Hey everyone its been awhile since I did one of these and I’m excited to share it. The aim of these is to inspire you, inspire artists, young readers, and more. Art books to me arebooks using visual art, photography, design, collage, and words to highlight a topic, art form, person, place, genre, discipline, or medium.
They are a great way to unplug when you’ve been staring at screens too long. They’re great for traveling, road trips, flights, etc. They’re great for getting inspired and they’re a great way to get young people reading; as long as its about a topic they LOVE. Please watch and share.
I discuss 13 books in the video including my own art book:
“The Art of Tekkenkinkreet / Black & White” – Shinji Kimura
“Supreme Glamour”- Mary Wilson
“The Art of Juanjo Guarnido” – Juanjo Guarnido
“Shelter in Place” – Avy Jetter
“Dinotopia” – James Gurney
“Painting The Streets-Oakland Uprising in the Time of Rebellion”- Nomadic Press
“Creations Vol. 1” – Derek Laufman
“Iguana Bay” – Claire Wendling
“Black Champions in Cycling” – Marlon Lee Moncrieffe
“Maestrapiece- San Francisco’s Monumental Feminist Mural” –Heyday Books
“Art of Rob” – Robert Liu-Trujillo
“Prince of Cats” – Ronald Wimberly
Dig this? Check out “My Favorite Art Books 2” the second video in this series. And if your local bookstore or library doesn’t have any of the art books you’re looking for, politely request them 🙂
If you’d like to purchase some of them I suggest ordering them from your local bookstore, Bookshop.org, or StuartNg Books in LA.
Here’s a page from my 2021 sketchbook. In between working for others and dreaming up my own books or projects I keep these sketchbooks to practice. Some of this page came out as a cool experiment and some was just play.
What’s a sketchbook page? A sketchbook is a great place to play, experiment, and practice. Been keeping one with me in one form or another for over 25 years. Some books are just for letters, some are for landscapes, some for writing down ideas, some for client work, and sometimes I mix them all up.
Fam, the book is finally in the shop and the majority of the books have gone out to the backers. If you missed the kickstarter campaign now you can cop a book.
This is a page from a 2014 sketchbook. The entire book had toned paper and I used ink, colored pencil, and gouache for this page. On the left is Move activist Ramona Africa from Phillly and an umbrella representing the protests in Hong Kong. Wanna see more from this sketchbook? Check out my sketchbook tour below.
Here’s a pg from a 2021 sketchbook I finished. I think I was checking out an old Rockwell ptg and trying to do a version of that for fun. This is done w/ ink and watercolor. I love drawing in sketchbooks. Been doing this since I was a kid. Check out this sketchbook tour I made earlier this year.
Hey fam, I just finished the second “Art Books” video. In it I share a little bit of 15 books and magazines ranging from Art of animation, to artist sketchbooks, and photography books. The point of these is to share cool books, show you some ways to get kids off screens, inspire young artists, and hopefully get some kids reading. Some of these books would appeal to elementary aged kids and some are for older teens.
If you missed the last Art Books video check it out here
These are the books in the video:
“Afros” by Michael July
“Journey for Justice” by Dr Dawn Mabalon, Gayle Romansanta, and Andre Sibayan
“We Are the Ship” by Kadir Nelson
“Mexican Muralists” by Desmond Rochfort
“The Art of Moana” by Disney
“Dailies” by Bobby Pontillas
“Girls Garage” by Emily Pilloton
“Harlem of the West” by Elizabeth Pepin Silva & Lewis Watts
“Stranger Danger” by Clio Chiang
“Printing the Revolution” by Claudia Zapata, Tatiana Reinoza, and Terecita Romo
“The Art of Hung Liu-Summoning Ghosts” by Hung Liu
“Picturing The Promise (Scurlocks)” Edited by Paul Gardullo
“The New Bohemians” by Justina Blakeney
“Waxpoetics Magazine” 2008/ 2021
“Umber Magazine”
If you’d like to purchase some of them I suggest ordering them from your local bookstore, Bookshop.org, or StuartNg Books in LA.
Sup with it fam, here is my 2nd sketchbook tour. The first one I uploaded was at the beginning of the year. And this is a more recent sketchbook. Check it out. It’s fun to share sketches and process art with you all. I love seeing sketchbooks too and have kept them since I was a kid. Know of any cool sketchbook tours? Hit me up.
