Will Weston Recommended Books for Artists

“I’ve been asked a lot about books lately and this is a response. As I mentioned previously, I draw from my anatomy books when I have a few minutes downtime (not a lot of that lately). It’s relaxing, doesn’t require a lot of thought, and gradually drives the specifics of the human body into your head. I like;

1. Anatomy For Sculptors, (Zarins, Kondrats)
2. Spirit of the Pose (Karl Gnass)
3. Anatomy For the Artist (Morpho)
4. Complete Book of Life Drawing, (Bridgeman) and
5. (Vilppu) Drawing Manual.

I also draw from past masters. I rarely copy their style (don’t with the anatomy books either), but use them as a way to develop my own approach (for those who don’t like the word “style”). This works for any type of drawing. I have books on industrial drawing I’ve sketched from, and just sketching drives those processes into your head as well.

I’m grabbing some time to sketch from my anatomy books. It’s a bit mindless and very relaxing. Here’s a list of what I look at (other than a lot of great artists on Instagram):”

• Anatomy for the Artist: (Jeno Barcsay)
• Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist: (Peck)
• Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters: (Hale)
• Complete Guide to Life Drawing: (Gottfried Bammes)
• Human Anatomy For Artists: (Elliot Goldfinger)
• Figure Drawing For Artists: (Steve Huston)
• Drawing People: (Bradley)