Do you draw?

The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards
If you think you will never be able to draw more than a stick figure, this guide is for you. See the proof in the pictures as inexperienced artists transform their skills into masterworks in mere days. Draw upside down, with your left hand, one eye closed, and be amazed at the results. If this sounds like a commercial, check out the book yourself...for FREE. Who's to say you aren't the next Picasso?

Drawing: The Only Drawing Book You'll Ever Need To Be The Artist You've Always Wanted To Be by Kathryn Temple
Do you like to cartoon, but wish you could draw a realistic animal or person? Try this book for yourself and share it with the younger generation. It's never too late or too early to pick up a pencil and draw.

Whatcha Mean, What's a Zine?: The Art of Making Zines and Minicomics
By Mark Todd and Esther Pearl Watson with contributions by more than 20 creators of indie comics and magazines.
"Explores the diversity and creativity that can be captured in zines, handmade mini-comics or magazines, with helpful tips and practical suggestions for writing, producing, editing, and printing one." Have you ever heard of zines? Think homemade graphic novels that are mailed and dropped all over the country. Picture miniature, book-sized, folded pages of some kid's personal view of the world. Music reviews, philosophical rants, love poems, drawings, or whatever. Friends...strangers...anyone can trade or buy one for the extremely minimal cost of production (~ making copies on a Xerox machine). Zines are not an organized industry yet. They may never be. Read this book to get a hint of what a zine can be, then, decide if you want to make your own. Visit the Zine Book, "Reading from the Fringe" for links and more info about zines.

Draw 50 Cars, Trucks, and Motorcycles: The Step by Step Way to Draw Dragsters, Vintage Cars, Dune Buggies, Mini-choppers, and Many More by Lee J. Ames
This book is one is a great series providing step-by-step instructions on how to draw vehicles, horses, sports players, ... check these others out at your local FCPL branch. Ask a librarian to help you find them and then browse. This particular book features the Ford Thunderbird, a corvette, mustang, dump truck, unicycle, and all sorts of other transportation contraptions.



Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga, and Graphic Novels by Scott McCloud

Read this exhaustive course in how to create visual stories for the practical comic artist. The book is entirely drawn, with the author's wisdom contained in speech and thought bubbles. Some of the general ideas divided by chapter are: writing with pictures, stories for humans, the power of words, world building, tools, techniques and technology, your place in comics, and making comics. This book "presents instructions for aspiring cartoonists on the art form's key techniques, sharing concise and accessible guidelines on such principles as capturing the human condition through words and images in a minimalist style." Visit Drawer Geeks where cartoonists and animators offer their unique takes on characters like Santa Claus, the Grinch, Alice in Wonderland, Darth Vader, etc.

How to Draw Hip-Hop by Damion Scott and Kris Ex

Start with a few simple shapes and within pages you will be designing never seen before mics, ghetto-blasters, back-packs, female and male heads, dancers, cops, graffiti walls, and more colorful locations where good music would be found.