If you haven’t yet seen my kickstarter featuring my art, this is a preview of some of the art that would be in there. It reached its goal and stretch goals are up. The link for the campaign is here: ART of ROB
Wow, its only day 3 andmy Kickstarter is almost 80 % funded! Amazing! Thank you all. Here’s a bit of info to share….
What is an art book? Who cares? An art book is a tool, an escape, a resource, a push, a friend, its anything you want it to be. Of course we’re talking about paper, binding, pictures, words, etc. But it’s also a way to grab attention and get kids to take a break from the screens when you need them to. You can put them on the kitchen table, on your bookshelf, home library, or in a classroom. If you can’t buy them, you can check them out at your local library. But why? Art books are a great way to encourage young creatives! There are lots of different types of art books. Here are a few:
1. Photography: “Reflections in Black by Deborah Willis”
Its a book cataloguing Black photographers from 1840-2000. It has essays, memories, think pieces, and tons and tons of photographs. Black & white, color, experimental, and more. #photography
2. Animation:“Into the Spiderverse”
This is an art of book. Whats that? Well many feature and animated films have art departments that develop the look and feel of a film from the way actors act, to the designs of their clothing. An art of book for a film that you like can expand your understanding of how it was made and who did it. This book features many departments of the film making process. #animation
3. Murals:“Maestrapiece: San Francisco’s Monumental Feminist Mural”.
This book celebrates the herstory of a really huge mural painted in the Mission District of San Francisco on one of the first buildings ever dedicated to the lives of women; The Women’s Building. The book is full of old and new images, memories, and writings about how this crew of bad assess women painted this mural and why it means so much. #murals
4. Graffiti: “Piecebook the secret drawings of graffiti writers” by Sacha Jenkins and Chino BYI.
This is an ill book featuring some writing but mostly sketchbook drawings of pieces, characters, throw ups, and more by graffiti writers from the 70s to the 80s I believe. For any kid who was interested in Graffiti or street art this is a must have because it shows you a world that you wouldn’t get to see unless you were a part of the culture. #graffiti
5. Fashion: “The Sourcebook of Fashion Design”.
This is a dope book featuring how to’s , writing, and tones of photographs of sketches, designs, fabric, outfits, and garments from the designer fashion industry. And I mention this because you might have a kid who loves fashion. Get them some fashion designer books! #fashiondesign
6. Architecture: The Future of Architecture in 100 Buildings
This book features beautiful images of buildings of the future and some that echo the past. It spans the globe and features captions and short written pieces about the buildings. Got a kid in your life who loves architecture? #architecture
7. US History: “Celebrate People’s History” by Josh MacPhee
is a book of poster art. The art in this book features work by movement artists, groups, and more. The subject matter ranges from individual figures to historic events, places, and groups. And it talks about labor, laws, social justice, ethnic studies, and more. Because each poster has a very short reference it leaves it up to the viewer to look up what strikes them as interesting. #UShistory
8. Makers/ Builders: “Girls Garage” by Emily Pilloton
is an awesome resource for girls about how to build things. It features history, facts, and an encyclopedia about tools and lots of DIY tips on projects. One of the coolest things in it are profiles about women young and old who have built shit!! #builders
9. And lastly, I threw my book in there to illustrate the point that there are lots of different types of art books and mine is one of them. An artist sketchbook with character designs and other things. Thank you for supporting my kickstarter to make this art book a reality. Not only for me but hopefully for some young students out there.
If you’re looking for any of these books please go to your local bookstore or library and ask them about these art books!!!
What up y’all, been wanting to do this video for a minute. Art books are a great way to unplug from the internet or get someone reading who doesn’t normally like books. Whenever I get stuck I pull out some ill art books, read them, and just flip through them. Check these books out. Cop them from an indy store or request them at your local library!
If you missed my last inspiration board check it here
Here are all the books I mention in this video, please support them. Cop from the artists themselves, your local independent bookstore, or Bookshop.org.
-“Spraycan Art” by Henry Chalfant & James Prigoff
-“One Track Mind” Graffiti Magazine
-“OS Gemeos”
-“Reflections In Black” by Deborah Willis
-“Chaz Bojorquez”
-“The Early Bird” by Morning Breath
-“De La Soul” by Frank 151
-“Spider Man Into the Spiderverse” by Sony/ Marvel
