Discover our expert guide with the best books for artists to inspire and hone your creative process. Expand your artistic knowledge today and learn new skills.

Artists are real-life magicians who breathe life into simple canvasses. So, it’s unsurprising for them to be eager to be more. They want to be more creative, more innovative, and more insightful. All to create pieces that stir something in their viewers. To do so makes their art worthwhile.

Despite the stimulating appeal of being an artist, it’s not just about innate talent and endless enthusiasm. To be an artist is a nuanced statement. One needs to be brilliant not only in artistic expression but also in the ethical, legal, and vendible sense. If you’re interested in this topic, you’ll like our round-up of essays about art.

1. Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking by David Bayles and Ted Orland

Aside from urging artists to create, authors David Bayles and Ted Orland also explore hindrances to art creation. These experts draw from their personal experiences and acquaint the readers with their artmaking processes. Check it out on Amazon; click here.

“Training prepares you for a job; an education prepares you for life.”

David Bayles and Ted Orland, Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking

2. Art, Inc.: The Essential Guide for Building Your Career as an Artist by Lisa Congdon

Many believe that to be an artist means starving for your passion. Debunking this notion is Lisa Congdon’s Art, Inc.: The Essential Guide for Building Your Career as an Artist book. You can stay true to your passion and still earn a living. This isn’t your ordinary instructional book that teaches proper shading or proportions. Art, Inc. aims to help artists succeed by offering business practices that will make it possible to keep doing their art in the long run.

It’s a book any artist can use to turn their art into something that can support them financially. It also contains discussions between working artists that readers can use as a career guide. Check it out on Amazon; click here.

“One of the most exciting parts about being an artist is watching your body of work grow.”

Lisa Congdon, Art, Inc.: The Essential Guide for Building Your Career as an Artist

3. Art/Work: Everything You Need to Know (And Do) As You Pursue Your Art Career by Heather Darcy Bhandari

For those serious about their art career, Art/Work: Everything You Need to Know (And Do) As You Pursue Your Art Career is an invaluable read. It’s a comprehensive guide on the legal and business side of being an artist.

It teaches readers indispensable lessons to avoid getting taken advantage of. The book also has an updated version that addresses modern art marketing, laws, and correspondence. Check it out on Amazon; click here.

“If you want to buck the system, go right ahead. Do the wrong thing. Do your thing. Just do it on purpose, not by accident, and know why you’re doing it.”

Heather Darcy Bhandari, Art/Work: Everything You Need to Know (And Do) As You Pursue Your Art Career

4. The Artists’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron

The Artists’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity proves one thing: everyone is an artist. Through this literature, anyone is assured they can be the artist they aspire to be. Julia Cameron packed the book with fill-in-the-blank tasks, lists, and other exercises to assist the readers in moving forward.

By reading the book, artists who are in a slump or dealing with problem areas are ushered to rediscover their creativity. After all, talent alone isn’t enough to be an artist. One needs to be confident and constantly learning. Check it out on Amazon; click here.

“Remember that in order to recover as an artist, you must be willing to be a bad artist. Give yourself permission to be a beginner.”

Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way

5. Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad by Austin Kleon

Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad underscores the reality that creativity is inconsistent. For artists, staying creative is a job in and of itself. So, in his book, Austin Kleon compiles ways artists can get back to their grooves.

Artists looking for a quick but inspirational read should check out this book. Although short, it’s still a practical guide with tips and routines readers can apply to their own artistic journey. Check it out on Amazon; click here.

“Every day is like a blank page: When you’re finished filling it, you can save it, you can crumple it up, or you can slide it into the recycling bin and let it be. Only time will tell you what it was worth.“

Austin Kleon, Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad

6. The Artist’s Guide: How to Make a Living Doing What You Love by Jackie Battenfield

Another worth-reading guidebook is The Artist’s Guide: How to Make a Living Doing What You Love. Besides being an artist inspired by natural forces, Jackie Battenfield is also an author and teacher. With her accumulated insights through the years, she published a comprehensive guide for artists to have stable careers in visual arts.

The book is akin to a manual with informative step-by-step exercises and illustrations. It also lays out real-life examples and strategies in professional networking and marketing. Check it out on Amazon; click here.

“Just as you would when making a new work of art, don’t ask for help or seek the judgment of others. You don’t want to be subjected to another person’s limitations or expectations.”

Jackie Battenfield, The Artist’s Guide: How to Make a Living Doing What You Love

7. I’ll Run Till the Sun Goes Down: A Memoir About Depression and Discovering Art by David Sandrum

In I’ll Run Till the Sun Goes Down: A Memoir About Depression and Discovering Art, David Sandrum shares his seemingly perfect life and the constant darkness that looms around the corner. Eventually, Sandrum fell into it, and only a visit to Norway’s Munch Museum saved him.

Artists will relate to this artist’s life depicted on paper. Accompanying Sandrum’s story is his and other artists’s paintings and drawings. This heart-wrenching book reminds readers of just how powerful art can be. For some, it can be a second chance at life. Check it out on Amazon; click here.

“It was a fact of life that you had to fight to become something.”

David Sandrum, I’ll Run Till the Sun Goes Down: A Memoir About Depression and Discovering Art

8. Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear strips art as a medium to express and connect to others. Elizabeth Gilbert manages to talk to the readers in a straightforward manner without the illusion of grandiose or detailed research. Instead, she simply urges readers to create art for the sake of creating it.

The book celebrates art as a field worthy of dedication. At the same time, it reminds artists that it’s also something that they should enjoy without fear of failure or holding anything back. Check it out on Amazon; click here.

