Resources...
The following resources are ones I've found invaluable as I've progressed on my artistic journey. Usually I borrow books from the library before purchasing to see if they are helpful for the stage I'm at, but that's true for any subject. These qualify for my personal library.
Books
Drawing from the Light Within: Keys to
Awaken Your Creative Power, by Judith
Cornell.
I highly recommend this book as an important addition to
any artist's library. It's the one book that has made
the biggest impact on my art.
The Technical Pen, by Gary Simmons.
An Excellent, practical book I refer to often for pen and ink techniques.
Drawing in Pen & Ink, by Claudia Nice.
A very talented artist in her own right, Claudia has written and illustrated many books for artists. She's a delight to learn from.
Optical Illusions for Quilters, by Karen Combs.
A pleasure to peruse and is valuable for artist of any medium.
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, by Betty Edwards.
A course in enhancing creativity and artistic confidence.
Drawing on the Artist Within, by Betty Edwards.
An inspirational and practical guide to increasing your creative powers.
March 2010: While preparing a lesson plan to teach doodling to local senior citizens, I came across these four books at Amazon.com that are great resources for doodling ideas and strokes. I'm always on the lookout for ways to freshen my craft.
Oodles of Doodles, by Tonya
Bates, Andrea Gibson, Donna Goss, Emily Adams, Jaime
Echt. Copyright 2007
Creative ways to incorporate doodling into your crafts.
The Doodle Formula, by
Adrienne Looman. Copyright 2008
A step-by-step guide to creating the perfect doodle.
Zentangle Basics, by
Suzanne McNeill. Copyright 2010
A great primer on how to go about drawing doodles, or in
their vernacular, zentangles.
Zentangle 2, by Suzanne
McNeill. Copyright 2010
Even more designs, as well as incorporating doodles
(zentangles) into your crafts.
June 2010: Found a couple more Zentangle type books.
The Art of Zen Dazzle Doodles, by Bonnie McLain. Copyright 2008. A small book of amazingly intricate doodles. Worth looking at, however the paper is of such poor quality the details get lost. The covers are lovely.
Totally Tangled, by Sandy Steen Bartholomew, Copyright 2010. Now this is a book I have a lot to learn from! Well worth the money and will keep me busy polishing my artwork. We artists all learn from each other. Thanks Sandy!
Miscellaneous
The Pencil Grip
www.thepencilgrip.com/cat.php?k=25774
Bless this company, for without their pencil grips I wouldn't be able to do any drawing. They are fat, ergonomically correct, and fit on the Micron pens I use. I purchase them locally at an educational supply store, but they are also available online and at some art stores.
This company makes the most wonderful bleedproof paper for pens--as well as many other papers. This particular 108# paper comes in several sizes, is sturdy yet light enough to trace using a lightbox. Plus, drawing is as smooth as cutting soft butter with a hot knife. Love it! Available online and at high quality art stores.
Free Fonts
Gazillions of free fonts and more added all the time. What's especially nice is you can type in words to see how they will look in a specific font. A great resource to update your font collection.