When you're learning to draw, it can be helpful to have a drawing book to refer to with expert tips and guidance. You can explore the various drawing techniques at your own pace and develop your skills along the way.
There are tonnes of great drawing books for aspiring artists out there, all designed to guide you through your first steps. In this guide, we'll help you to choose the right drawing book for your needs, so that you can draw whatever you want! We'll be covering how to draw books suitable for beginners and more experienced artists to help you discover the best drawing book for you.
If you don't want to wait for your book to be delivered and are keen to start drawing right away, explore our pencil drawing for beginners guide to learn some basic techniques.
For more guidance books, browse our lists of the best origami books to buy and the best calligraphy books.
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17 best drawing books
You Will Be Able to Draw by the End of this Book
Jake Spicer
This drawing book lives up to its bold claim that you will be able to draw by the time you finish reading it. You Will Be Able to Draw by the End of this Book is an ideal choice for absolute beginners: it guides you through basic pencil drawing techniques and includes blank pages so you can practise as you go.
The book starts with the basic skills and it gradually increases in difficulty as you work your way through. There's a great mixture of projects in this book and each exercise has an estimated completion time allowing you to fit them into your day.
This is one of the best drawing books for beginners or people who want to refresh their pencil drawing skills.
Feeling festive? Learn how to draw a Christmas tree!
Sketch Every Day: 100+ simple drawing exercises
Simone Grünewald
Make sketching part of your daily routine with this great book written by artist and illustrator Simone Grünewald.
Simone has included over 100 exercises to spark your creativity and teach you a variety of drawing techniques along the way. She also explores common pitfalls and explains how to avoid them.
This book is great for artists of all levels, particularly if you're feeling stuck in a creative rut and need some motivation to draw.
For more drawing tips, learn how to create stunning textured drawings with cross hatching.
365 Days of Drawing
Lorna Scobie
This fun book is a great way to make drawing a regular habit and would make a brilliant gift for a creative friend or family member. The daily prompts have been designed to help you practise a wide range of drawing skills and to spark your imagination.
This is an accessible book that aims to demystify art and explain some easy drawing techniques and theory along the way.
How to Draw: 53 Step-by-Step Drawing Projects
Alisa Calder
This book by Alisa Calder is a great introduction to drawing for beginners. You'll learn to draw a selection of projects from geometric shapes to animals with clear step-by-step instructions and pictures. Your confidence and skills will grow with every exercise!
This is an excellent guide for anyone who wants to learn how to draw and it's also suitable for older children.
Basics of Drawing: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners
Leonardo Pereznieto
This drawing book will help you to learn fundamental drawing skills such as composition, depth of field and how to draw a cityscape. It's clearly illustrated with lots of step-by-step tutorials to explain the various techniques.
Leonardo is a Mexican artist whose work has been exhibited around the world, but he also shares his expertise on his popular Fine Art Tips YouTube channel which has over a million followers.
Drawing: A Complete Guide
Giovanni Civardi
This book is an ideal choice if you're looking for a comprehensive drawing guide that's packed with tips and expert advice.
As well as covering basic drawing techniques, this guide includes advice to help you draw clothed figures, landscapes and a whole section on the importance of light and shade (a vital skill for any artist to master!).
Looking for gifts for an artistic friend or family member? Take a look at our pick of the best gifts for artists and the best art sets for kids.
You Will be Able to Draw Faces by the End of This Book
Jake Spicer
Drawing faces is a real skill and even experienced artists sometimes find portraiture challenging!
Jake Spicer's book is an extremely detailed guide which will guide you through the basic techniques, covering shading, composition, lighting, how to capture a person's likeness and much more.
The book includes space for you to practise your new skills, but you may find it useful to get a sketchbook to use alongside this guide.
Creative Drawing Techniques: From First Mark to Full Expression
David Brammeld
Artist David Brammeld has drawn on years of teaching experience to create this brilliant guide for artists of all abilities.
This book will help you to build confidence in your skills, show you how to express your creative ideas and provides lots of great advice about the best materials to use.
Creative Drawing Techniques is a good choice if you want to develop as artist and improve your technical knowledge.
The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling
John Muir Laws
If you're inspired by nature and want to learn how to capture the natural world in detail, then this is the book for you.
