The best drawing books can be a wonderful introduction to the art of drawing and a source of constant inspiration. Both for beginners and experienced pros, they can provide new ideas, reveal new techniques and offer hours of practice. Drawing books can also be a thoughtful gift for anyone interested in illustration and drawing, be it on paper or digital.
Whether you're looking for basic advice and pointers or advanced detailed step-by-step walk throughs on particular subjects or effects, there's bound to be a drawing book for you. With a decade writing about art and design behind us, we've had the opportunity to review lots of titles over the years, and many of our contributors have their own favourites. We've put that knowledge together to create this bumper compilation of the best drawing books that we've used over the years, from longstanding classics to newer publications, which are outlined below in no particular order.
If you're looking for books on other topics to add to your collection, see our pick of the best illustration books. And for more tips and advice, see our selections of how to draw tutorials and sketching tips.
The best drawing books available now
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Best exercises
Publisher and date: Souvenir Press Ltd, 2008
ISBN-10: 0285638386
Some of the best drawing books are those that have been used for decades. First published in 1941, The Natural Way To Draw was compiled by Kimon Nicolaides' students based on his teaching at New York's Art Students' League. He developed a system designed to be followed by anyone. Prescribed reading in many art schools for years, the approach concentrates on mastering the key concepts of contour, gesture, weight and structure, with 64 exercises designed to be completed over a year of practice. It's well illustrated with examples from Old Masters as well as student works. The emphasis is on natural gestures in motion – in humans but also animals. The way It's written may seem antiquated today, but it's a classic, and the fervour of Nicolaides' students comes across.
Best for beginners
Publisher and date: North Light Books, 1990
ISBN-10: 0891343377
If you're starting out, we think the best drawing book for beginners is this classic primer by Bert Dodson. Having illustrated more than 70 children's titles and worked as an animation designer for PBS, Dodson is very much an expert in his field. He also knows how to explain the process of drawing in plain language that anyone can follow. In Keys to Drawing, Bert explains a complete drawing system made up of 55 'keys' to draw any subject with confidence. Along the way, we learn how to free hand action, then control it. We also discover how to restore, focus, map, and intensify; convey the illusions of light, depth, and texture; and stimulate the imagination through "creative play". Plus we get lots of exercises packed in to practice, practice, practice.
Best for core fundamentals
Publisher and date: 3dtotal Publishing, 2013
ISBN-10: 190941400X
A broad understanding of the fundamental concepts, conventions, and theories of art is essential, and this is one of the best drawing books we've found covering these subjects. Compiled by some of the most experienced artists in the games and film industries today, it provides clear overviews of fundamentals like the rule of thirds, rule of odds, Golden Triangle, and Divine Proportions. We learn all about colour and light, perspective and depth, anatomy and portraying emotions. The book also explores the power of storytelling in an image, and how the slightest tilt of an eyebrow can transform happiness into anger, for example. The book was followed by sequel, which you can read about in our Beyond Art Fundamentals review.
Best for portraits
Publisher and date: 3dtotal, 2021
ISBN-10: 1912843390
Artists of any level will be sure to find some useful nuggets in this comprehensive book on creating portraits. It covers all the bases from using references, planning and sketching to in-depth tutorials on full pieces of finished portrait art. The content is clear and detailed, breaking down topics into manageable chunks, so if you want to focus on adding tattoos, scars or jewellery, you can. The layout and flow of the book is fantastic and, while it is clearly aiming to help portrait artists, it will benefit any type of work, covering things like different stroke types and replication of various styles. There's something for everybody, with many useful technical tips and insights to aid in the practicalities and mentality of painting portraits.
Best for character design
Publisher and date: Impact Books, 2019
ISBN-10: 144030081X
Drawing characters can be difficult to master. but this beginner-friendly drawing book by children’s illustrator and character designer Beverly Johnson shows how it’s done. There are chapters on shape language, facial expressions, body language, interactions and more. The book explores character design from every angle and finds refreshing approaches, including an exploration of how settings communicate character. We found the exercises offered plenty of practice to help develop new skills. It's great for beginners but experienced character designers can find interesting tips here. It includes a series of challenges that show how the author solved the brief, allowing you to see theory put into practice.
Best for all ages
Publisher and date: LOM ART, 2022
ISBN-10: 1912785722
Simply Draw by Ella McLean is one of the best drawing books we've come across for beginners, especially for families. It aims to make learning to draw easy by building everything up from very basic shapes. It will be a little bit too basic for some people with more experience, but we found that it provides a fun, accessible introduction to drawing and makes practice fun for all the family. We really enjoy using it and found that we could always build upon the basic shapes presented for more of a challenge. If you've got kids who are interested in learning to draw and you're no expert yourself, this is a lovely way for everyone to get started on the same page.
