Heyo, here are a few physical art book recommendations! I handpicked these books and genuinely recommend them.
To be transparent, I am linking amazon affiliate links to these books, which you can get print/ebook edition. Funds will help me continue to run this site and also pay for college!
The library is a fantastic place for books, though for art books, I like to buy them eventually so I can reference them whenever, forever.
Will be updating this post regularly!
Anatomy
Books that I feel contend for the spot of best anatomy book for artists.
- Classic Human Anatomy: The Artist’s Guide to Form, Function, and Movementis awesome! It is so detailed and gives you insertions, origins, etymology of the parts to help you remember them (word roots and also latin names!!), and multiple views. I think Valerie Winslow did an incredible job on organizing the book and drawing out clear and detailed diagrams, and it is definitely worth picking up.
- The Anatomy Coloring Book 4th Edition - actually teaches you medical anatomy, which is really cool. Artists will find the musculoskeletal system section most useful, though the whole book is interesting. I personally recommend photocopying the pages so you can use them again! I am really interested in medicine, and this is one of my favorite books. Kapit and Elson did a great job!
- Andrew Loomis has several awesome books, and I personally like Figure Drawing for All It’s Worth. This book is in the public domain(as are the others), so if you want a PDF version of it, here is where you can find it! A physical copy can be nice though!
Colored Pencil
- The Ultimate Guide To Colored Pencil: Over 40 step-by-step demonstrations for both traditional and watercolor pencils by Gary Greene
- An absolutely fantastic pick. I love his realistic style, clear text, and explanations. There is a mix of useful demonstrations and concepts.
- Colored Pencil Painting Bible: Techniques for Achieving Luminous Color and Ultrarealistic Effects by Alyona Nickelsen
- She writes about pretty unique and lovely tips here.
Pastel
- Painting Animals that Touch the Heart by Lesley Harrison
- She is so talented! Her style is gorgeous and realistic, and her walkthroughs are thorough and explain topics well.
Marker
- Shojo Wonder Manga Art School: Create Your Own Cool Characters and Costumes with Markers by Supittha Bunyapen
- I now mostly aim for a more realistic style, but the tips in this book for coloring are applicable to all types of styles. Her advice is cleanly laid out, and the demos are absolutely gorgeous.
I hope you check out some of these books, they have been helpful resources for me!