recommended books on drawing...

[JerRocks2day]

so far, the constructive criticism I've received is that I need to work on anatomy, cartooning, and basic shaping in order to improve.

Does anybody know what kind of book titles anybody would recommend?

[Atria35]

Traditional people paintings. No, seriously- imitation/copying can give you a good feel forhow things are supposed to go together, at least anatomically. You also get a wide range of poses to work with, etc. It's better to go with the nudes for anatomy, because clothing can mess up the body shape and give you an odd idea/feel for how they're supposed to be drawn. Clothing can be worked on when you know what's supposed to be underneath them, since you shape clothes to the body, not the other way around (unless they're wearing a corset, but even so....)

[Radical Dreamer]

Illustration is my major in college, so I have a number of good books that I've been required to buy for classes. A few really good books on my shelf:

Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing from Life, by George B. Bridgman
Drawing the Head and Figure by Jack Hamm
Force: Dynamic Life Drawing for Animators, by Michael D. Mattesi

All three of those should be really helpful for the things you need to work on!

[Fantasy Dreamer]

Illustration is my major in college, so I have a number of good books that I've been required to buy for classes. A few really good books on my shelf:

Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing from Life, by George B. Bridgman
Drawing the Head and Figure by Jack Hamm
Force: Dynamic Life Drawing for Animators, by Michael D. Mattesi

All three of those should be really helpful for the things you need to work on!

That being said, it's great experience to draw from real life. If you can get a friend or family member to pose for a bit, or just sit and draw someone who's being relatively still. Gesture drawings help you learn to. But drawing a real person helps you with perspective and to see how the body bends/moves. ^ ^

[mechana2015]

Illustration is my major in college, so I have a number of good books that I've been required to buy for classes. A few really good books on my shelf:

Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing from Life, by George B. Bridgman
Drawing the Head and Figure by Jack Hamm
Force: Dynamic Life Drawing for Animators, by Michael D. Mattesi

All three of those should be really helpful for the things you need to work on!

Bridgeman is win.

You just recommended Bridgeman.

You are Win.



Carry on.

[ScalpelFactory]

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards - very helpful for learning how to see!

[ST. Attidude]

George Bridgman is definitely a win! Me and my brother were blessed to receive Constructive Anatomy from an old church friend (who is no longer of this world) and aside that every demonstrated figure in this book is almost exclusively Male (the only hint of Female models are in the Head section), that book still taught me so much during my young, self-teaching teenage years.

Robert Beverly Hale is another good, intellectual author who exhibits grand master drawings to illustrate his key points to overall aesthetic forms. And the illustrations easily fill the page so you definitely get what you pay for, which is really not a whole lot.

Some of his books include: Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters, and Master Class in Figure Drawing

[Dante]

Books for drawing? Well, the most essential I can think of is the Sketchbook...

...and that is no joke. There is no way to read yourself into drawing, I only wish there were, it is training precise fine muscle control and hand eye-coordination mostly. If there is a particular item you are drawing, search DA (Deviant Art) until you find a style that matches what you are looking for, then stair at it until you can discern how it was made (try out different idea in your head)... which only sometimes works. Often times there are little "tricks" which add up to a final product, but for the main course, its drawing for fun for hours whatever pleases your mind. After all, the best way to learn and like drawing is to let you imagination roam free upon the pages. Forcing it I have always believed, will only stifle your "flow" and lead to disaster.

[airichan623]

Sketchbook definitely. For cartooning: study your favorite author's artwork, and mix and match their styles. Mine basically goes like this: bodies and eyes like CLAMP, hair like Takeshi Obata w/ some Natsuki Takaya, noses like Natsuki Takaya, and mouths like Masami Tsuda. That's how I got to where I am now with manga drawing. Also on manga-style cartooning, I recommend the Draw your Own Manga series, in particular the Beyond the Basics volume, which includes great help on anatomy, drawing different ages, proportions, etc. The original Draw your Own Manga: All the Basics also is great for learning toning and highlighting, hair shading, and proportions as well.
I like these best out of all the how to draw manga books because its designed to help you improve your style, not imitate another artists'.