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If you are an illustrator or you want to become one, in this post I will show you the top 12 best books about illustration and digital art that will help you to get into this business from the begging to the end at the same time that some of these books are great to learn basic concepts, illustration theory, and techniques useful for beginner illustrators.
But if you are already an advanced illustrator or digital artist on this post you will discover great books that will help you master your skills and find illustration inspiration, so let’s get in and see which are the best books in illustration.
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If you are looking for a book that challenges your every day and develops your creative thinking you should take a look at 365 days of art written by Lorna Scobie and published in 2017 by Hardi Grant Books.
This book has different mini-challenges focused on art that will help you think outside the box and put your artistic skills into practice and make you think, from simple shapes or patterns to calligraphic elements.
Reasons to buy
Author: Lorna Scobie
Publisher: Hardie Grant Books
Year: 2017
If you want to introduce yourself into the illustration business but don’t know where to start I recommend you how to be an illustrator written by Darrel Rees, as it’s considered one of the best books about illustration.
This book is considered the bible of illustrators as it covers the basics, theory, and practice of illustration, but what makes this book so special is that it also covers how to manage to be an illustrator as a job with practical life hacks, how to approach clients, how to make your portfolio to look professional and how to manage your money as a freelance. So this book should be a must-have if you want to be an illustrator.
Reasons to buy
Author: Darrel Rees
Publisher: Laurence King
Year: 2014
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The Picture Book written by Angus Hyland is a complete encyclopedia about contemporary illustration perfect for beginner illustrators looking for inspiration to shape their own style as this book has plenty of examples and beautiful artworks from different creators and illustrators.
Thanks to the number of illustration samples and portfolio ideas this is also a recommended read for more advanced illustrators looking for inspiration for their next artwork. This book also has some design tips and useful practical recommendations.
Reasons to buy
Author: Angus Hyland
Publisher: Laurence King
Year: 2010 Edition
Thinking Visually For Illustrators written by Mark Wigan is a great resource for illustrators and artists that covers different aspects of the business as illustration concepts, techniques and visual languages at the same time that it show you modern illustration examples using these techniques.
This book covers how illustration students and aspiring illustrators make their journey into professional life with great design examples and educators observations, so if you want to stay tuned into contemporary techniques in illustration and basic concepts of illustration you should consider buying this book.
Reasons to buy
Author: Mark Wigan
Publisher: Bloomsbury Visual Arts
Year: 2018
If you have seen my previous post about the best books for graphic design, it’s not the first time I mention Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon, and it’s a must-read book by any illustrator, artist or graphic designer.
This book gives you a different perspective about being an artist with great tips and advice for illustrators and artists, all this content is written in a funny and relaxed narrative being the perfect book for those illustrators looking for a light-hearted read.
Reasons to buy
Author: Austin Kleon
Publisher: Workman Publishing
Year: 2012
How To Draw Cool Stuff by Catherine V Holmes is a complete guide for illustrators on how to draw great artwork from the begging to end with theory, examples, and practice giving you resources and techniques to draw with precision and confidence.
With this amazing illustration book, you will learn how to transform a plain shape into beautiful artwork step-by-step, thanks to its friendly tone and simple language it will make it very easy for everybody to learn illustration essential elements like quality, variety of lines, illustration media, foreshortening technique, and shading.
Reasons to buy
Author: Catherine V Holmes
Publisher: Library Tales Publishing
Year: 2014
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Fundamentals of Character design is a book suited for beginner and advanced illustrators as it will help you to learn everything about character design, being able to create memorable characters from the prototype to the final design.
In this book you will discover all the secrets behind your favorite characters, from the first design and the development of this idea, learning key principles of character design as proportion, shape language, and exaggeration from professional illustrators and character designers.
Reasons to buy
Publisher: 3DTotal Publishing
Year: 2020
In this post, I mostly have shown you books about theory, concepts, techniques about illustration but How To Draw Modern Florals by Alli Koch is a really specific book as it shows you how to draw flowers, leaves, and other wildlife elements.
Despite being a specific book not for everyone, this book is a really interesting guide for an illustrator to master your technique and draw different wildlife elements giving your artwork a breath of life taking care of every small detail. If you want to give your artwork a natural style you definitely should take a look at this book.
Reasons to buy
Author: Alli Koch
Publisher: Paige Tate & Co
Year: 2017
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If you already are into illustration and want to improve your skills, Addictive Sketcher written by artist, teacher and TV presenter Adebanji Aladi is a great read as this book covers the sketching basics, mark-making techniques, and tools as contour, ghosting, and angle.
In this book Alade shows you the core art concepts in illustration as perspective and composition and finished examples, you will also find walkthroughs, photographs and finished art, making this book perfect for artists looking to sketch the world and how to do it with practical tips and illustration concepts.
Reasons to buy
Author: Adebanji Alade
Publisher: Search Press
Year: 2020
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If you are looking for a guide to become an illustrator or how to enter into this world becoming a successful illustrator written by Derek Brazell and Jo Davies is the best book for you as this book has plenty of advice and practical tips for designers looking to enter into illustration.
This book is made for people looking to enter into illustration or boost their careers with inspirational works, it helps you with tips to find work at the same time that it will give you useful tips on how to market your illustrations works and how to run your business.
Reasons to buy
Author: Derek Brazell and Jo Davies
Publisher: Bloomsbury Visual Arts
Year: 2017
If you are already an illustrator or studying it and want a more advanced read focused on technique, Picture This written by Molly Bang is a must-read book for any illustrator as it covers the psychology of image in composition.
This book is perfect to understand how our minds react to different shapes and colors at the same time that learns how to use it, this book also covers the mechanic part of composition and picture design, so if you want to use psychology in your artworks you need to read this book.
Reasons to buy
Author: Molly Bang
Publisher: SeaStar Books
Year: 2001
Another illustration book focused on technique and key principles of drawing every artist should read, Figure Drawing for all It’s Worth written by Andrew Loomis is a great book to learn key principles of illustration and learn fundamental building blocks of illustration.
Maybe you don’t know the name of Andrew Loomis, but for sure you know his art for his unique style as it is a master of figure drawing, and this book is the perfect resource to learn how to figure drawing.
Reasons to buy
Author: Andre Loomis
Publisher: Titan Books
Year: 2011
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With these books, you can start from the beginning and become a professional illustrator step-by-step and master your drawing skills thanks to the advice and design tips of memorable artists and illustrators.
Hope this post helps you discover the best books about illustration and if you want to discover more interesting books about graphic design or color theory you can check these other articles.
If you found this post useful you might like to read these posts about Graphic Design Inspiration.
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