Library: Drawing: Books & Other Resources

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Surveys of Contemporary Drawing

Drawing from the Modern (3 vols.) by Jordan Kantor, et al Many of the key achievements in art of the last 125 years have been worked out on paper. From pictorial investigations that expanded the possibilities of vision to the invention of entirely new kinds of media, drawing has been the perfect laboratory for avant-garde experimentation. Drawing from the Modern, traces such groundbreaking innovation through the unparalleled holdings of the drawings collection of The Museum of Modern Art.
Call Number: NC89 .D73
Drawing Now by Laura Hoptman From John Currin's old-master-style Playboy bunnies to Elizabeth Peyton's fin-de-siecle portraits; from Julie Mehretu's dizzying, multilayered architectural landscapes to Shahzia Sikander's multipatterned miniature ones; from Yoshitomo Nara's angry and enigmatic little girls to Kara Walker's stereotypical negresses; and from Barry McGee's caricatures of urban graffiti to Matthew Ritchie's cosmological diagrams--drawing is back, if it ever went away.
Call Number: NC95 .H67 2002
On Line: Drawing Through the Twentieth Century by Catherine de Zegher (Editor); Cornelia H. Butler "On Line: Drawing Through the Twentieth Century" explores the radical evolution of drawing that took place during the last century and through to the present day, as numerous artists subjected the traditional concepts of the medium to a critical examination.
Call Number: NC95.B88 2010
Vitamin D by Phaidon Press Editors (Created by); Emma Dexter Extending beyond the traditional image associated with this medium, Vitamin D hopes to illustrate the complexity, variety, and relevance of the practice of drawing today.
Call Number: NC96 .V58 2005
Vitamin D2 by Phaidon Press Editors An up‐to‐the‐minute survey of contemporary drawing featuring 115 artists from around the world, Vitamin D2 allows the reader to look at the medium in detail and study drawing’s unique properties in relation to itself, to contemporary art and to the world at large.
Call Number: NC96 .V58 2013
Vitamin D3 by Phaidon Editors
Call Number: NC96 .V583 2021
Walk the Line: The Art of Drawing by Ana Ibarra; Marc Valli
Call Number: NC96 .V36 2013

Selected Guides on Drawing Technique

Drawing from Observation by Brian Curtis Perceptual drawing, in which one renders the physical world as it appears to an observer, is the focus of this new text for the introductory drawing course. With an emphasis on progressive skill development, Drawing from Observation offers a balanced mix of hands-on technique and perceptual theory while making a compelling argument for the long-term value of studying perception-based drawing.
Call Number: NC730 .C87 2009
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards Helps the reader gain access to right-brain functions, which affect artistic and creative abilities, by teaching the skills of drawing through unusual exercises designed to increase visual skills.
Call Number: NC730 .E34 1989
Drawing for the Absolute and Utter Beginner by Claire Watson Garcia Based upon the author’s own successful workshops, Drawing for the Absolute and Utter Beginner helps new artists create competent, often eloquent drawings. A series of progressive lessons demonstrates such essential skills as recording edges, creating dimension, adding accuracy, developing value, balancing compositional elements, and drawing the human face, both frontal and profile views.
Call Number: NC730 .G285 2003
The Natural Way to Draw by Kimon Nicolaides An approach to drawing technique based on observation covering contour and gesture, model drawing, memory in ink and watercolor; anatomy study, drapery, shade, structure, and other topics in drawing.
Call Number: NC650 .N5 1969

