What are some of the art books that have inspired you or helped your work?

[Bojee]

Mike - great selection, If you can find it there's a video series with Hale going through anatomy, he kinda looks like a walking corpse and the pacing is really slow but the information is good.

Phil- yeah this is pretty cool, I'm real happy with how it's turning out, great to see your library. The bottom photo's a little dark for me but I think get the gist of it. Thanks for the contribution.

[Darkstrider]

" there's a video series with Hale..."

Yeah, I just learned that last night, from a list on Amazon. I went in search of it, but all I could find are a few libraries that have it for school use. Sounds like you've seen it?

"he kinda looks like a walking corpse"

LOL! Yeah, that's how he looks on the book jackets too. I guess attending his lectures was like getting a lesson and drawing from a cadaver at the same time! You could sketch him while he talks. Aw man, that's terrible :bash: (me bashing myself for the disrespect). Sorry Robert, you know you da man! Oh well, having all the books is the next best thing to the seminars... better in a way cause you can refer back to them anytime, and there's no problems with not being able to hear him cause the people in front of you are talking or whatever.

And I just want to strees if I haven't already, that these are my absolute favorite books for learning anatomy beyond the basic level.

[Bojee]

Yeah I think he was seriously on his last legs, that why they filmed him cause he had such a great reputation at the Art Students League. The quality of the film's not that great but the information's solid.

[Bojee]

It's just a matter of time before some mentions this guy, for a combination of great design and great paintings Alphonse Mucha is one my favorites.











His stuff is great in books but to see his stuff live is so much better, just like so many other painters.

[Bojee]

One More. I saw this in Ron's collection but I thought I'd do a focus on it.The artist is Sergei Bongart, and is definitely worth a look.



http://www.nasonart.com/writing/bongartlessons.html

Heres a link to some of his notes about painting.
There's also a video of him that I've seen that's good too.

[Darkstrider]

Whatever happened to bongart? You used to see lots of it in the 70's, in the head shops...

Oh, sorry. Different animal altogether.

Wow, thanks Boj, those notes are excellent!! I saved tham as a PDF file to refer to frequently. I need to look for some of this guys work online later.

[Bojee]

:p No problem.

[Bojee]

I like art in a lot of different forms, sometimes something very different from you can stimulate ideas about your own stuff. This is a great series from PBS, I recomend the dvds but since we're talking about books I thought I'd bring them in as well. Not all of the artists rocked my world, but the ones that did did so in a big way. these artists are suppose to be on the cutting edge for the 21rst century.Whether you believe it or not it does make for some interesting conversation.

Case in point Do-Ho Suh did a suit of armor made out of dogtags.The armor fans out to fill the room.

[Bojee]

Since 'm talking about other influences that aren't just straight painters I thought i'd mention Andy Goldsworthy, I'd seen his work in books for years and like it but was never as impressed until I saw "Rivers and Tides" a movie documenting his process, it's so inspiring. He only uses materials found on site.













Good stuff.

[Darkstrider]

That last one looks pretty cool! Reminds me of the films of Jan Svankmajer, or in a way Jon J Muth. I don't know why excactly, but it also makes me think about Anselm Kiefer. I guess because this kind of work is about the viewers' experience, about how they react in its presence.

[Bojee]

Mike- yeah I can see that, I think all of the guys you mentioned have kind of a cold vibe to them, Goldsworthy's stuff does feel that way for some pieces but not all. Especially since he's working with nature in all of it's seasons and also how nature interacts with his pieces, some are only momentary some last for a long time. That's why I'm recomending the film cause your able to get that idea better.

Have you seen much of Keifer's work live?? It's very cool , epic in fact. I saw a lot of Keifer's work and Joseph Beuy's work in Europe, it was the first time I had seen it and I really liked it. I mention Beuys cause he was one of Keifer's teachers and just as much of a character himself.



This is a picture of Beuys who had almost a shaman like feel to him.









I just realizing now how hard it is to convey someone like Keifer's work digitally. Everything seems so flat and his work has so much texture. It's also hard to get a sense of scale.

[Darkstrider]

Yeah, the St Louis Art Museum has a few Kiefers that are some of my favorite pieces there. And you're right, there's just no way to get it across in a picture. You have to actually be there to experience it. There's one gigantic "painting" that's supposed to represent fields after some kind of nuclear holocaust and the surface is built up incredibly think (like six inches or more in places) with what seems to actually be dirt (probably mixed with glue or something) with straw sticking out of it, and rows of jagged torch cut rusty steel or something that stick straight out at you, so when you're near it you get the feeling that you could really hurt yourself.

Another one he's got there is a permanent installation of a gigantic shelf of books that have exploded, and there's broken glass scattered on the floor in front of it (this one is roped off). The books are awesome in themselves... the covers are made from steel I think, and the pages are all different materials, each book is huge! This one always has an admiring crowd around it.

Well, I guess I ought to take this oppoprtunity to bring up Svankmajer. He's a Czech animator, that I'm sure many are already familiar with, the leader of the Czech Surrealist Group and the inspiration behind the Brothers Quay. His films are heavily tactile, frequently featuring scenes like a severed cow's tongue, fresh from the butcher shop, coming out of the mouth of a stuffed frog and scraping across a floor littered with broken crockery and sharp objects. He always plays up the tactile sensations with extra loud sound effects and by lingering on closeups of heavily textured surfaces. He's got an incredible website that could take hours to explore (and is well worth it): http://www.illumin.co.uk/svank/

There is a book about his work, called Dark Alchemy: the films of Jan Svankmajer (which I haven't seen), but it sort of fits this thread because his FILMS have strongly influenced me.