Best for fantasy
Publisher and date: 3dtotal, 2020
ISBN-10: 978-1-909414-87-7
If you're specifically interested in drawing fantasy creatures, this softcover book will provide a lot of inspiration. It features work by 50 artists from across the field of creature design: from dragons and fairies to mechanical structures and aliens. Each artist offers personal commentary, advice, and tips on drawing techniques and concept design processes. The book shows work in all stages of development, mostly in black and white, with the occasional full-colour illustration. This isn't a tutorial or 'how to' book like the other best drawing books on our list, and there’s no easy way to find a particular subject matter or style (unless you're familiar with the artists). It's more a source of inspiration and ideas. However, the art is made accessible and it's fascinating in its variety. See our full Sketching from the Imagination review for more details.
Best for life drawing
Publisher and date: Search Press, 2013
ISBN-10: 1782217533
"Life drawing is not only about learning to draw the body accurately; it also teaches you to translate our complex three-dimensional world... to the confines of a sheet of paper," says artist Eddie Armer in his Beginner's Guide to Life Drawing. And the book provides some great insights into that over almost 100 pages filled with step-by-step drawings and helpful analysis on the methods used, with insights on tone, line, shade and position. That said, although it's described as a beginner's guide, there's not as much guidance as some complete beginners might like on how to achieve proportion and accurate anatomical shapes if you don't already have some skills of observation and drawing (Draw the rest of the owl, anyone?). For more titles specifically geared towards figure drawings, see our guide to the best figure drawing books.
Best for head and hands
Publisher and date: Titan Books, 2011
ISBN-10: 9780857680976
If you're struggling with the basics of drawing people, it's a good idea to focus on getting the hands and heads right first since these can be the most difficult part. Happily, this drawing book by Andrew Loomis, one of the great commercial illustrators of the 20th century, deals specifically with these two challenges. The head and hands are the most difficult elements in figure drawing, but the author's explanations are detailed and engaging, and his systematic approach will help you understand the principles behind drawing realistic portraits. Despite its age, this has to be the hands-down (pun entirely intended) the best anatomy reference book for newcomers to the field.
Good for portraits
Publisher and date: Rockport Publishers, 2018
ISBN-10: 1631594699
Want to improve your portrait skills? Then this may be one of the best drawing books you could choose. The artist Miss Led (aka Joanna Henly) breaks down the process into manageable, easy-to-understand stages. Aimed at beginners and experienced artists alike, this book provides a solid introduction to portrait drawing techniques, by exploring topics such as expressions and facial structure. The book is full of expert advice and tips and it offers plenty of exercises for readers to put into practice. It isn't heavy on text, and there could be more explanation, but the book covers everything it needs to, leaving space for Miss Led’s stunning art to shine. It's accessible for artists of every skill level.
Best for gestures
Publisher and date: Focal Press, 2009
ISBN-10: 0240810961
Once you've learned to draw still figures, you'll want to bring your drawing to life by capturing gestures accurately and successfully. This book, based on a legendary series of lectures by long-time Disney animator Walt Stanchfield, should help out there. It shows how to add emotions, life and action to your drawings, with a heavy focus on gesture drawing. Don't expect a book filled with finished drawings; this is very much about teaching how to capture the moment. If you're interested in learning how to create drawings with character and flow, this is a must-have reference.
Best for gestures
Publisher and date: TarcherPerigee, 2012
ISBN-10: 1585429201
Technique is one thing, but to become great at drawing, you need to unleash your creativity. This revised 4th edition of one of the best drawing books in history will help you do just that. Author Betty Edwards delivers a lot of interesting concepts as she encourages you to explore creative thinking. She approaches learning how to draw by teaching how to see differently, and explains everything from technique to materials. This revised version includes new research on the brain's plasticity and the value of learning new skills and utilising the right hemisphere of the brain. Art teachers are likely to find this material very useful.
Best for gestures
Publisher and date: Atria Books, 1984
ISBN-10: 0671530771
Marvel is the biggest name in comic art, and no list of the best drawing books would be complete without this fine manual from Stan Lee and John Buscema. As well as figure drawing, it teaches vital lessons on composition, shot selection, perspective, character dynamics, and more. Yes, there are newer and more in-depth books out there, but as big comic book fans, we find this book's lavish, full-colour illustrations make learning to draw a true joy. It's not the most comprehensive guide, but it's a great crash course from two legends in the comics world, with insights into comics theory.
Great for character design
Publisher and date: Design Studio Press, 2017
ISBN-10: 1624650341
Part of learning how to draw is learning to have confidence in your work. Here Stephen Silver, the professional artist behind the character design of shows like Kim Possible, offers guidance, encouragement, and inspiration to help develop your character design. You'll also find easy-to-follow tutorials and drawing techniques. We think Silver's book is one of the best drawing books on character design, and it's as informative as it is beautiful. Information is clearly presented and there are plenty of tips. For added inspiration, see our own roundup of character design tips.
Best for human figures
Publisher and date: TarcherPerigee, 1982
ISBN-10: 9780399507915
Last on our list of the best drawing books, this classic is packed with helpful advice on how to draw human figures. Author Jack Hamm's approach is simpler than that of Andrew Loomis' book (number five on our list) and it contains hundreds of illustrations and offers a clear, step-by-step approach that can help even beginners to draw better and more confidently. Yes, some of the drawings may look a little dated (particularly the hairstyles and clothing!), but we find that adds to the charm. It's a testament to how this excellent primer has stood the test of time.