The Gage bookshelves are "virtually" crammed with the favorite art publications of our instructors. We have made a list here for your perusal. If you plan to purchase any of these books, please consider clicking on the book title to make your purchase through Amazon.com, who will donate a portion of the proceeds to Gage Academy of Art.
Art Techniques A list of how-to books on drawing, painting and making art that our instructors regularly use as their studio "Bibles."
Art Theory Technique is one aspect of making art — the concept behind the art is another. These books have inspired many of our instructors with the sort of ideas that can jump-start inspiration.
Art History The work of contemporary artists is inextricably linked to the art of the past. Here are some of our instructors favorite history books to provide context for your work.
Art as a Career Advice for turning your artistic abilities into a successful career.
2009 Rome Family Art Tour Reading List To enhance your enjoyment of the 2009 Rome Family Art Tour of Italian Art and Architecture, here is a list of books, available at Amazon.com and the Seattle Public Library, that you may wish to read before your trip.
A Handbook of Anatomy for Art Students by Arthur Thomson "A self-guiding tour through the human body written in a clear, step-by-step style. Professor Thompson was a teacher of anatomy at both Oxford and at the Royal Academy of Art. His book is very conscious of what the artist wants to know with very clear line drawings and photos." — Gary Faigin
A Short Book about Oil Painting by Pip Seymour "A perfect beginner's resource for painting materials and approaches from stretching to making paint to a beginner's palette. A Ralph Meyer resource book for oil painters without being excessive." — Michael Stasinos
An Introduction to Perspective by Ray Campbell Smith "Introduces the principles of perspective through a series of step-by-step projects that apply these principles, and covers such topics as linear and curvilinear perspective and abstraction."
Artistic Anatomy by Paul Richer, Trans. Robert B. Hale "More detailed than Peck. The most elaborate illustrations, the most exhaustive text. Best feature: Figure drawings with complete descriptions of all key surface landmarks; for answering those "what is that bump over there, anyway?” — Gary Faigin
Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist by Stephen R. Peck "First rate, inexpensive and comprehensive. Little text, but makes excellent companion to Thompson (above) for the illustrations.” — Gary Faigin
Blue and Yellow Don’t Make Green by Michael Wilcox "A very clear explanation of how to take advantage of the color bias of various pigments ... gives you an understandable strategy for gaining quick control of color mixing." — Katharine Schmidt
Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing from Life by George B. Bridgman "A very thorough and accessible guide for the beginner" — Michael Stasinos
Carlson’s Guide to Landscape Painting by John Carlson "One of the few 'how-to' books that addresses the real issues of landscape painting. Written in the '20's, it reads quite old-fashioned, but it's worth siphoning through all the verbiage for the juice." — Mitchell Albala
Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters by Robert Beverley Hale "Deservedly a classic. Chapters devoted to major drawing principles (line, light and shade, mass, anatomy) explained by analyzing 100 Master drawings. Not a how-to book, but there is little that is not fundamental to drawing that is not discussed within. Written by the late Art Students League instructor, unfortunately his only book on drawing.” — Gary Faigin
Drawing the Human Head by Louise Gordon "One of very few books devoted solely to portrait drawing. The author is a former medical illustrator and her anatomical insights are fascinating.”
— Gary Faigin
Figure Drawing by Richard G. Hatton "This is the book on figure drawing from which Robert Hale (see above and below) says he got many of his ideas. The most practical book on this list, full of little tips and tricks students particularly appreciate. Very uneven drawings — some good, some appalling. Deals with application of anatomy to drawing.” — Gary Faigin
Hilary Page's Guide to Watercolor Paints by Hilary Page "An exhaustive guide to more than 1,400 watercolor paints, comparing quality, reliability, lightfastness, handling characteristics and mixing potential."
— Milo Duke
Human Anatomy for Artist: The Elements of Form by Elliott Goldfinger "The latest addition to the artistic anatomy shelf. Beautifully produced with excellent photographs and diagrams. Superb section on interpreting human form. Technically-oriented. Particularly useful to the advanced artist.”
— Gary Faigin
"Artistic anatomy and the human figure in art, for intermediate and advanced painters." — Michael Stasinos
Looking at the Overlooked by Norman Bryson "an excellent guide to still life...grabbed my imagination and kept me interested." — Margaret Davidson (also recommended by Martha Mayer Erlebacher)
Perspective for Comic Book Artists by David Chelsea "This book is just plain fun. A comic book in which the main character (the author) explains the principles of perspective to a hapless friend. Brilliant, imaginative and very enlightening. Ignore the title (not the artist's idea). This is a perspective book for everyone." — Gary Faigin
Perspective Made Easy by Ernest Norling "This slim, amusingly illustrated book introduces perspective concepts in an entirely unintimidating way. Lightweight, but still useful. Though it is printed as part of the Walter T. Foster How-To series, the author is a true authority — he also wrote the article on perspective for the Encyclopedia Britannica."
— Gary Faigin
Plastic Human Skull for Artist Reference - Full Size by Having a plastic skull for reference and drawing study is an invaluable tool for the artist. This is an exact-size casting of a real human skull, with the jaw hinged. It is all the artist needs to draw and then memorize the key forms of the skull.
Plastic Human Skull for Artist Reference – ½ Size by Though half size, this is an accurate model of the real skull, and at less than $20, it is the most inexpensive skull model we know of. It can be studied and drawn in the same manner as the full-size skull above.”
