling books to learn drawing on Amazon right now:
10+ Best Drawing Books in 2024
1. The Natural Way To Draw: A Working Plan for Art Study (Editor’s Choice)
Best book to learn drawing overall
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Published in 1990, this classic art book for drawing offers the key concepts of gesture drawings and drawing techniques. The Natural Way to Draw includes contour, gesture, weight, structure, and basic human figures.
It has 64 exercises to help drawing artists improve their pen and ink drawings. These exercises will hone those drawing skills that are crucial for those who are complete beginners.
We highly recommend this drawing book for complete beginners since it requires more discipline, focus, and accurate perspective drawing.
Also, see our blog on the best sketchbooks for artists, and the best graphic design books.
Pros |
Cons |
| ➕ It is a great medium for both beginners as well as improvers. | ➖ Bombarding methods were given. |
| ➕ Includes many exercises. |
Latest Price on Amazon:
- Nicolaides, Kimon (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 240 Pages - 02/01/1990 (Publication Date) - Mariner Books (Publisher)
2. Art Fundamentals
Best-valued drawing book with core fundamentals
If you are just starting and on a tight budget, Art Fundamentals is best for you. This updated second version includes theories and conventions.
What we loved about the book is its newly discovered tricks, tips, and drawing techniques.
Moreover, this book covered light and color, composition, and anatomy of the human figure, perspective, and depth. This made this one of our best books for learning drawing.
Since it contains many useful pieces of advice on studying art, art teachers also recommend this book. Nevertheless, each subject touched only a few areas because of its limited space.
We found this book most helpful to those who already have basic knowledge of life drawing and want to supplement what they already know.
Pros |
Cons |
| ➕ It is a comprehensive guide. | ➖ Complicated instructions. |
| ➕ It is also an essential theory behind creative works. |
Latest Price on Amazon:
- English (Publication Language)
- 288 Pages - 05/12/2020 (Publication Date) - 3DTotal Publishing (Publisher)
3. Keys to Drawing
Best budget book for beginners
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If you are a budding artist who wants to draw and is searching for a book to learn from, Keys to Drawing by Bert Dodson is a perfect choice.
From our professional perspective, anyone holding a pencil can learn to draw with this book. Bert Dodson’s writing and drawing style in this drawing learning book made it easier for the readers to understand how to draw realistic portraits.
It also helps to control and convey through illustrations, lighting, depth, texture, and more to bring your imagination to life. These skills will help you produce realistic drawings.
This is our best-valued book to learn drawing for absolute beginners.
Pros |
Cons |
| ➕ Ideal choice for beginners. | ➖ Is not ideal for professionals. |
| ➕ Easy to understand. | |
| ➕ Includes many exercises. |
Latest Price on Amazon:
- Used Book in Good Condition
- Dodson, Bert (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 224 Pages - 08/15/1990 (Publication Date) - North Light Books (Publisher)
4. Draw Great Characters
Best book to learn character drawing
If you are a visual artist looking for a unique presentation, Draw Great Characters is our ideal pick. This book is absolutely an artist’s complete guide.
This drawing book has 75 exercises to help visual artists like you learn how to draw unique characters. In our opinion, this is the best book to understand character and figure drawing.
In addition, Draw Great Characters tackles shapes, facial expressions, personalities, and body language, which are also good if you plan to draw comics.
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Generally, this book is a must-have for an artist aspiring to create an exciting and unique perspective drawing.
Pros |
Cons |
| ➕ It is a beginner-friendly guide with lots of exercises. | ➖ Does not help in drawing illustrations. |
| ➕ It depicts theory in action. |
Latest Price on Amazon:
- Johnson, Beverly (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 144 Pages - 12/03/2019 (Publication Date) - IMPACT Books (Publisher)
5. Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
Best book to learn creative drawing
The revised edition of Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain helps different generations of artists. Its availability in 17 languages makes it one of the best books on learning how to draw.
Whether it’s just your hobby or you’re a professional visual artist, this book is excellent reference material. This book covers realistic drawings, contour drawings, negative space, sighting, portrait drawings, colors, light, and shadow.
Drawing on The Right Side of the Brain deepens your creative and life-drawing skills. Moreover, we believe the author’s systematic approach helps artists understand the drawing process more.
Pros |
Cons |
| ➕ One of the best-selling and classic books. | ➖ The approach isn’t the simplest. |
| ➕ Includes a lot of information, tricks, fundamentals, and principles. | |
| ➕ Systematic and detailed explanations. |
Latest Price on Amazon:
- Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, 4th Edition - Paperback
- Edwards, Betty (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 320 Pages - 04/26/2012 (Publication Date) - TarcherPerigee (Publisher)
6. The Silver Way
Best book with great techniques
Are you looking for the best book to learn drawing, explicitly focusing on great drawing techniques? The Silver Way by Stephen Silver is our best choice for you.
Once you read and complete this figure drawing book, you’ll be confident enough to work and design in any style. What we love about this drawing book is that the author also offers solutions for developing your drawing skills when building characters.
You’ll also learn about character thumbnailing. It also entails simple sketches, colored pieces, and final revisions applicable to drawing comics.
In our experience, this drawing book has straightforward and user-friendly instructions.