Selected Books on Figure and Anatomical Drawing

Human Anatomy for Artists by Eliot Goldfinger The power of the image of the nude--the expressivity of the flesh--has inspired artists from the beginning. An understanding of human form is essential for artists to be able to express themselves with the figure. Anatomy makes the figure. Human Anatomy for Artists: The Elements of Form is the definitive analytical work on the anatomy of the human figure.
Call Number: NC760 .G67 1991
Basic Human Anatomy by Roberto Osti; Peter Drake (Foreword by) Basic Human Anatomy teaches artists the simple yet powerful formula artists have used for centuries to draw the human figure from the inside out. Osti, using the basic system of line, shape, and form used by da Vinci, Raphael, and Michelangelo, takes readers step-by-step through all the lessons needed in order to master this essential foundation skill.
Call Number: NC760 .O88 2016
Complete Guide to Life Drawing by Gottfried Bammes Addressing one of the greatest challenges posed to new artists' drawing human beings accurately and expressively. This encouraging sourcebook gives artists of all skill levels a classroom view of life drawing, from full-form views to close studies of hands, feet, faces, and limbs.
Call Number: NC765 .B185 2011
Human Figure by John H. Vanderpoel This great classic is still unrivaled for its clear, detailed presentation of thousands of fundamental features of the human figure.
Call Number: NC765 .V3 1958
Animal Anatomy for Artists by Eliot Goldfinger From the author of the classic Human Anatomy for Artists comes this user-friendly reference guide featuring over five hundred original drawings and over seventy photographs. Designed for painters, sculptors, and illustrators who use animal imagery in their work, Animal Anatomy for Artists offers thorough, in-depth information about the most commonly depicted animals, presented in a logical and easily understood format for artists.
Call Number: NC780 .G65 2004

Selected Books on Perspective Drawing

Extreme Perspective! For Artists: learn the secrets of curvilinear, cylindrical, fisheye, isometric, and other amazing drawing systems that will make your drawings pop off the page by David Chelsea A reference in a step-by-step graphic novel format for imaginative professional artists from architects to animators reveals insider secrets on how to achieve dramatic perspectives while providing instructive grids on an accompanying DVD.
Call Number: NC750 .C444 2011
Basic Perspective Drawing by John Montague Moving logically from simple concepts to specific tools and methods, this book shows how to construct perspective views one step at a time, with illustrated examples that cover every key part of the process.
Call Number: NC750 .M648 2004
Perspective Made Easy by Ernest R. Norling Perspective, the author tells us, is easy; yet surprisingly few artists are aware of the simple rules that make it so. This easy-to-follow book — the first devoted entirely to clarifying the laws of perspective — remedies the situation. In it, the author uses over 250 simple line drawings to illustrate the concepts involved.
Call Number: NC750 .N717 1999
How to Use Creative Perspective by Ernest W. Watson Analyzes the work of top contemporary illustrators and provides instruction in perspective drawing that strays from the academic concept or scientific perspective.
Call Number: NC750 .W37

Library of Congress Classification: Drawing

NC1-1940 Drawing. Design. Illustration
NC1-45 General
Including collective biography
NC50-266 History of drawing
NC390-670 Study and teaching
NC673-677 Competitions
NC703-725 General works
NC730-758 Technique
NC760-825 Special subjects
NC845-915 Graphic art materials
NC930 Conservation and restoration of drawings
NC1920-1940 Copying, enlarging, and reduction of drawing

Find Journal Articles

Art & Architecture Source
Articles on art, photography, architecture, etc. (Included in Search Everything.)
JSTOR
Digital library of academic articles and images. (Included in Search Everything.)

Selected Art Websites

Art 21
Documentary series produced by PBS on contemporary artists.
Art Newspaper
Online and paper publication based in London and New York
Artsy
Features the world’s leading galleries, museum collections all in one place. Check out the Art Genome Project which allows you to search artists by category.
Big, Red & Shiny
Coverage of the Boston and New England art world.
Google Art Project
The Art Project is a unique collaboration with some of the world’s most acclaimed art institutions to enable people to discover and view artworks online in extraordinary detail.
Hyperallergic
Perspectives on contemporary art and culture.
Juxtapoz
Online version of magazine with coverage of contemporary visual culture.
Rhizome
Resource for people who are interested in new media art, the intersection of new technologies and contemporary art.