Sargent Portrait Drawings: 42 Works by Dover Books "A superb collection of drawings, mostly in charcoal, by one of the great masters of the form. I encourage my students to copy from this collection as part of their training. "A superb collection of drawings, mostly in charcoal, by one of the great masters of the form. I encourage my students to copy from this collection as part of their training." — Gary Faigin
The Artist's Complete Guide to Facial Expression by Gary Faigin Now in it's seventh printing (and translated into French, German, Japanese and Spanish) , this book has become the basic text on constructing the head and creating the full range of a facial expression. Many references to art history, cartooning and sculpture.
The Figure by Walter Reed "An extremely clear example of the 'mass conception' approach to figure drawing. Chapter by chapter, Reed reduces the forms of the body to simple geometric solids, and shows how to use these in drawing and rendering. An inexpensive paperback.” — Gary Faigin
The Human Face - A Visual Continuum from Male to Female by "This is a link to a fascinating web site, created by a psychologist as part of an experiment on facial perception and sexuality. Press the ‘forward’ or ‘backward’ buttons and watch an imaginary (and very well done) face morph from extreme masculine features to extreme feminine features. Then press the ‘task info’ button atop the face, and see how you answer the interesting questions. A great reference.” — Gary Faigin
The Human Figure by John H. Vanderpoel "Not terribly readable, but terrific illustrations diagraming the relationship of the bones to the body, the planes of the body, and how this all translates into light and shade; another inexpensive Dover reprint.” — Gary Faigin
The Painter’s Secret Geometry by Charles Bouleau "About geometric and arithmetic subdivisions of the picture plane" — Martha Mayer Erlebacher
The Practice and Science of Drawing by Harold Speed "I'm considering having everyone in my classes read this book. It's so important." — Juliette Aristides
Varieties of Realism by Margaret Hagen "This is the definitive volume; technical but very informative, regarding theories and varieties of space used in art of all cultures." — Martha Mayer Erlebacher
A Dictionary of Symbols by J.E. Cirlot "An excellent dictionary of modern symbols, primarily European, by a distinguished member of the School of Barcelona, a twentieth century group of poets and painters that includes Antonio Tapies and Modesto Cuixart."
— Milo Duke
Classical Drawing Atelier: A Contemporary Guide to Traditional Studio Practice by Juliette Aristides Written as a manual for training artists, Classical Drawing Atelier describes Aristides' own vision for creating a comprehensive studio program that encompasses the best of traditional artistic training, modeled on the 19th-century French academies.
Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke "This book is important in the development of oneself as an artist. It involves the correspondence between Rilke and a young man who asks for advice on how to become a poet. Instead of literary rules, Rilke gives the man life advice that will help him grow as a person; so that the poetry will come from within him." — Michael Stasinos
Notes for a Young Painter by Hiram Williams "The informal approach of an artist / teacher...gives advice to the student of art, especially the figurative artists. It's not a 'how to' book but a book on 'why' with an insight to modern vs. traditional way of thinking." — Michael Stasinos
The Myth of the Eternal Return by Mircea Eliade "This book is an excellent guide to mythic thought, the cultivation of which can prove far more important to the creative process than rational thinking. Most cultures are steeped in myth; understanding this symbolism is a good key to understanding these cultures, as well as art and its thought processes." — John Nava (also recommended by Martha Mayer Erlebacher)
The Shock of the New by Robert Hughes Recommended by Charles Emerson.
The Spirit of Zen by Alan Watts "Many of us, especially realists, focus too much on material reality. This book is great because it helps put focus on the larger meaning of myth and illusion. It's a terrific attitude adjuster." — John Nava
What Painting Is by James Elkins
Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugene Herrigel "I've never read a book that pertained to becoming an artist more than this one. Involves developing the soul and making connections between life and art and the individual." — Michael Stasinos
Art and Beauty in the Middle Ages by Umberto Eco Recommended by Margaret Davidson.
Art and Illusion: A Study in the Psychology of Pictorial Representation by Ernst Hans Josef Gombrich "Art and Illusion traces the historical development of visual perception in art...helps artist make connections between personal work and that of artists throughout history."— Michael Stasinos
Art in Perspective: A Brief History by Henri Dorra Recommended by Charles Emerson.
Art Since 1940: Strategies of Being by Jonathon Fineburg Recommended by Charles Emerson
Bonnard at Le Cannet by Michel Terasse
Early Medieval Book Illumination by Carl Nordenfalk "What I look for in an art book is a readable writing style and an author who has plausible yet exciting ideas. Matisse on Art and Early Medieval Book Illumination are just such wonderful books." — Margaret Davidson
Matisse on Art by Jack Flam "What I look for in an art book is a readable writing style and an author who has plausible yet exciting ideas. Matisse on Art and Early Medieval Book Illumination are just such wonderful books."— Margaret Davidson
Richard Diebenkorn by Gerald Nordland
Signs and Symbols in Christian Art by George Ferguson "A comprehensive and authorative source for the meanings of symbols used in Renaissance" — Milo Duke
Sister Wendy's Grand Tour by Sister Wendy Beckett "This work spans the ages thoroughly and intelligently, including great art history facts." — Charles Emerson
Acting Professionally: Raw Facts About Careers in Acting by Robert Cohen Every time Mr. Cohen says "Actor," substitute the word "Painter;" every time he says "Agent," substitute the words "Gallery Director" and you have one of the most harsh, honest and ultimately helpful books on making a career in the arts. — Chris Peters
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie Next to talent, the most important step to having a career in art is
actively joining the community of artists and gallery directors, a community of talented friends that help their talented friends. This classic book, with over 15,000,000 copies in print, is the absolute bible on making new friends in a professional setting. The book is almost a cliché, but the information is still solid gold. — Chris Peters
On Writing by Stephen King Another tough-love book — this time you substitute the word "Painter" for "Writer." An enjoyably written book on the discipline needed to create
every day. — Chris Peters