Pros |
Cons |
| ➕ Designed by one of the best teachers in the industry. | ➖ Gives full instruction only about drawing characters. |
| ➕ It is also an essential theory behind the creative Easy to follow instructions, tips, and tutorials. |
Latest Price on Amazon:
- Silver, Stephen (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 248 Pages - 04/07/2017 (Publication Date) - Design Studio Press (Publisher)
7. How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way
Best book to learn comic drawing
If you are seeking practical guidelines in comic drawing, How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way is your go-to resource. This Stan Lee and John Burscerna-inspired book is an in-depth study of full-color illustrations.
This book has a lot to love, but what kept us reading is the course it teaches. It includes composition, shot, selection, dynamics, figure, and perspective drawing.
This best comic learning book makes drawing fun.
Pros |
Cons |
| ➕ It is an ideal crash course to learn comics. | ➖ Gives full instruction only about drawing characters. |
| ➕ Designed by iconic teachers. |
Latest Price on Amazon:
- Lee, Stan (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 192 Pages - 09/14/1984 (Publication Date) - Atria Books (Publisher)
8. Sketching from the Imagination: Creatures and Monsters
Best book to learn fantasy drawings
Sketching from the Imagination is designed specifically for artists who are interested in fantasy drawings.
While reading this book, we found its wide range of drawing principles interesting. It also covers science fiction and horror drawings.
Fifty artists from various creative fields collaborated to create this book.
One of the important features that we think creatives will love about this drawing book is its black-and-white development stages. There are ink drawings and full-color illustration pop-ups after it.
Pros |
Cons |
| ➕ Provides insight, | ➖ Difficult to understand if you are not familiar with the flow of the artists. |
| ➕ Monochrome pops of colors. | |
| ➕ Varied artworks. |
Latest Price on Amazon:
- English (Publication Language)
- 320 Pages - 06/25/2019 (Publication Date) - 3DTotal Publishing (Publisher)
9. Beginner’s Guide to Life Drawing
Best book for beginners with guide
The Beginner’s Guide to Life Drawing by Eddie Armer teaches you to draw life from your fingertips. This 100-page guide will teach you a step-by-step process for drawing realistic portraits.
Furthermore, it should be noted that this book helps analyze different drawing methods.
This book helps artists achieve accurate anatomical shapes.
We highly recommend The Beginner’s Guide to Life Drawing as one of the best anatomy reference books.
Pros |
Cons |
| ➕ Complete instruction guides with illustrations. | ➖ Difficult to understand. |
| ➕ Includes a lot of media techniques. |
Latest Price on Amazon:
- Armer, Eddie (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 96 Pages - 06/04/2019 (Publication Date) - Search Press (Publisher)
10. Drawing the Head and Hands
Best book to learn heads and hands
If you are one of those artists struggling to draw hands and heads, Drawing the Head and Hands is an excellent option. We understand that these basic parts of the human body are quite crucial and hard to draw.
This book by Andrew Loomis is our suggestion for commercial illustrators of the 20th century.
Generally, this book engages the reader systematically so that anyone can understand. It is our top pick as the best drawing book to learn about the human body.
Pros |
Cons |
| ➕ Instructions have detailed | ➖ The approach isn’t simple to get through |
| ➕ Ideal for newbies | |
| A classic book with principles of drawing |
Latest Price on Amazon:
- Used Book in Good Condition
- Hardcover Book
- Loomis, Andrew (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 160 Pages - 10/25/2011 (Publication Date) - Titan Books (Publisher)
Best Books to Learn Drawing Buying Guide
Choosing the right drawing book will significantly impact your drawing journey. You should consider these factors when buying a drawing book:
Skill Level
Identify to which skill level category you belong. Books specifically designed for your skill level will provide appropriate guidance and exercises.
Content
Determine which aspect of your drawing skills you want to enhance. Some books focus on general drawing guides, but some have a specific focus area.
Clarity and Illustrations
Check if the book has clear instructions.
Practical Exercises
Look for drawing books that provide practical exercises and assignments, as this will help you apply what you learned from the book.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the best to learn creative drawing?
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain is the best book for both professionals and beginners to improve and upgrade their skills.
Is it possible to learn to draw by yourself?
Yes, you can teach drawing yourself and some people find it easier to learn themselves. Everybody has different learning styles and curves, so it all depends on the way you take in new information. The books in this article can help you learn by yourself if you cannot afford a tutor or a formal art education.
Which is the best book to learn character drawing?
Draw Great Characters is the best book to learn character drawing by Bev Johnson.
What category does the drawing fall under?
Drawing falls under the visual art form which involves marking surfaces, 3D surfaces, bringing imaginations into life, and more creations.
How do I choose the right drawing book for my skill level?
Consider your current skill level and goals. Look for books specifically designed for beginners, intermediate, or advanced artists. Reading reviews and recommendations can also help in making an informed decision.
Best Drawing Book to Learn — Summary
Learning to draw can be one of the most satisfying accomplishments for an artist. Young or old, we all enjoy improving and expanding our creative skills. Creating art is as unique as the artist; what matters most is just getting started and challenging yourself.
Whether you are a budding artist or a professional who wants to improve your skills and techniques, this list offers some great options to help you learn more about the art of drawing.
Is there one book in particular that appeals to you? Why not try it out? You never know–the next great work of art might just be at the tip of your pencil!
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