Favorite Books

(If a title contains a link, it will take you to a review I've written on this blog or published on Amazon.com.)

Drawing, Sketching, Urban Sketching

The World of Urban Sketching, Stephanie Bower

Spotlight on Nature, Virginia Hein and Gail Wong

Every Person in New York, Jason Polan

Color First, Ink Later, Mike Daikubara

Understanding Light, Katie Woodward

Sketching Techniques for Artists, Alex Hillkurtz

Portrait Revolution, Julia L. Kay

Techniques for Beginners: How to Build a Practice for Sketching on Location, Suhita Shirodkar
People of the 21st Century, Hans Eijkelboom
Working with Color, Shari Blaukopf
Essential Techniques of Landscape Drawing, Suzanne Brooker
5-Minute Sketching -- Animals and Pets, Gary Geraths
5- Minute Sketching -- Landscapes, Virginia Hein
Dare to Sketch: A Guide to Drawing on the Go, Felix Scheinberger
Sketch Now, Think Later: Jump into Urban Sketching with Limited Time, Tools, and Techniques, Mike Daikubara
5-Minute Sketching -- People: Super-quick Techniques for Amazing Drawings, Pete Scully
5-Minute Sketching -- Architecture: Super-quick Techniques for Amazing Drawings, Liz Steel
Understanding Perspective: Easy Techniques for Mastering Perspective Drawing on Location, Stephanie Bower
Sketching People: An Urban Sketcher's Manual to Drawing Figures and Faces, Lynn Chapman
The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling, John Muir Laws
Impressions of Wine Country, Richard Sheppard
Creative Sketching Workshop, Pete Scully
Archisketcher - Drawing Buildings, Cities and Urban Landscapes, Simone Ridyard
Lapin au Japon, Lapin
The Urban Sketching Handbook: People and Motion - Tips and Techniques for Drawing on Location, Gabriel Campanario
The Urban Sketcher: Techniques for Seeing and Drawing on Location, Marc Taro Holmes
The Urban Sketching Handbook: Architecture and Cityscapes – Tips and Techniques for Drawing on Location, Gabriel Campanario
Urban Sketching the Freedom Trail, Mike Daikubara
Urban Sketching: The Complete Guide to Techniques, Thomas Thorspecken
Urban Watercolor Sketching – a Guide to Drawing, Painting and Storytelling in Color, Felix Scheinberger
Sketch Your World, James Hobbs
Sketching on Location, Matthew Brehm
Drawing Around Sagrada Familia, Nina Johansson
 Freehand Drawing & Discovery: Urban Sketching and Concept Drawing for Designers, James Richards
The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds, John Muir Laws

Classic Human Anatomy: The Artist’s Guide to Form, Function, and Movement, Valerie L. Winslow
Sketching, Alwyn Crawshaw
Expressive Figure Drawing: New Materials, Concepts and Techniques, Bill Buchman
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, Betty Edwards

One Drawing a Day, Veronica Lawlor
Drawing Lab for Mixed-Media Artists, Carla Sonheim
Drawing from Within: Unleashing Your Creative Potential, Nick Meglin
The Art of Urban Sketching, Gabriel Campanario
Contemporary Drawing, Margaret Davidson
Drawing with Children and Drawing for Older Children & Teens, Mona Brookes
Keys to Drawing, Bert Dodson
Keys to Drawing with Imagination, Bert Dodson
Mastering Sketching: A Complete Course in 40 Lessons, Judy Martin
The Tao of Sketching: The Complete Guide to Chinese Sketching Techniques, Qu Lei Lei
Sketchbook for the Artist, Sarah Simblet
Fast Sketching Techniques, David Rankin
Watercolor Journeys, Richard Schilling
Sketching People, Jeff Mellem
Your Sketchbook, Your Self, Felicity Allen
A Pacific Northwest Nature Sketchbook, Jude Siegel

