Top 10 Books on Animal Drawing and Painting

It's rare to find "Animal Painting" or "Animal Anatomy" listed in any art school curriculum, because the models are notoriously difficult to bring into the classroom and very few art schools have taxidermy mounts.

Painting a goat and sheep in the barn as a draft horse looks on.

So if you want to draw and paint animals, you almost have to be a non-traditional learner. Here are some resources that can help you on your way, especially if you combine them with sketching at the natural history museum, zoo, or farm.

We discussed these books a little in the Draftsmen podcast interview yesterday, but here's some more info on the topic.

Books

1. The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling by John Muir Laws

Animals, plants, insects are all covered by this uniquely knowledgeable artist.

2. How to Draw Animals by Jack Hamm

Useful simplifications and mental models.

3. Animal Painting and Anatomy by Frank Calderon

Calderon ran an art academy in England. Detailed anatomical analysis.

4. Wildlife Artists at Work by Patricia van Gelder

Studio visits with major 20th century wildlife artists, including Meltzoff, Peterson, Carlson, and Bateman. Not useful for anatomy, but rather artistic approaches.

5. How to Draw Animals (Famous Artists School)

Focused excerpts of a reliable mid-20th century teaching source.