Here are some tips to help you choose the right art history books for you!
All tagged references
My Top 5 Favorite Art Books
Investing in art books is an excellent way to further your own education. These are the 5 art books I can't live without (at the moment).
Creating a Character Turnaround Sheet
A turnaround model sheet of your character can be a very useful tool. Animators and comic artists use turnaround model sheets to help them stay on-model as they draw characters from different angles and in varying poses. You can also use your turnaround sheet as a reference to create a maquette of your character.
Setting Up A Still Life
Creating your own still life is an excellent way to begin painting/ drawing from life. You can also treat it as a photoshoot and build your own reference library. This same method can be used for a life drawing setup. Just use a person instead of an object!
Invest in Books
As a kid I remember being very impressed by my grandfather’s large and varied collection of books. He had books on everything, from atlases to drug encyclopedias to romance novels. I was impressed by his books because they represented the extent of his curiosity and his love of knowledge. Having a curious mind and a love of knowledge myself, I’ve always wanted to have a great collection of books of my own. I started building my library a few years back. In the process of doing this, I’ve found that the more I collect, the more I grow as a person and as an artist.
Create Your Own References
I used to think setting up a still life or taking reference pictures required some kind of unknown skill or sorcery that only professionals and wizards had access to. Once I went to college, though, I found it only takes a blanket, some interesting objects/ model, and some lights. It’s not mysterious or complicated and it doesn’t take more than a bit of effort on your part (and maybe also the help of a friend).
Do Use References
When I was younger, I had this pre-conceived notion that real artists have the ability to pull completed pieces right out of their heads like magic. They had an innate knowledge of perspective, anatomy, color, etc. My work would somehow not be legitimate if I used a reference. It all had to come from me because that’s how all the good artists did it.