My Favorite Art Books As A SELF TAUGHT Artist!

I've collected quite a few art books over the past few years, but let's talk about my absolute favorites as a self taught artist! Want a website to sell your art? Visit squarespace.com/kelseyrodriguez to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code KELSEYRODRIGUEZ
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Art books are a super reliable way for self taught artists to learn advanced art techniques and often include incredibly detailed, thorough explanations of complex topics that are hard to grasp just from KZbin videos, where you're being shown ads and sponsors and suggested videos to watch next.
The best art books out there also usually include exercises and actionable tips to improve, something that's helped me a TON to grow my skills over time!
🎨 ART BOOKS MENTIONED 🎨 (affiliate links!)
* These affiliate links help support the channel at no extra cost to you and whenever possible link to Bookshop . org which supports independent bookstores all across the United States!!
○ My ENTIRE art book collection*: bookshop.org/lists/my-art-boo...
○The Artists's Way by Julia Cameron: bookshop.org/a/81171/97801431...
○ 30 Day Sketchbook Project by @minniesmall : bookshop.org/a/81171/97816456...
○ Mastering Composition by Ian Roberts: amzn.to/3TtmIz9
○ Landscape Painter's Workbook by Mitchell Albala: bookshop.org/a/81171/97807603...
○ The Style of Loish: bookshop.org/a/81171/97819128...
○ Color and Light by James Gurney: bookshop.org/a/81171/97807407...
○ Color and Light by 3DTotal: bookshop.org/a/81171/97819128...
○ Oil Painter's Color Handbook: bookshop.org/a/81171/97815809...
○ Alla Prima II by Richard Schmid: amzn.to/3USvIPM
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⚙️ TIMESTAMPS ⚙️
00:00 Books on mindset and inspiration
02:47 Books on composition
06:50 Books on color
10:30 The MVP of Art Books
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[@KelseyRodriguez]

Art books are my favorite thing to splurge on hehe. If you're interested in checking out my entire collection, I've added most of them to this list here: bookshop.org/shop/kelseyrodriguez I have an affiliate relationship with Bookshop.org FYI, and will make 10% of your purchase as a commission at no extra cost to you. Their profits help support independent bookstores all across the US, so it's a far better option than giving more money to Bezos lol

[@art_wisdom]

Nice video!

[@Larindarr]

I would love to hear your perspective on art composition. As every artist has a different tailored approach to it based on their style and objective I always find ti fascinating to hear the perspectives of artists on composition. It is a vital skill that for artists it may seem too obvious and hence it is not as spoken about. But for people who are genuinely interested to just curious it can be valuable insight. Just my personal opinion as always thank you for your effort and keep going🙌🏻

[@doorran]

My mother was self taught til she was 16... She took art from that point into college. she ended up working for Walt Disney.. she did work on cartoon movies.. Sleeping Beauty was the last I remember. She also did shorts for the Mickey Mouse Club. After she retired to have a family, she continued to paint.. she was good with oil.. but she liked pastel the most. She died a few years ago. I never really got any training from her. I wish I had.. but maybe with some books I can improve and keep her memory alive.

[@Muhammed.Yaseen]

Woww what a story 🥺 Dunno why. Really touched me. ❤

[@KlearChristal]

This is such a beautiful read. I'm sorry for your loss.

[@timdanyo898]

"The Artist's Way" is really good to get over the psychological barriers that can keep so many people from becoming pro artists or pursuing art and creativity as some form of expression outlet. I still do morning pages after 5 years. Now it's a mixture of writing out my prayers and morning pages.

[@piyush6516]

Thanks, Kelsey for deciding to create a KZbin channel and sharing your books and experience overall with us. You made the right decision back then.

[@heatherinde]

For a period of two years I once lived less than a 5 minute walk from a bookstore with a great art books selection. It was the most temptation I ever had to face. Thanks for sharing your favorites (some of our favorites overlap I think) and if I were to recommend a book to you, assuming you don’t already have it, it would be James Gurney’s other book Imaginative Realism. It might not be incredibly useful to a landscape oil painter but there is so much wonderfully explained art theory in there.

[@KelseyRodriguez]

it's on my wishlist for sure! thanks for watching as always Heather, it's always nice to read your comments

[@cute-pat00t]

I picked up Color and Light (pickard not gurney) and I’m 50 pages in and it’s completely rocking my world. Every page I feel my brain gain another wrinkle 😂. Digital/hybrid artists NEED to check out this book

[@Blick_Art]

This is an excellent reading list for artists of any level of aspiration! We love that you touch on color theory and composition so often- those subjects are hard for artists to engage on their own. With these titles, you could really get as in-depth as you want, but even casual pleasure painters can benefit enormously from books like these!

