It’s hard to turn down purchasing art books. Either books that you can learn from, gain inspiration from, or just all out love because of the beauty inside them. I try to not overload my shelves with them, but every once in a while, a new on has to join the collection.

Today, I’m sharing my 5 current favourite art books! Check out the video below for little peeks inside them too.

Bookbinding for Book Artists by Keith A. Smith

Smith has a whole bundle of books about making books, and I have scoured online used bookstores to collect a bunch of them. They are a fantastic resource for learning how to bind books, and has manuals dedicated to no-glue, no special tools needed (like this one!), and more intricate book making involving gluing and detailed covers. They are detailed, have illustrations to help you visualize your steps, and lots of different ways to make a book.

Get Messy Art by Caylee Grey

Almost everything that Caylee touches I love. The self-proclaimed Fairy Art Mother, Caylee is a fantastic resource for art journaling. The team of instructors she’s curated on her website as part of her monthly membership, free offerings (like Messy May, which I LOVED!), and this book are just some of the good things she offers. This books has lots of mini tutorials by different teachers, with tips for making art journals, techniques for working in them, and just all out inspiration for working with scraps, ephemera, thread (which in Caylee’s world is usually neon!), paint and more. Check out Get Messy on Instagram and YouTube for more!

Spilling Open by Sabrina Ward Harrison

I remember the first time I saw this book. It was in high school, at a friends house, and I was instantly in awe. The many layers of collage, photos, ink splotches, her unique writing and lots of colourful pastel marks. I had never seen work like that. Intimate journal pages, published for anyone to see. Even thought some of her books are harder to come by, I highly suggest seeing if you can find one! See Sabrina on her website or Instagram too.

1000 Artist Journal Pages by Dawn Devries Sokol

I picked this up at the bookstore when I was in University, as I was often escaping into some kind of art creation during my time at school. I struggles those 4 years (turns out, I’m not an essay type person, but more of a hands on learner!) and making and taking in art definitely helped. While perusing for the next Postcard project book, I found Dawn’s collection of 1000 Artist Journal Pages, and was instantly hooked. It had to come home with me. Filled with pages of artists journals, seeing the variety of style, mediums, what they choose to include in their pages, the inspiration feels just endless! See Dawn’s other work and books on her site.

Acrylic Solutions by Chris COzen and Julie Prichard

Newly married, home alone a lot with a husband busy away for work, I longed to get back into the habit of painting again. I had been working on my calligraphy, but it wasn’t always satisfying my creative needs. I decided to open up my painting education again, in a different way than what I had experience (and been burned by) in University. I got this book, and started studying it like a text book. Now, 10 years later, as social media has grown, I stumbled upon an artist who shares SO many tips and tricks on her Instagram and website about acrylic painting and everything that can go along with it. After many months of following, I finally connected that the artist I was learning from in short form content was also one of the author’s of this text I had studied a decade ago! I highly recommend this book, or at least Julie’s Instagram and website (visit her blog!) where you’ll learn how to go beyond just acrylic as a paint, and start to explore everything that acrylic mediums also have to offer to your work.

Here’s a little peek inside each of these as I chat about my current (and seemingly, also long time!) favourite art books!