“A creative life is an amplified life. It’s a bigger life, a happier life, an expanded life, and a hell of a lot more interesting life. Living in this manner — continually and stubbornly bringing forth the jewels that are hidden within you — is a fine art, in and of itself.”

Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

9. Design as Art by Bruno Munari

Picasso once called Bruno Munari the “New Leonardo Da Vinci,” — and for good reason. His book, Design as Art, is a testament to his skills as a graphic designer. He makes art from still-life objects, effectively broadening artists’ cognizance of the world around them so they can use this awareness in their art.

This book deserves a space on every artist’s bookshelf as it’s an enlightening work on designs and fine art. It’s also chaptered and digestible for casual reading. Check it out on Amazon; click here.

“When the objects we use every day and the surroundings we live in have become in themselves a work of art, then we shall be able to say that we have achieved a balanced life.”

Bruno Munari, Design as Art

10. Seeing Is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees: A Life of Contemporary Artist Robert Irwin by Lawrence Weschler

Seeing Is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees: A Life of Contemporary Artist Robert Irwin features how Irwin seamlessly integrates his pieces with the natural world as if they had always been a part of it. It talks of the artist’s creative process, how ideas are turned into physical expressions and devotion to unifying the natural and contemporary art world.

Irwin is one of the most celebrated artists with how he can manipulate space and light. He changes his art viewers’ perception by creating “invisible,” unreproducible art, making them realize that the natural world around us is fundamentally art by and of itself. Every artist aspiring to use art as Irwin does would do well to get acquainted with this book. Check it out on Amazon; click here.

“Irwin felt that a photograph would capture none of what the painting was about and everything that it was not about. That is, a photograph could convey image but not presence.”

Lawrence Weschler, Seeing Is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees: A Life of Contemporary Artist Robert Irwin

11. Modern Printmaking: A Guide to Traditional and Digital Techniques by Sylvie Covey

Modern Printmaking: A Guide to Traditional and Digital Techniques, as its name suggests, covers a wide range of printmaking processes. It includes updated conventional, digital, and even specialized techniques. Check out our articles about art.

It gives the spotlight to both familiar and unfamiliar artists and showcases their experimental and innovative works. In doing so, the book offers fresh outlooks on various methods and results. It helps sharpen readers’ acumen in the art of printmaking. Check it out on Amazon; click here.

“I love the process, and I love the sense of expectation as a print is revealed.”

Sylvie Covey, Modern Printmaking: A Guide to Traditional and Digital Techniques

12. The Story of Art Without Men by Katy Hessel

The Story of Art Without Men puts female artists throughout history at the forefront. Filled with paintings, murals, and other art photos printed on quality paper, this literature makes for a great coffee table book. Although the pages are a feast for the eyes, they also introduce women artists from the 1500s to today.

Artists who want to learn more than the usual Leonardo Da Vinci or Van Gogh will be pleased with this 500-page book. After all, a unique perspective on what makes art as it is today makes curious minds more creative. Check it out on Amazon; click here.

“Women artists are not a trend,“

Katy Hessel, The Story of Art Without Men

13. Art Hiding in Paris: An Illustrated Guide to the Secret Masterpieces of the City of Light by Lori Zimmer

Lori Zimmer, author of Art Hiding in New York, presents another book, Art Hiding in Paris: An Illustrated Guide to the Secret Masterpieces of the City of Light. Unlike usual works highlighting prominent creatives, it shifts the readers’ focus on non-conspicuous items and their relation with Paris’ history of art. It’s a perfect guide for artists who want to uncover obscure art in the City of Light.

The art book is made more immersive by Maria Krasinski’s illustrations. Through it, you can step into Picasso’s Grand Studio, feel Marc Chagall’s dedication in the Ceiling of the Paris Opera House, and many more. Check it out on Amazon; click here.

“[We are] standing in the middle of a major art movement [which] is a rarity in history.”

Lori Zimmer, Art Hiding in Paris: An Illustrated Guide to the Secret Masterpieces of the City of Light

14. Art Criticism Online: A History by Charlotte Frost

If you have ever wondered how art critics judged art before the rise of social media, then you should read Art Criticism Online: A History. It’s a nuanced documentation of how art criticism evolved and what factors affected its transformation.

Penned by Charlotte Frost, the Executive Director of London’s Furtherfield Center, the book dives into art criticism’s history, practices, and effects. Check it out on Amazon; click here.

“Art criticism is already a somewhat ephemeral form, produced largely for newspapers and art magazines. Online, however, it becomes arguably even more fragile as waves of technical innovation wash away its traces.”

Charlotte Frost, Art Criticism Online: A History

15. How to Draw: Drawing and Sketching Objects and Environments From Your Imagination by Scott Robertson and Thomas Bertling

Perhaps one of the most recommended books not only on Amazon but other online platforms is How to Draw: Drawing and Sketching Objects and Environments From Your Imagination. Although it’s aimed at designers, architects, and professional artists, it’s also helpful for beginners. Readers are offered an opportunity similar to attending art school with the authors’ 26 years of experience.

Many agree that it’s a must-have for improving your art. The book has everything you need to learn about technical perspective. It even has a phone application. The app can scan pages of the book to play videos for further learning. Check it out on Amazon; click here.

“Drawing is almost a magical power… You can inspire others with something as simple as a pen and a napkin!”

Scott Robertson and Thomas Bertling, How to Draw: Drawing and Sketching Objects and Environments From Your Imagination

If you’re interested in Philosophy, check out our round-up of the best philosophy books!