Makingamark's Top 10 Fine Art Books

THIS BOOK IS ALSO CONSISTENTLY IN THE TOP THREE BESTSELLING BOOKS ABOUT DRAWING ON AMAZON - BEST SELLING DRAWING BOOK IN AUGUST, OCTOBER AND DECEMBER 2010, JANUARY - AUGUST 2011
1792 days in the top 100 books (Arts & Photography) on Amazon
Amazon review: 4.4 out of 5 stars (243 customer reviews) | Like (44)
Goodreads: 4.02 out of 5 stars (1,971 ratings / 134 reviews)

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - see my book review on my blog - here's a couple of short extracts

BUT - see 4TH EDITION to be published in April 2012 below

In my opinion, it's an excellent book for adults who haven't picked up a pencil to have a go at drawing in years. It's also very helpful for self-improvers who have already started to draw again but are finding they continue to have problems in drawing the object they see in front of them. Children may also find it interesting as it takes an entirely different approach to teaching people how to draw - but almost certainly will find some of the chapters a bit too advanced.

'Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain' has a unique approach which is accessible (for the most part), memorable and gets good results. It doesn't teach everything about drawing but it has got a lot of people a long way towards being better able to see and better able to draw. And as I said at the beginning it's also one of the only two books I recommend to adults who want to learn how to draw from the beginning.

A revised and expanded edition of the classic drawing-instruction book that has sold more than 2,500,000 copies.
* In 1979, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain was published. It made the New York Times bestseller list within two weeks of publication and then stayed there for more than a year.
* In 1989, Dr. Betty Edwards revised the book, and yet again Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain #2 went straight into the Times list again.
* A third version was published on the twentieth anniversary of the original publication in 1999 and has been selling steadily ever since. This book is a stayer - and it also stays in the rankings for the top art books on Amazon!
* The current paperback version was published in November 2009.

The latest edition - Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain: The Definitive, 4th Edition due to be published in April 2012 - includes:
* the very latest developments in brain research;
* new material on using drawing techniques in the corporate world and in education;
* instruction on self-expression through drawing;
* an updated section on using color; and
* detailed information on using the five basic skills of drawing for problem solving.

BEST SELLING IN JANUARY 2012 (Prior to publication on 1 February 2012)

5 days in the top 100 Art Books on Amazon
Amazon reviews - 5.0 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews) | Like (71)

600+ beautiful, contemporary illustrations from 50+ cities in 30+ countries, as well as artists' profiles and extended captions where these urban sketchers share their stories, how they work, sketching tips, and the tools behind each drawing. With profiles of leading practitioners and discussions of the benefits of working in this art form, this inspiring book shows how one can participate and experience this creative outlet through modern-day social networks and online activity.

MORE THAN ONE YEAR AFTER PUBLICATION THIS BOOK IS STILL AT THE TOP OF THE CHARTS FOR SERIOUS PAINTERS

Ranked #1 BEST SELLER in the Top 100 Painting Books - BEFORE it was published in November 2010 on the strength of pre-publication sales - it has now pretty much stayed at or very near the top ever since. It consistently earns more and more 5 star ratings on Amazon. This book is ALSO the TOP RATED Book in August, September and October 2011 and January 2012 and #2 in November and December

416 days in the top 100 Art Books on Amazon
Amazon reviews: 5.0 out of 5 stars (70 customer reviews) | Like (169)
#1,692 in Books
#3 in Books > Arts & Photography > Painting

READ my detailed review of this book Book Review: Color and Light by James Gurney

Summary review: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - This is a book for students and improvers and all those who want to know more about colour and how light and colour interact - in life and in a painting. Practical application of the lessons learned is made possible through a very accessible text coupled with excellent use of images and graphics. Coverage of this topic is comprehensive.

Let me be very clear on this point. This book comes very highly recommended by me.

I've not come across any other book which covers this topic in such breath and depth and makes it accessible as well.
* I've got ones which are more technical - but they're much less accessible.
* I've got ones which are as accessible - but they don't cover as much as he does

The major plus point about this book is that it is comprehensive and accessible art instruction of a very high order.
* It does not attempt to dumb down or omit important aspects of the way in which colour and light function and interact.
* It articulates very clearly how you can make choices about how to use different features of colour and light in a painting.
I am so confident about the impact of this book that I am happy to predict that if you buy and study this book your paintings will improve.

BEST SELLING PAINTING BOOK JANUARY 2012

Shirley Trevena is a well-known and successful watercolourist, with a huge international fan base who doubtless account for the popularity of her third book on both sides of the Atlantic

She is regarded as one of Britain's most innovative artists in the medium of watercolour. Her paintings are visually inspiring, vibrant in colour and strong in composition.

In Breaking the Rules of Watercolour, she shows how she achieves her stunning results by pushing the medium to its limits.
* Shirley takes the reader through 10 paintings in great detail and shares all her professional tips and painting secrets.
* Each painting has large close-up details so the reader can really see all the brushstrokes.
* Shirley explains all her painting decisions and demonstrates her techniques at every stage. In this way, she encourages all watercolourists, whatever their level, to experiment with the medium and produce exciting and challenging work of their own.

