The web is full of great art resources with access to
so many remarkable free eBooks through organizations like Gutenberg.org,
Archive.org, Open library.org and Google books. These have open the door to a wealth
of information on art and a knowledge base just sitting there waiting to be
explored. I have a real infinity for the older texts, they are an interesting insight
into the process and procedures of our artistic forefathers and our heritage as
artists.
I have listed just a few of what I consider major reads
for an artist. Many are just all time classics like the Andrew Loomis books, Harold
Speed and Alfred East. The others I found particular interesting
as far as being relevant to the practice of classical and representational
painting. But all styles and genres are equally
represented if you spend the time looking through the expanding and expansive
list of titles available.
All of the resources listed offer eBook, PDF, web and
mobile browser reading experiences.
Google Books -
https://www.google.com/googlebooks/about/
Google Books is a searchable digital database that allows
you to build a personal library, offering free books or purchased books that are accessed through your Google account.
Project Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and
archive cultural works, to "encourage the creation and distribution of
eBooks". PG has over 100,000 free eBooks available through their partners,
affiliates and resources. This site is free, offers many languages and operates
on donations.
Archive's motto is “Universal Access to Knowledge.” A digital
library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. It
provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including
websites, music, moving images, and nearly three million public-domain books.
Open Library is another project of the Internet Archive.
The site seeks to include a web database for every book ever published: it
holds 23 million catalog records of books. It also seeks to be a web-accessible
public library: it contains the full texts of about 1,600,000 public domain books
in partnership with over 1,000 library partners from 6 countries. Registration
is free.
Issuu (pronounced 'issue') is a free digital publishing
platform for magazines, catalogs, newspapers and more. As a digital newsstand
with over 18 million publications and 80 million active readers. I wanted to
include this resource because it is really a unique website, started in 2006 it
is a self-publishing website.
The basic service is free. Issuu allows you to publish
books, newsletters, and magazines to a professional looking online magazine
format and distribute your writing to a worldwide audience. There is a lot of
mediocre stuff to wade through, but the gems are worth it.
And here are my favorite and most highly recommended.
The Painter in Oil by Daniel Burleigh Parkhurst
A complete treatise on the principles and technique
necessary to the painting of pictures in oil colors.
One of the most respected books available on painting,
for good reason. One of the most informative books I have read, this book will
enlighten you.
Title: The Painter in Oil
Author: Daniel Burleigh Parkhurst
Publisher: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co. Boston 1898
The Practice and Science of Drawing by Harold Speed
I have mentioned this book before on this blog and truly
consider it and his second book “Oil Painting Techniques and Materials” to be
the most useful and treasured books I own. His second book unfortunately is not available
online, but both are very inexpensive in paperback and I highly recommend them.
Because of their intelligent combination of useful advice and sensitive
reflection on the nature and meaning of artistic practice, Harold Speed's
instructional manuals on drawing and painting have long been considered valuable
resources for artists.
Title: The Practice and Science of Drawing
Author: Harold Speed
Publisher: Dover Publications, Inc New York
Originally published by Seeley Service Ltd. 1927
The Practice of Oil Painting and of Drawing as Associated
with it
By Solomon Joseph Solomon
This instructive volume introduces not only the
techniques of oil painting but also the underlying principles of figure
drawing. Written by a distinguished Pre-Raphaelite painter, portraitist, and
book illustrator. A recent re-issued by Dover books and with a foreword by
James Gurney proves this book to be ageless classic to those that want to
understand fundamental and traditional painting procedures.
Title: The Practice of Oil Painting and of Drawing as
Associated with it
Author: Solomon Joseph Solomon
Publishers: Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Co.
London: Seely & Co. Ltd. 1910
The Elements of Drawing, in Three Letters to Beginners by
John Ruskin
John Ruskin, English author, art critic, draughtsman, watercolorist,
a prominent social thinker and philanthropist. The book walks you through a
series of exercises beginning with a dip pen and ink and later moving to pencil
and watercolor. I particularly like emphasis on Sketching from Nature (life)
and the study of nature. The illustrations are pretty sparse but the online
teaching collection more than offsets the study of his writings.
Title: The Elements of Drawing, in Three Letters to
Beginners by John Ruskin
Author: Ruskin, John, 1819-1900
Subject: Drawing
Publisher: London Waverley Book Co 1920 edition
The First Edition was published in 1857
The Elements of Drawing
John Ruskin's Teaching Collection At Oxford
John Ruskin assembled 1470 diverse works of art for use
in the Drawing School he founded at Oxford in 1871. They included drawings by himself and other
artists, prints and photographs. These
were arranged in series and placed in special cabinets. All of which is
view-able online through an interactive. The Elements of Drawing website provides a visual
interface to Ruskin's Teaching Collection, uniting his catalogue, comments and
instructions to his students with modern curatorial information about each
object.
The Art of Landscape Painting in Oil Colour by Alfred
East
Sir Alfred Edward East - His romantic landscapes show the
influence of the Barbizon school. His book The Art of Landscape Painting in Oil
Colour was published in 1906. And is another re-released classic that is available
in the public domain, basically this is a solid book on the techniques of
painting landscapes. But the writing has a interesting tone to it as written
by a man inspired by nature. As I read this book I could not help but think how
much of what he wrote in 1905 is echoed by writers today.
Title: The Art of Landscape Painting in Oil Colour
Author: Sir Alfred Edward East
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. B. Lippincott Co. 1910
Fun with a Pencil Andrew Loomis By Andrew Loomis
Andrew Loomis wrote several great instructional books but I choose to put
“Fun with a Pencil” up first because, well it’s just fun. All of Loomis’s books
are like that - great information, clear and visual demonstrations and fun.
Best way to learn anything. This is still probably my favorite book on drawing,
I loved it as a kid and back in the day,… when I was in school studying illustration, Andrew Loomis books were essential in the education of every commercial
artist and fine artist. Loomis wrote six major instructional books and many
step by steps books on painting and drawing with
Walter Foster art books. Even with the lightness to the writing in his books they are filled with practical and serious
information for the artist. His “Book Eye of the Painter” I feel is his most
important work.
William Andrew Loomis (1892–1959), better known simply as
Andrew Loomis, was an American illustrator, author, and art instructor. His
commercial work was featured prominently in advertising and magazines; however,
Loomis is best known as author a series of instructional art books printed
throughout the 20th century. Long after his death, Loomis' realistic style has
continued to influence popular artists.
Title: Fun with a Pencil
Author: William Andrew Loomis
Publisher: The Viking Press 1939
Loomis books are in a variety of places online, but all
six of his titles can be found at
Issuu is a different type of resource, certainly a more
tech savvy and sophisticated format. It has virtual touch, where you turn
pages and has high res imagery, making it a good format for visual artist. There is such a variety of publications, you will find
yourself wading into a major time sink.
But certainly some great books and publications of interest
to the artist are here. Classical Drawing Atelier: A Contemporary Guide to
Traditional Studio Practice by Juliette Aristides, a great book found here.
And definitely do not forget the resources available
through
Blogger, visit the site of fellow art –bloggers in my side bar and add
them to your reading list. The collaborating
and sharing resources online are constantly expanding, what the future brings
will be interesting. Please join and support
Creative Commons and help keep
free access and share your knowledge and creativity with the world.
Explore - Question - Learn - Enjoy, Jim