[Bojee]

Before we get completely off the figurative arts I thought I'd mention some more of the old school Illustrators, I thought I'd start with some of the more well known ones and work my way out from there , there are so many great ones. First choice J.C. Lyendecker just cause I've heard him mentioned so much on the site.
Big influence on Rockwell, known mostly for his Post covers and his Arrow shirt men. very angular.

I also found similarities between Lyendecker's work and a german poster artist of the time named Ludwig Hohlwein.









Very similar I think.

[Groover McNab]

Damn Bojee, you have one kickass library. I have some of the same books you do, but man, you just have a little bit of everything.

[Bojee]

Groover McNab- heh, groover yeah it's a little bit of a blessing and a curse but I'm interested in a lot of different things.

[arghmisfit]

i just bought this book by jim phillips who designed rock posters and santa cruz skateboard graphics from the 80's

[Bojee]

arghmisfit- Cool I'll look for it, if you like Graphic stuff you might like this book. It's about art chantry, he was a designer for Sub-Pop records for years as wel as lots of other stuff. He's influenced lots of designers. I had him as a teacher once. You might like www.gigposters.com.

[Bojee]

N.C. Wyeth - I should have talked about him a long time ago, major influence of mine, probably the most famous of howard pyle's students. Incredible stuff.















Sorry for the dump but his stuff is so great that a few images just won't do it. Also it's very hard to choose.

[Bojee]

Howard Pyle Wyeth's teacher- The ripple of his teaching was felt illustration and art for many years afterward.











If your an Illustrator, I think you should know your history, Howard Pyle is a big part of that history.

[Bojee]

one of the most famous of the brandywine school was Dean Cornwell who studied with Harvey Dunn one of Pyle's students.

























Towards the end of his life cornwell devoted his life to becoming a muralist wanting to leave something more lasting than illustration.

[sixBlade]

This is a great thread!

[Bojee]

sixBlade- Cool dude, I'm glad you like it, do you have anything to add from your library??

[sixBlade]

I guess so

Not so sure how well mine will be received though!

Starting with some not quite along the same lines, I've done some graphic design so from that sorta stuff I particularly like these books:

eBoy (pixel art)


Buro Destruct


Then these two in a series.. sorta character design but rather more conventional.. illustration through to 3d.. includes mario and the like.



Then of course next obvious choice to post is Don Seegmillers book:


And a couple of figure drawing/anatomy books:


^^ last one is great.. amazing anatomy drawings for all positions of major limbs =D

And this one:

I know a lot of people don't like Hogarth, but I quite like his method. His style I hate. Nonetheless his slightly over-the-top drapery book is very good!

[Bojee]

sixblade- Thanks for the contribution. All is welcome , that's the point really, I was curious what other good books are out there inspiring other people since I love mine so much. thanks again, I'll look for these.

[Madman!]

this thread is great.

here is a book I think is pretty good by Deane G keller. I can't link the load the pics on the site to copy them, but you can view them and you can also order the book http://www.lymeacademy.edu/art-college-keller-book.htm he really covers a lot of stuff.

John William Waterhouse book


Massimiliano sketchbook and the rest of the Maser books


Jeffrey Jones sketchbook


John Hench


got a lot of other books but ones probably people are aware of Star Wars artbooks, Metal Gear artbooks, Final Fantasy IX, LotR books, etc..

[Bojee]

Madman!- I know Waterhouse, glad you brought him up, awesome painter. Jeff Jones for sure, and I've seen the John Hench book too, the rest I don't know. Can you talk a little bit about why your into them?? Thanks for the post.

Anybody else that posts can you also talk about what's inpiring about these books, why you like them and why we should check them out?

Thanks alot for all the great posts.:thumbsup:

[Bojee]

A few more waterhouses cause I like him so much.

[Madman!]

okay

Waterhouse- Well at first I just was into that painter lady of Shallot(the first image you posted) then I saw the book I had to get it. I think it's the way his picture there is a story not just a bunch of people standing there. Plus his style that his women are in I find appealing.

John Hench- I like looking at concepts there fun interesting places that he draws. It's like being at disneyland walking around but you're just looking at the drawings. I don't know if it's childesh but I like disneyland when I went it's interesting to see the buildings desings and how it goes from futuristic to like fantasy and so on. I usally don't go on the rides I just walked around looking at buildings and places. So basicly just because of the interesting architecture designs.

Jeffery Jones- Well I don't have any of the other books, but the sketchbook it's interesting because the images looks so quick but he's telling a lot in just a few strokes.

Frezzato- almost the same as the Jeffery Jones, but just the opposite with really detailed drawings and seeing the process.

Deane G Keller- at first I just like the drawings. then when I got the book I really like the way he teaches. He really breaks down shading techniques in the book and measuring. there is also anatomy it's all just quick and to the point and the drawings are just great to look at.

I'll probably post some more tomorrow.

[Madman!]

i guess it's already tomorrow now. Here are some more.

Pino's book http://www.pinoart.com/gifts.htm

I don't have it but i would like to have it the paintings look amazing.


Charles Bargue and Jean-Léon Gérôme's drawing course. Like drawing from casts great book for study. http://www.budplant.com/prod.itml/icOid/13491


Walt Disney Imagineering for the same reason as the John Hench book.


Doug Chiang's Robota I like it cause well it's doug with an interesting story(I think) nothing better than that.


maybe some more later...

[Bojee]

Madman!- Awesome, Thanks soo much. That's exactly what I was looking for, I really appreciate it. Can't wait to see what you post next.