Those interested can see Shirley's artwork at the Annual Exhibition of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours at the Mall Galleries in London from 14-25 March

TOP RATED BOOK ABOUT AN ARTIST IN JANUARY 2012

This book which records a decade of conversations between David Hockney and Martin Gayford was published in September 2011, however the opening of The Bigger Picture Exhibition at the RA will have seen a surge in sales.

David Hockney reveals via reflection, anecdote, passion and humour the fruits of his lifelong meditations on the problems and paradoxes of representing a three-dimensional world on a flat surface. These conversations are punctuated by wise and witty observations from both parties on numerous other artists, and enlivened by shrewd insights into the contrasting social and physical landscapes of California, where Hockney spent so many years, and Yorkshire, the birthplace to which he has returned. Some of the diverse people he has encountered along the way from Henri Cartier-Bresson to Billy Wilder make entertaining entries into the dialogue.

The catalogue of the exhibition at the National Gallery in London which proved impossible for to see for most people - including me. I even wrote a post just about the queue.

This catalogue accompanies the major exhibition 'Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan' at the National Gallery, London: 9 November 2011 - 5 February 2012.

It focuses on a crucial period in the 1480s and '90s when, as a salaried court artist to Duke Ludovico Sforza in the city-state of Milan, Leonardo produced some of the most celebrated - and influential - work of his career. "The Last Supper", his two versions of "The Virgin of the Rocks", and the beautiful portrait of Cecilia Gallerani, Ludovico's mistress ("The Lady with an Ermine") were paintings that set a new standard for his Milanese contemporaries. Leonardo's style was magnified, through collaboration and imitation, to become the visual language of the regime, and by the time of his return to Florence in 1500, his status was utterly transformed.

"Works from British, US and European" collections represent the diverse range of Leonardo's artistic output, from drawings in chalk, ink or metalpoint to full-scale oil paintings. Together with the authors' meticulous research and detailed analysis, they demonstrate Leonardo's consummate skill and extraordinary ambition as a painter.

TOP RATED ART HISTORY BOOK IN JANUARY 2012

ALSO BEST SELLING ART HISTORY BOOK IN NOVEMBER 2011
Rated 4.3 out of 5 stars (43 customer reviews) | Like (2)
51 days in the top 100 Arts & Photography Books on Amazon

This is a unique book, endorsed by and produced in co-operation with the Louvre. For the first time ever, you can now see every painting from the world's most popular museum in one amazing book. The 3,022 paintings on display in the permanent painting collection of the Louvre are presented in full color in this striking, slipcased book. It's impossible when visiting the Louvre to get all the way round and see everything properly. It's doubtful if you would succeed if you stayed in Paris for a few days. This book allows you to see the permanent collection which is on display without the travel and hotel costs!

The book was designed for ease of use. It comes with an enclosed, supportive DVD-ROM. In about nine to 12 months, there will be an app for the iPad and iPhone that includes audio and visual narratives of the paintings.

Read the review in the Wall Street Journal

BEST SELLING ART HISTORY BOOK IN JANUARY 2012

'Techniques of Painting' aims to help readers develop a painterly eye by learning to recognize different materials and methods of application and to appreciate how these features contribute to how a painting looks.

Like all 'Closer Look' volumes, this is a 'how-to-look' guide, rather than a 'how-to-do' guide, enabling readers to identify different types of painting in all collections. The pictures illustrated range from 13th-century panel paintings in egg tempera to 19th-century oils on canvas, including works by Duccio, Sassetta, Rubens, Rembrandt, Degas, Monet and Van Gogh, all from the National Gallery, London.

The author is a world-renowned expert in pigments and paint materials.

Amazon reviews: 4.6 out of 5 stars (23 customer reviews) | Like (21)

The paperback is top of the charts although it's the Kindle version which was published recently - I have this book on my iPad!

Publisher's description: The most comprehensive guide of its kind, Art/Work gives artists of every level the tools they need to make it in an art world so competitive one dealer likens it to "The Sopranos, except nobody gets killed." Whether you're an art school grad looking for a gallery, a mid-career artist managing a busy studio, or someone just thinking about becoming a professional artist, this indispensable resource will help you build your career and protect yourself along the way.

BEST SELLING ART BUSINESS BOOK IN MARCH, APRIL & DECEMBER 2011 AND JANUARY 2012
Amazon ratings: 4.1 out of 5 stars (45 customer reviews) | Like (2)
Goodreads: rated 3.58 avg rating - 1,879 ratings - published 2008 - 16 editions
Google Books: 239 Reviews

I'm guessing this one sold well as a Christmas Present. It's been around in the charts all year- as a hardcover and a paperback - and is an easy read.

Publisher's description: In a series of beautifully paced narratives, Sarah Thornton investigates the drama of a Christie's auction, the workings in Takashi Murakami's studios, the elite at the Basel Art Fair, the eccentricities of Artforum magazine, the competition behind an important art prize, life in a notorious art-school seminar, and the wonderland of the Venice Biennale. She reveals the new dynamics of creativity, taste, status, money, and the search for meaning in life. A judicious and juicy account of the institutions that have the power to shape art history, based on hundreds of interviews with high-profile players, Thornton's entertaining ethnography will change the way you look at contemporary culture.