The books listed here are all part of my own library and are recommended because of their practical content.
- Books on Landscape Painting
- Books on Color, Composition and Drawing
BOOKS ON LANDSCAPE PAINTING
Carlson’s Guide to Landscape Painting by John F. Carlson
Dover Publications. ISBN 0-486-22927-0
One of the few ‘how-to’ books that addresses the real issues of landscape painting. Written in the 20′s, its reads quite old-fashioned, but it’s worth siphoning through all the verbiage for the juice.
Composition of Outdoor Painting by Edgar Payne
DeRu’s Fine Art Books, Belllflower, CA. ISBN 0-939370-03-4
Many landscape painters often cite this book as one of their primary guides. Like Carlson’s Guide to Landscape Painting, it is written in an old-fashioned, verbose style, but it’s worth siphoning through all the verbiage for the juice. It also includes many pages of compostional approaches to landscape.
Powerful Watercolor Landscapes by Catherine Gill with Beth Means
North Light Books, ISBN 978-1-60061-949-6
This gem of a book is a visual delight and goes far beyond technique. Nearly three-quarters of the book is devoted to core essentials like simplification, dominance, shapes, composition and Gill’s “What,” “Why” and ”Where” of landscape painting. Not just for watercolor painters!
Landscape Illusion: A Spatial Approach to Painting by Daniel Chard
Watson-Guptill Publications. ISBN 0-8230-2594-2
The author uses his realistic and precisionist landscape paintings, with many diagrams, to analyze the geometry and design of the landscape space.
Painting Better Landscapes by Margaret Kessler
Watson Guptill, ISBN 0-8230-3576-X (pbk.)
A good book for the novice, with more practical advice on how to improve your landscapes than most books of this type.
Art in the Making: Impressionism by Bumford, Kirby, Leighton, and Roy
The National Gallery, London. ISBN 0-300-05035-6
For the serious student of Impressionism, this is perhaps the most carefully examined review of their painting techniques.
BOOKS ON COLOR, COMPOSITION, AND DRAWING
Changing Images of Pictorial Space: A History of Spatial Illusion in Painting by William V. Dunning
Syracuse University Press. ISBN-13: 978-0815625087
Unlike many “history” books, Dunning’s authoritative work really talks about spatial illusion in the formal, visual terms artists actually use. The book is largely un-illustrated, but he explains challenging painting styles like Impressionism, Cezanne, and abstract impressionism. I recommend this book to all my serious painting students.
Color In Contemporary Landscape Painting by Charles Le Clair
Watson-Guptill Publications, ISBN 0-8230-0741-3
A refreshing look at various approaches to color, demonstrated through the works of many artists for a “full spectrum” overview.
Color Choices: Making Sense Out of Color Theory by Stephen QuillerWatson Guptill: 0-8230-0696-4
A highly practical guide that explores both structured and unstructured color stragegies, plus various technique and a look at master colorists.
Alla Prima: Everything I know About Painting by Richard Schmid
Stove Prarie Press Press. ISBN 0-9662117-1-5
Now available in a much more affordable paperback edition ($50), this book successfully explains many of the fundamental and important principles related to artmaking.
Mastering Compostion by Ian Roberts
North Light Book. ISBN 978-1-58180-924-4
An extremely lucid guide to composition with many landscape examples. Covers many important topics including color, designing with value masses, and guiding the eye through the picture plane. Includes instructional DVD.
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards
Simply the best, easiest-to-understand “how to” drawing book ever written. It’s a classic for a reason.
Drawing from Observation by Brian Curtis
McGraw Hill. ISBN 0-07-241024-8
Like Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, Curtis’ book is exceedingly practical. It has the most comprehensive set of diagrams and drawings to explain how to use the keys to drawing (angles, measuring, proportion, etc.).
AND DON’T FORGET …
Art and Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland
Capra Press. ISBN 0-88496-379-9
Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking. Few books speak so aptly to the artist’s struggles and fears. What is your art really about? Where is it going? What stands in the way of getting there? A must-read for anyone on the artistic path.
Enjoy reading Art and Fear as a regular yearly part of one’s ongoing art education. It is something one never seems to master … however, a community can help, teaching can help, and doing a clean-out of the studio once a year can help, as well as selling some art. Travelling is a good inspiration, decluttering ones life is good, cooking a great meal for several of your loved friends and family is surprisingly most enjoyable in the right frame of mind … and being aware of how grateful you are for being able to do the things in life while you can. Share often and mentor others as it is important to maintain a good generous nature. Some will love you for it and others may not … but always be open and kind. Humble and gratefulness is food for the soul. A hug is nice too!