Since the only art class I ever took outside of public school was a month-long community drawing course my grandparents gave to me for my 16th birthday, I have done most of my learning from self-practice and reading books of artists I admire. The community drawing course used "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards. I still have my 1979 edition. That class and book really taught me to see the world's shapes, shadows and light in a new way. It helped me improve my drawing skills, and I still see subjects in that way as I paint, all these years later. The books below are ones I bought as I moved into watercolors and wanted to learn more. I initially bought the books because I liked the style of the artists, and I really liked the basic skills teaching and practice exercises. All the books have bookmarks throughout that I refer to for "how did I get that effect?" or "what colors did I used to get that shadow in the snow?" and more.