Art Journals

An Illustrated Journey: Inspiration from the Private Art Journals of Traveling Artists, Illustrators and Designers, by Danny Gregory
The Art of Travel with a Sketchbook, by Mari Le Glatin Keis
The Journal Junkies Workshop: Visual Ammunition for the Art Addict, Eric Scott and David Modler
A Trail Through Leaves, Hannah Hinchman

A Life in Hand: Creating the Illuminated Journal, Hannah Hinchman
Keeping a Nature Journal: Discover a Whole New Way of Seeing the World Around You, Clare Walker Leslie and Charles E. Roth
Artist’s Journal Workshop, Cathy Johnson
The Art Journal Workshop, Traci Bunkers
Art at the Speed of Life, Pam Carriker
Drawing from Life: The Journal as Art, Jennifer New
Drawn In: A Peek into the Inspiring Sketchbooks of 44 Fine Artists, Illustrators, Graphic Designers, and Cartoonists, Julia Rothman
Journal Spilling: Mixed Media Techniques for Free Expression, Diana Trout
Sketchbooks: The Hidden Art of Designers, Illustrators and Creatives, Richard Brereton
The Journey is the Destination: The Journals of Dan Eldon
Artists’ Journals and Sketchbooks – Exploring and Creating Personal Pages, Lynn Perrella
The Diary of Frieda Kahlo
Create Your Own Artist’s Journal, Erin O’Toole
An Illustrated Life: Drawing Inspiration from the Private Sketchbooks of Artists, Illustrators and Designers, Danny Gregory
The Decorated Page: Journals, Scrapbooks, and Albums Made Simply Beautiful, Gwen Diehn
The Decorated Journal: Creating Beautifully Expressive Journal Pages, Gwen Diehn
Real Life Journals, Gwen Diehn
Creating Sketchbooks for Embroiderers and Textile Artists, Kay Greenlees
Creative Wildfire: An Introduction to Art Journaling - Basics and Beyond, L.K. Ludwig
Graphic: Inside the Sketchbooks of the World’s Great Graphic Designers

Mixed Media and Specific Materials

Exploring Color Workshop, Nita Leland

Quick & Clever Watercolor Pencils, Charles Evans
Pencil Art Workshop, Matt RotaThe Colored Pencil: Key Concept for Handling the Medium, Bet Borgeson
Masters: Collage

Collage: The Making of Modern Art, Brandon Taylor
The Mixed Media Source Book, Sean Dye
Mixed Media Collage, Holly Harrison
Collage Lab, Bee Shay
Introduction to Mixed Media, Michael Wright
Collage Techniques, Gerald Bromme
Collage Discovery Workshop, Claudine Hellmuth
Collage, Colour and Texture in Painting, Mike Bernard and Robin Capon
Water, Paper, Paint: Exploring Creativity with Watercolor and Mixed Media, Heather Smith Jones
Watercolor Pencil Magic, Cathy Johnson
Print and Stamp Lab, Traci Bunkers
Painting Accessible Abstracts, Laura Reiter
Surface Treatment Workshop, Darlene Olivia McElroy and Sandra Duran Wilson
Rethinking Acrylic, Patti Brady

Journal Writing

Leaving a Trace – on Keeping a Journal: The Art of Transforming a Life into Stories, Alexandra Johnson

Writing Away: A Creative Guide to Awakening the Journal-Writing Traveler, Lavinia Spalding
Globejotting – How to Write Extraordinary Travel Journals, Dave Fox
Keeping a Journal You Love, Sheila Bender
Keeping Time: 150 Years of Journal Writing, Mary Azrael and Kendra Kopelke

General Art and Creativity

The Creative Habit – Learn it and Use it for Life, Twyla Tharp

Art and Fear – Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking, David Bayles and Ted Orland
The Creative License: Giving Yourself Permission to be the Artist You Truly Are, Danny Gregory
365: A Daily Creativity Journal, Noah Scalin
Art from Intuition: Overcoming Your Fears and Obstacles to Making Art, Dean Nimmer
Expressive Drawing, Steve Aimone