[@splendidcyan]

Yooo was so cool to see you and I have some shared books, even though I'm primarily a digital character artist, and you a traditional landscape artist. The Style of Loish, Gurney's Color and Light, and Minnie Small's books are all lovely. SUPER agree that I wish I could frame Loish's book! I'd adore to see a full book collection video, even if you had to separate it out into smaller, themed, videos or if it's one big marathon. My recommendation for any working artist is "What They Don't Teach In Art School" by Will Terry-- it goes over freelancing, portfolios, networking, and branding, as well as having some interviews from other working illustrators. I'm angling to work in the entertainment industry and haven't broken in yet, but it's so nice having this like pep talk on the industry and making things easier on your journey :)

[@sampancisco4931]

I'd love to see and listen to your full collection. This was fun and you recommended some books I've not heard of before, thank you.

[@kalilavalezina]

I absolutely could watch an hour or more of you talking about your art books. I'm off to buy some now!

[@benebee1]

I would love to see your art book collection. That sounds great to me. I hope you do that video sometime. I know longer videos take more time and work.

[@divinencounters]

The Artists Way is a life changing book! You’ve recommended a lot of good books I’m going to check out

[@bubblesppgz11]

Ooooo these sound really informative, definitely adding these to my shopping list lol !

[@Creative_BOI]

Your videos are always so inspirational and educational!! Thank you so much!! And I would absolutely love to see a complete art book video, I love seeing and learning about new art books!

[@MaxBoffo]

I love this book! I did the free-writing exercises for a while, and they helped me out a LOT! :)

[@d.o.nmuzic3802]

I’m really growing to love your content. You share a lot. But I also get a lot of ideas just listening to you discuss different topics. Thank You 🙏🏾

[@albertstickle75]

Kelsey loved the book you suggested. Can't wait to dive deeper into them

[@scarabocchia]

I love books and I have lots of them too! I hope you do more videos like this one, the selection is excellent, makes me want to flip through them all :)

[@user-iv4fs2ch2u]

Perfect timing, since I'm already shopping for everyone else's Christmas gifts. Gotta love those savings! Love your content. You're a wonderfully skilled and dedicated artist, and a really beautiful woman to boot. Your are very inspiring and helpful!

[@cozyminouk]

Loved this! I’m always on the lookout for great resources to improve my art 😊 thanks for sharing your thoughts and recommendations 💛

[@maryniaharris316]

Really enjoyed this video! Always looking for art book recommendations to add to my library. You mentioned a few I’ve read & loved, so I trust your recommendations! Gonna add some of these to my list!

[@ziel_ona]

I'm adding some of these books to my wishlist :D A few months ago I bought my first art book "Color and Light" by James Gurney. I'm rather a beginner, I mean I don't have any art education nor a lot of practice, but this book helped me so much! I've been fascinated by color and light around me for some time now and having it all explained so well and in such an inspiring manner was amazing. I've noticed that now I'm painting in a more intentional way and I understand what I'm doing instead of just going with my gut feeling. I'll definitely read it again and again as I progress in my art journey :)

[@cinderbonetattoo]

I’ve just recently been thinking about it getting some art books now that I’m taking my art very seriously! This video came right in time :)

[@sorayaedwards295]

OMG was waiting for this video. Thanks so much for sharing. Sending you lots of love from the Caribbean❤

[@atelierarenas]

Thank you Kelsey! 😊 I'm going to buy mastering composition because even after all these years of sculpting, I need the help 😉 I love the way the light is shining in your table too and the books.

[@CocoBytes64]

I absolutely love artbooks whether it be concept art or educational! One of my favorite things to collect!

[@maraeamills2082]

This is definitely a video I'll be coming back to when im buying my next art books, the 'oil painters handbook' looks REALLY helpful.

[@faunaonpaper]

OMG I need them all 😅Thank you so much Kelsey for sharing! 💗💗

[@maddgenta8467]

Yay this is great! I’m always looking for new books! Thank you for sharing! 😄💕

[@strangefingerart4699]

Please create more art book videos, I bet you have an interesting library. I would be interested in seeing ALL of your books.

[@toddnorman]

also obsessed with art books, just found your channel and love it!

[@saiferayo1]

PLEASE show us all your art books! I am an art book enthusiast and bibliophile and would love to see what else I'm missing out on. I'll definitely be getting some of the selection you showcased here. Thank you for this video!

[@troygoggans5495]

Kelsey good to see your smiling face and being positive. I was not sure after seeing a video you made about senseless comments you were receiving. good for you!

[@stevesloan5935]

Wow! I enjoyed your choice of art books and your opinions very much. A quality instructional book distills many years of learning, and having a recommendation from another artist whose opinion you respect further distills the choices for even greater benefit. I think you should present other of your favorite books in a series of segments rather than all at once.

