Looking for some new sketching books to level up your skills? Sketching is arguably my favorite type of artwork, and if you’re on this page, I imagine you feel the same (or stumbled down an internet rabbit hole, but that’s cool).
Whatever the case, I’m the kind of person who likes when articles get straight to the point. And the point of this article is to list the best sketching books to help you learn to sketch from scratch or improve your current sketching ability. So, without further adieu, here are (in my opinion) the best books to level up your sketching skills:
| Book Title | Skill Level | Price | Amazon Link | |
| 1 | Sketching for the Absolute Beginner | Beginner | ~$19.29 | Current Price |
| 2 | The Beginner’s Guide to Urban Sketching | Beginner | ~$22.49 | Current Price |
| 3 | Sketching Techniques for Artists | Intermediate | ~$18.25 | Current Price |
| 4 | Sketching People | Intermediate | ~$19.99 | Current Price |
| 5 | Creative Sketching Workshop | Advanced | ~$9.99 | Current Price |
More About these Sketching Book Recommendations
“Hold up! I want more information before committing.” Thank goodness you don’t just trust everyone on the internet at face value. That’s a good quality right there. The only ones I trust are my wife and basically anyone who offers me free food. There’s no way they have ill intentions if free food is involved… right?
Anyways, here are some highlights about each of the sketching books I listed above:
1 – Sketching for the Absolute Beginner by Peter Cronin
You might have guessed by the title already, but this is your best bet if you’re completely new to sketching. However, even if you’re familiar with the basics, you might learn some new things in this in-depth book on sketching.
The book has an average rating of 4.5 stars on Amazon, with nearly 200 reviews when this article was published. Peter Cronin guides you through his S.E.T. (Shape/Edge/Tone) method to analyze whatever you plan to sketch. Top reviews praise him for presenting things clearly and straightforwardly to assist anyone who might be new to the sketching scene.
2 – Emphasis on Urban Sketching Techniques by Taria Dawson
If you skipped ahead to look at this sketching book on Amazon, you may have jumped back, wondering why I’m recommending a book with a mere seven ratings on Amazon (at the time of writing). Well, contrary to the seemingly low popularity of the book, Taria Dawson is a very experienced urban sketch artist with an entire portfolio of art, which can be viewed on her website (https://urbansketchingworld.com/).
While it does have fewer reviews, they’re all 5-star bar one, which is four stars. The 4-star review took a star off because the book was partially bent (which is a shipping issue, not a product issue). Taria combines ink and watercolor to create some pretty fantastic-looking art, and guides readers through her sketching process in a way understandable for artists of any skill level.
3 – Sketching Techniques for Artists by Alex Hillkurtz
This is the first book in the “intermediate” category due to some complex topics it covers in the realm of sketching. However, this is also the most comprehensive book on how to sketch listed so far, with nearly twice the number of pages as the top 2 recommendations.
This book has nearly 400 reviews written with an incredible 4.8-star average on Amazon. This book is also part of the “For Artists” Book Series, which encompasses figure drawing, landscapes, and more.
4 – Sketching People by Lynne Chapman
This sketching book made it on my list due to the difficulty that naturally comes with trying to sketch people and figures. If you’ve already started your sketching journey, you’ve probably already experienced this first-hand.
Fortunately, Lynne Chapman has put together a handy guide to help overcome the obstacle of sketching figures and faces and help you to have fun doing it, too. This sketching book has a fantastic 4.7 stars on Amazon right now, and they’re filled with happy artists who previously struggled with sketching figures and faces but were helped tremendously by this guide.
5 – Creative Sketching Workshop by Pete Skully
Now we’re hopping to the only sketching book I’d label as “advanced” on my list. Why is it “advanced?” Well, mostly because it doesn’t really give step-by-step guidance like the others on the list.
The Creative Sketching Workshop is a compilation of sketching challenges, exercises, and ideas from 12 celebrated urban sketchers. The book has an average rating of 4.6 stars, and many of the reviews rave about the inspiration it gave them to go out and sketch.
Which Sketching Book Should You Choose?
The primary considerations when you’re making your choice should be the following:
- Topic
- Sketching Basics
- Sketching for the Absolute Beginner
- Sketching Techniques for Artists
- Urban Sketching
- The Beginner’s Guide to Urban Sketching
- Sketching People
- Sketch Crawl
- Creative Sketching Workshop
- Sketching Basics
- Skill Level
- I’m New to Sketching
- Sketching for the Absolute Beginner
- The Beginner’s Guide to Urban Sketching
- I Have Some Experience Sketching
- Sketching Techniques for Artists
- Sketching People
- I’m an Experienced Sketch Artist
- Creative Sketching Workshop
- I’m New to Sketching
- Price
- I’m so broke that even the government feels bad for me
- Oof. Sorry about that. The government usually doesn’t care about anyone, so you must be in tough shape. If this is the case, I recommend checking out free websites for learning to draw rather than jumping into a sketching book purchase.
- I could probably spend some money on a sketching book
- If you’re looking to save a little money, some of these books offer a Kindle version which is cheaper than the paperback
- I’m comfortable spending $10-30
- Great! If that’s the case, I recommend getting physical copies. Kindle is good, but some of them have sections that can feel complicated if you don’t have a physical copy.
- I’m so broke that even the government feels bad for me
So, use the above guide to help pick the right sketching book for you. If you feel like I left out a great option, hit me up in the comments and convince me to add it. I’ll take a look and consider including it in a future update!
I hope you have a great day!