John Muir Laws shows how to draw plants, animals, landscapes, skies and more with step-by-step illustration. This book will help you to improve your drawing skills and covers both basic and advanced techniques.
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The Complete Book of Drawing: Essential Skills for Every Artist
Barrington Barber
Due to the challenging nature of some of these exercises, this drawing book isn't recommended for complete beginners, but if you'd like to build up your drawing skills and take your sketches to the next level, this book is a great choice.
It covers a wide range of topics and techniques to teach you the rudiments of style and composition. Barrington Barber draws on his years of experience as an illustrator and graphic designer to create an expert guide to the art of drawing.
Pen and Ink Drawing: A Simple Guide
Alphonso Dunn
If you've mastered the basics of sketching with pencils, then you might enjoy having a go at pen and ink drawing.
Alphonso Dunn explains the materials you need and talks you through pen and ink drawing techniques. You'll learn how to create shading and texture, plus how to use the secret line of balance.
Alphonso is an artist, author and teacher who also shares art and drawing tutorials over on his YouTube channel. If you enjoy using this guide, you might also want to purchase his pen and ink drawing workbook to keep developing your pen and ink drawing skills.
Start Drawing Landscapes: Basic Principles, Composition and Exercises
Markus S Agerer
Add landscapes to your repertoire with this handy guide! This drawing book covers the basics of drawing, perspective and composition to show you how to create stunning scenes.
It also breaks down different elements of a landscape such as trees, buildings and water. There are step-by-step guides explaining how to draw different scenes to allow you to practise your drawing skills.
Keys to Drawing
Bert Dodson
Get to grips with drawing with Bert Dodson's 55 "keys", which will allow you to sketch any subject matter with confidence.
This guide demonstrates how to focus, how to improve your control, how to show light, depth and texture, and how to boost your imagination through creative play. This book will show you how to draw and master key skills, even if you don't feel as though you're good at art.
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Encourage your little ones to get creative with our fun drawing ideas for kids.
In Bloom: A Step-by-Step Guide to Drawing Lush Florals
Rachel Reinert
Learn how to draw your own beautiful blooms with Rachel Reinert's easy tutorials. The ability to draw flowers is immensely satisfying and you're bound to find this a very relaxing pastime.
This book shows you how to produce your own flower drawings with simple, easy-to-follow tutorials and you'll learn how to draw over 30 different flowers.
The Joy of Botanical Drawing: A Step-by-Step Guide to Drawing and Painting Flowers, Leaves, Fruit, and More
Wendy Hollender
Create realistic drawings of flowers, leaves and fruit with this brilliant drawing and painting guide written by Wendy Hollender.
You'll learn how to create vividly detailed botanical drawings and develop your artistic skills with Wendy's expert tutorials. This book is interesting, informative and great value for money.
Find the perfect present in our round-up of the best gifts for artists.
Look Closer, Draw Better: Expert Techniques for Realistic Drawing
Kateri Ewing
Take your drawings to the next level by learning how to add incredibly realistic details. In this drawing book, Kateri Ewing explains how to train your eye to observe contrast, lines and shadows.
This book focuses on the natural world, but you'll still acquire drawing skills that you'll be able to use elsewhere. It will refine your drawing and make you pay attention to the small details and imperfections that you'll observe in the world around you.
Tate: Sketch Club: Life Drawing
Hester Berry
Want to try life drawing but don't know where to start? This book by Hester Berry includes 20 step-by-step tutorials explaining the basic skills you'll need to create fantastic life drawings.
It also reveals common mistakes and how to fix them – very useful! This book isn't suitable for absolute beginners, but it's a good pick for intermediate artists who are still learning and developing their skills.
Discover the best drawing apps for iPad to further enhance your drawing skills.
Treat yourself to some new tools
Check out our guides to the best watercolour paints, best acrylic paints and best drawing tablets for beginners.
Grow your skills with drawing books
Working your way through a drawing book is an excellent way to improve your skills as an artist. Regardless of whether your book is about a specific subject or a more general technique book, doing all of the exercises in the entire book will help to develop your new-found skill to become second nature.
Improve your skills with Gathered
It doesn't matter if you've been sketching for years or are only just trying it for the first time, everyone can benefit from these top 20 quick drawing tips from Gathered.