[@adamstephenson9011]

Thank you! Fellow artist orignally from Alabama here, I started following you when I heard you talking about your experience growing up there. Mine was similar. Cheers!

[@crashingpuppets5935]

Good vibes. Feels good to just chill out with you and these books to get creative 🐬

[@gnostie]

This is such a nice video! Would love to see your entire art book collection.

[@anul6460]

I read and did the entire course last year🤩. After the course I studied basics of graphic design but realized this year that I'd love to draw and sing 😍 I highly recommend the book.

[@raeclairdeluneart]

Ooohhh, these books look really great. I'm writing them down. Thank you so much for this! I'm relearning art so this is really helpful. 💕

[@jbkhan1135]

Great tips! Will look into these, thank you!!

[@aysyalaladzhova1502]

Hey Kelsey, I am currently looking for useful art books and these look great! Please make a video for your full book collection it will be veryyy useful for me! Thank you so much ❤️❤️❤️

[@bazutaartstudio]

Thanks for sharing theses. I'm going to have to add a few to my Christmas wish list :)

[@kafan439]

The James Gurney book is so comprehensive. Really surprising how thorough it is. It's not just a catalog of his works though it easily could have been. A true art instructional book that doesn't skimp on examples that are fun and fantastic.

[@krzysztofmathews738]

Some good recommendations there. The Gurney book in particular has become one of those "Top Ten must-have" references from just about everyone I respect. I've heard excellent things about that composition book as well.

[@Traveller.Indigo]

Very helpful per usual, thank you for making this vid!👍

[@AwakenedCreators]

The Artists Way is tops! Julia Cameron is who I aspire to! Also, I really enjoyed The Yin and Yang of Painting to understand color theory a lot deeper, almost spiritual level.

[@dawdlingcahoot]

great video and well timed !! thank you for this list of books, finally an answer to my fam of 'what I'd like for Christmas' lol

[@nooralaa803]

i really enjoyed this video and I'd love seeing a video of your entire collection that would be amazing!

[@laura_z26]

Thank you so much! I was looking for something like this🙏

[@bethn2836]

Aw yes, Richard Schmid’s “Alla Prima.” Pretty much my portrait painting class in university was “how to paint like Richard Schmid 101.” 😂 That’s how much we discussed and analyzed his work and techniques. If you want to be a traditional realist, especially with a focus on portraits and figures, then learning from Richard Schmid is a great way to go.

[@JCarrera27]

Definitely show the whole collection 🔥

[@ArtByKels]

These books looks interesting to look into to add on to my art books collection 😊

[@robertmac7833]

I really like your channel! I’ve been binge watching! I’m an older man. When I was a boy, I used to draw all the time. Now I’m older, but I’m inspired to begin again. I was extremely inspired recently when I ran across the work of John Sloane. His work blew me away! Transported me to another world! Whatever he is doing to create that beauty is what I want to do! Not that I want to COPY him, but it’s a good starting point for me. I mean we all need a launching point, right? I’ve looked very closely at his works, even using a magnifying glass, but I can’t figure out what medium he is using! I suspect it’s colored pencils, but I truly have no idea. I only know I love the final result. So easy on the eye! Can you help me? Could you look at his works and take an educated guess what medium he uses to paint (or draw) those lovely rural scenes?? This would be a great help as far as what materials I am investing my money in, because I live on social security.

[@tthomas184]

I've never heard of him, but looked him up. His type of paintings are not the kind that usually appeal to me, but I have to say, they are exceptionally well done. Many are quite beautiful in color and composition. I can see why you use a magnifying glass, as his attention to detail is amazing. I was struck by how he paints the shapes of every leaf in trees. That takes not just high level skill, but abundant patience as well. He is well past a skill level a beginner would be able to emulate, as it takes many years of learning and practice to reach such a level. I was not able to determine what medium he works in, as he doesn't say. It is definitely not colored pencil. My best guess would be oil paint, but I've seen people do paintings like his in Acrylic too. Don't invest much until you know what you like! Keep it simple. I'd recommend you go on Amazon, and buy a basic inexpensive set of acrylic paint, which cleans in water, and dries quickly, which is good for a beginner. Their are also inexpensive sets of colored pencil too, if you think you might enjoy that. Colored pencils don't require any set up like acrylic you just take them out and draw. They are good for beginners too. Don't expect to achieve anywhere near the level of realism John Sloane does. Just try to capture the feeling, and enjoy yourself.

[@strawberrycola39]

Great and straightforward video. Thank you so much! 💗

[@vanvaneful]

Thank you so much for sharing books ! Very insightful! I would love to have a more in depth video about the books as well as a video about your collection 😊

[@captainnolan5062]

I am a huge James Gurney fan. I love oil and watercolor. Thanks for sharing these books.

[@deniselangohr3530]

I would love to see a Video with more books you would recommend for Artists 💗 i really enjoy these Videos! Thank you ☺️

[@joachimlape1338]

I hope you can make more videos on your enitre collection, your thoughts on each of them rating perhaps and yeah that would be so nice to hear your insigts and opinions on different art books. Absolutely love them too! You have good recommendations, I have all you shared in this video and I agree with you on all of them!

[@pavilionlakebooks8479]

I got the style of Loish for my birthday, thanks for the recommendation

[@teenyMcNuggets]

Your channel is so inspiring. I love you.💙

[@mbbellon6623]

Would love for you to do the entire book collection.

[@Yousudame]

I love this recommendations, some of them I already had in my sights. New subscriber from Argentina 🇦🇷👨‍🎨

[@CHARUL814]

Just come across your video and the very 1st book you suggested. I have it and yes I would definitely recommend it. Not yet even gone through the whole video yet. Thanks for sharing

[@user-nt2yq8xi1f]

Very helpful Kelsey! Draw Like a Boss deserves a mention because it's AWESOME!

[@deerekkatc]

Completely agree!

[@alfredmanzano680]

Thanks for sharing! I really gotta get that Loish book

[@MicahBuzanMUSIC]

Haven't heard of some of these, thanks for sharing!

[@Colordripd2217]

These books sound s informative. Thank you for sharing!

[@user-qj1kv3xv6b]

If you haven't done it yet YES omg id love to see the whole art book collection. I'm always looking for new recommendations

[@jermainejeromyart]

The audio version of the artists way is amazing. It was on KZbin for a short while

[@ajacobs8886]

This is a great video, thank you. I don't know if I'm a beginner or a more intermediate artists, but I'll definitely check out some of these books.

[@Mienarrr]

The way I GASPED when I saw you pull out Julia Camerons Book! I am currently doing the (translated to german) course as well. It's called "Weg des Künstlers" here and I absolutely adore it. I keep recommending it to all my creatively inclined friends :)

[@kampwoods]

Thank you for sharing 🎉❤

[@cartoonmark75]

Thanks for the great books tour.

[@mikeynyc6857]

Ian Roberts book mastering composition is awesome , and his videos too, the guy is a treasure.

[@KelseyRodriguez]

he really is! truly a gem

[@Shadowkitty360]

More of this please!

[@Hydedearest]

oh i would SO recommend colour and light!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I found it at my local library and it was amazing

[@Whoopwhoopwhoop]

'Draw like a Boss' did it for me. Incredible series. Loomis helped too.

[@glenndpagaduan7612]

Having many books on journey being an artist are absolutely great.

[@koopylupa6647]

Thanks sooooo much this was really helpful.

[@leandropeixoto9043]

Thanks for the tips!!! My amazon cart is full!!!

[@Mote.]

I like your lamp holder.

[@ToddCaseyfineart]

Wow, thank you for putting my book on your list! I’m honored 🙏

[@eileenjohnston6835]

All of Andrew Loomis's books are on my list. I highly recommend both of James Gurney's books as well. That man is amazing!

[@topiaz]

Ooh, these look really nice!

[@tiananesbitt7156]

Thanks very much. Thinking of subscribing.

[@katievanmeter6827]

Yes more art book videos 🥰

[@MakoKitten]

I have so many of those books on my wishlist or on my bookshelf.

[@fuzzydragons]

can never have too many helpful art books😀

[@JasperDamste]

I need that Loish book. And a couple of others too

[@ayotundeoluyeye6016]

God bless you, and the authors of these books, I wish them y’all the best

[@ralphjohnson891]

you’re great. I like all of you videos

[@inkstructor]

I also love art books! I definitely recommend Hans p bachers book on composition👍🏼

[@edsoncarvalhoart]

The best art book video I've ever seen

[@bluewren65]

I'm definitely up for a chunky video on art books! I must invest in some of James Gurney's books.

[@themoonprint5963]

Loish is the goddess of art!!⚡⚡

[@JTCloud]

Hi Kelsey, Could you talk about in a video how you run your business(es) and KZbin simultaneously? I got the impression you run at least one or two businesses, but you are also running a successful YT channel. How do you find time for everything?

[@aaaaaaaaooooooo]

The Artist's Way's audio book version is also great to listen to.

[@inklyart]

Nice collection! Morning pages from The Artist’s Way book helped me get through the dark COVID days of 2020. Have you seen the new portrait book from 3D Total? That’s also a good one you might enjoy. I still need to pick up The Style of Loish.

[@Mr.Monster1313]

Great video :) cool books...

[@cecilelefeuvre7517]

💖😉🍒 love to you again Sunshine.